Feeding and discharging device, feeding and discharging system and feeding and discharging method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a feeding and discharging device, a feeding and discharging system and a feeding and discharging method thereof. The feeding and discharging device comprises a feeding and discharging mechanism, a positioning mechanism and a grabbing mechanism arranged between the feeding and discharging mechanism and the positioning mechanism. The feeding and discharging mechanism comprises a feeding channel and a discharging channel which are horizontally arranged, the feeding channel is provided with a plurality of material trays where workpieces are placed, and the bottom of the feeding channel and the bottom of the discharging channel are provided with a blocking assembly and a jacking assembly respectively. The positioning mechanism comprises a positioning plate and a rotating assembly for driving the positioning plate to rotate, and a detection assembly is arranged above the positioning plate; and the grabbing mechanism is used for moving the workpieces detected to be qualified to corresponding machining equipment for machining, grabbing the empty trays in the feeding channel to the discharging channel and moving the machined workpieces to the empty trays in the discharging channel. The efficiency and reliability of automatic feeding and discharging machining of the numerical control machine tool are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of automated loading and unloading, and specifically relates to a loading and unloading device, a loading and unloading system, and a loading and unloading method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the popularization of CNC machine tool processing technology, CNC machine tools have liberated a lot of manual work in product diversification and intelligent processing. Traditional CNC machine tools are machine tools equipped with a program control system, which can logically process programs specified by control codes or other symbolic instructions, decode them, and express them in coded numbers. They are input into the CNC device through information carriers, and after calculation and processing, the CNC device sends various control signals to control the movement of the machine tool, so that the machine tool can automatically process parts according to the shape and size required by the drawing.

[0003] However, in the loading and unloading of workpieces in CNC machine tools, most of them are still manual operations. Usually, the operator manually places the workpiece to be processed in the CNC machine tool, and after the CNC machine tool processing is completed, the operator needs to manually take out the processed workpiece and place it in the discharge channel. The process of taking and placing the workpiece needs to be completed manually, which makes the production and processing efficiency low, wastes manpower and material resources, and increases the risk of accidental damage to the workpiece. Therefore, how to realize the automatic feeding and unloading of workpieces, and improve the efficiency and reliability of automated processing, is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a loading and unloading device, a loading and unloading system and a loading and unloading method thereof, which can realize automatic loading and unloading of workpieces, effectively improving the efficiency and reliability of automated processing.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a loading and unloading device, including a feeding and unloading mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and a grabbing mechanism arranged between the feeding and unloading mechanism and the positioning mechanism;

[0006] The feeding and discharging mechanism comprises a feeding channel and a discharging channel arranged horizontally, a plurality of trays on which workpieces are placed are arranged on the feeding channel, and a blocking component and a lifting component are respectively arranged at the bottom of the feeding channel and the discharging channel;

[0007] The positioning mechanism comprises a positioning plate and a rotating assembly driving the positioning plate to rotate, and a detection assembly is provided above the positioning plate;

[0008] The grabbing mechanism is used to grab the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel and place it on the positioning plate for positioning, flip the positioned workpiece to the bottom of the detection component for detection, and move the workpiece that has passed the detection to the corresponding processing equipment for processing;

[0009] The grabbing mechanism is also used to grab the empty tray in the feed channel to the discharge channel, and move the processed workpiece to the empty tray in the discharge channel.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present application, a first sensing component is provided on a side of the feeding and discharging mechanism away from the gripping mechanism, and the first sensing component is used to sense whether the carrier platform moves to a preset position;

[0011] The lifting assembly includes a first lifting cylinder and a second lifting cylinder disposed below the feed channel and the discharge channel, and a first push plate and a second push plate are disposed on the top of the first lifting cylinder and the second lifting cylinder.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present application, feed guide rails are respectively provided on both sides of the feed channel, one end of the two feed guide rails away from the gripping mechanism is hinged on the feed channel, one end of the two feed guide rails close to the gripping mechanism is connected through the first push plate, and both ends of the two feed guide rails are provided with feed rollers;

[0013] The first lifting cylinder is used to drive the first push plate and the feed guide rail to move toward the bottom of the feed channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the feed channel, so that a plurality of material trays with workpieces to be processed can be tilted along the feed guide rail into the feed channel, and the feed guide rail can be reset to a horizontal state after the feeding is completed.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present application, discharging guide rails are respectively provided on both sides of the discharging channel, one end of the two discharging guide rails away from the grabbing mechanism is hinged on the discharging channel, one end of the two discharging guide rails close to the grabbing mechanism is connected through the second push plate, and both ends of the two discharging guide rails are provided with discharging roller shafts;

[0015] The second lifting cylinder is used to drive the second push plate and the discharging guide rail to move toward the top of the discharging channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the discharging channel, so as to tilt several trays with processed workpieces in the discharging channel to the carrier platform, and reset the discharging guide rail to a horizontal state after the discharging is completed.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present application, the blocking assembly includes a first blocking cylinder and a second blocking cylinder disposed below the feed channel and the discharge channel, and a first blocking block and a second blocking block are disposed on the top of the first blocking cylinder and the second blocking cylinder;

[0017] The first blocking cylinder is used to drive the first blocking block to move toward the bottom of the feeding channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the feeding channel, and to drive the first blocking block to move toward the top of the feeding channel after the feeding is completed;

[0018] The second blocking cylinder is used to drive the second blocking block to move toward the bottom of the discharge channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the discharge channel, and to drive the second blocking block to move toward the top of the discharge channel after the discharge is completed.

[0019] As a further improvement of the present application, the feed channel and the discharge channel are provided with a second induction component and a third induction component along the stacking direction of the plurality of trays;

[0020] The second sensing component is used to sense the height of the material trays stacked in the feed channel to determine whether the feed channel is short of material; the third sensing component is used to sense the height of the material trays stacked in the discharge channel to determine whether the discharge channel is full of material.

[0021] As a further improvement of the present application, a first air knife is further arranged between the grabbing mechanism and the positioning mechanism, and the grabbing mechanism is used to move the workpiece in the feed channel to the first air knife so that the first air knife blows away the residue on the workpiece to be processed.

[0022] As a further improvement of the present application, the grabbing mechanism includes a connecting seat and a grabbing assembly arranged on the connecting seat, the connecting seat is fixedly arranged between the feeding and discharging mechanism and the positioning mechanism, the connecting seat and the grabbing assembly are connected by a rotating shaft, and the connecting seat drives the grabbing assembly to flip through the rotating shaft.

[0023] As a further improvement of the present application, the grabbing assembly includes a clamping cylinder, a lifting cylinder driving the clamping cylinder to move in a vertical direction, and a fourth sensing assembly;

[0024] Two clamping jaws and a plurality of vacuum suction cups are arranged at the bottom of the clamping cylinder. The clamping cylinder is used to adjust the relative distance between the two clamping jaws. The fourth sensing component is used to sense whether the grasping component grasps the workpiece or the tray.

[0025] As a further improvement of the present application, the grabbing assembly further includes a second air knife disposed on the side wall of the clamping cylinder to blow away the residue attached to the workpiece while moving the processed workpiece to the discharge channel.

[0026] As a further improvement of the present application, a plurality of side thrust cylinders are provided at the bottom of the positioning plate, and the side thrust cylinders are used to clamp and position the workpiece placed on the positioning plate;

[0027] The rotating assembly comprises a rotating cylinder and a slewing bearing arranged between the positioning plate and the rotating cylinder, and the rotating cylinder is used for driving the positioning plate to rotate.

[0028] As a further improvement of the present application, the positioning mechanism also includes a guide member arranged under the positioning plate, a guide shaft is provided through the guide member, an arc-shaped groove is provided at the bottom of the positioning plate, and the top of the guide shaft extends into the arc-shaped groove to limit the rotation angle of the positioning plate within a preset angle.

[0029] As a further improvement of the present application, the loading and unloading device also includes a recovery bracket arranged on the same side of the positioning mechanism, and an empty material tray is provided on the recovery bracket. The grabbing mechanism is used to grab the unqualified workpieces onto the empty material tray, and grab the empty material tray in the feed channel corresponding to the workpiece onto the recovery bracket.

[0030] The present application also provides a loading and unloading system, which comprises:

[0031] A carrier platform, the carrier platform is used to transfer the material tray and the workpiece to be processed to the feed channel, and to remove the material tray and the processed workpiece from the discharge channel;

[0032] Processing equipment, the processing equipment is used to process the workpiece;

[0033] And, the loading and unloading device described in any of the above items is used to move the workpiece to be processed to the corresponding processing equipment for processing, and transfer the processed workpiece to the discharge channel.

[0034] As a further improvement of the present application, the loading and unloading system further includes a management background and a PLC controller;

[0035] The PLC controller is connected to the carrier platform, the management background, the gripping mechanism and the feeding and discharging mechanism in a two-way communication manner, and the processing equipment is connected to the management background in a two-way communication manner.

[0036] As a further improvement of the present application, the number of the processing equipment is at least two, and the two processing equipment are mirror-imaged and arranged on both sides of the loading and unloading device;

[0037] A side door is arranged on a side of each processing equipment close to the loading and unloading device.

[0038] The present application also provides a loading and unloading method, which is implemented based on any of the loading and unloading systems described above, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0039] Move the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel to the first air knife for blowing to filter out the residue;

[0040] Move the blown workpiece to the positioning plate for positioning, and flip the positioned workpiece to the bottom of the detection component for detection;

[0041] Determine whether the current workpiece is qualified; if not, place the unqualified workpiece on the recovery bracket;

[0042] If qualified, determine whether the current workpiece needs to be rotated; if necessary, place the current workpiece on the positioning plate again to rotate it by a preset angle, and move the rotated workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment for processing; if not, move the current workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment for processing;

[0043] The empty tray in the feed channel is moved to the discharge channel, and the processed workpiece is moved to the empty tray in the discharge channel. During the movement, the processed workpiece is blown clean by the second air knife.

[0044] As a further improvement of the present application, before the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel is moved to the first air knife for blowing to filter out the residue, the process further includes:

[0045] Determine whether the feeding channel is short of material at the current moment;

[0046] If there is a shortage of materials, the carrier platform is moved to the first preset position, and the first push plate and the first blocking block are controlled to move toward the bottom of the feed channel, so that a plurality of trays with workpieces to be processed are placed into the feed channel along the feed guide rail, and the feed guide rail is reset to a horizontal state after the feeding is completed;

[0047] If there is no shortage of material, the first blocking block is controlled to move toward the top of the feed channel.

[0048] As a further improvement of the present application, after moving the processed workpiece to the empty material tray of the discharge moving channel, the method further includes:

[0049] Determine whether the discharging channel is full at the current moment;

[0050] If the material is full, the carrier platform is moved to the second preset position, the second push plate is controlled to move to the top of the discharge channel, and the second blocking block is controlled to move to the bottom of the discharge channel, so that a number of trays with processed workpieces are moved along the discharge guide rail to the carrier platform, and the discharge guide rail is reset to a horizontal state after the discharge is completed;

[0051] If the material is not full, the second blocking block is controlled to move toward the top of the discharge channel.

[0052] Compared with the prior art, the loading and unloading device, loading and unloading system and loading and unloading method provided in the embodiments of the present application transfer the workpiece to be processed and the material tray to the feed channel through the carrier platform, and the gripping mechanism arranged between the feeding and discharging mechanism and the positioning mechanism clamps the workpiece in the feed channel to the positioning plate for positioning. After the positioning is completed, the workpiece is flipped under the detection component for code scanning detection, and the workpiece that passes the detection is moved to the corresponding processing equipment for processing. While the processing equipment is processing the workpiece, the empty material tray in the feed channel is transferred to the discharging channel. When the workpiece is processed, the processed workpiece is moved to the empty material tray of the discharging channel. By repeating the above process, automatic loading and unloading of the workpiece is realized, which further liberates manpower and material resources and effectively improves the production and processing efficiency; reduces the direct contact between the operator and the workpiece, reduces the risk of accidental damage to the workpiece, further ensures the quality of the workpiece before and after processing, and improves the reliability of automated processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0054] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the feeding and discharging mechanism in the loading and unloading device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feed guide rail in the loading and unloading device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a grabbing mechanism in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a detection component in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second air knife in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of a grabbing component in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 8It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping jaws in the loading and unloading device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of a positioning plate in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Fig.10 It is a structural schematic diagram of a guide member in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig.11 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the positioning mechanism in the loading and unloading device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the arc-shaped groove in the loading and unloading device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cabinet door in the loading and unloading device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Fig.14 It is a structural schematic diagram of a loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Fig.15 It is a structural schematic diagram of a side door in a loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram of the communication connection relationship of the loading and unloading system provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Fig.17 It is a flow chart of the loading and unloading method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Fig.18 This is a flow chart for determining whether there is a shortage of material in the material loading and unloading method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Fig.19 This is a flow chart for determining whether the material is full in the material loading and unloading method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Description of reference numerals:

[0074] 10-feeding and discharging mechanism; 11-feeding channel; 111-feeding guide rail; 112-feeding roller; 113-second sensing component; 114-third sensor; 115-fourth sensor; 116-feeding port; 12-discharging channel; 121-discharging guide rail; 122-discharging roller; 123-third sensing component; 124-fifth sensor; 125-sixth sensor; 126-discharging port; 13-blocking component; 131-first blocking cylinder; 132-first blocking block; 133-second blocking cylinder; 134-second blocking block; 14-lifting component; 141-first lifting cylinder; 142-first push plate; 143-second lifting cylinder; 144-second push plate; 15-first sensing component; 151-first sensor; 152-second sensor; 16-display screen;

[0075] 20-grabbing mechanism; 21-connecting seat; 22-grabbing assembly; 221-clamping cylinder; 222-lifting cylinder; 223-fourth sensing assembly; 224-gripping claw; 225-vacuum suction cup; 226-second air knife; 23-rotating shaft;

[0076] 30-positioning mechanism; 31-positioning plate; 311-side thrust cylinder; 312-side thrust plate; 313-positioning groove; 32-rotating assembly; 321-rotating cylinder; 322-slewing bearing; 323-arc groove; 33-detection assembly; 34-guide member; 341-guide shaft;

[0077] 40-processing equipment; 41-side door;

[0078] 50-support frame; 501-base; 502-universal wheel; 51-first wind knife; 52-recovery bracket; 53-fifth induction component; 54-storage room; 541-cabinet door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0080] In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically limited. All directional indications in the embodiments of the present application (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0081] In order to make the description of the disclosed content more detailed and complete, the following is an illustrative description of the implementation methods and specific embodiments of the present application; however, this is not the only form of implementing or using the specific embodiments of the present application. The implementation methods cover the features of multiple specific embodiments and the method steps and sequences used to construct and operate these specific embodiments. However, other specific embodiments can also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and step sequences.

[0082] Please refer to Figure 1-Figure 19 In order to solve the problem in the prior art of how to simultaneously meet the feeding and returning needs of consumables and improve the feeding reliability of consumables, the embodiments of the present application provide a loading and unloading device, a loading and unloading system and a loading and unloading method thereof, which can realize automatic loading and unloading of workpieces and effectively improve the efficiency of automated processing of workpieces.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 1 , is a structural schematic diagram of a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the loading and unloading device includes a feeding and unloading mechanism 10, a positioning mechanism 30, and a grasping mechanism 20 arranged between the feeding and unloading mechanism 10 and the positioning mechanism 30.

[0084] As an optional implementation, please refer to Figure 2 , is a structural schematic diagram of the feed and discharge mechanism 10 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The feed and discharge mechanism 10 provided in the present application includes a horizontally arranged feed channel 11 and a discharge channel 12. In actual workpiece processing, a plurality of trays (not shown in the figure) for placing workpieces are usually arranged on the feed channel 11. A plurality of trays are stacked on the feed channel 11, and each tray is placed with a workpiece to be processed, and a plurality of workpieces that have been processed are arranged on the discharge channel 12. The gripping mechanism 20 transfers the processed workpieces and the trays to the discharge channel 12.

[0085] For further information, please refer to Figure 3 , which is a structural schematic diagram of the feed guide rail 111 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present application is provided with corresponding blocking components 13 and lifting components 14 at the bottom of the feed channel 11 and the discharge channel 12, so as to cooperate with the carrier platform to transfer the workpiece to be processed and the tray with the workpiece to be processed to the feed channel 11, and transfer the trays stacked on the discharge channel 12 and the processed workpiece placed on the trays to the carrier platform.

[0086] Please refer to Figure 5, is a structural schematic diagram of the detection component 33 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The above-mentioned positioning mechanism 30 includes a positioning plate 31 and a rotating component 32 for driving the positioning plate 31 to rotate. A detection component 33 is provided above the positioning plate 31. Since two adjacent sides of the loading and unloading device provided in the present application are provided with two processing equipment 40 for processing the workpiece, and these two processing equipment 40 are usually placed in a mirror image, it is necessary to first scan the workpiece clamped by the grasping mechanism 20 through the detection component 33 to first determine whether the processing is qualified. When the detection is qualified, it is determined whether the processing equipment 40 needs to be placed on the specific left or right side.

[0087] When it is determined that rotation is required, the workpiece to be processed is placed on the positioning plate 31 set on the rotating component 32 for rotation, and then the grasping mechanism 20 places the rotated workpiece into the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing. If rotation is not required, the workpiece to be processed is directly placed into the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing, thereby meeting the simultaneous processing requirements of the two processing equipment 40 and effectively improving the processing efficiency of the workpiece.

[0088] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned processing equipment 40 can be equipped as a CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machine, wherein the CNC machine is a mechatronics product integrating multiple technologies such as mechanics, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, microelectronics and information. In single-piece production and small-batch production, the use of CNC machines to process parts of complex shapes effectively improves labor productivity and processing quality. Therefore, the CNC machine can be used as the required processing equipment 40 to cooperate with the loading and unloading device provided in this application.

[0089] It is understandable that the present application does not impose any further restrictions on the specific configuration of the above-mentioned CNC machines. In principle, it is sufficient that the loading and unloading devices of two CNC machines are arranged adjacent to each other and are mirror images of each other.

[0090] Please refer to Figure 4 , is a structural schematic diagram of the grasping mechanism 20 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present application grasps the workpiece to be processed placed on the material tray and positions it on the positioning plate 31 through the grasping mechanism 20 to avoid positional offset between the current position of the workpiece and the position where the detection component 33 can actually scan and locate. After the workpiece to be processed is positioned on the positioning plate 31, the grasping component 22 flips the workpiece to be processed on the positioning plate 31. At this time, the flipped workpiece is just located below the detection component 33, and the detection component 33 scans and detects the workpiece.

[0091] When the detection component 33 scans the code and passes, it is necessary to determine which specific processing equipment 40 the current workpiece should be placed on for processing. If rotation is required, the workpiece to be processed is placed on the positioning plate 31 again, and the rotating component 32 rotates the positioning plate 31 at a preset angle. After the rotation is completed, the grasping mechanism 20 places the rotated workpiece into the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing. If rotation is not required, the grasping mechanism 20 directly places the workpiece to be processed into the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing. This application does not go into too much detail on how the processing equipment 40 specifically processes the workpiece.

[0092] Furthermore, while the processing equipment 40 is processing the workpiece, the gripping mechanism 20 grabs the empty material tray in the feed channel 11 to the discharge channel 12. When the processing equipment 40 completes processing of the current workpiece, the gripping mechanism 20 moves the processed workpiece to the empty material tray in the discharge channel 12. When the next workpiece to be processed needs to be processed, the gripping mechanism 20 continues to place the workpiece to be processed into the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing, and stacks the empty material tray in the feed channel 11 on top of the previous tray and the processed workpiece in the discharge channel 12, thereby realizing automatic conveying and unloading of workpieces.

[0093] In the present application, the workpiece to be processed and the material tray are transferred to the feed channel 11 through the carrier platform, and the grasping mechanism 20 arranged between the feed and discharge mechanism 10 and the positioning mechanism 30 clamps the workpiece in the feed channel 11 to the positioning plate 31 for positioning. After the positioning is completed, the workpiece is flipped to the bottom of the detection component 33 for code scanning detection, and the workpiece that passes the inspection is moved to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing. While the processing equipment 40 is processing the workpiece, the empty material tray in the feed channel 11 is transferred to the discharge channel 12. When the workpiece processing is completed, the processed workpiece is moved to the empty material tray of the discharge channel 12. By repeating the above process, automatic loading and unloading of the workpiece is realized, which effectively improves the efficiency of automated processing of the workpiece.

[0094] As an optional implementation, please continue to refer to Figure 2 In the present application, a first sensing component 15 is disposed on a side of the feeding and discharging mechanism 10 away from the grasping mechanism 20, and the first sensing component 15 is used to sense whether the carrier platform moves to a preset position.

[0095] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned carrier platform can be set as an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), where an automated guided vehicle is an industrial vehicle that loads goods automatically or manually, automatically drives along a set route or tows a cargo trolley to a designated location, and then loads and unloads goods automatically or manually. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application realizes the transfer of material trays and workpieces by setting the carrier platform as an automated guided vehicle.

[0096] In the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned preset position includes a first preset position and a second preset position, which respectively correspond to the first preset position for feeding into the feed channel 11 and the second preset position for taking materials from the discharge channel 12. The first sensing component 15 includes a first sensor 151 for detecting the first preset position and a second sensor 152 for detecting the second preset position.

[0097] For details, please continue to refer to Figure 2 In the present application, the first sensor 151 is arranged close to the feed channel 11. When the carrier platform needs to transport the workpiece to be processed to the feed channel 11, it will move to the first preset position. The first sensor 151 senses whether the carrier platform has moved to the first preset position. When it is detected that the carrier platform has moved to the first preset position at the current moment, the lifting assembly 14 is cooperated to realize the feeding to the feed channel 11.

[0098] Similarly, the second sensor 152 is arranged close to the discharge channel 12. When the carrier platform needs to take out several material trays and processed workpieces accumulated in the discharge channel 12, it will move to the first preset position. The second sensor 152 senses whether the carrier platform has moved to the second preset position. When it detects that the carrier platform has moved to the second preset position at the current moment, it cooperates with the jacking assembly 14 to realize the material removal of the discharge channel 12.

[0099] In an optional embodiment, the present application sets the feed channel 11 and the discharge channel 12 in parallel, and sets the feed port 116 and the discharge port 126 adjacent to each other, thereby saving space occupied by the loading and unloading devices and facilitating the carrier platform to feed and take out materials on the same side.

[0100] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 The lifting mechanism provided in the present application includes a first lifting cylinder 141 and a second lifting cylinder 143 arranged below the feed channel 11 and the discharge channel 12. It can be observed that a first push plate 142 is arranged on the top of the first lifting cylinder 141, and feeding is achieved by adjusting the height of the first push plate 142. A second push plate 144 is arranged on the top of the second lifting cylinder 143, and material removal is achieved by adjusting the height of the second push plate 144.

[0101] Further, it can be observed that feed guide rails 111 are respectively provided on both sides of the feed channel 11, and one end of the two feed guide rails 111 away from the gripping mechanism 20 is hinged on the feed channel 11, and the other end of the two feed guide rails 111, i.e., the end close to the gripping mechanism 20, is connected through the above-mentioned first push plate 142, and feed rollers 112 are provided at both ends of the two feed guide rails 111, which facilitates the more labor-saving movement of the material tray to the feed channel 11 through the feed rollers 112.

[0102] It can also be understood that the side of the two feed guide rails 111 close to the feed port 116 is hinged on the feed channel 11, and the first lifting cylinder 141 and the first push plate 142 are also arranged close to the gripping mechanism 20. The side of the two feed guide rails 111 close to the gripping mechanism 20 is connected through the first push plate 142. When the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the feed channel 11, that is, when it moves to the first preset position and is detected by the first sensor 151, the first lifting cylinder 141 drives the first push plate 142 to the feed channel 11. The other ends of the two feed guide rails 111 are connected by the first push plate 142. Therefore, when the first push plate 142 moves to the bottom of the feed channel 11, the two feed guide rails 111 will also move downward relatively, so that several material trays and the workpieces to be processed placed on the material trays can be tilted downward into the feed channel 11, realizing more labor-saving feeding. After the feeding is completed, the first push plate 142 is reset by the first lifting cylinder 141 to reset the feed guide rail 111 set on the first push plate 142 to a horizontal state.

[0103] Correspondingly, the present application also provides discharge guide rails 121 on both sides of the discharge channel 12. The ends of the two discharge guide rails 121 away from the gripping mechanism 20 are hinged on the discharge channel 12, and the other ends of the two discharge guide rails 121 close to the gripping mechanism 20 are connected through the above-mentioned second push plate 144. Both ends of the two discharge guide rails 121 are provided with discharge rollers 122, which facilitates the more labor-saving movement of the material tray to the carrier platform through the discharge rollers 122.

[0104] It can also be understood that one side of the two discharge guide rails 121 close to the discharge port 126 is hinged on the discharge channel 12, and the second lifting cylinder 143 and the second push plate 144 are also arranged close to the gripping mechanism 20. The two discharge guide rails 121 are connected to the gripping mechanism 20 through the second push plate 144. When the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the discharge channel 12, that is, when it moves to the second preset position and is detected by the second sensor 152, the second lifting cylinder 143 drives the second push plate 144 to move to the top of the discharge channel 12. The other end of the discharge guide rail 121 is connected through the second push plate 144. Therefore, when the second push plate 144 moves toward the top of the discharge channel 12, the two discharge guide rails 121 will also move upward relatively, so that several material trays and the processed workpieces placed on the material trays can be tilted and moved downward to the carrier platform, achieving more labor-saving discharge. After the discharge is completed, the second push plate 144 is reset by the second lifting cylinder 143, that is, the second push plate 144 is moved downward to reset the discharge guide rail 121 set on the second push plate 144 to a horizontal state.

[0105] It can be understood that the present application adjusts the inclination degree of the feed guide rail 111 and the discharging guide rail 121 through the first lifting cylinder 141 and the second lifting cylinder 143. When feeding, the first lifting cylinder 141 is used to control the feed guide rail 111 to tilt downward relative to the horizontal plane. When discharging, the second lifting cylinder 143 is used to control the discharging guide rail 121 to tilt upward relative to the horizontal plane, thereby achieving more labor-saving and convenient feeding and discharging.

[0106] As an optional implementation, please continue to refer to Figure 3 In the present application, a blocking assembly 13 is further arranged at the bottom of the feed channel 11 and the discharge channel 12. The blocking assembly 13 includes a first blocking cylinder 131 arranged below the feed channel 11 and a second blocking cylinder 133 arranged below the discharge channel 12. It can be observed that the first blocking cylinder 131 is arranged close to the feed port 116, and the second blocking cylinder 133 is arranged close to the discharge port 126.

[0107] Furthermore, the present application provides a first blocking block 132 at the top of the first blocking cylinder 131, and a second blocking block 134 is correspondingly provided at the top of the second blocking cylinder 133. When the carrier platform moves to the first preset position of the feed channel 11, the first blocking cylinder 131 drives the first blocking block 132 to move downward to prevent the height position of the first blocking block 132 from affecting normal feeding. After the feeding is completed, several material trays are moved to a position close to the gripping mechanism 20 through the feed roller 112. After the feeding is completed, the first blocking cylinder 131 drives the first blocking block 132 to move to the top of the feed channel 11 to stop feeding to the opposite feed channel 11.

[0108] When the carrier platform moves to the second preset position of the discharge channel 12, the second blocking cylinder 133 drives the second blocking block 134 to move downward to prevent the height position of the second blocking block 134 from affecting the normal discharge. After the discharge is completed, several material trays are moved to a position close to the discharge port 126 through the discharge roller 122 to dock with the carrier platform for discharge. After the discharge is completed, the second blocking cylinder 133 drives the second blocking block 134 to move to the top of the discharge channel 12, and the discharge channel 12 stops discharging.

[0109] As an optional implementation, please continue to refer to Figure 2 In the present application, a second sensing component 113 and a third sensing component 123 are arranged in the feed channel 11 and the discharge channel 12 along the stacking direction of several material trays. The second sensing component 113 includes a third sensor 114 arranged above the feed channel 11 and a fourth sensor 115 arranged below the feed channel 11. The third sensor 114 and the fourth sensor 115 sense the height of the material tray in the feed channel 11 to determine whether feeding is required at the current moment.

[0110] The third sensing component 123 includes a fifth sensor 124 disposed above the discharge channel 12 and a sixth sensor 125 disposed below the discharge channel 12. The fifth sensor 124 and the sixth sensor 125 sense the height of the material tray in the discharge channel 12 to determine whether discharge is required at the current moment, thereby preventing the material trays from piling up too high in the discharge channel 12 to affect subsequent material trays and the stacking of completed workpieces, and discharging is performed in a timely manner.

[0111] Preferably, the present application also provides a first air knife 51 between the gripping mechanism 20 and the positioning mechanism 30, and the workpiece in the feed channel 11 is moved to a position close to the first air knife 51 through the gripping mechanism 20, so that the first air knife 51 can blow away the residue on the workpiece to be processed, thereby avoiding the residue remaining and affecting the normal processing of subsequent workpieces.

[0112] Please refer to Figure 4 The grabbing mechanism 20 provided in the present application includes a connecting seat 21 and a grabbing assembly 22 arranged on the connecting seat 21. The present application fixes the connecting seat 21 between the feeding and discharging mechanism 10 and the positioning mechanism 30, and the grabbing assembly 22 is rotationally connected to the connecting seat 21 through a rotating shaft 23, so that the grabbing assembly 22 is driven to flip through the rotating shaft 23, and the workpiece clamped on the grabbing assembly 22 is flipped to the bottom of the detection assembly 33 for detection to determine whether the workpiece is qualified.

[0113] In an alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 7, which is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the grabbing component 22 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The above-mentioned grabbing component 22 includes a clamping cylinder 221, a lifting cylinder 222 that drives the clamping cylinder 221 to move in the vertical direction, and a fourth sensing component 223 arranged inside the grabbing component 22. It can be observed that two clamping claws 224 and a plurality of vacuum suction cups 225 are arranged at the bottom of the clamping cylinder 221. The present application adjusts the relative distance between the two clamping claws 224 through the clamping cylinder 221, and senses whether the grabbing component 22 grabs the workpiece or the material tray through the fourth sensing component 223.

[0114] Please refer to Figure 6 , which is a structural schematic diagram of the second air knife 226 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Usually, the volume of the workpiece is smaller than the volume of the material tray. Therefore, the present application preferably clamps the workpiece by the clamping claw 224 arranged at the bottom of the grasping component 22, and grasps the material tray by a plurality of vacuum suction cups 225 arranged around the clamping claw 224.

[0115] For further information, please refer to Fig.12 , which is a structural schematic diagram of the arc-shaped groove 323 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the present application, a plurality of side push cylinders 311 are arranged at the bottom of the positioning plate 31, and the side push cylinders 311 are arranged close to the side of the positioning plate 31. Preferably, two side push cylinders 311 are arranged in the long side direction of the positioning plate 31, and a side push cylinder 311 is arranged in the short side direction of the positioning plate 31. It can be observed that a corresponding side push plate 312 is arranged on the top of each side push cylinder 311, and a positioning groove 313 is arranged at the position of the positioning plate 31 corresponding to the side push plate 312. When the workpiece is placed on the positioning plate 31, the side push cylinder 311 drives the corresponding side push plate 312 to enter the corresponding positioning groove 313, so that the workpiece is clamped by the plurality of side push plates 312 and then released, thereby playing the role of positioning the workpiece. At this time, the grasping component 22 grasps the workpiece and flips it to the bottom of the detection component 33 for code scanning detection, and then performs subsequent processing operations.

[0116] As an optional embodiment, since the two processing equipment 40 on both sides of the loading and unloading device are mirror-set, for one of the processing equipment 40, after the code scanning detection is qualified, the workpiece can be directly moved to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing through the grabbing component 22, while when the other processing equipment 40 is processing, the workpiece needs to be rotated by a preset angle and then sent to the other processing equipment 40 for processing.

[0117] Therefore please refer to Fig.11, which is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the positioning mechanism 30 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present application also provides a rotating component 32 for driving the positioning plate 31 to rotate at the bottom of the positioning plate 31. The rotating component 32 includes a rotating cylinder 321 and a slewing bearing 322 provided between the positioning plate 31 and the rotating cylinder 321. The slewing bearing 322 is provided to ensure the smoothness of the rotation of the positioning plate 31 and reduce the friction generated during the rotation.

[0118] For more preferred, please refer to Fig.10 , is a structural schematic diagram of a guide member 34 in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The positioning mechanism 30 provided in the present application further includes a guide member 34 disposed below the positioning plate 31. A guide shaft 341 is provided through the guide member 34. Please refer to Figure 10-12 It can be observed that the present application has an arc-shaped groove 323 at the bottom of the positioning plate 31. By extending the top of the guide shaft 341 into the rotating groove, when the rotating cylinder 321 drives the positioning plate 31 to rotate, the guide shaft 341 also moves in the rotating groove, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the positioning plate 31 to a preset angle.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present application, since the two processing devices 40 are mirror-imaged, the workpiece set on the positioning plate 31 needs to be rotated 180 degrees. Therefore, the present application sets the rotation groove to a 180-degree arc groove 323, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the positioning plate 31 to the required 180 degrees.

[0120] Of course, the rotation angle of the positioning plate 31 can also be limited to a preset angle by adjusting the central angle corresponding to the arc groove 323. The present application does not further limit the specific central angle of the arc groove 323, and the preset angle can be adjusted accordingly according to actual needs.

[0121] As an optional implementation, please refer to Fig. 9 , which is a structural diagram of the positioning plate 31 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. When the workpiece to be processed is scanned and confirmed by the detection component 33, the scanning may fail. Therefore, the present application also provides a recovery bracket 52 at an adjacent position on the same side of the positioning mechanism 30, and an empty material tray is provided on the recovery bracket 52. When the detection component 33 fails to scan the code, the workpiece that fails the inspection is grabbed onto the empty material tray through the grabbing mechanism 20, and the empty material tray in the feeding channel 11 corresponding to the workpiece is grabbed onto the recovery bracket 52 for placing the next unqualified workpiece.

[0122] Furthermore, the present application also provides a fifth sensing component 53 on the recovery bracket 52, which senses whether there are unqualified workpieces placed on the recovery bracket 52. When the number of unqualified workpieces placed on the recovery bracket 52 is too large, an alarm will be issued to remind the staff to clean up the material trays on the recovery bracket in time and place new empty material trays on the recovery bracket 52.

[0123] For more preferred, please refer to Figure 8 , which is a structural schematic diagram of the clamping claw 224 in the loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The grabbing assembly 22 provided in the present application also includes a second air knife 226 arranged on the side wall of the clamping cylinder 221. Since the workpiece is processed, its surface is usually attached with an oil-water mixture and residues. Therefore, the second air knife 226 arranged on the grabbing assembly 22 can be used to clean the surface of the workpiece while grabbing the workpiece, and the cleaned workpiece can be moved to an empty material tray placed in the discharge channel 12.

[0124] As an optional implementation, please refer to Fig.13 , which is a structural schematic diagram of a cabinet door 541 in a loading and unloading device provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the present application, the above-mentioned feeding and unloading mechanism 10, gripping mechanism 20, and positioning mechanism 30 are mounted on a supporting frame 50, and a base 501 capable of fixing the supporting frame 50 and a universal wheel 502 capable of moving the position of the supporting frame 50 are provided at the bottom of the supporting frame 50, so as to facilitate the corresponding movement of the position of the loading and unloading device according to needs.

[0125] Furthermore, the present application also provides a storage chamber 54 below the gripping mechanism 20 and the positioning mechanism 30, and provides an openable and closable cabinet door 541 on the side of the storage chamber 54 away from the material feeding and discharging mechanism 10, so that the staff can place several empty material trays in the storage chamber 54 to facilitate the recovery and replacement of the workpieces that fail the inspection on the recovery bracket 52.

[0126] As a further improvement of the present application, a safety grating (not shown in the figure) can also be set between the feed port 116 and the outlet port 126 of the feed and outlet mechanism 10. The safety grating usually exists in pairs and is divided into a transmitting end and a receiving end. Since the feed port 116 and the outlet port 126 are arranged adjacent to each other, the present application arranges the transmitting end and the receiving end on the side walls of the feed port 116 and the outlet port 126, respectively, which can avoid accidental contact by the staff during the processing.

[0127] Preferably, the present application further provides a display screen 16 above the feed and discharge mechanism 10 , through which the number of material trays in the current feed channel 11 and the discharge channel 12 , as well as the current processing status of the two processing equipment 40 are intuitively displayed.

[0128] Based on the above loading and unloading device, this application also provides a loading and unloading system, please refer to Fig.14 , is a structural schematic diagram of a loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the loading and unloading system also includes a carrier platform and processing equipment 40 arranged on the left and right sides of the loading and unloading device.

[0129] As an optional implementation, the above-mentioned carrier platform can be set as an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), which can transfer the material tray and the workpiece to be processed to the feed channel 11 and remove the material tray and the processed workpiece in the discharge channel 12, thereby realizing the feeding of the workpiece to be processed and the discharge of the processed workpiece.

[0130] Optionally, the processing equipment 40 may be configured as a CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machine, and two CNC machines are mirror-imaged on the left and right sides of the loading and unloading device for processing the workpiece provided by the gripping mechanism 20 .

[0131] In an embodiment of the present application, the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel 11 is moved to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing by a loading and unloading device, and the processed workpiece is transferred to the discharge channel 12 so that the automatic guided vehicle can move the material tray in the discharge channel 12 and the processed workpiece placed thereon out.

[0132] For further information, please refer to Fig.16 , which is a schematic diagram of the communication connection relationship of the loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The loading and unloading movement provided in the present application also includes a management background and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), wherein the PLC controller is bidirectionally communicated with the carrier platform, the management background, the gripping mechanism 20 and the feeding and discharging mechanism 10, and the processing equipment 40 is bidirectionally communicated with the management background.

[0133] Exemplarily, the management background and the PLC controller are connected in communication via TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). Since there is a two-way communication connection between the management background and the processing equipment 40, the carrier platform, the gripping mechanism 20, and the feeding and discharging mechanism 10 can be adjusted according to the material picking status and the material releasing status of the processing equipment 40.

[0134] It can be understood that the PLC controller and the grasping component 22 in the grasping mechanism 20 are also connected in a two-way communication manner. When the PLC controller obtains through the management background that the processing equipment 40 is currently in the material picking state, it controls the grasping mechanism 20 to move the workpiece to be processed to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing. When the processing equipment 40 completes processing the current workpiece, the PLC controller obtains through the management background that the processing equipment 40 is currently in the material discharging state, and controls the grasping mechanism 20 to take the processed workpiece out of the corresponding processing equipment 40.

[0135] Furthermore, there is a two-way communication connection between the PLC controller and the display screen 16, the blocking component 13 and the lifting component 14 in the feeding and discharging mechanism 10. The current processing status of each processing equipment 40 can be timely known through the display screen 16, so that the PLC controller further determines whether feeding or taking materials is needed according to the processing status. When there is a shortage of materials, the carrier platform is controlled to move to the first preset position for feeding. When taking materials, the carrier platform is controlled to move to the second preset position for taking materials, and the working status of the blocking component 13 and the lifting component 14 are adjusted accordingly to cooperate with feeding or taking materials. The present application does not further elaborate on the above-mentioned specific adjustment steps. Please refer to the specific description in the above-mentioned loading and unloading device.

[0136] As an optional implementation, please refer to Fig.15 , is a structural schematic diagram of the side door 41 in the loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application. A side door 41 that can be opened and closed is also provided on the side of each processing equipment 40 close to the loading and unloading device. The side door 41 is in a closed state when the processing equipment 40 processes the workpiece, and is in an open state when the grasping mechanism 20 moves the workpiece to be processed to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing, and when the grasping mechanism 20 takes the processed workpiece out of the corresponding processing equipment 40.

[0137] Based on the above loading and unloading system, this application also provides a loading and unloading method, please refer to Fig.17 , is a flow chart of a loading and unloading method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising the following steps:

[0138] S1: Move the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel 11 to the first air knife 51 for blowing to filter out residues;

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel 11 is first moved to the position of the first air knife 51 for air blowing to filter out the residue attached to the surface of the workpiece to avoid affecting the subsequent processing of the workpiece;

[0140] S2: Move the blown workpiece onto the positioning plate 31 for positioning, and flip the positioned workpiece to the bottom of the detection component 33 for detection;

[0141] Furthermore, the workpiece after blowing is moved to the positioning plate 31 for positioning. Since a plurality of side push cylinders 311 are provided at the bottom of the positioning plate 31, corresponding side push plates 312 are provided at the tops of the side push cylinders 311, and positioning grooves 313 are provided at the positions of the positioning plates 31 corresponding to the side push plates 312. When the workpiece is placed on the positioning plate 31, the corresponding side push plates 312 are driven by the side push cylinders 311 to enter the corresponding positioning grooves 313, so that the workpiece is clamped by the plurality of side push plates 312 and then released, thereby playing the role of positioning the workpiece. At this time, the grasping component 22 grasps the workpiece and flips it to the bottom of the detection component 33 for code scanning detection, and subsequent processing operations are performed.

[0142] S3: Determine whether the current workpiece is qualified; if not, place the unqualified workpiece on the recovery bracket 52;

[0143] The detection component 33 determines whether the current workpiece is qualified by scanning the code. If the detection is qualified, it determines whether the workpiece needs to be rotated by a preset angle and sent to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing. If the detection is unqualified, the workpiece is directly placed on the recovery bracket 52 for timely collection and cleaning by the staff.

[0144] S4: If qualified, determine whether the current workpiece needs to be rotated; if necessary, place the current workpiece on the positioning plate 31 again to rotate the preset angle, and move the rotated workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing; if not, move the current workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing;

[0145] Furthermore, after the workpiece has passed the inspection, it is determined whether it is necessary to rotate the workpiece by a preset angle. Since the two processing equipment 40 on both sides of the loading and unloading device are mirror-set, for one of the processing equipment 40, after the code scanning inspection is qualified, the workpiece can be directly moved to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing through the grabbing component 22. When the other processing equipment 40 is processing, the workpiece needs to be rotated by a preset angle and then sent to the other processing equipment 40 for processing. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the current workpiece needs to be rotated.

[0146] If rotating, the workpiece is placed on the positioning plate 31, and the positioning plate 31 is driven to rotate by the rotating component 32. At the same time, the matching relationship between the arc groove 323 opened at the bottom of the positioning plate 31 and the guide member 34 can ensure that the rotation angle is the required preset angle. After the rotation is completed, the grasping mechanism 20 will send the workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing.

[0147] If it is determined that the current workpiece does not need to be rotated, the above-mentioned step of rotating by a preset angle is omitted, and the grasping mechanism 20 directly sends the current workpiece that has passed the inspection to the corresponding processing equipment 40 for processing.

[0148] S5: Move the empty tray in the feed channel 11 to the discharge channel 12, move the processed workpiece to the empty tray in the discharge channel, and use the second air knife 226 to blow and clean the processed workpiece during the movement.

[0149] In the embodiment of the present application, while the processing equipment 40 is processing the workpiece, the gripping mechanism 20 moves the empty material tray in the feed channel 11 to the discharge channel 12, waits for the workpiece processing to be completed, and then transfers the processed workpiece to the empty material tray that has been moved to the discharge channel 12. Since the gripping mechanism 20 is provided with a second air knife 226, the processed workpiece can be blown clean again by the second air knife 226 during the transfer process, thereby effectively blowing away the residue attached to the surface of the workpiece.

[0150] As an optional implementation, please refer to Fig.18 , which is a flow chart for determining whether there is a shortage of material in the material loading and unloading method provided in an embodiment of the present application, before the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel 11 is moved to the first air knife 51 for blowing to filter out the residue, it also includes:

[0151] Determine whether the feed channel 11 is short of material at the current moment;

[0152] If there is a shortage of materials, the carrier platform is moved to the first preset position, and the first push plate 142 and the first blocking block 132 are controlled to move toward the bottom of the feed channel 11, so that a plurality of trays with workpieces to be processed are placed along the feed guide rail 111 into the feed channel 11, and the feed guide rail 111 is reset to a horizontal state after the feeding is completed;

[0153] If there is no shortage of material, the first blocking block 132 is controlled to move toward the top of the feeding channel 11 .

[0154] Since the feed channel 11 is provided with a second sensing component 113 capable of sensing the height of the stacked material trays in the feed channel 11, the second sensing component 113 includes a third sensor 114 arranged above the feed channel 11 and a fourth sensor 115 arranged below the feed channel 11, it is possible to determine whether there is a shortage of materials at the current moment and whether timely feeding is required.

[0155] Furthermore, when it is determined that there is a shortage of material at the current moment, the PLC controller drives the carrier platform to move to the first preset position. When the first sensor 151 detects that the carrier platform has moved to the first preset position, the first blocking cylinder 131 drives the first blocking block 132 to move downward, and at the same time, the first lifting cylinder 141 drives the first push plate 142 to move toward the bottom of the feed channel 11. Since the other ends of the two feed guide rails 111 are connected through the first push plate 142, when the first push plate 142 moves to the bottom of the feed channel 11, the two feed guide rails 111 will also move downward relatively, so that several material trays on the carrier platform and the workpieces to be processed placed on the material trays can tilt downward into the feed channel 11, achieving more labor-saving feeding, and after the feeding is completed, the first lifting cylinder 141 resets the first push plate 142 to reset the feed guide rail 111 set on the first push plate 142 to a horizontal state.

[0156] If it is determined that there is no shortage of material at the current moment, the first blocking cylinder 131 drives the first blocking block 132 to move toward the top of the feed channel 11 to stop supplying material to the feed channel 11 .

[0157] As an optional implementation, please refer to Fig.19 , which is a flowchart for determining whether the material is full in the material loading and unloading method provided in the embodiment of the present application, after moving the processed workpiece to the empty material tray of the material discharging moving channel, it also includes:

[0158] Determine whether the discharge channel 12 is full at the current moment;

[0159] If the material is full, the carrier platform is moved to the second preset position, the second push plate 144 is controlled to move toward the top of the discharge channel 12, and the second blocking block 134 is controlled to move toward the bottom of the discharge channel 12, so that a plurality of trays with processed workpieces are moved along the discharge guide rail 121 to the carrier platform, and the discharge guide rail 121 is reset to a horizontal state after the discharge is completed;

[0160] If the material is not full, the second blocking block 134 is controlled to move toward the top of the discharge channel 12 .

[0161] Since the discharge channel 12 is provided with a third sensing component 123 capable of sensing the height of the stacked material tray in the discharge channel 12, the third sensing component 123 includes a fifth sensor 124 arranged above the discharge channel 12 and a sixth sensor 125 arranged below the discharge channel 12, it is possible to determine whether the material is full at the current moment and whether it is necessary to discharge the material in time.

[0162] Furthermore, when it is determined that timely discharge is required at the current moment, the PLC controller drives the carrier platform to move to the second preset position. When the second sensor 152 detects that the carrier platform has moved to the second preset position, the second blocking cylinder 133 drives the second blocking block 134 to move downward, and at the same time, the second lifting cylinder 143 drives the second push plate 144 to move toward the top of the discharge channel 12. Since the other ends of the two discharge guide rails 121 are connected through the second push plate 144, when the second push plate 144 moves toward the top of the discharge channel 12, the two discharge guide rails 121 will also move upward relatively, so that several material trays on the discharge channel 12 and the processed workpieces placed on the material trays are tilted into the carrier platform, realizing more labor-saving discharge. After the discharge is completed, the second lifting cylinder 143 resets the second push plate 144 to reset the discharge guide rail 121 set on the second push plate 144 to a horizontal state.

[0163] If it is determined that discharging is not needed at the current moment, the second blocking cylinder 133 drives the second blocking block 134 to move toward the top of the discharging channel 12 to stop discharging.

[0164] It is understandable that there is no sequential relationship when executing the above method steps, nor is it required or implied that the steps must be executed in the order described above, or that all the steps shown must be executed to achieve the desired results. Additionally or alternatively, some steps can be omitted, multiple steps can be combined into one step, and / or one step can be decomposed into multiple steps, etc., all of which are feasible and the present application does not impose further restrictions on this.

[0165] For other details about the above-mentioned loading and unloading method to implement the above-mentioned technical solution, please refer to the description of the loading and unloading device and the loading and unloading system provided in the above-mentioned application embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0166] It can be understood that the technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0167] The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the present application, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A loading and unloading device, characterized in that: It includes a feeding and discharging mechanism, a positioning mechanism, and a grabbing mechanism arranged between the feeding and discharging mechanism and the positioning mechanism; The feeding and discharging mechanism comprises a feeding channel and a discharging channel arranged horizontally, a plurality of trays on which workpieces are placed are arranged on the feeding channel, and a blocking component and a lifting component are respectively arranged at the bottom of the feeding channel and the discharging channel; The positioning mechanism comprises a positioning plate and a rotating assembly driving the positioning plate to rotate, and a detection assembly is provided above the positioning plate; The grabbing mechanism is used to grab the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel and place it on the positioning plate for positioning, flip the positioned workpiece to the bottom of the detection component for detection, and move the workpiece that has passed the detection to the corresponding processing equipment for processing; The grabbing mechanism is also used to grab the empty tray in the feed channel to the discharge channel, and move the processed workpiece to the empty tray in the discharge channel.

2. The loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first sensing component is disposed on a side of the feeding and discharging mechanism away from the grasping mechanism, and the first sensing component is used to sense whether the carrier platform moves to a preset position; The lifting assembly includes a first lifting cylinder and a second lifting cylinder disposed below the feed channel and the discharge channel, and a first push plate and a second push plate are disposed on the top of the first lifting cylinder and the second lifting cylinder.

3. The loading and unloading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Feed guide rails are respectively arranged on both sides of the feed channel, one end of the two feed guide rails away from the grabbing mechanism is hinged on the feed channel, one end of the two feed guide rails close to the grabbing mechanism is connected through the first push plate, and both ends of the two feed guide rails are provided with feed rollers; The first lifting cylinder is used to drive the first push plate and the feed guide rail to move toward the bottom of the feed channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the feed channel, so that a plurality of material trays with workpieces to be processed can be tilted along the feed guide rail into the feed channel, and the feed guide rail can be reset to a horizontal state after the feeding is completed.

4. The loading and unloading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Discharge guide rails are respectively arranged on both sides of the discharge channel, one end of the two discharge guide rails away from the grabbing mechanism is hinged on the discharge channel, one end of the two discharge guide rails close to the grabbing mechanism is connected through the second push plate, and both ends of the two discharge guide rails are provided with discharge roller shafts; The second lifting cylinder is used to drive the second push plate and the discharging guide rail to move toward the top of the discharging channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the discharging channel, so as to tilt several trays with processed workpieces in the discharging channel to the carrier platform, and reset the discharging guide rail to a horizontal state after the discharging is completed.

5. The loading and unloading device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The blocking assembly comprises a first blocking cylinder and a second blocking cylinder disposed below the feed channel and the discharge channel, and a first blocking block and a second blocking block are disposed on the top of the first blocking cylinder and the second blocking cylinder; The first blocking cylinder is used to drive the first blocking block to move toward the bottom of the feeding channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the feeding channel, and to drive the first blocking block to move toward the top of the feeding channel after the feeding is completed; The second blocking cylinder is used to drive the second blocking block to move toward the bottom of the discharge channel when the carrier platform moves to the preset position of the discharge channel, and to drive the second blocking block to move toward the top of the discharge channel after the discharge is completed.

6. The loading and unloading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The feed channel and the discharge channel are provided with a second induction component and a third induction component along the stacking direction of the plurality of trays; The second sensing component is used to sense the height of the material trays stacked in the feed channel to determine whether the feed channel is short of material; the third sensing component is used to sense the height of the material trays stacked in the discharge channel to determine whether the discharge channel is full of material.

7. The loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first air knife is also provided between the grabbing mechanism and the positioning mechanism. The grabbing mechanism is used to move the workpiece in the feed channel to the first air knife so that the first air knife blows away the residue on the workpiece to be processed.

8. The loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grabbing mechanism includes a connecting seat and a grabbing assembly arranged on the connecting seat. The connecting seat is fixedly arranged between the feeding and discharging mechanism and the positioning mechanism. The connecting seat and the grabbing assembly are connected by a rotating shaft. The connecting seat drives the grabbing assembly to flip through the rotating shaft.

9. The loading and unloading device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The grabbing assembly includes a clamping cylinder, a lifting cylinder for driving the clamping cylinder to move in a vertical direction, and a fourth sensing assembly; Two clamping jaws and a plurality of vacuum suction cups are arranged at the bottom of the clamping cylinder. The clamping cylinder is used to adjust the relative distance between the two clamping jaws. The fourth sensing component is used to sense whether the grasping component grasps the workpiece or the tray.

10. The loading and unloading device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The grabbing assembly also includes a second air knife disposed on the side wall of the clamping cylinder to blow away the residue attached to the workpiece while moving the processed workpiece to the discharge channel.

11. The loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of side thrust cylinders are arranged at the bottom of the positioning plate, and the side thrust cylinders are used to clamp and position the workpiece placed on the positioning plate; The rotating assembly comprises a rotating cylinder and a slewing bearing arranged between the positioning plate and the rotating cylinder, and the rotating cylinder is used for driving the positioning plate to rotate.

12. The loading and unloading device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The positioning mechanism also includes a guide member arranged below the positioning plate, a guide shaft is provided through the guide member, an arc-shaped groove is opened at the bottom of the positioning plate, and the top of the guide shaft extends into the arc-shaped groove to limit the rotation angle of the positioning plate within a preset angle.

13. The loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The loading and unloading device also includes a recovery bracket arranged on the same side of the positioning mechanism, and an empty material tray is arranged on the recovery bracket. The grabbing mechanism is used to grab the unqualified workpieces onto the empty material tray, and grab the empty material tray in the feeding channel corresponding to the workpiece onto the recovery bracket.

14. A loading and unloading system, characterized in that: include: A carrier platform, the carrier platform is used to transfer the material tray and the workpiece to be processed to the feed channel, and to remove the material tray and the processed workpiece from the discharge channel; Processing equipment, the processing equipment is used to process the workpiece; And, the loading and unloading device as described in any one of claims 1-13 is used to move the workpiece to be processed to the corresponding processing equipment for processing, and transfer the processed workpiece to the discharge channel.

15. The loading and unloading system according to claim 14, characterized in that: The loading and unloading system also includes a management background and a PLC controller; The PLC controller is connected to the carrier platform, the management background, the gripping mechanism and the feeding and discharging mechanism in a two-way communication manner, and the processing equipment is connected to the management background in a two-way communication manner.

16. The loading and unloading system according to claim 14, characterized in that: The number of the processing equipment is at least two, and the two processing equipment are mirror-imaged and arranged on both sides of the loading and unloading device; A side door is arranged on a side of each processing equipment close to the loading and unloading device.

17. A material loading and unloading method, characterized in that: Based on the loading and unloading system according to any one of claims 14 to 16, the method comprises the following steps: Move the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel to the first air knife for blowing to filter out the residue; Move the blown workpiece to the positioning plate for positioning, and flip the positioned workpiece to the bottom of the detection component for detection; Determine whether the current workpiece is qualified; if not, place the unqualified workpiece on the recovery bracket; If qualified, determine whether the current workpiece needs to be rotated; if necessary, place the current workpiece on the positioning plate again to rotate it by a preset angle, and move the rotated workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment for processing; if not, move the current workpiece to the corresponding processing equipment for processing; The empty tray in the feed channel is moved to the discharge channel, and the processed workpiece is moved to the empty tray in the discharge channel. During the movement, the processed workpiece is blown clean by the second air knife.

18. The loading and unloading method according to claim 17, characterized in that: Before the workpiece to be processed in the feed channel is moved to the first air knife for blowing air to filter out the residue, the process further includes: Determine whether the feeding channel is short of material at the current moment; If there is a shortage of materials, the carrier platform is moved to the first preset position, and the first push plate and the first blocking block are controlled to move toward the bottom of the feed channel, so that a plurality of trays with workpieces to be processed are placed into the feed channel along the feed guide rail, and the feed guide rail is reset to a horizontal state after the feeding is completed; If there is no shortage of material, the first blocking block is controlled to move toward the top of the feed channel.

19. The loading and unloading method according to claim 17, characterized in that: After the processed workpiece is moved to the empty tray of the discharge channel, the method further includes: Determine whether the discharging channel is full at the current moment; If the material is full, the carrier platform is moved to the second preset position, the second push plate is controlled to move to the top of the discharge channel, and the second blocking block is controlled to move to the bottom of the discharge channel, so that a number of trays with processed workpieces are moved along the discharge guide rail to the carrier platform, and the discharge guide rail is reset to a horizontal state after the discharge is completed; If the material is not full, the second blocking block is controlled to move toward the top of the discharge channel.

Images