Material taking and placing mechanism and material taking and placing control method

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of circuit board manufacturing, and discloses a kind of taking and placing mechanism and taking and placing control method, and clamping mechanism is installed in the movable end of mechanical hand mechanism, wherein, clamping mechanism includes the first clamping group being arranged along the first direction and the second clamping group being arranged vertically along the first direction;First clamping group and second clamping group are used to respectively clamp each edge of the plate material placed on the processing table.It can be seen that, in the embodiment, the clamping of the plate material is realized by the clamping mechanism, and the plate material clamped by the clamping mechanism is moved by the mechanical hand mechanism, so that the automatic taking and placing of the plate material can be realized.Compared with the manual taking and placing of the plate material, the taking and placing rate and accuracy of the plate material are improved, and the purpose of improving the processing efficiency of the processing equipment is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of circuit board manufacturing technology, and in particular to a material handling mechanism and a material handling control method. Background Technology

[0002] In the process of circuit board processing, accurately and quickly placing the circuit boards from the material rack onto the processing platform is an important way to improve the processing efficiency of the processing equipment.

[0003] Currently, the placement and gripping of circuit boards on the processing platform is usually done manually by workers. This inevitably results in problems such as low placement rate and poor accuracy, making it difficult to place the boards in the designated positions on the processing platform in a timely manner, leading to low processing efficiency of PCB processing equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a material handling mechanism and a material handling control method to solve the problem of low processing efficiency in PCB processing equipment.

[0005] A material handling mechanism, comprising:

[0006] robotic arm mechanism;

[0007] The clamping mechanism is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm mechanism;

[0008] The clamping mechanism includes a first clamping group arranged along a first direction and a second clamping group arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; the first clamping group and the second clamping group are used to clamp each edge of the sheet material placed on the processing table.

[0009] Optionally, the first clamping assembly of the above-mentioned material handling mechanism includes a driving component, and a first gripper assembly and a second gripper assembly arranged opposite to each other along the first direction. The first gripper assembly and the second gripper assembly can extend and retract along the first direction under the drive of the driving component.

[0010] Optionally, the above-mentioned material handling mechanism may include a first driving component and a second driving component, wherein the first driving component drives the first gripper component to extend and retract along the first direction, and the second driving component drives the second gripper component to extend and retract along the first direction.

[0011] Optionally, in the above-mentioned material handling mechanism, the first gripper assembly includes a first hook and a third drive assembly arranged in a third direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. The third drive assembly drives the first hook to extend and retract upward in the third direction, wherein the width of one of the hooks is smaller than the width of the hooks in the other gripper assemblies.

[0012] Optionally, the material handling mechanism described above may have a clamping groove between at least one edge of the sheet metal and the processing table, the width of which is greater than the width of at least one of the hooks.

[0013] Optionally, in the above-mentioned material handling mechanism, the second gripper assembly includes a second hook claw and a fourth drive assembly arranged along the third direction, wherein the fourth drive assembly drives the second hook claw to extend and retract upward along the third direction.

[0014] Optionally, the second clamping group of the above-mentioned material handling mechanism includes a third clamping claw assembly and a fourth clamping claw assembly arranged opposite to each other along the second direction. The third clamping claw assembly and the fourth clamping claw assembly can extend and retract along the second direction under the drive of the driving component.

[0015] Optionally, the drive assembly of the above-mentioned material handling mechanism may further include a fifth drive assembly and a sixth drive assembly, wherein the fifth drive assembly drives the third gripper assembly to extend and retract along the second direction, and the sixth drive assembly drives the fourth gripper assembly to extend and retract along the second direction.

[0016] Optionally, the third gripper assembly of the above-mentioned material handling mechanism includes a third hook claw and a seventh drive assembly arranged along the third direction. The seventh drive assembly drives the third hook claw to extend and retract upward in a third direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the first direction and the second direction.

[0017] The fourth gripper assembly includes a fourth hook and an eighth drive assembly arranged along the third direction, the eighth drive assembly driving the fourth hook to extend and retract in the third direction.

[0018] The above-mentioned material handling mechanism is optional.

[0019] The clamping mechanism also includes multiple sensor components, which are respectively installed on the first clamping group and the second clamping group. The sensor components include an edge-finding sensor for detecting the edge position of the sheet metal and a height sensor for detecting the height of the sheet metal.

[0020] The aforementioned material handling mechanism may optionally be characterized in that,

[0021] The clamping mechanism further includes a gyroscope for detecting the rotation angle of the clamping mechanism, and the gyroscope is installed on the first clamping group and / or the second clamping group;

[0022] And / or,

[0023] The clamping mechanism further includes a scanner for identifying the identification code on the sheet metal, the scanner being mounted on the first clamping group and / or the second clamping group.

[0024] A material handling control method, the method comprising:

[0025] The control robot arm mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the clamping position of the sheet metal on the processing table;

[0026] The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the clamping mechanism along a first rotation direction, so that the first gripper assembly of the clamping mechanism in the first direction points to the first edge of the sheet in the first direction, and the first gripper assembly is controlled to extend to the first edge to clamp the first edge;

[0027] The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the clamping mechanism along a second rotation direction, so that the clamping mechanism lifts the first edge of the sheet metal, and the third and fourth gripper assemblies of the clamping mechanism, which are arranged opposite to each other in the second direction, are controlled to extend to the third and fourth edges of the sheet metal in the second direction, respectively, to clamp the third and fourth edges; the second rotation direction and the first rotation direction are opposite to each other.

[0028] The robotic arm is controlled to rotate along the first rotation direction to rotate the clamping mechanism, so that the clamping mechanism lifts the second edge of the sheet in the first direction, and the clamping mechanism is controlled to extend the second jaw assembly, which is disposed opposite to the first jaw assembly, to the second edge in the first direction to clamp the second edge;

[0029] The robot arm mechanism is controlled to move the clamping mechanism to place the sheet metal held by the clamping mechanism onto the placement position on the material rack, and the robot arm mechanism is controlled to move the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal from the material rack and place it onto the processing table.

[0030] Optionally, in the above method, controlling the first gripper assembly to extend to the first edge to grip the first edge includes:

[0031] The first drive component is controlled to drive the first gripper component to extend along a first direction to the first edge;

[0032] The third drive component is controlled to drive the first claw of the first gripper assembly to extend along a third direction into the clamping groove on the lower side of the first edge, and the third drive component is controlled to drive the first claw to retract along the third direction to clamp onto the first edge.

[0033] Optionally, in the above method, controlling the robotic arm mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal from the material rack and place it onto the processing table includes:

[0034] The robotic arm mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal on the material rack, and the robotic arm mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the corresponding placement position on the processing table;

[0035] Control the first gripper assembly to release the unprocessed sheet material from the first edge in the first direction, and cause the locating pin of the unprocessed sheet material to enter the fixing groove of the processing table;

[0036] The second gripper assembly, the third gripper assembly, and the fourth gripper assembly are controlled to release the unprocessed sheet material at the second edge in the first direction and at the third and fourth edges in the second direction, respectively, thereby completing the placement of the unprocessed sheet material.

[0037] This invention discloses a material handling mechanism, a control method, a material handling robot, and a sheet metal production system. The material handling mechanism includes a robotic arm mechanism and a clamping mechanism, with the clamping mechanism mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm mechanism. The clamping mechanism includes a first clamping group arranged along a first direction and a second clamping group arranged perpendicularly along the first direction. The first and second clamping groups are used to clamp the edges of the sheet metal placed on the processing table. Therefore, in this embodiment, the clamping mechanism clamps the sheet metal, and the robotic arm mechanism moves the sheet metal clamped by the clamping mechanism, enabling automatic material handling. Compared to manual handling, this improves the material handling speed and accuracy, thereby increasing the processing efficiency of the processing equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention 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 these drawings without creative effort.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material handling mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clamping mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism for holding various edges of a sheet metal, as disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the first gripper assembly disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first claw of the first gripper assembly disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention extending into the fixing groove;

[0044] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first gripper assembly holding the first edge of the sheet metal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a material handling control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 8 This is a partial flowchart of a material handling control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 9 This is a partial flowchart of a material handling control method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Among them, 1 is the robotic arm mechanism, 2 is the clamping mechanism, 3 is the first clamping group, 4 is the second clamping group, 5 is the sheet metal, 6 is the drive assembly, 7 is the first gripper assembly, 8 is the second gripper assembly, 9 is the first hook, 10 is the third drive assembly, 11 is the clamping groove, 12 is the second hook, 13 is the fourth drive assembly, 14 is the third gripper assembly, 15 is the fourth gripper assembly, 16 is the fifth drive assembly, 17 is the sixth drive assembly, 18 is the third hook, 19 is the seventh drive assembly, 20 is the fourth hook, 21 is the eighth drive assembly, 22 is the sensor assembly, 23 is the edge finding sensor, 24 is the height sensor, 25 is the gyroscope, 26 is the scanning part, 27 is the processing table, 28 is the first drive assembly, 29 is the second drive assembly, and 30 is the pneumatic clamp. Detailed Implementation

[0049] 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 some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0050] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0051] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0052] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0053] Furthermore, in the description of this invention and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0054] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of the invention include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0055] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1-2 As shown, where, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a material handling mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism 2 disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. The material handling mechanism includes a robotic arm mechanism 1 and a clamping mechanism 2. The clamping mechanism 2 is installed on the movable end of the robotic arm mechanism 1. The clamping mechanism 2 includes a first clamping group 3 arranged along a first direction and a second clamping group 4 arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 are used to clamp the edges of the sheet metal 5 placed on the processing table 27, respectively.

[0056] In this embodiment, the robotic arm mechanism 1 includes, but is not limited to, a six-axis robot, an eight-axis robot, etc. In this embodiment, the robotic arm mechanism 1 is not specifically limited.

[0057] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism 2 clamping the edges of the sheet metal 5 in this embodiment. The first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 of the clamping mechanism 2 simultaneously clamp the edges of the sheet metal 5. Alternatively, in this embodiment, the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 of the clamping mechanism 2 can be controlled to clamp the edges of the sheet metal 5 sequentially.

[0058] For example, taking a square sheet 5 as an example, the sheet 5 includes a front edge, a rear edge, a left edge, and a right edge. While controlling the first gripper assembly 7 to clamp the front edge and the rear edge of the sheet 5, the second gripper assembly 8 is controlled to clamp the left edge and the right edge of the sheet 5. Thus, the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 can be controlled to complete the clamping of each edge of the sheet 5.

[0059] For example, firstly, the first clamping group 3 is controlled to clamp the front and rear edges of the sheet metal 5, then the clamping mechanism 2 is controlled to lift the sheet metal 5, and finally the second clamping group 4 is controlled to clamp the left and right edges of the sheet metal 5. Thus, the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 can be controlled to complete the clamping of each edge of the sheet metal 5.

[0060] In summary, this invention discloses a material handling mechanism, which includes a robotic arm mechanism 1 and a clamping mechanism 2. The clamping mechanism 2 is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm mechanism 1. The clamping mechanism 2 includes a first clamping group 3 arranged along a first direction and a second clamping group 4 arranged perpendicularly along the first direction. The first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 are used to clamp the edges of the sheet metal 5 placed on the processing table 27, respectively. Therefore, in this embodiment, the clamping mechanism 2 clamps the sheet metal 5, and the robotic arm mechanism 1 moves the sheet metal 5 clamped by the clamping mechanism 2, enabling automatic handling of the sheet metal 5. Compared to manual handling, this improves the handling speed and accuracy of the sheet metal 5, thereby increasing the processing efficiency of the processing equipment.

[0061] refer to Figure 2 As shown, the first clamping group 3 in this embodiment includes a driving component 6, and a first gripper component 7 and a second gripper component 8 arranged opposite to each other along a first direction. The first gripper component 7 and the second gripper component 8 can extend and retract along the first direction under the drive of the driving component 6.

[0062] In one embodiment, the driving component 6 in this embodiment can drive the first gripper component 7 and the second gripper component 8 to extend or retract in a first direction. For example, the driving component 6 drives the first gripper component 7 to extend in the first direction while controlling the second gripper component 8 to extend in the opposite direction of the first direction; or, the driving component 6 drives the first gripper component 7 to retract in the first direction while controlling the second gripper component 8 to retract in the opposite direction of the first direction.

[0063] Furthermore, the driving component 6 in this embodiment may include a first driving component 28 and a second driving component 29. The first driving component 28 drives the first gripper component 7 to extend and retract along a first direction, and the second driving component 29 drives the second gripper component 8 to extend and retract along the first direction. In other words, the first gripper component 7 and the second gripper component 8 can be individually controlled by the first driving component 28 and the second driving component 29.

[0064] In a specific implementation, the first driving component 28 in this embodiment may include a driving motor and a transmission rod. The driving end of the driving motor is connected to one end of the transmission rod, and the other end of the transmission rod is connected to the first gripper assembly 7. By controlling the driving motor to drive the transmission rod, the first gripper assembly 7 can be extended or retracted in a first direction. Similarly, the second driving component 29 in this embodiment may also include a driving motor and a transmission rod. The driving end of the driving motor is connected to one end of the transmission rod, and the other end of the transmission rod is connected to the second gripper assembly 8. By controlling the driving motor to drive the transmission rod, the second gripper assembly 8 can be extended or retracted in a first direction.

[0065] Further reference Figure 4 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the first gripper assembly 7 disclosed in this embodiment. The first gripper assembly 7 includes a first hook 9 and a third drive assembly 10 arranged in a third direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. The third drive assembly 10 drives the first hook 9 to extend and retract in the third direction. The width of one of the hooks is smaller than the width of the hooks in the other gripper assemblies.

[0066] In practical applications, in this embodiment, the first hook 9 can be extended by the third driving component 10 to open the first hook 9, and then the first hook 9 can be retracted by the third driving component 10 so that the first hook 9 clamps the edge of the sheet 5 when it retracts.

[0067] It is understood that the structure of the second clamping group 4 in this embodiment is the same as that of the first clamping group 3, and the structure of the second clamping group 4 will not be described in detail here.

[0068] Further reference Figure 5The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of a hook gripper for holding a sheet metal 5 disclosed in this embodiment, wherein at least one edge of the sheet metal 5 is provided with a clamping groove 11 between it and the processing table 27.

[0069] The width of the clamping groove 11 is greater than the width of at least one of the hooks. It should be understood that the hooks can only extend under the sheet metal 5 and clamp its edge if the width of the hook is less than the width of the clamping groove 11.

[0070] Understandably, the clamping groove 11 is used to provide clamping space for the first claw 9 to clamp the edge of the sheet metal 5. The first claw 9 is extended by the third drive assembly 10 so that it extends into the clamping groove 11, at which point the first claw 9 extends below the edge of the sheet metal 5. Then, the first claw 9 is retracted by the third drive assembly 10 so that it clamps the edge of the sheet metal 5 when it retracts.

[0071] In one embodiment, a clamping groove 11 can be provided on the processing table 27. When the sheet metal 5 is placed on the processing table 27, the edge of the sheet metal 5 covers the clamping groove 11, so that when the first hook 9 extends into the clamping groove 11, it can clamp the edge of the sheet metal 5. The number of clamping grooves 11 in this embodiment can be set according to actual needs. For example, clamping grooves 11 can be provided under one edge of the sheet metal 5, or under some edges of the sheet metal 5, or under all edges of the sheet metal 5.

[0072] In one embodiment, a support structure can be provided on the processing table 27. This support structure is used to lift the edge of the sheet metal 5, so that a clamping groove 11 is formed between the edge of the sheet metal 5 and the processing table 27. The support structure can support only one edge of the sheet metal 5 to form a clamping groove 11 under one edge of the sheet metal 5, or the support structure can support all edges of the sheet metal 5 to form clamping grooves 11 under each edge of the sheet metal 5.

[0073] In one embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, when the air clamp 30 is provided on the processing table 27, the sheet metal 5 is fixedly placed on the air clamp 30. In this embodiment, the fixing groove on the air clamp 30 can be used as the clamping groove 11, thereby avoiding the need to modify the processing table 27.

[0074] For example, taking a rectangular sheet 5 as an example, the sheet 5 includes a front edge, a rear edge, a left edge, and a right edge. When clamping grooves 11 are provided under the front edge and the rear edge, firstly, the first claw 9 of the first claw assembly 7 in the first clamping group 3 is controlled to extend into the clamping groove 11 provided under the front edge to clamp the front edge. Then, the second claw 12 of the second claw assembly 8 in the first clamping group 3 is controlled to extend into the clamping groove 11 provided under the rear edge to clamp the rear edge. Then, the clamping mechanism 2 is controlled to lift the sheet 5 so that the sheet 5 is in a suspended state. Finally, the claw assembly in the second clamping group 4 is controlled to clamp the left edge and the right edge of the sheet 5. Thus, the various edges of the sheet 5 can be clamped.

[0075] For example, when the clamping groove 11 is only provided under the front edge of the sheet 5, firstly, the first gripper assembly 7 in the first clamping group 3 is controlled to clamp the front edge; secondly, the clamping mechanism 2 is controlled to lift the lower front edge of the sheet 5 so that the sheet 5 rotates with the rear edge as the origin, so that sufficient clamping space is formed under the left and right edges of the sheet 5; thirdly, the gripper assembly in the second clamping group 4 is controlled to clamp the left and right edges of the sheet 5 respectively; fourthly, the clamping mechanism 2 is controlled to rotate the sheet 5 so that the sheet 5 is in a suspended state; fifthly, the second gripper assembly 8 is controlled to clamp the rear edge of the sheet 5. Thus, each edge of the sheet 5 can be clamped.

[0076] In summary, by providing a clamping groove 11 between the edge of the sheet metal 5 and the processing table 27 in this embodiment, the hook can more easily clamp the edge of the sheet metal 5, which is beneficial to improving the clamping efficiency of the clamping mechanism 2 on the sheet metal 5.

[0077] like Figure 6 The diagram shows the structure of the first gripper assembly 7 clamping the front edge in this embodiment. The clamping mechanism 2 rotates, causing the first gripper assembly 7 to rotate, thus tilting the first gripper assembly 7 to clamp the front edge of the sheet metal 5.

[0078] In one embodiment, the second gripper assembly 8 in this embodiment includes a second hook 12 disposed in a third direction and a fourth drive assembly 13, wherein the fourth drive assembly 13 drives the second hook 12 to extend and retract in a third direction.

[0079] In one embodiment, the second clamping group 4 in this embodiment includes a third clamping jaw assembly 14 and a fourth clamping jaw assembly 15 arranged opposite to each other along the second direction. The third clamping jaw assembly 14 and the fourth clamping jaw assembly 15 can extend and retract along the second direction under the drive of the driving component 6.

[0080] In one embodiment, the driving component 6 further includes a fifth driving component 16 and a sixth driving component 17. The fifth driving component 16 drives the third gripper component 14 to extend and retract along the second direction, and the sixth driving component 17 drives the fourth gripper component 15 to extend and retract along the second direction.

[0081] In one embodiment, the third gripper assembly 14 in this embodiment includes a third hook 18 disposed in a third direction and a seventh drive assembly 19, wherein the seventh drive assembly 19 drives the third hook 18 to extend and retract in the third direction.

[0082] The fourth gripper assembly 15 includes a fourth hook 20 disposed in a third direction and an eighth drive assembly 21, the eighth drive assembly 21 driving the fourth hook 20 to extend and retract in the third direction.

[0083] In one embodiment, as shown in the figure, the clamping mechanism 2 further includes a plurality of sensor assemblies 22, which are respectively mounted on the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4. The sensor assembly 22 includes an edge-finding sensor 23 for detecting the edge position of the sheet metal 5 and a height sensor 24 for detecting the height of the sheet metal 5.

[0084] Among them, the edge-finding sensor 23 is used to detect the position data of each edge of the sheet 5 so that each gripper assembly in the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 can extend to each edge of the sheet 5, and the height sensor 24 is used to detect the height data of each edge of the sheet 5 so that each gripper assembly can clamp to each edge of the sheet 5.

[0085] In one embodiment, the number of height sensors 24 in this embodiment can be one. Using three height sensors 24 to perform three-point positioning of the sheet metal 5 is beneficial to improving the detection accuracy of the height sensors 24.

[0086] In one embodiment, the number of edge-finding sensors 23 can be the same as the number of gripper assemblies in the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4, or the number of edge-finding sensors 23 can be an integer multiple of the number of gripper assemblies, with at least one edge-finding sensor 23 on each gripper assembly. For example, if the number of gripper assemblies is 1, then the number of edge-finding sensors 23 can be 4, 8, or 12, etc. In this embodiment, there is no limitation on the number of edge-finding sensors 23 or the number of edge-finding sensors 23 provided on each gripper assembly.

[0087] In summary, by setting the sensor assembly 22 on the clamping mechanism 2 in this embodiment, it is beneficial to improve the clamping accuracy of the first clamping group 3 and the second clamping group 4 on the sheet metal 5.

[0088] In one embodiment, reference Figure 2As shown, the clamping mechanism 2 also includes a gyroscope 25 for detecting the rotation angle of the clamping mechanism 2, the gyroscope 25 being mounted on the first clamping group 3 and / or the second clamping group 4, and / or a scanner 26 for identifying the identification code on the sheet metal 5, the scanner 26 being mounted on the first clamping group 3 and / or the second clamping group 4.

[0089] The gyroscope 25 can detect the rotation angle of the clamping mechanism 2 in real time to monitor the process of the clamping mechanism 2 holding the sheet metal 5. The scanner 26 can identify the identification code on the sheet metal 5 when the clamping mechanism 2 is holding it, thereby obtaining various specification data of the sheet metal 5. These specification data include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: model, shape, serial number, and dimensions. Specifically, the scanner 26 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a barcode scanner, a 2D camera, or a 3D camera.

[0090] like Figure 7 The diagram shown is a flowchart of a material handling control method disclosed in an embodiment of the invention. This method is applicable to the material handling mechanism disclosed in any of the above embodiments, and includes:

[0091] S701: Controls the robotic arm mechanism to move the clamping mechanism to the clamping position of the plate on the processing table.

[0092] In this embodiment, the robotic arm mechanism includes, but is not limited to, six-axis robots, eight-axis robots, etc., and no specific limitation is made to the robotic arm mechanism in this embodiment.

[0093] In specific implementations, the processing table in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, the processing table of PCB processing equipment such as drilling machines and routers; this embodiment does not impose any limitations. The clamping position of the board material can be located above the board material, and when the clamping mechanism moves to the clamping position, the clamping mechanism is suspended above the board material.

[0094] S702: Control the robotic arm mechanism to rotate the clamping mechanism along the first rotation direction so that the first gripper assembly of the clamping mechanism in the first direction points to the first edge of the sheet in the first direction, and control the first gripper assembly to extend to the first edge to clamp the first edge.

[0095] It should be understood that when the clamping mechanism is suspended above the sheet metal, it is impossible to control the first gripper assembly of the clamping mechanism to extend directly to the first edge of the sheet metal. Therefore, it is necessary to control the robot arm mechanism to rotate the clamping mechanism so that the extension direction of the first gripper assembly is in the same plane as the first edge, and then control the first gripper assembly to extend to the first edge of the sheet metal. When the first gripper assembly extends to the first edge, control the first gripper assembly to clamp the first edge.

[0096] In a specific implementation, in this embodiment, when the extension length of the first gripper assembly is insufficient to extend to the first edge of the sheet, the first drive assembly is controlled to drive the first gripper assembly to extend in the first direction to adjust the extension length of the first gripper assembly so that the first gripper assembly extends to the first edge; when the extension length of the first gripper assembly exceeds the first edge of the sheet, the first drive assembly is controlled to drive the first gripper assembly to retract in the first direction to adjust the extension length of the first gripper assembly so that the first gripper assembly retracts to the first edge. Thus, the clamping mechanism can be controlled to grip the first edge.

[0097] S703: Control the robot arm mechanism to rotate the clamping mechanism along the second rotation direction so that the clamping mechanism lifts the first edge of the sheet metal, and control the third and fourth gripper assemblies of the clamping mechanism, which are arranged opposite to each other in the second direction, to extend to the third and fourth edges of the sheet metal in the second direction, respectively, so as to clamp the third and fourth edges.

[0098] The second rotation direction and the first rotation direction are opposite to each other.

[0099] It should be understood that controlling the rotation of the robotic arm mechanism to rotate the clamping mechanism along the first rotation direction, so that the clamping mechanism lifts the second edge of the sheet in the first direction, can make the sheet gradually approach the feeding mechanism, so that the other clamping components of the feeding mechanism can clamp the other edges of the sheet.

[0100] In a specific implementation, in this embodiment, when the sheet metal is close to the feeding mechanism and the clamping mechanism is basically parallel to the sheet metal, the third and fourth gripper assemblies are controlled to extend to the third and fourth edges of the sheet metal in the second direction, respectively. Then, the third claw of the third gripper assembly is controlled to clamp the third edge of the sheet metal, and the fourth claw of the fourth gripper assembly is controlled to clamp the fourth edge of the sheet metal. Thus, the clamping mechanism can be controlled to hold the third and fourth edges.

[0101] S704: Control the robotic arm mechanism to rotate the clamping mechanism along the first rotation direction so that the clamping mechanism lifts the second edge of the sheet metal in the first direction, and control the clamping mechanism to extend the second jaw assembly, which is disposed opposite to the first jaw assembly, to the second edge in the first direction to clamp the second edge.

[0102] Understandably, when the third and fourth gripper assemblies of the clamping mechanism are clamping the third and fourth edges, the second edge of the sheet metal in the first direction is still on the processing table. Therefore, it is necessary to control the robot arm mechanism to rotate the clamping mechanism along the first rotation direction so that the clamping mechanism lifts the second edge of the sheet metal in the first direction. Thus, the sheet metal is suspended relative to the processing table. Then, the second gripper assembly of the clamping mechanism, which is set opposite to the first gripper assembly in the first direction, is controlled to extend to the second edge to clamp the second edge.

[0103] S705: Controls the robotic arm mechanism to move the clamping mechanism to place the sheet metal held by the clamping mechanism onto the placement position on the material rack, and controls the robotic arm mechanism to move the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal from the material rack and place it onto the processing table.

[0104] In this specific implementation, the material rack in this embodiment includes a placement area for unprocessed boards and a placement area for processed boards. Therefore, when the boards on the processing table have finished processing, the robot arm mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the processed boards, and then the clamped processed boards are placed in the placement area for processed boards on the material rack. Then, the robot arm mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the placement area for unprocessed boards, clamp the unprocessed boards, and place them on the processing table. This process can be repeated to realize the picking and placing of boards on the processing table.

[0105] based on Figure 7 In the specific implementation, this embodiment can control the robotic arm mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal from the material rack and place it on the processing table through the following steps, such as... Figure 8 As shown:

[0106] S801: Control the robotic arm mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal on the material rack, and control the robotic arm mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the corresponding placement position on the processing table.

[0107] In this embodiment, the placement position of the processing table and the clamping position of the sheet metal can be the same or different, and no limitation is made in this embodiment.

[0108] S802: Control the first gripper assembly to release the first edge of the unprocessed sheet in the first direction and cause the locating pin of the unprocessed sheet to enter the fixed groove of the processing table.

[0109] S803: Control the second gripper assembly, the third gripper assembly and the fourth gripper assembly to release the second edge of the unprocessed sheet in the first direction and the third edge and the fourth edge in the second direction respectively, to complete the placement of the unprocessed sheet.

[0110] It should be understood that, to ensure the sheet metal does not move during processing, one or more locating pins are typically installed on the sheet metal to fix it to the processing table. Therefore, while controlling the first gripper assembly to release the first edge of the unprocessed sheet metal in the first direction, the locating pins of the unprocessed sheet metal are simultaneously inserted into the fixing groove on the processing table to fix the unprocessed sheet metal to the processing table. Then, the third and fourth gripper assemblies are sequentially controlled to release the third and fourth edges of the unprocessed sheet metal in the second direction, respectively. Finally, the second gripper assembly is controlled to release the second edge of the unprocessed sheet metal in the first direction, completing the placement of the unprocessed sheet metal. In this embodiment, the fixing groove can be set on the pneumatic clamp installed on the processing table, or it can be set at any position on the processing table that the sheet metal can cover. In this embodiment, the setting position of the fixing groove on the processing table is not limited.

[0111] In summary, each gripper assembly and the hook in the gripper assembly in this embodiment can extend and retract under the drive of the drive assembly, so that the gripper mechanism in this embodiment can adapt to clamping plates of various sizes by adjusting the extension length of the gripper assembly and the hook, effectively improving the applicability of the gripper mechanism.

[0112] based on Figure 7 In a specific implementation, this embodiment can control the first gripper assembly to extend to the first edge through the following steps to grip the first edge, such as... Figure 9 As shown:

[0113] S901: Control the first gripper assembly to extend along the first direction to the first edge.

[0114] S902: Control the first claw of the first gripper assembly to extend along a third direction into the clamping groove on the lower side of the first edge, and control the third drive assembly to drive the first claw to retract along a third direction to clamp onto the first edge.

[0115] It should be noted that the width of the clamping groove needs to be greater than the width of the first hook in order for the first hook to extend into the clamping groove.

[0116] It should be noted that after controlling the first hook to extend into the clamping groove, directly controlling the first hook to retract may not allow the first hook to clamp the first edge. Therefore, after controlling the first hook to extend into the clamping groove, it is necessary to control the first gripper assembly to retract adaptively so that the first edge of the sheet enters the clamping area of ​​the first hook. Then, control the first hook to retract so that the first hook clamps the first edge.

[0117] In summary, by setting a clamping groove between the edge of the sheet metal and the processing table in this embodiment, the hook can more easily clamp the edge of the sheet metal, which helps to improve the clamping efficiency of the clamping mechanism.

[0118] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling material handling, characterized in that, This invention relates to a material handling mechanism, comprising: a robotic arm mechanism; and a clamping mechanism mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm mechanism. The clamping mechanism includes a first clamping group arranged along a first direction and a second clamping group arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second clamping groups are used to clamp the edges of a sheet metal placed on a processing table. The first clamping group includes a driving component, and a first and second gripper assemblies arranged opposite to each other along the first direction. The first and second gripper assemblies are capable of extending and retracting along the first direction under the drive of the driving component. The second clamping group includes a third and fourth gripper assemblies arranged opposite to each other along the second direction. The third and fourth gripper assemblies are capable of extending and retracting along the second direction under the drive of the driving component. The method includes: The control robot arm mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the clamping position of the sheet metal on the processing table; The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the clamping mechanism along a first rotation direction, so that the first gripper assembly of the clamping mechanism in the first direction points to the first edge of the sheet in the first direction, and the first gripper assembly is controlled to extend to the first edge to clamp the first edge; The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the clamping mechanism along a second rotation direction, so that the clamping mechanism lifts the first edge of the sheet metal, and the third and fourth gripper assemblies of the clamping mechanism, which are arranged opposite to each other in the second direction, are controlled to extend to the third and fourth edges of the sheet metal in the second direction, respectively, to clamp the third and fourth edges; the second rotation direction and the first rotation direction are opposite to each other. The robotic arm is controlled to rotate along the first rotation direction to rotate the clamping mechanism, so that the clamping mechanism lifts the second edge of the sheet in the first direction, and the clamping mechanism is controlled to extend the second jaw assembly, which is disposed opposite to the first jaw assembly, to the second edge in the first direction to clamp the second edge; The robot arm mechanism is controlled to move the clamping mechanism to place the sheet metal held by the clamping mechanism onto the placement position on the material rack, and the robot arm mechanism is controlled to move the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal from the material rack and place it onto the processing table.

2. The material handling control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The driving assembly includes a first driving assembly and a second driving assembly. The first driving assembly drives the first gripper assembly to extend and retract along the first direction, and the second driving assembly drives the second gripper assembly to extend and retract along the first direction.

3. The material handling control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first gripper assembly includes a first hook and a third drive assembly disposed along a third direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. The third drive assembly drives the first hook to extend and retract upward along the third direction, wherein the width of one of the hooks is smaller than the width of the hooks in the other gripper assemblies.

4. The material handling control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, A clamping groove is provided between at least one edge of the sheet metal and the processing table, and the width of the clamping groove is greater than the width of at least one of the hooks.

5. The material handling control method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The second gripper assembly includes a second hook disposed along the third direction and a fourth drive assembly, the fourth drive assembly driving the second hook to extend and retract along the third direction.

6. The material handling control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly further includes a fifth drive assembly and a sixth drive assembly. The fifth drive assembly drives the third gripper assembly to extend and retract along the second direction, and the sixth drive assembly drives the fourth gripper assembly to extend and retract along the second direction.

7. The material handling control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The third gripper assembly includes a third hook claw and a seventh drive assembly arranged along a third direction. The seventh drive assembly drives the third hook claw to extend and retract upward along a third direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. The fourth gripper assembly includes a fourth hook and an eighth drive assembly arranged along the third direction, the eighth drive assembly driving the fourth hook to extend and retract in the third direction.

8. The material handling control method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism also includes multiple sensor components, which are respectively installed on the first clamping group and the second clamping group. The sensor components include an edge-finding sensor for detecting the edge position of the sheet metal and a height sensor for detecting the height of the sheet metal.

9. The material handling control method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism further includes a gyroscope for detecting the rotation angle of the clamping mechanism, and the gyroscope is installed on the first clamping group and / or the second clamping group; And / or, The clamping mechanism further includes a scanner for identifying the identification code on the sheet metal, the scanner being mounted on the first clamping group and / or the second clamping group.

10. The material handling control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the first gripper assembly to extend to the first edge to grip the first edge includes: The first drive component is controlled to drive the first gripper component to extend along a first direction to the first edge; The third drive component is controlled to drive the first claw of the first gripper assembly to extend along a third direction into the clamping groove on the lower side of the first edge, and the third drive component is controlled to drive the first claw to retract along the third direction to clamp onto the first edge.

11. The material handling control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the robotic arm mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal from the material rack and place it on the processing table includes: The robotic arm mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to clamp the unprocessed sheet metal on the material rack, and the robotic arm mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the corresponding placement position on the processing table; Control the first gripper assembly to release the unprocessed sheet material from the first edge in the first direction, and cause the locating pin of the unprocessed sheet material to enter the fixing groove of the processing table; The second gripper assembly, the third gripper assembly, and the fourth gripper assembly are controlled to release the unprocessed sheet material at the second edge in the first direction and at the third and fourth edges in the second direction, respectively, thereby completing the placement of the unprocessed sheet material.

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