Transfer equipment

Abstract

This invention discloses a transfer device, relating to the field of material transfer technology. The transfer device includes a base, a detection mechanism, a material transfer mechanism, a material unloading mechanism, a tray lifting mechanism, and a tray transfer mechanism. The base has a loading position and a unloading position; the detection mechanism has a detection position and a flipping position; the material transfer mechanism is configured to move between the loading position, the detection position, and the flipping position to transfer materials; the detection mechanism includes a detection module and a flipping module, the detection module being positioned towards the detection position to detect the material located there; the flipping module is configured to flip the material located at the flipping position; the material unloading mechanism is configured to obtain material from the detection position and transfer it to the unloading position; the tray lifting mechanism is configured to drive the tray in the loading position to a picking height position; and the tray transfer mechanism is configured to obtain the top tray from the loading position and transfer it to an empty position. The technical solution of this invention can improve the convenience of material transfer and detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material transfer technology, and in particular to a transfer device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, during the turnover of injection-molded products, in order to ensure product quality and facilitate product turnover, trays are used to hold the injection-molded products, making it easier to transfer them to appearance inspection or other inspection and post-processing processes. However, when using trays to collect injection-molded products, there is often a problem of different product placement positions. In order to avoid affecting the accuracy of inspection, the product placement position needs to be checked manually to ensure that the products are placed in a consistent manner. This is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient, and there is also the problem of manual omissions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide a transfer device that improves the convenience of material transfer and inspection.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a transfer device comprising:

[0005] The base has a loading position, a unloading position and an empty position;

[0006] A detection mechanism, which is disposed on the base and has a detection position and a flip position;

[0007] A material transfer mechanism is disposed on the base and configured to move between the loading position, the detection position, and the flipping position to transfer materials; the detection mechanism includes a detection module and a flipping module, the detection module being disposed towards the detection position to detect the material located at the detection position; the flipping module is configured to flip the material located at the flipping position.

[0008] A feeding mechanism is disposed on the base and configured to acquire material from the detection position and transfer it to the feeding position;

[0009] A material tray lifting mechanism is located at the material loading position and is configured to drive the material tray in the material loading position to the material picking height position.

[0010] A material tray transfer mechanism is disposed on the base and configured to acquire the top material tray from the upper material position and transfer it to the empty material position.

[0011] In one embodiment, the base has a full-load tray buffer space inside corresponding to the loading position, and the side of the base has a side opening communicating with the full-load tray buffer space;

[0012] The material tray lifting mechanism includes a first material rack and a first material support platform. At least part of the first material rack is located in the full material tray buffer space. The first material rack has a first stacking space. The inlet of the first stacking space is opposite to the side opening. The first material support platform is vertically and vertically located in the first stacking space.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first material rack has an infeed section and an upfeed section arranged from bottom to top. The infeed section is located in the full material tray buffer space, and at least part of the upfeed section protrudes from the base. The upfeed section has a surrounding wall.

[0014] A first guide structure is provided between the feeding section and the loading section. The first guide structure is located on the side of the first stacking space and is inclined from bottom to top toward the inside of the first stacking space.

[0015] In one embodiment, the loading station is provided with a first position detection component, which is configured to emit a sensing signal when the top material tray is detected to be in position.

[0016] In one embodiment, the base has an empty material tray buffer space corresponding to the empty material position. The transfer device also includes a material tray settling mechanism located at the empty material position. The material tray settling mechanism is configured to support at least two stacked empty material trays and drive the stacked empty material trays down to the empty material tray buffer space.

[0017] In one embodiment, the material tray settling mechanism includes a second material rack and a second material support platform. At least a portion of the second material rack is located in the empty material tray buffer space. The second material rack has a second stacking space. The second material support platform is vertically and vertically disposed in the second stacking space. The second material rack is provided with a second guide structure located at the top entrance of the second stacking space. The second guide structure is inclined from top to bottom into the second stacking space.

[0018] And / or, the empty material position is provided with a second position detection component, which is configured to detect whether there is a material tray at the material discharge height position.

[0019] In one embodiment, the tray transfer mechanism includes a tray conveying platform and a tray picking component, wherein the tray conveying platform is configured to drive the tray picking component to move between a full position and an empty position.

[0020] In one embodiment, the tray pickup assembly includes at least two tray adsorption structures, which are arranged facing downwards.

[0021] In one embodiment, the flipping module includes a first swing arm rotatably disposed on the base and configured to swing between the detection position and the flipping position to flip the material located at the flipping position to the detection position.

[0022] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism includes a first translation component, a second translation component, and a transfer component;

[0023] The transfer component is disposed on the base and configured to acquire material from the detection position and transfer it to the first translation component;

[0024] The first translation component is disposed on the base and configured to translate the material from the starting end to the ending end;

[0025] The second translation component is disposed on the base and passes through the terminal end to obtain material from the first translation component.

[0026] The technical solution of this invention employs an automated transfer device to transfer and inspect materials. A tray containing injection-molded products is placed on the loading position of a base. At least two trays can be stacked in the loading position. A tray lifting mechanism lifts the top tray to a preset picking height for the transfer mechanism to pick up the material. The transfer mechanism transfers the materials in the trays one by one to the inspection position of the inspection mechanism. The inspection module inspects the materials in the inspection position, checking their placement and appearance. Materials correctly placed in the preset position are transferred to the unloading position by the unloading mechanism. Materials incorrectly placed are transferred to the flipping position by the transfer mechanism to flip them to the preset position. After flipping, the inspection module inspects the appearance and other conditions of the materials at the inspection position. The inspected materials are then transferred to the unloading position by the unloading mechanism, ensuring that all materials transferred to the unloading position by the unloading mechanism are in the same placement.

[0027] After the material in the top tray of the feeding position is depleted, the tray transfer mechanism moves the empty tray to the empty position. The tray lifting mechanism then lifts the current top tray in the feeding position to the preset material picking height, automatically replenishing the material. This eliminates the need for frequent material replenishment by the user, improving production continuity and efficiency.

[0028] In other words, the present invention utilizes transfer equipment to automatically transfer materials, and detects and adjusts the orientation of the materials, thereby improving the automation and convenience of material transfer and detection. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 A top view of an embodiment of the transfer device provided by the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 A structural diagram of an embodiment of the transfer device provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Structural diagrams of the material tray lifting mechanism, material tray settling mechanism, and material tray settling mechanism in the transfer equipment;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a first state diagram of an embodiment of the transfer component in the transfer device of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a second state diagram of an embodiment of the transfer component in the transfer device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a third state diagram of an embodiment of the transfer component in the transfer device of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the coordination state of the detection mechanism and the transfer component in the transfer device of the present invention when the material is placed in the flipping position;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the cooperative state of the detection mechanism and the transfer component when the flipping module flips the material to the detection position in the transfer device of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing the state of the transfer component in the transfer device of the present invention picking up material at the detection position;

[0039] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing the state of the transfer component in the transfer device of the present invention transferring materials to the first translation component.

[0040] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0041] 100. Transfer equipment; 1. Base; 11. Loading position; 12. Unloading position; 13. Loading position of material tray; 14. Discharging position; 15. Waste material position; 16. Empty material position; 17. Containing space; 171. Full material tray buffer space; 172. Empty material tray buffer space; 18. Side opening;

[0042] 2. Detection mechanism; 21. Detection module; 22. Flipping module; 221. First swing arm; 2211. Rotating arm; 2212. Bearing arm; 222. First driving component; 23. Supplementary light; 24. Detection position; 25. Flipping position;

[0043] 3. Material transfer mechanism; 4. Material unloading mechanism; 41. First translation component; 411. Material conveying platform; 412. Clamping component; 42. Second translation component; 43. Transfer component; 431. Second swing arm; 432. Material picking module; 433. Second drive component;

[0044] 5. Tray transfer mechanism; 51. Tray conveying platform; 52. Tray picking component; 521. Tray adsorption structure; 6. Tray lifting mechanism; 61. First material rack; 611. Feeding section; 612. Loading section; 613. First guide structure; 614. First stacking space; 62. First material support platform; 63. First position detection component;

[0045] 7. Material tray settling mechanism; 71. Second material rack; 711. Second stacking space; 712. Second guide structure; 72. Second material support platform; 73. Second position detection component; 8. Waste bin; 200. Material.

[0046] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0049] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the use of "and / or" or "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions. For example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0050] Currently, during the turnover process of injection-molded products, in order to ensure product quality and facilitate product turnover, trays are used to hold the injection-molded products, making it easier to transfer the injection-molded products to appearance inspection or other inspection and post-processing processes. However, when using trays to collect injection-molded products, there is often a problem of different top and bottom positions of the products. In this embodiment of the invention, the placement position of the material refers to the top and bottom position of the material. It is specified that the material has a top and a bottom. When the material is placed in a preset position, the top of the material faces up and the bottom faces down. An incorrect placement position of the material means that the material is placed upside down.

[0051] To avoid affecting the accuracy of the test, the product placement needs to be checked manually first to ensure that the products are placed in a consistent manner. This is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient, and there is also the problem of human error in detection.

[0052] Based on the above problems, the present invention proposes a transfer device 100.

[0053] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one embodiment of the present invention, the transfer device 100 includes a base 1, a detection mechanism 2, a material transfer mechanism 3, a material unloading mechanism 4, a material tray lifting mechanism 6, and a material tray transfer mechanism 5. The base 1 has a loading position 11, a unloading position 12, and an empty position 16. The detection mechanism 2 is disposed on the base 1 and has a detection position 24 and a flipping position 25. The material transfer mechanism 3 is disposed on the base 1 and is configured to flow between the loading position 11, the detection position 24, and the flipping position 25 to transfer material 200. The detection mechanism 2 includes a detection module 21 and a flipping module 22. The detection module 21 is disposed toward the detection position 24 to detect the material 200 located at the detection position 24. The flipping module 22 is configured to flip the material 200 located at the flipping position 25. The unloading mechanism 4 is disposed on the base 1 and is configured to obtain material 200 from the detection position 24 to transfer it to the unloading position 12.

[0054] The material tray lifting mechanism 6 is located at the material loading position 11 and is configured to drive the material tray in the material loading position 11 to the material picking height position; the material tray transfer mechanism 5 is located at the base 1 and is configured to pick up the top material tray from the material loading position 11 and transfer it to the empty material position 16.

[0055] In this embodiment of the invention, the base 1 provides an installation foundation for other mechanisms of the transfer equipment 100, and is used to house these other mechanisms to integrate the various mechanisms of the transfer equipment 100. The base 1 can be, but is not limited to, a frame, a base plate, or other structures. The base 1 has a bearing surface with an upper loading position 11 and a lower loading position 12. A tray containing the material to be tested is placed in the upper loading position 11. The upper loading position 11 can be equipped with a structure for limiting the position of the tray, such as a hopper, to maintain the stability of the tray's placement position so that the material transfer mechanism 3 can pick up the material. The lower loading position 12 is configured to hold a tray containing the tested material 200. The lower loading position 12 can also be equipped with a hopper or other limiting structure for limiting the position of the tray; no limitation is made here.

[0056] In this embodiment of the invention, at least two material trays can be stacked in the loading position 11. The top material tray in the loading position 11 is lifted to a preset material picking height position by the material tray lifting mechanism 6 so that the material transfer mechanism 3 can pick up the material. After the material 200 in the top material tray in the loading position 11 is picked up, the empty material tray is transferred to the empty material position 16 by the material tray transfer mechanism 5. The material tray lifting mechanism 6 then lifts the current top material tray in the loading position 11 to the preset material picking height, automatically replenishing the material. This eliminates the need for frequent material replenishment by the user, improving production continuity and production efficiency.

[0057] Optionally, the tray lifting mechanism 6 can be configured to lift only the top tray in the loading position 11, for example, by using the clamping assembly 412 to grip the top tray and separate it from the next layer trays to lift the top tray to a preset picking height. The tray lifting mechanism 6 can also be configured to lift stacked trays in the loading position 11, which is not limited here.

[0058] Optionally, the material tray transfer mechanism 5 can be configured as a pushing mechanism to push the empty material tray that has been empty of material 200 in the loading position 11 to the empty material position 16. Alternatively, the material tray transfer mechanism 5 can be configured as a movable clamping or adsorption component, etc., to pick up the empty material tray that has been empty of material 200 in the loading position 11 and drive the empty material tray to the empty material position 16.

[0059] The detection mechanism 2 is set on the bearing surface of the base 1. The detection mechanism 2 has a detection position 24 and a flipping position 25. The detection module 21 is set as a vision acquisition module such as a camera, which is used to collect the appearance information of the material 200 on the detection position 24 to determine the placement orientation and appearance quality of the material 200. The flipping module 22 equipped in the detection mechanism 2 is used to flip the material 200 on the flipping position 25. For the material 200 whose placement orientation is determined to be incorrect by the detection module 21, the material 200 is transferred to the flipping position 25 by the material transfer mechanism 3 and flipped to the correct placement orientation by the flipping module 22.

[0060] Optionally, the flipping module 22 flips the flipping position 25, which can cause the material 200 to flip in place at the flipping position 25 to the correct placement direction, and then the transfer mechanism 3 transfers the flipped material 200 to the detection position 24; Alternatively, in the following embodiment, a first swing arm 221 can be set to flip the material 200 on the flipping position 25 and place it on the detection position 24, that is, while flipping the material 200, the material 200 is transferred from the flipping position 25 to the detection position 24.

[0061] The material transfer mechanism 3 can move between the loading position 11, the detection position 24, and the flipping position 25 to transfer the material 200. The material transfer mechanism 3 can be configured as a crane-like structure, with a track and a material picking component that can slide along the track above the base 1. The material picking component can slide along the track to the loading position 11, the detection position 24, and the flipping position 25. Alternatively, the material transfer mechanism 3 can be configured as a robot, and the material picking end of the robot can be controlled to move to the loading position 11, the detection position 24, and the flipping position 25.

[0062] In practical applications, a general-purpose tray containing the materials to be tested is placed at the loading position 11. The transfer mechanism 3 transfers the materials 200 in the general-purpose tray one by one to the detection position 24 of the detection mechanism 2. The detection module 21 detects the placement and appearance of the materials 200 in the detection position 24. For materials 200 that are correctly placed in the preset position, they are transferred to the unloading position 12 by the unloading mechanism 4. For materials 200 that are incorrectly placed, they are transferred to the flipping position 25 by the transfer mechanism 3 to flip them to the preset position. After flipping, the materials 200 are then detected at the detection position 24 by the detection module 21 to check their appearance or other conditions. After detection, the materials 200 are transferred to the unloading position 12 by the unloading mechanism 4, ensuring that the placement of each material 200 transferred to the unloading position 12 by the unloading mechanism 4 is consistent.

[0063] In other words, the present invention utilizes the transfer device 100 to automatically transfer the material 200, and to detect and adjust the orientation of the material 200, thereby improving the automation and convenience of material transfer and detection. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processes of transferring the material 200 from the loading position 11 to the detection position 24 and from the detection position 24 to the flipping position 25 are both achieved through the material transfer mechanism 3, reducing the number of mechanisms arranged in the transfer device 100, and thus reducing the size and footprint of the transfer device 100.

[0064] In practical applications, a universal tray can be used to collect materials 200. This universal tray can accommodate materials 200 of different shapes or sizes; for example, the trough on the universal tray can be set larger to accommodate different materials 200. The universal tray typically collects and holds multiple materials 200 of the same type each time. The universal tray containing multiple materials 200 is placed on the upper loading position 11 for the material transfer mechanism 3 to pick up. The tray on the lower loading position 12 used to collect the detected materials 200 can be a dedicated tray. The shape of the trough on the dedicated tray is adapted to the shape of the materials 200, making the placement of the materials 200 on the dedicated tray more stable.

[0065] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 3 Optionally, the transfer device 100 also includes a tray settling mechanism 7 set in the empty material position 16. The tray settling mechanism 7 can drive the tray placed in the empty material position 16 to rise and fall. The tray picking component 52 is set to a preset material placement height in the empty material position 16. The tray settling mechanism 7 can lower the tray so that the tray picking component 52 can stack the empty trays in the empty material position 16 in sequence. This allows a certain number of empty trays to be placed in the empty material position 16 before the trays in the empty material position 16 are removed all at once, without having to remove the trays in the empty material position 16 repeatedly, thus improving the convenience of use.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 2 In one embodiment, the base 1 has a full material tray buffer space 171 inside corresponding to the material loading position 11, and the side of the base 1 has a side opening 18 communicating with the full material tray buffer space 171; the material tray lifting mechanism 6 includes a first material rack 61 and a first material support platform 62, at least part of the first material rack 61 is located in the full material tray buffer space 171, the first material rack 61 has a first stacking space 614, the inlet of the first stacking space 614 is opposite to the side opening 18, and the first material support platform 62 is movably and heightwise located in the first stacking space 614.

[0067] In this embodiment, a full-load tray buffer space 171 is provided inside the base 1 to make full use of the internal space of the base 1 and reduce the overall height of the transfer equipment 100. The tray containing the material 200 can enter the full-load tray buffer space 171 through the side opening 18 on the side of the base 1 and be placed on the first material-supporting platform 62 of the tray lifting mechanism 6. The first material-supporting platform 62 can be driven by a cylinder lifting mechanism, or by a motor screw mechanism, a synchronous belt conveyor mechanism, a scissor lifting mechanism, etc., to drive the tray to rise and fall, so that the tray rises to the preset material-retrieving height position in sequence. The first material rack 61 is fixed in the base 1. The first material rack 61 is set as a frame structure extending along the height direction. A first stacking space 614 is formed inside the first material rack 61. The first material-supporting platform 62 is located in the first stacking space 614. The first material rack 61 can guide and limit the lifting and lowering of the first material-supporting platform 62, and can also limit the stacked trays to prevent the trays from tipping over.

[0068] Optionally, the base 1 is equipped with an openable and closable door, which closes the entrance side when there is no need to pick up or put down the material tray.

[0069] Combined with reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In one embodiment, the first material rack 61 has an infeed section 611 and a loading section 612 arranged from bottom to top. The infeed section 611 is located in the full material tray buffer space 171. At least part of the loading section 612 protrudes from the base 1 and has a surrounding wall. A first guide structure 613 is provided between the infeed section 611 and the loading section 612. The first guide structure 613 is located on the side of the first stacking space 614 and is inclined from bottom to top toward the inside of the first stacking space 614.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first material rack 61 includes an infeed section 611 and an loading section 612. The infeed section 611 and the loading section 612 are connected to form a first stacking space 614. The infeed section 611 has an infeed port with a side opening 18 facing the base 1. The loading section 612 protrudes from the top of the base 1 and is provided with a surrounding wall along its circumference, thereby limiting the material tray at various points in the circumference and reducing the risk of material tray deviation and tipping. The first material rack 61 also includes a first guide structure 613 disposed between the feeding section 611 and the loading section 612. The first guide structure 613 can be disposed around the circumference of the first material rack 61, or it can be disposed only in a local area around the first material rack 61. The first guide structure 613 is inclined from bottom to top toward the inner side of the first stacking space 614. When the first material support platform 62 drives the material tray to rise, the first guide structure 613 can contact the side of the material tray to guide the material tray to accurately enter the loading section 612, ensuring that the material tray is accurately positioned in the preset area to improve the material picking accuracy.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 3 In one embodiment, the loading position 11 is provided with a first position detection component 63, which is configured to emit a sensing signal when the top material tray is detected to be in position.

[0072] In this embodiment, the first position detection component 63 can be configured as a photoelectric sensor, a proximity switch, or other detection mechanism 2. When the material tray lifting mechanism 6 drives the material tray to rise, the first position detection component 63 detects whether the top material tray has risen to the preset material picking height position. When the top material tray is lifted into place, a sensing signal is issued to stop the material tray lifting mechanism 6 from lifting, thereby improving the height control accuracy of the top material tray and ensuring that the material transfer mechanism 3 can accurately pick up the material. This avoids the problem that the material transfer mechanism 3 cannot pick up the material or the material picking is unstable due to insufficient material tray height, and also avoids the problem that the material tray is too high and collides with the material transfer mechanism 3.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 2 In one embodiment, the base 1 is provided with an empty material tray buffer space 172 corresponding to the empty material position 16. The transfer device 100 also includes a material tray settling mechanism 7 provided in the empty material position 16. The material tray settling mechanism 7 is configured to support at least two empty material trays stacked together and drive the stacked empty material trays down to the empty material tray buffer space 172.

[0074] In this embodiment, a tray settling mechanism 7 is provided at the empty material position 16. The tray settling mechanism 7 can support at least two empty trays. When the tray transfer mechanism 5 transfers trays with material 200 already removed from the upper material position 11 to the empty material position 16 one by one, they can be stacked on the tray settling mechanism 7. After stacking an empty tray, the tray settling mechanism 7 drives the tray to descend a preset distance, so that the tray transfer mechanism 5 can place empty trays at the same height, which facilitates the control of the movement trajectory of the tray transfer mechanism 5. The tray settling mechanism 7 can drive the tray to descend into the empty tray buffer space 172. Multiple trays can be accumulated and stacked in the empty material position 16 before the stack of empty trays is removed all at once, eliminating the need for users to repeatedly and frequently retrieve materials, thus improving ease of use.

[0075] Optionally, the empty material tray buffer space 172 and the full material tray buffer space 171 in the base 1 can be interconnected, that is, an integral receiving space 17 is set in the base 1, which facilitates the structural design of the base 1.

[0076] Please refer to Figure 3In one embodiment, the material tray settling mechanism 7 further includes a second material rack 71 and a second material support platform 72. At least a portion of the second material rack 71 is located in the empty material tray buffer space 172. The second material rack 71 has a second stacking space 711. The second material support platform 72 is vertically and vertically disposed in the second stacking space 711. The second material rack 71 is provided with a second guide structure 712 located at the top entrance of the second stacking space 711. The second guide structure 712 is inclined from top to bottom into the second stacking space 711.

[0077] In this embodiment, the material tray settling mechanism 7 further includes a second material rack 71, which is fixed in the base 1. The second material rack 71 is configured as a frame structure extending along the height direction, and a second stacking space 711 is formed inside the second material rack 71. The second material support platform 72 is located in the second stacking space 711. The second material rack 71 can guide and limit the lifting and lowering of the second material support platform 72, and can also limit the stacked material trays to prevent the material trays from tipping over.

[0078] The second material rack 71 is provided with a second guide structure 712 at the top entrance. The second guide structure 712 can be arranged around the circumference of the second material rack 71, or it can be arranged only in a local area around the second material rack 71. The second guide structure 712 is inclined from top to bottom towards the inner side of the second stacking space 711. When the second material support platform 72 drives the material tray to descend, the second guide structure 712 can contact the side of the material tray to guide the material tray to accurately enter the second stacking space 711 and make each material tray coaxially stacked, reducing the risk of material tray tipping.

[0079] In one embodiment, the empty material position 16 is provided with a second position detection component 73, which is configured to detect whether there is a material tray at the material discharge height position.

[0080] In this embodiment, the second position detection component 73 can be configured as a photoelectric sensor, a proximity switch or other detection mechanism 2. When the material tray lifting mechanism 6 drives the material tray to rise, the second position detection component 73 detects whether there is a material tray at the material release height position. If a material tray is detected at the material release height position, the second material support platform 72 is lowered by a preset distance or the user is reminded that the empty material position 16 is full of material trays, ensuring that the material transfer mechanism 3 will not collide with the material trays already placed in the empty material position 16 when transferring the empty material tray to the empty material position 16.

[0081] Please see Figures 1 to 3 In one embodiment, the tray transfer mechanism 5 includes a tray conveying platform 51 and a tray picking assembly 52, the tray conveying platform 51 being configured to drive the tray picking assembly 52 to move between the loading position 11 and the empty position 16.

[0082] In this embodiment, the tray conveying platform 51 drives the tray picking component 52 to move to the loading position 11, the tray picking component 52 picks up the empty tray on the loading position 11, and then the tray conveying platform 51 drives the tray picking component 52 to move to the empty position 16, and places the picked-up empty tray on the empty position 16; thus, the user does not need to remove the empty tray from the loading position 11.

[0083] Optionally, the tray pickup component 52 can be configured as an adsorption structure for adsorbing and picking up empty trays; the tray pickup component 52 can also be configured as a clamping mechanism for clamping and picking up empty trays.

[0084] Optionally, the material tray conveying platform 51 can use a synchronous belt drive mechanism to drive the material tray picking component 52 to move, or it can use a screw drive mechanism, a cylinder pushing mechanism, a rodless cylinder, or other structures to drive the material tray picking component 52 to move. No limitation is made here.

[0085] Please see Figure 3 In one embodiment, the tray pickup assembly 52 includes at least two tray adsorption structures 521, which are arranged facing downwards.

[0086] In this embodiment, the tray adsorption structure 521 can be configured as a vacuum nozzle, or an electromagnet adsorption structure can be configured when the tray is made of a magnetic material. Using the tray adsorption structure 521 to adsorb the tray reduces damage to the tray, and since the tray adsorption structure 521 is always higher than the tray, it reduces the risk of the tray pickup assembly 52 colliding with other structures during transfer. The tray pickup assembly 52 can include two, three, four, or more tray adsorption structures 521 to adsorb different positions of the tray, improving the stability of tray pickup.

[0087] Please see Figures 7 to 10 In some embodiments, the detection mechanism 2 further includes a supplementary light 23, which is positioned towards the detection position 24 to illuminate the detection position 24 and improve the detection accuracy and precision of the detection module 21. Optionally, the supplementary light 23 may be located on the same side as the detection module 21, or the supplementary light 23 and the detection module 21 may be located on opposite sides of the detection position 24, which is not limited here.

[0088] See also Figure 1 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In one embodiment, the flipping module 22 includes a first swing arm 221, which is rotatably disposed on the base 1 and configured to swing between the detection position 24 and the flipping position 25 to flip the material 200 located at the flipping position 25 to the detection position 24.

[0089] In this embodiment, the flipping module 22 includes a first driving member 222 and a first swing arm 221. The first swing arm 221 can be swung vertically and is driven by the first driving member 222. The detection position 24 and the flipping position 25 of the detection mechanism 2 are both located on the movement path of the free end of the first swing arm 221. The detection position 24 and the flipping position 25 are respectively located on both sides of the rotation center of the first swing arm 221, and the line connecting the detection position 24 and the flipping position 25 passes through the rotation center of the first swing arm 221. The free end of the first swing arm 221 is provided with a fixing component for fixing the material 200. The fixing component can prevent the material 200 from falling off the first swing arm 221 during the flipping process of the first swing arm 221 carrying the material 200. The fixing component can be configured as a clamping component 412 for holding the material 200, or as an adsorption component for adsorbing the material 200, or as other fixing components or a combination of at least two fixing structures.

[0090] Optionally, the first driving component 222 can be configured as a drive motor, and the rotating end of the first swing arm 221 can be directly connected to the output shaft of the drive motor. Alternatively, the drive motor and the first swing arm 221 can be connected through a gear transmission mechanism, a synchronous pulley mechanism, a linkage mechanism, or other transmission mechanisms. No limitation is made here.

[0091] In practical applications, the free end of the first swing arm 221 is located on the flip position 25. When the detection module 21 detects that the material 200 on the detection position 24 is misplaced, the material transfer mechanism 3 moves the material 200 from the detection position 24 to the flip position 25 and fixes the material 200 to the free end of the first swing arm 221 through the fixing component. Then, the first drive member 222 drives the first swing arm 221 to flip, securing the material 200 onto the detection position 24. At this point, the material 200 has been flipped to the correct placement position. This method achieves the transfer of the material 200 between the flip position 25 and the detection position 24 while flipping the material 200, speeding up the work cycle and improving work efficiency. After flipping the material 200 to the detection position 24, the fixing component releases the material 200, and the first swing arm 221 swings back to avoid obstructing the detection module 21's detection of the material 200.

[0092] Please see Figure 7 and Figure 8 In one embodiment, the first swing arm 221 includes a support arm 2212 and a rotating arm 2211. One end of the rotating arm 2211 is rotatably disposed on the base 1. The support arm 2212 is bent and connected to the other end of the rotating arm 2211 and is provided with an adsorption component (not shown). The rotating arm 2211 rotates, driving the support arm 2212 to move, so that the adsorption component flows between the flip position 25 and the detection position 24, so as to adsorb the material 200 on the flip position 25 and drive the material 200 to flip synchronously to the detection position 24.

[0093] In this embodiment, the rotating arm 2211 of the first swing arm 221 extends radially along the rotation center of the first swing arm 221, and the supporting arm 2212 of the first swing arm 221 is connected to the free end of the rotating arm 2211. The supporting arm 2212 extends axially along the rotation center of the first swing arm 221, so that the supporting arm 2212 and the rotating arm 2211 are set at an angle, which can form a clearance area to avoid collision between the first swing arm 221 and the detection module 21 during the swinging process. The adsorption component is set on the supporting arm 2212. The adsorption component can be set as a vacuum adsorption structure, or a magnetically adsorbable metal structure can be set on the material 200. The adsorption component can also be set as an electromagnetic adsorption structure, which is not limited here. When the material 200 to be flipped is moved to the flipping position 25, the adsorption component adsorbs the material 200 to fix the material 200 on the supporting arm 2212. Fixing the material 200 by adsorption can reduce damage to the material 200. After the first swing arm 221 drives the material 200 to swing and flip the material 200 to the detection position 24, the adsorption component releases the adsorption of the material 200. For example, the vacuum adsorption structure stops drawing vacuum, or the electromagnetic adsorption structure is de-energized, so that the adsorption component separates from the material 200. Then the first swing arm 221 swings back, and the material 200 will remain on the detection position 24 in the correct orientation.

[0094] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one embodiment, the material transfer mechanism 3 is configured as a robotic arm. The robotic arm can be configured as a four-axis, five-axis, six-axis or higher degree of freedom robotic arm. Using a robotic arm as the material transfer mechanism 3 makes it more convenient to arrange the material transfer mechanism 3 on the base 1, and the structure is compact, which helps to reduce the volume of the transfer equipment 100.

[0095] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism 4 includes a first translation component 41, a second translation component 42, and a transfer component 43; the transfer component 43 is disposed on the base 1 and configured to acquire material 200 from the detection position 24 and transfer it to the first translation component 41; the first translation component 41 is disposed on the base 1 and configured to translate material 200 from the starting end to the terminal end; the second translation component 42 is disposed on the base 1 and passes through the terminal end to acquire material 200 from the first translation component 41.

[0096] In this embodiment, the first translation component 41 is used to convey the material 200. It can be configured as a conveyor belt for directly placing and conveying the material 200, or it can be a feeding structure with a transmission platform and a clamping component 412 as shown in the following embodiment. The second translation component 42 is used to convey a tray, which can convey the tray to the end of the first translation component 41, so that the tray receives the material 200 conveyed to the end by the first translation component 41. Optionally, the transfer of the material 200 between the first translation component 41 and the second translation component 42 can be carried out by transferring the material 200 through the clamping component 412 on the first translation component 41 as shown in the following embodiment, or it can be carried out by picking up the material 200 conveyed on the first translation component 41 and placing it in the tray of the second translation component 42, which is not limited here.

[0097] The transfer component 43 can transfer the material 200 on the detection position 24 to the starting end of the first translation component 41, so that the material 200 can be transferred by the first translation component 41. Optionally, the transfer component 43 can be set as a robot arm, or configured as a combination of the second swing arm 431 and the picking module 432 in the following embodiment. In addition, the material transfer mechanism 3 in the transfer device 100 can also be configured as the transfer component 43, that is, the material transfer mechanism 3 can be used to transfer the material 200 on the detection position 24 to the first translation component 41.

[0098] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment, the first translation component 41 includes a material conveying platform 411 and a clamping component 412. The material conveying platform 411 is configured to drive the clamping component 412 to translate, and the clamping component 412 is configured to place the material 200 on it into the second translation component 42.

[0099] In this embodiment, the material conveying platform 411 of the first translation component 41 is used to drive the clamping component 412 to translate. The material conveying platform 411 can be driven by a cylinder, such as a rodless cylinder, to drive the clamping component 412, or it can be driven by a motor, such as a screw drive or belt drive. The clamping component 412 can be configured as a gripper for holding the material 200, or it can be configured as an adsorption structure that can adsorb the material 200. By using the clamping component 412 to pick up the material 200 and move the material 200 along the material conveying platform 411, the material 200 can be prevented from deviating during the conveying process, thus improving the stability of the material 200 conveying process. After the clamping component 412 moves the material 200 to the terminal end, it releases the material 200 to place it on the tray of the second translation component 42.

[0100] Optionally, the clamping mechanism can be configured as a lifting structure to lift after picking up the material 200, which can avoid interference between the material 200 and other components during the translation process. In addition, when the material 200 is placed on the second translation component 42, the material 200 can be lowered to prevent the material 200 from falling freely onto the second translation component 42, thereby improving the safety and stability of transferring the material 200, ensuring that the material 200 is accurately placed in the tray, and reducing the risk of damage to the material 200.

[0101] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment, the feeding direction of the second translation component 42 is perpendicular to the feeding direction of the first translation component 41.

[0102] Specifically, the feeding direction of the first translation component 41 is taken as the first direction, and the feeding direction of the second translation component 42 is taken as the second direction. The first and second directions are perpendicular to each other. It is understood that the material tray typically has several arrayed material slots. In practical applications, the material tray is placed on the second translation component 42. The first translation component 41 can sequentially feed the material 200 into the multiple material slots arranged side-by-side along the first direction. The second translation component 42 drives the material tray to move, so that the multiple rows of material slots arranged along the second direction are sequentially aligned with the first translation component 41. With this arrangement, the material 200 can be sequentially placed into each material slot in the material tray.

[0103] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment, the terminal end of the first translation component 41 is located between the two ends of the second translation component 42, and the second translation component 42 forms a feeding position 13 and a feeding position 12 on both sides of the first translation component 41 along its feeding direction.

[0104] In this embodiment, along the feeding direction of the second translation component 42, a material loading position 13, a material unloading position 14, and a material unloading position 12 are formed on the second translation component 42. The material unloading position 14 corresponds to the terminal end of the first translation component 41, and the materials 200 conveyed by the first translation component 41 can be placed one by one onto the material tray at the material unloading position 14. After the material tray at the material unloading position 14 is full of materials 200 or has been unloaded, the second translation component 42 can transfer the material tray at the material unloading position 14 to the material unloading position 12 so that the user can collect the materials 200. The material loading position 13 is configured to hold empty material trays, which can be transferred to the material unloading position 14 by the second translation component 42. After the material tray at the material unloading position 14 is moved to the material unloading position 12, an empty material tray is automatically replenished to receive subsequent materials 200, eliminating the need for manual replenishment by the user and improving the automation level of the transfer equipment 100.

[0105] See also Figures 4 to 10In one embodiment, the transfer component 43 includes a second swing arm 431 and a material picking module 432. The second swing arm 431 is rotatably mounted on the base 1. The material picking module 432 has a connecting end and a picking end. The connecting end is rotatably connected to the free end of the second swing arm 431 so that the picking end is positioned downwards during the swing of the second swing arm 431. The swing of the second swing arm 431 drives the material picking module 432 to flow between the detection position 24 and the first translation component 41, so as to transfer the material 200 from the detection position 24 to the first translation component 41.

[0106] In this embodiment, the transfer component 43 includes a second driving member 433, a second swing arm 431, and a material picking module 432. The second swing arm 431 can swing vertically and is driven by the second driving member 433. The detection position 24 and the first translation component 41 are both located on the movement path of the free end of the second swing arm 431. The free end of the second swing arm 431 is provided with a material picking module 432, which is used to pick up the material 200 from the detection position 24. The material picking module 432 swings with the second swing arm 431 to transfer the material 200 to the first translation component 41. The material picking module 432 has a connecting end and a picking end arranged vertically. The connecting end is freely hinged to the free end of the second swing arm 431. With this configuration, under the action of gravity, the vertical position of the material picking module 432 remains unchanged as it rotates with the second swing arm 431, and the picking end is always located below the connecting end, so that the orientation of the material 200 picked up by the material picking module 432 remains unchanged. Optionally, the material handling module 432 can be configured as a clamping mechanism that can hold the material 200, or as an adsorption mechanism that can adsorb the material 200; no limitation is made here.

[0107] In one embodiment, the first translation component 41 is provided with a clamping component 412 driven by the material conveying platform 411. When the clamping component 412 enters or moves away from the starting end of the material conveying platform 411, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the second swing arm 431 can drive the material picking module 432 to rotate to the avoidance position to avoid the clamping assembly 412, thus avoiding interference and collision between the transfer assembly 43 and the clamping assembly 412.

[0108] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment, the base 1 also has a waste collection point 15 between the two ends of the first translation component 41 for collecting waste.

[0109] In this embodiment, a waste collection station 15 is provided on the base 1 for collecting waste materials. When the detection module 21 detects material 200 with appearance defects, the first translation component 41 can directly place the material 200 in the waste collection station 15 when it is transported to the top of the waste collection station 15. The first translation component 41 does not transfer the material 200 to the end of the first translation component 41, thus allowing for the separate collection of waste materials and good products, improving the convenience of material 200 collection. Optionally, a material guiding mechanism for transporting waste materials can be provided on the base 1, such as a conveyor belt or other translational material guiding structure. The guiding mechanism delivers the waste materials from the waste collection station 15 for easy collection. Additionally, a waste bin 8 can be provided on the waste collection station 15. The first translation component 41 directly discards the waste materials into the waste bin 8, from which the user retrieves them. Optionally, to facilitate retrieval from the waste bin 8, the waste bin 8 can be designed as a drawer-like structure, allowing for easy removal of materials.

[0110] Optionally, the waste position 15 may be provided with at least two waste collection areas in sequence along the feeding direction of the first translation component 41. The first translation component 41 places waste of different defect types into different waste collection areas to classify and collect the waste, which facilitates the processing of the waste.

[0111] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transfer device, characterized in that, include: The base has a loading position, a unloading position and an empty position; A detection mechanism, which is disposed on the base and has a detection position and a flip position; A material transfer mechanism is disposed on the base and configured to move between the loading position, the detection position, and the flipping position to transfer materials; The detection mechanism includes a detection module and a flipping module. The detection module is positioned toward the detection position to detect the material located at the detection position. The flipping module is configured to flip the material located at the flipping position. The material transfer mechanism transfers the materials in the loading position one by one to the detection position. The detection module detects the materials in the detection position. For materials that are placed in the wrong position, the material transfer mechanism transfers them to the flipping position. The flipping module flips the materials to a preset position and places them in the detection position. A feeding mechanism is disposed on the base and configured to acquire material from the detection position and transfer it to the feeding position; A material tray lifting mechanism is located at the material loading position and is configured to drive the material tray in the material loading position to the material picking height position. A material tray transfer mechanism is disposed on the base and configured to acquire the top material tray from the upper material position and transfer it to the empty material position; The feeding mechanism includes a first translation component, a second translation component, and a transfer component; the transfer component is disposed on the base and configured to acquire material from the detection position and transfer it to the first translation component; the first translation component is disposed on the base and configured to translate the material from the starting end to the ending end; the second translation component is disposed on the base and passes through the ending end to acquire material from the first translation component.

2. The transfer equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The base has a full material tray buffer space inside corresponding to the loading position, and the side of the base has a side opening that communicates with the full material tray buffer space. The material tray lifting mechanism includes a first material rack and a first material support platform. At least part of the first material rack is located in the full material tray buffer space. The first material rack has a first stacking space. The inlet of the first stacking space is opposite to the side opening. The first material support platform is vertically and vertically located in the first stacking space.

3. The transfer equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first material rack has an infeed section and an upfeed section arranged from bottom to top. The infeed section is located in the full material tray buffer space. At least part of the upfeed section protrudes from the base and has a surrounding wall. A first guide structure is provided between the feeding section and the loading section. The first guide structure is located on the side of the first stacking space and is inclined from bottom to top toward the inside of the first stacking space.

4. The transfer device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding station is equipped with a first position detection component, which is configured to emit a sensing signal when it detects that the top material tray has been raised to the material picking height position.

5. The transfer device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The base has an empty material tray buffer space corresponding to the empty material position. The transfer device also includes a material tray settling mechanism located at the empty material position. The material tray settling mechanism is configured to support at least two stacked empty material trays and drive the stacked empty material trays down to the empty material tray buffer space.

6. The transfer device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The material tray settling mechanism includes a second material rack and a second material support platform. At least part of the second material rack is located in the empty material tray buffer space. The second material rack has a second stacking space. The second material support platform is vertically and vertically disposed in the second stacking space. The second material rack is provided with a second guide structure located at the top entrance of the second stacking space. The second guide structure is inclined from top to bottom into the second stacking space. And / or, the empty material position is provided with a second position detection component, which is configured to detect whether there is a material tray at the material discharge height position.

7. The transfer device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The material tray transfer mechanism includes a material tray conveying platform and a material tray picking component. The material tray conveying platform is configured to drive the material tray picking component to move between full and empty material positions.

8. The transfer device as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The tray pickup assembly includes at least two tray adsorption structures, which are arranged facing downwards.

9. The transfer equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The flipping module includes a first swing arm, which is rotatably disposed on the base and configured to swing between the detection position and the flipping position to flip the material located at the flipping position to the detection position.

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