Conveying mechanism, directional clamping system and nut hitting machine

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of nut mounting equipment, and discloses a conveying mechanism, a directional clamping system and a nut beating machine. The conveying mechanism is used for conveying plastic nuts, each plastic nut comprises a long-strip-shaped main body part and an opening end arranged at one end of the main body part, and an annular boss is arranged on the periphery of the opening end; the conveying mechanism comprises a vibration disc used for containing the plastic nuts; the conveying track is connected to the outlet of the vibration disc, the conveying track comprises a containing cavity and a step part, and the step part is arranged at the opening of the containing cavity; the vibration disc is used for driving the plastic nut to jump, so that when the plastic nut enters the conveying rail from an outlet of the vibration disc, the main body part is located in the containing cavity, and the annular boss is in lap joint with the step part. Plastic nuts are prevented from inclining during transportation through the limiting effect of the containing cavity and the step part, the position accuracy of the plastic nuts in the vertical posture during transportation is kept, a clamping mechanism of the nut beating machine can clamp the plastic nuts correctly, and therefore normal nut beating operation is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of nut installation equipment, and in particular to a conveying mechanism, a directional clamping system and a nut driving machine. Background Art

[0002] At present, when assembling the parts of the liquid inlet pipe and the gas collecting pipe of air-conditioning equipment, a nut driver is often needed to screw the plastic nut onto the copper tube and copper nut of the liquid inlet pipe and the gas collecting pipe, so as to pre-assemble some parts of the liquid inlet pipe and the gas collecting pipe before leaving the factory. For this reason, the nut driver is widely used as a device that integrates automatic loading of plastic nuts, automatic transfer of copper tubes, automatic nut driving and automatic unloading.

[0003] Since the shape of the plastic nuts themselves is irregular and the shapes of the plastic nuts vary during the conveying process, when the nut driving machine is performing automatic feeding operations, the material picking mechanism is likely to clamp the plastic nuts crooked, making it impossible for the plastic nuts to be placed into the tightening head mold during discharge, which in turn makes it impossible to complete the nut driving operation normally, affecting production efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a conveying mechanism to solve the problem that the current nut driving machine is prone to crooked plastic nuts during operation, resulting in the inability to complete the nut driving operation normally; at the same time, the present invention provides a directional clamping system; and the present invention provides a nut driving machine.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a conveying mechanism for conveying plastic nuts, wherein the plastic nuts include a main body portion in a long strip shape and an open end provided at one end of the main body portion, wherein an annular boss is provided on the outer periphery of the open end;

[0006] The conveying mechanism comprises:

[0007] A vibration plate, used for holding the plastic nuts;

[0008] A conveying track connected to the outlet of the vibration plate, the conveying track comprising a receiving cavity and a step portion, the step portion being arranged at the opening of the receiving cavity;

[0009] The vibration plate is used to drive the plastic nut to jump, so that when the plastic nut enters the conveying track from the outlet of the vibration plate, the main body is located in the accommodating cavity and the annular boss overlaps the step portion.

[0010] Beneficial effect: The present invention provides a conveying mechanism, which drives the plastic nut to jump through the vibration of the vibration plate, thereby changing the posture of the plastic nut in the vibration plate; a conveying track with a accommodating cavity and a step portion is connected to the outlet of the vibration plate, and when the plastic nut in a vertical posture jumps to the outlet of the vibration plate, its main body can be placed in the accommodating cavity and its annular boss can overlap the step portion, and the plastic nut in the vertical posture can enter the conveying track from the outlet of the vibration plate, and the plastic nut is prevented from being skewed during transportation through the limiting effect of the accommodating cavity and the step portion, and the position accuracy of the plastic nut in the vertical posture for transportation is maintained, so that the clamping mechanism of the nut driving machine can correctly clamp the plastic nut, thereby ensuring the normal nut driving operation.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the width of the accommodating cavity is smaller than the diameter of the annular boss, and the width of the accommodating cavity is larger than the outer diameter of the main body.

[0012] Beneficial effects: The width of the accommodating cavity is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the main body so that the plastic nut can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity of the conveying track; the width of the accommodating cavity is set to be smaller than the diameter of the annular boss so that the plastic nut can be limited by the step portion to prevent the plastic nut from being skewed or inverted.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the outer periphery of the main body is provided with convex ribs, and a plurality of the convex ribs are arranged at intervals along the outer periphery of the main body and are arranged opposite to each other in pairs, and the width of the accommodating cavity is greater than the distance between the two oppositely arranged convex ribs.

[0014] Beneficial effects: convex ribs are provided on the outer periphery of the main body to facilitate the clamping mechanism of the nut driver to clamp the plastic nut; the width of the accommodating cavity is greater than the distance between the two convex ribs arranged opposite to each other, so that the convex rib position of the main body of the plastic nut can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity of the conveying track for limiting and transportation.

[0015] In an optional embodiment, a limiting groove communicating with the accommodating cavity is provided at the end of the conveying track, and the limiting groove is configured to be contoured with the convex rib.

[0016] Beneficial effect: The limiting groove and the convex rib at the end of the conveying track are configured in a similar manner, so that the plastic nuts transported in the conveying track are further limited at the end of the conveying track, that is, a convex rib of the plastic nut is embedded in the limiting groove at the end of the conveying track, so as to improve the accuracy of the clamping position of the plastic nut clamped by the clamping mechanism of the nut driver.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, a clearance groove is provided on one side of the limiting groove close to the accommodating cavity, and the clearance groove is configured as an arc structure.

[0018] Beneficial effect: The convex rib of the plastic nut is guided by the arc structure giving way groove, so that the convex rib of the plastic nut can be smoothly embedded in the limiting groove.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a directional clamping system for clamping plastic nuts, the directional clamping system comprising:

[0020] The conveying mechanism described in the above embodiment is used to convey plastic nuts, and a relief portion is provided at the end of the conveying track in the conveying mechanism; when the plastic nut is conveyed to the relief portion, the main body of the plastic nut is exposed from the conveying track;

[0021] The directional clamping mechanism is provided with a clamp for clamping the plastic nut, and the clamping inner cavity of the clamp is configured to conform to the outer peripheral contour of the plastic nut.

[0022] Beneficial effects: The present invention provides a directional clamping system, in which an avoidance portion is arranged at the end of the conveying track so that the main body of the plastic nut is exposed from the conveying track, so that the clamp of the clamping mechanism can clamp the plastic nut; the clamping inner cavity of the clamp is contoured with the outer peripheral contour of the plastic nut to prevent the clamp from tilting when clamping the plastic nut, keep the plastic nut in a vertical posture to enter the next workstation and ensure the position accuracy, so that the nut driving mechanism of the nut driving machine can smoothly drive the plastic nut to rotate, thereby ensuring the normal progress of the nut driving operation.

[0023] In an optional embodiment, the clamp includes a plurality of clamping jaws, and the plurality of clamping jaws can be opened and closed to enclose and form the clamping inner cavity;

[0024] The clamping jaw is provided with a vertical groove and an arc-shaped groove. The vertical groove is arranged in the same shape as the convex rib of the plastic nut, and the arc-shaped groove is arranged in the same shape as the annular boss of the plastic nut.

[0025] Beneficial effect: When the clamp clamps the plastic nut, the vertical groove of the clamping jaw matches with the convex rib of the plastic nut, and the arc-shaped groove of the clamping jaw matches with the annular boss of the plastic nut, thereby realizing stable clamping of the plastic nut by the clamp.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the directional clamping mechanism further includes:

[0027] A lifting drive member connected to the fixture, the lifting drive member is used to drive the fixture to lift;

[0028] The translation driving member is connected to the lifting driving member, and the translation driving member is used to drive the lifting driving member to move horizontally.

[0029] Beneficial effect: The lifting drive member and the translation drive member drive the clamp to move accordingly, so that the plastic nut clamped by the clamp is transported to the next station to prepare for the screwing operation of the plastic nut.

[0030] In a third aspect, the present invention further provides a nut driver for screwing a plastic nut onto a mating workpiece, the nut driver comprising:

[0031] The directional clamping system described in the above embodiment is used to clamp plastic nuts;

[0032] A nut-driving system is provided with a screwing head for holding the plastic nut, the screwing head being driven to rotate to screw the plastic nut onto the mating workpiece;

[0033] The alignment component includes an induction member and a sensor, wherein the induction member is connected to the outside of the screwing head and can rotate synchronously with the screwing head, and the sensor is fixedly installed and arranged corresponding to the induction member;

[0034] After the plastic nut is screwed onto the matching workpiece, the screwing head is driven to rotate until the sensing element and the sensor are in an aligned state and then stops rotating.

[0035] Beneficial effects: The present invention provides a nut driving machine, which utilizes the screwing head of the nut driving system to screw the plastic nut to a matching workpiece for screwing operation; the sensing part in the positioning component and the sensor perform position sensing to ensure that the screwing head stops at a fixed position each time, so that the screwing head can accurately receive the nut next time and smoothly carry out the next screwing operation, thereby ensuring that the nut driving operation is carried out normally.

[0036] In an optional embodiment, the sensing element is provided on a sensing rod extending radially along the screwing head, and the sensor is provided as a proximity sensor.

[0037] Beneficial effect: The position sensing of the sensing rod and the proximity sensor is used to ensure that the screwing head stops at a fixed position each time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a conveying mechanism, a directional clamping system and a nut driver provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the plastic nut provided by the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 A front view of the plastic nut provided by the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a conveying mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 A top view of a conveying mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0044] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the conveying track provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of the conveying track provided by the present invention from another perspective;

[0046] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A is a partial enlarged schematic diagram;

[0047] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the directional clamping mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0048] Fig.10 A top view of the directional clamping mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0049] Fig.11 A front view of the directional clamping mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0050] Fig.12 A cross-sectional view of the clamp provided by the present invention;

[0051] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of the clamp provided by the present invention;

[0052] Fig.14 A cross-sectional view of the clamp provided by the present invention;

[0053] Fig.15 A side view of a conveying mechanism, a directional clamping system and a nut driver provided by the present invention;

[0054] Fig.16 A top view of a conveying mechanism, a directional clamping system and a nut driver provided by the present invention;

[0055] Fig.17 A front view of a conveying mechanism, a directional clamping system and a nut driver provided by the present invention;

[0056] Fig.18 A schematic diagram of the structure of the matching workpiece provided by the present invention;

[0057] Fig.19 A structural schematic diagram of a nut driving system provided by the present invention;

[0058] Fig. 20 A schematic diagram of the structure of the screwing head provided by the present invention;

[0059] Fig.21 A side view of the nut driving system provided by the present invention;

[0060] Fig. 22 A front view of the nut driving system provided by the present invention.

[0061] Description of reference numerals:

[0062] 1. Vibration plate; 11. Exit;

[0063] 2. Conveying track; 21. Accommodating cavity; 22. Step portion; 23. Limiting groove; 24. Giving way groove; 25. Avoiding portion;

[0064] 10. plastic nut; 101. main body; 1011. convex rib; 102. annular boss;

[0065] 20. Conveying mechanism;

[0066] 30. Directional clamping mechanism;

[0067] 301, fixture; 3011, clamping claw; 30111, vertical groove; 30112, arc groove;

[0068] 302, lifting drive member;

[0069] 303, translation drive member;

[0070] 304, clamping cylinder;

[0071] 100, nut-driving system; 1001, screwing head; 10011, assembly chamber; 1002, induction component; 1003, sensor; 1004, reducer; 1005, servo motor; 1006, lifting screw; 1007, lifting motor;

[0072] 200. Match the workpiece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0074] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0075] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0076] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0077] Combine the following Figure 1-Figure 22 , describing an embodiment of the present invention.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the present invention, on the one hand, Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, a conveying mechanism is provided for conveying plastic nuts 10. The plastic nuts 10 include a main body 101 in a long strip shape and an open end arranged at one end of the main body 101. An annular boss 102 is arranged on the outer periphery of the open end.

[0079] Specifically, Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the plastic nut 10 is in the shape of a long strip as a whole, and one end of the main body 101 is set as an open end. The open end is tapped with an internal thread inward, which is used to assemble with the copper tube and copper nut of the liquid inlet pipe and the gas collecting pipe to form a fastening fit with a threaded connection; the annular boss 102 on the outer periphery of the open end is arranged along the circumference of the open end, and is in the shape of a circular ring as a whole and protrudes from the outer periphery of the main body 101 along the radial direction of the main body 101 and extends.

[0080] The conveying mechanism includes: a vibrating plate 1 and a conveying track 2.

[0081] The vibration plate 1 is used to hold the plastic nuts 10; the conveying track 2 is connected to the outlet 11 of the vibration plate 1, and the conveying track 2 includes a accommodating cavity 21 and a step portion 22, and the step portion 22 is arranged at the opening of the accommodating cavity 21; the vibration plate 1 is used to drive the plastic nuts 10 to jump, so that when the plastic nuts 10 enter the conveying track 2 from the outlet 11 of the vibration plate 1, the main body 101 is located in the accommodating cavity 21 and the annular boss 102 overlaps the step portion 22.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the plastic nut 10 is driven to jump by the vibration of the vibration disk 1, thereby changing the posture of the plastic nut 10 in the vibration disk 1; the conveying track 2 having the accommodating cavity 21 and the step portion 22 is connected to the outlet 11 of the vibration disk 1, and when the plastic nut 10 in a vertical posture jumps to the outlet 11 of the vibration disk 1, its main body 101 can be placed in the accommodating cavity 21 and its annular boss 102 can overlap on the step portion 22, and the plastic nut 10 in a vertical posture can enter the conveying track 2 from the outlet 11 of the vibration disk 1, and the plastic nut 10 is prevented from being skewed during transportation by the limiting effect of the accommodating cavity 21 and the step portion 22, and the position accuracy of the plastic nut 10 in a vertical posture for transportation is maintained, so that the clamping mechanism of the nut driving machine can correctly clamp the plastic nut 10, thereby ensuring the normal nut driving operation.

[0083] Specifically, by optimizing the width of the accommodating cavity 21 in the conveying track 2, the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10, so that the plastic nut 10 can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity 21 of the conveying track 2 under the vibration of the vibration plate 1; at the same time, the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the annular boss 102 of the plastic nut 10, so that the annular boss 102 of the plastic nut 10 can overlap the step portion 22 to avoid skewing, and the overlapping of the annular boss 102 on the step portion 22 for conveying can also ensure that the open end of the main body 101 is always facing upward, thereby preventing the plastic nut 10 from being inverted in the accommodating cavity 21.

[0084] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, two vibration plates 1 are provided in a nut driver, and are respectively connected to two sets of track conveying tracks 2 to improve the transportation efficiency.

[0085] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is smaller than the diameter of the annular boss 102 , and the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is larger than the outer diameter of the main body 101 .

[0086] In the above embodiment, the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the main body 101 so that the plastic nut 10 can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity 21 of the conveying track 2; the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the annular boss 102 so that the plastic nut 10 can be limited by the step portion 22 to prevent the plastic nut 10 from being skewed or inverted.

[0087] Specifically, in this embodiment, the width of the accommodating cavity 21 of the conveying track 2 is 16.4 mm, the diameter of the annular boss 102 of the plastic nut 10 is 18 mm, and the outer diameter of the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10 is 16 mm, thereby meeting the design requirement that the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is smaller than the diameter of the annular boss 102 and larger than the outer diameter of the main body 101. Of course, under the premise of meeting the above design requirements, the above dimensions can be adaptively adjusted within a certain range to correspond to different types of equipment.

[0088] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, a convex rib 1011 is provided on the periphery of the main body 101 . A plurality of convex ribs 1011 are arranged at intervals along the periphery of the main body 101 and are arranged opposite to each other in pairs. The width of the accommodating cavity 21 is greater than the distance between the two oppositely arranged convex ribs 1011 .

[0089] In the above embodiment, a convex rib 1011 is provided on the outer periphery of the main body 101 to facilitate the clamping mechanism of the nut driver to clamp the plastic nut 10; the width of the accommodating cavity 21 is greater than the distance between the two relatively arranged convex ribs 1011, so that the convex rib 1011 of the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10 can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity 21 of the conveying track 2 for limiting and transportation.

[0090] Specifically, a plurality of convex ribs 1011 are evenly spaced vertically on the outer periphery of the main body 101, so that the clamping mechanism of the nut driver can clamp the plastic nut 10 through specially arranged claws; in this embodiment, two opposite convex ribs 1011 are symmetrically arranged, and the distance between the two opposite convex ribs 1011 is 16 mm, so that the nut can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity 21 of the conveying track 2 with a width of 16.4 mm for limiting and transportation.

[0091] Furthermore, six ribs 1011 are evenly spaced vertically on the outer periphery of the main body 101. By optimizing the size setting, a group of two relatively arranged ribs 1011 of the plastic nut 10 are transported along the extension direction of the conveying track 2. Two ribs 1011 are respectively distributed on both sides of this group of ribs 1011. When the plastic nut 10 is transported, part of the annular boss 102 between the two adjacent ribs 1011 overlaps the step portion 22.

[0092] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, a limiting groove 23 communicating with the accommodating cavity 21 is provided at the end of the conveying track 2, and the limiting groove 23 is configured to conform to the convex rib 1011.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the limiting groove 23 at the end of the conveying track 2 is configured to conform to the convex rib 1011, so as to further limit the plastic nut 10 transported in the conveying track 2 at the end of the conveying track 2, that is, a convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10 is embedded in the limiting groove 23 at the end of the conveying track 2, so as to improve the accuracy of the clamping position of the plastic nut 10 by the clamping mechanism of the nut driver.

[0094] Specifically, the limiting groove 23 is arranged in the same direction as the extension direction of the conveying track 2 and is located in the middle position of the end edge of the conveying track 2; in this embodiment, six convex ribs 1011 are evenly arranged along the vertical interval on the outer periphery of the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10, and the size design is optimized so that one group of two relatively arranged convex ribs 1011 of the plastic nut 10 is transported roughly along the extension direction of the conveying track 2. At this time, a convex rib 1011 in front of the plastic nut 10 will first come to the end of the conveying track 2 and be embedded in the limiting groove 23 at the end of the conveying track 2 for further limiting, so that the posture of the plastic nut 10 is adjusted to at least one group of two relatively arranged convex ribs 1011 is in the same direction as the extension direction of the conveying track 2, so as to facilitate the clamping mechanism of the nut driver to clamp it.

[0095] In some embodiments, Figure 2 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, a clearance groove 24 is provided on one side of the limiting groove 23 close to the accommodating cavity 21, and the clearance groove 24 is set to be an arc structure.

[0096] In the above embodiment, the convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10 is guided by the arc-shaped paving groove 24 , so that the convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10 can be smoothly embedded in the limiting groove 23 .

[0097] Specifically, by optimizing the size design, one group of two convex ribs 1011 of the plastic nut 10 that are relatively arranged are transported roughly along the extension direction of the conveying track 2, that is, the actual orientation of the two convex ribs 1011 that are relatively arranged may deviate from the extension direction of the conveying track 2 by a certain small angle; by providing a circular arc structured clearance groove 24 that is connected to the limiting groove 23, a convex rib 1011 that comes to the front of the plastic nut 10 at the end of the conveying track 2 first is guided by the clearance groove 24, driving the plastic nut 10 to slightly rotate and adjust the orientation of the convex rib 1011, so that the orientation of the two convex ribs 1011 that are relatively arranged in the plastic nut 10 is completely consistent with the extension direction of the conveying track 2, thereby facilitating the convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10 to be smoothly embedded in the limiting groove 23. Moreover, the clearance groove 24 of the circular arc structure can also match the circular arc outer wall of the plastic nut 10 after the convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10 is smoothly embedded in the limiting groove 23, thereby further limiting the plastic nut 10.

[0098] Furthermore, two clearance grooves 24 are provided, which are respectively located on both sides of the limiting groove 23 .

[0099] According to an embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, Figure 1 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10 , Fig.11 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 , Fig.14 As shown, a directional clamping system is also provided for clamping the plastic nut 10 , and the directional clamping system comprises: the conveying mechanism 20 and the directional clamping mechanism 30 of the above embodiment.

[0100] The conveying mechanism 20 is used to convey the plastic nut 10, and an avoidance portion 25 is provided at the end of the conveying track 2 in the conveying mechanism 20; when the plastic nut 10 is conveyed to the avoidance portion 25, the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10 is exposed from the conveying track 2; the directional clamping mechanism 30 is provided with a clamp 301 for clamping the plastic nut 10, and the clamping inner cavity of the clamp 301 is configured to conform to the outer peripheral contour of the plastic nut 10.

[0101] In the above embodiment, an avoidance portion 25 is provided at the end of the conveying track 2 so that the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10 is exposed from the conveying track 2, so as to facilitate the clamp 301 of the directional clamping mechanism 30 to clamp the plastic nut 10; the clamping inner cavity of the clamp 301 is configured to conform to the outer peripheral contour of the plastic nut 10 to prevent the clamp 301 from tilting when clamping the plastic nut 10, so as to keep the plastic nut 10 in a vertical posture to enter the next workstation and ensure the position accuracy, so that the nut driving mechanism of the nut driving machine can smoothly drive the plastic nut 10 to rotate, thereby ensuring the normal progress of the nut driving operation.

[0102] Specifically, Figure 6 , Fig. 9 As shown, the avoidance portion 25 is set as two notches at the end of the conveying track 2. When the plastic nut 10 is transported to the end of the conveying track 2, the annular boss 102 and part of the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10 are exposed from the conveying track 2 through the avoidance portion 25; the clamp 301 is driven by the clamping cylinder 304 to clamp the plastic nut 10 exposed from the conveying track 2 through the avoidance portion 25 at the end of the conveying track 2.

[0103] In some embodiments, Fig.12 , Fig.13 , Fig.14 As shown, the clamp 301 includes a plurality of jaws 3011, which can be opened and closed to enclose a clamping inner cavity; the jaws 3011 are provided with a vertical groove 30111 and an arc-shaped groove 30112, the vertical groove 30111 is configured to imitate the rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10, and the arc-shaped groove 30112 is configured to imitate the annular boss 102 of the plastic nut 10.

[0104] In the above embodiment, when the clamp 301 clamps the plastic nut 10, the vertical groove 30111 of the clamping jaw 3011 corresponds to the convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10, and the arc-shaped groove 30112 of the clamping jaw 3011 corresponds to the annular boss 102 of the plastic nut 10, thereby achieving stable clamping of the plastic nut 10 by the clamp 301.

[0105] Specifically, in this embodiment, six convex ribs 1011 are evenly spaced vertically on the outer periphery of the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10; three clamping jaws 3011 are provided with the same specifications, and each clamping jaw 3011 is provided with an arc-shaped groove 30112 of the same height; a vertical groove 30111 is provided in the middle of each clamping jaw 3011 for cooperating with a convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10, and two vertical avoidance grooves are also provided on both sides of each clamping jaw 3011, and the width of the vertical avoidance groove is generally the width of the vertical groove 30111. When the clamp 301 is closed, the two adjacent vertical avoidance grooves between the two adjacent clamping jaws 3011 The grooves are close to each other and form a groove structure of the same size as the vertical groove 30111, which can also cooperate with a convex rib 1011 of the plastic nut 10; in this way, the three arc-shaped grooves 30112 on the three clamping jaws 3011 of the same specifications are used to form a full-circle circular groove body to cooperate with the annular boss 102 of the plastic nut 10, and the three clamping jaws 3011 of the same specifications respectively use a vertical groove 30111 and two vertical avoidance grooves to form six evenly spaced vertical grooves 30111 or a groove structure of the same size as the vertical groove 30111, so as to cooperate with the six convex ribs 1011 of the plastic nut 10.

[0106] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 , Fig.10, Fig.11 As shown, the directional clamping mechanism 30 further includes: a lifting drive member 302 and a translation drive member 303 .

[0107] The lifting drive member 302 is connected to the fixture 301 and is used to drive the fixture 301 to move up and down; the translation drive member 303 is connected to the lifting drive member 302 and is used to drive the lifting drive member 302 to move horizontally.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the lifting drive 302 and the translation drive 303 drive the clamp 301 to move accordingly, so that the plastic nut 10 clamped by the clamp 301 is transported to the next station to prepare for the screwing operation of the plastic nut 10 .

[0109] Specifically, the lifting drive member 302 is configured as a lifting cylinder, and the translation drive member 303 is configured as a translation cylinder.

[0110] According to an embodiment of the present invention, on the other hand, Figure 1 , Fig.15 , Fig.16 , Fig.17 , Fig.18 , Fig.19 , Fig. 20 , Fig.21 , Fig. 22 As shown, a nut driving machine is also provided for screwing the plastic nut 10 to a matching workpiece 200. The nut driving machine comprises: the directional clamping system of the above embodiment, the nut driving system 100 and an alignment component.

[0111] The directional clamping system is used to clamp the plastic nut 10; the nut driving system 100 is provided with a screwing head 1001 for holding the plastic nut 10, and the screwing head 1001 is driven to rotate to screw the plastic nut 10 to the mating workpiece 200; the alignment component includes a sensing part 1002 and a sensor 1003, the sensing part 1002 is connected to the outside of the screwing head 1001 and can rotate synchronously with the screwing head 1001, and the sensor 1003 is fixedly installed and arranged corresponding to the sensing part 1002; after the plastic nut 10 is screwed to the mating workpiece 200, the screwing head 1001 is driven to rotate until the sensing part 1002 and the sensor 1003 are in an alignment state and stop rotating.

[0112] In the above embodiment, the screwing head 1001 of the nut driving system 100 is used to screw the plastic nut 10 to the matching workpiece 200 for screwing operation; the sensing member 1002 in the alignment assembly and the sensor 1003 perform position sensing to ensure that the screwing head 1001 stops at a fixed position each time, so that the screwing head 1001 can accurately receive the nut next time and smoothly carry out the next screwing operation, thereby ensuring the normal progress of the nut driving operation.

[0113] Specifically, Fig.19 , Fig. 20 As shown, a hexagonal assembly cavity 10011 is provided inside the screwing head 1001, and the plastic nut 10 is placed in the assembly cavity 10011 under the driving action of the directional clamping mechanism 30. The six ribs 1011 of the plastic nut 10 are limited in a one-to-one correspondence at the hexagonal positions of the assembly cavity 10011, so that the screwing head 1001 drives the plastic nut 10 to rotate when driven to perform the screwing operation.

[0114] Furthermore, if Fig.18 As shown, the mating workpiece 200 is a copper tube and copper nut of a liquid inlet pipe and an air collecting pipe. After the plastic nut 10 is placed in the assembly cavity 10011 of the screwing head 1001, the robot clamps the mating workpiece 200 and fixes it above the screwing head 1001. The nut driving system 100 drives the screwing head 1001 to move and rotate to assemble the plastic nut 10 to the mating workpiece 200.

[0115] Furthermore, if Fig.19 , Fig.21 As shown, the nut driving system 100 also includes a reducer 1004, a servo motor 1005, a lifting screw 1006 and a lifting motor 1007. The reducer 1004 and the servo motor 1005 are connected to the screwing head 1001 for driving the screwing head 1001 to rotate at a constant speed. Two reducers 1004 are installed on a mounting plate, so that two groups of screwing heads 1001, reducers 1004 and servo motors 1005 can be lifted and lowered synchronously with the mounting plate; the lifting screw 1006 is connected to the mounting plate and driven by the lifting motor 1007 to drive the mounting plate and the two groups of screwing heads 1001, reducers 1004 and servo motors 1005 thereon to be lifted and lowered synchronously, thereby adjusting the height position of the screwing head 1001 and the plastic nut 10 therein.

[0116] In some embodiments, Fig.19 , Fig.21 As shown, the sensing element 1002 is disposed on a sensing rod extending radially along the screwing head 1001 , and the sensor 1003 is configured as a proximity sensor.

[0117] In the above embodiment, the screwing head 1001 stops at a fixed position each time through position sensing of the sensing rod and the proximity sensor.

[0118] Specifically, the sensor 1003 is mounted on a mounting plate provided with a reducer 1004 via a vertical plate.

[0119] The working mode of the nut driver provided in this embodiment is as follows:

[0120] The plastic nut 10 is vibrated in the vibration plate 1 and bounces, and enters the conveying track 2 from the outlet 11 connected to the vibration plate 1 in a vertical posture. When the plastic nut 10 is in the conveying track 2, its main body 101 is placed in the accommodating cavity 21, and its annular boss 102 overlaps the step portion 22, and is transported in a posture in which one set of two convex ribs 1011 arranged opposite to each other are oriented roughly along the extension direction of the conveying track 2; when the plastic nut 10 is transported to the end of the conveying track 2, the plastic nut 10 is guided by the clearance groove 24. The orientation of the two relatively arranged ribs 1011 in the plastic nut 10 is completely consistent with the extension direction of the conveying track 2, and the front rib 1011 is smoothly embedded in the limiting groove 23. At this time, the main body 101 of the plastic nut 10 is exposed from the conveying track 2 at the avoidance portion 25 at the end of the conveying track 2; the directional clamping mechanism 30 drives the clamping cylinder 304 and the upper clamp 301 to operate through the lifting drive member 302 and the translation drive member 303, and uses the clamping cylinder 304 to drive the clamp 301 to conform to the outer peripheral contour of the plastic nut 10 The three clamping claws 3011 are provided to clamp the plastic nut 10, and the lifting drive 302 and the translation drive 303 are used to transport the plastic nut 10 to the screwing head 1001 of the nut driving system 100 for placement; the manipulator clamps the mating workpiece 200 and fixes it above the screwing head 1001, and the lifting screw 1006 and the lifting motor 1007 of the nut driving system 100 drive the screwing head 1001 to move up to the position in the screwing head 1001 where the plastic nut 10 contacts the mating workpiece 200, and the reduction of the nut driving system 100 The speed machine 1004 and the servo motor 1005 drive the screwing head 1001 to rotate so as to screw the plastic nut 10 to the matching workpiece 200; then the lifting screw 1006 and the lifting motor 1007 of the nut driving system 100 drive the screwing head 1001 to move down and reset. At this time, the screwing head 1001 slows down and rotates under the action of inertia, and the sensing part 1002 fixedly connected to the outside of the screwing head 1001 stops at a fixed position due to the position sensing action of the sensor 1003, ready to take over the plastic nut 10 in the next operation.

[0121] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and variations are all within the scope defined by the present application.

Claims

1. A conveying mechanism for conveying plastic nuts (10), wherein the plastic nuts (10) comprise a main body (101) in the form of an elongated strip and an open end provided at one end of the main body (101), wherein an annular boss (102) is provided on the outer periphery of the open end; It is characterized in that The conveying mechanism comprises: A vibration plate (1) for containing the plastic nut (10); A conveying track (2) connected to the outlet (11) of the vibration plate (1), the conveying track (2) comprising a receiving cavity (21) and a step portion (22), the step portion (22) being arranged at the opening of the receiving cavity (21); The vibration plate (1) is used to drive the plastic nut (10) to jump, so that when the plastic nut (10) enters the conveying track (2) from the outlet (11) of the vibration plate (1), the main body (101) is located in the accommodating cavity (21) and the annular boss (102) overlaps the step portion (22).

2. The conveying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the accommodating cavity (21) is smaller than the diameter of the annular boss (102), and the width of the accommodating cavity (21) is larger than the outer diameter of the main body (101).

3. The conveying mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer periphery of the main body (101) is provided with convex ribs (1011), and a plurality of convex ribs (1011) are arranged at intervals along the outer periphery of the main body (101) and are arranged opposite to each other in pairs, and the width of the accommodating cavity (21) is greater than the distance between the two convex ribs (1011) arranged opposite to each other.

4. The conveying mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: A limiting groove (23) communicating with the accommodating cavity (21) is provided at the end of the conveying track (2), and the limiting groove (23) is arranged in a contour similar to the convex rib (1011).

5. The conveying mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A clearance groove (24) is provided on one side of the limiting groove (23) close to the accommodating cavity (21), and the clearance groove (24) is configured as an arc structure.

6. A directional gripping system for gripping plastic nuts (10), characterized in that: The directional gripping system comprises: The conveying mechanism (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conveying mechanism (20) is used to convey plastic nuts (10), and an avoidance portion (25) is provided at the end of the conveying track (2) in the conveying mechanism (20); when the plastic nut (10) is conveyed to the avoidance portion (25), the main body (101) of the plastic nut (10) is exposed from the conveying track (2); The directional clamping mechanism (30) is provided with a clamp (301) for clamping the plastic nut (10), wherein the clamping inner cavity of the clamp (301) is configured to conform to the outer peripheral contour of the plastic nut (10).

7. The directional gripping system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The clamp (301) comprises a plurality of clamping jaws (3011), and the plurality of clamping jaws (3011) can be opened and closed to enclose and form the clamping inner cavity; The clamping jaw (3011) is provided with a vertical groove (30111) and an arc-shaped groove (30112); the vertical groove (30111) is configured to conform to the rib (1011) of the plastic nut (10); and the arc-shaped groove (30112) is configured to conform to the annular boss (102) of the plastic nut (10).

8. The directional clamping system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The directional clamping mechanism (30) further comprises: A lifting drive member (302) connected to the clamp (301), the lifting drive member (302) being used to drive the clamp (301) to lift; The translation driving member (303) is connected to the lifting driving member (302), and the translation driving member (303) is used to drive the lifting driving member (302) to move horizontally.

9. A nut driver for screwing a plastic nut (10) onto a mating workpiece (200), characterized in that: The nut driver comprises: The directional clamping system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the directional clamping system is used for clamping a plastic nut (10); A nut-driving system (100) is provided with a screwing head (1001) for holding the plastic nut (10), wherein the screwing head (1001) is driven to rotate so as to screw the plastic nut (10) onto the mating workpiece (200); An alignment component, comprising a sensing member (1002) and a sensor (1003), wherein the sensing member (1002) is connected to the outside of the screwing head (1001) and can rotate synchronously with the screwing head (1001), and the sensor (1003) is fixedly installed and arranged corresponding to the sensing member (1002); After the plastic nut (10) is screwed onto the matching workpiece (200), the screwing head (1001) is driven to rotate until the sensing element (1002) and the sensor (1003) are in alignment and then stops rotating.

10. The nut driver according to claim 9, characterized in that: The sensing element (1002) is arranged on a sensing rod extending radially along the screwing head (1001), and the sensor (1003) is arranged as a proximity sensor.

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