Feeding device and feeding detection system

Abstract

The invention discloses a feeding device, and relates to the technical field of workpiece assembly, the feeding device comprises a stock bin, a feeding table and a driving device, the stock bin is used for containing steel balls to be assembled, the stock bin is provided with an upper opening and a lower opening, and the upper opening is used for adding the steel balls into the stock bin and transferring materials; a blanking hole and a plurality of grooves are formed in the upper surface of the feeding table, each groove is used for containing one steel ball, when the feeding table moves upwards from the bottom of the stock bin, the grooves can drive the steel balls to move upwards, a discharging hole is formed in the side wall of the feeding table, the blanking hole is communicated with the discharging hole, and the steel balls can fall back to the stock bin through the blanking hole and the discharging hole. The circumferential edge of the blanking hole, the circumferential edge of the discharging hole and the circumferential edge of the upper surface of the feeding table are each provided with a guide face. An output piece of the driving device penetrates through the lower opening to be fixedly connected with the feeding table and can drive the feeding table to move upwards from the bottom of the stock bin. According to the feeding device, steel balls can be fed smoothly, and the feeding efficiency is improved. The invention further discloses a feeding detection system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of workpiece assembly, and in particular to a feeding device and a feeding detection system. Background Art

[0002] Manual loading of steel balls is slow, especially when facing large-scale loading tasks. Manual loading may only load dozens of balls per minute, which will greatly extend the production cycle, which is an obvious disadvantage for companies with urgent orders or large-scale production needs. In addition, the assembly quality of manually loaded steel balls is unstable. If the operator is inexperienced, inattentive or not responsible, there may be problems such as loading errors, missing loading and irregular packaging, which will affect the overall quality and delivery of the product; long-term manual loading of steel balls requires operators to repeat actions such as grabbing and placing, which easily fatigues the hands and arms, especially when loading small-sized steel balls. Due to the small size of the steel balls and the relatively large difficulty of grabbing, the labor intensity will be further increased, which will not only affect the operator's work efficiency, but also may cause certain damage to their physical health, such as causing hand muscle strain and joint diseases. Although there are automated steel ball loading machines in the prior art, and an automated steel ball loading machine with good performance can load hundreds or even thousands of steel balls in one minute, the existing automated steel ball loading machines still have the problem that the steel balls are easily stuck between the loading platform and the silo, causing the loading on the loading platform to be not smooth and the loading efficiency to be low. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a feeding device and a feeding detection system to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, so as to make the steel ball feeding smooth and improve the feeding efficiency.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0005] The present invention provides a loading device, comprising: a silo, a loading platform and a driving device, the silo is used to hold steel balls to be assembled, the silo has an upper opening and a lower opening, the upper opening is used to add steel balls into the silo and move materials; a drop hole and a plurality of grooves are provided on the upper surface of the loading platform, each of the grooves is used to accommodate one of the steel balls, and when the loading platform moves up from the bottom of the silo, the groove can drive the steel balls to move up, a discharge hole is provided on the side wall of the loading platform, the drop hole is connected with the discharge hole, and the steel balls can fall back to the silo via the drop hole and the discharge hole, and guide surfaces are provided on the circumferential edges of the drop hole, the circumferential edges of the discharge hole and the circumferential edges of the upper surface of the loading platform; the output member of the driving device is fixedly connected to the loading platform through the lower opening and can drive the loading platform to move up from the bottom of the silo.

[0006] In some embodiments, the guide surface is a surface formed by chamfering the circumferential edge of the blanking hole, the circumferential edge of the discharge hole, and the circumferential edge of the upper surface of the loading platform.

[0007] In some embodiments, the silo includes a silo body, an inner side wall of the silo body is a first material guiding slope in an annular shape, and a cross section of the first material guiding slope gradually decreases from the top to the bottom.

[0008] In some embodiments, the silo also includes a material collection trough, which is arranged in the silo body, the outer wall of the material collection trough is connected to the bottom of the first material guide slope, the inner wall of the material collection trough is provided with a second material guide slope, the cross-section of the second material guide slope gradually decreases from the top to the bottom, the lower opening is arranged at the bottom of the second material guide slope, the material collection trough is detachably connected to the silo body, and the output member of the driving device is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the lower opening.

[0009] In some embodiments, the driving device includes a linear driving device, a guide rod base and a guide rod; the linear driving device is connected to the guide rod base via a floating joint, and the linear driving device can drive the guide rod base to move vertically via the floating joint; the output member of the driving device is the guide rod, the cross-section of the guide rod is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the lower opening, the lower surface of the guide rod is detachably connected to the upper surface of the guide rod base, and the linear driving device drives the guide rod base to move and then drives the guide rod to move.

[0010] In some embodiments, the loading device further includes: a fixed platform and an anti-rotation structure, the silo is fixed on the fixed platform; the anti-rotation structure is arranged between the fixed platform and the guide rod base to prevent the fixed platform and the guide rod base from rotating relative to each other.

[0011] In some embodiments, the lower end of the floating joint is fixedly connected to the linear drive device, and the upper end of the floating joint is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the guide rod base.

[0012] The present invention also provides a loading detection system, comprising: a detection device and the loading device as described above; the detection device is signal-connected to the driving device, the detection device is used to detect whether each of the grooves contains the steel balls, and can control the driving device to drive the loading platform to move downward when it is detected that some of the grooves do not contain the steel balls.

[0013] In some embodiments, the detection device includes a camera and a processor, wherein the camera is disposed above the loading platform, and the camera is used to obtain image information including each of the grooves and the steel balls in each of the grooves; the camera is signal-connected to the processor.

[0014] In some embodiments, the detection device further includes an adjustment component and a fixing base, the camera is connected to the fixing base via the adjustment component, and the adjustment component is used to adjust the angle and position of the camera relative to the fixing base.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0016] The feeding device provided by the present invention is provided with a dropping hole and a discharging hole. The dropping hole is opened on the upper surface of the feeding table and the discharging hole is opened on the side wall of the feeding table. The dropping hole and the discharging port are connected and can allow steel balls to pass through. When the feeding table is raised, the steel balls that fall into the grooves outside the feeding table fall from the dropping hole and return to the silo through the discharging hole. The setting of the dropping hole and the discharging hole can ensure that no steel balls stay outside the grooves of the feeding table, thereby avoiding the accumulation of steel balls on the surface of the feeding table, so that the loaded steel balls exceed the number required for assembly. A blanking hole is opened on the upper surface of the loading platform, a discharging hole is opened on the side wall of the loading platform, and guide surfaces are provided on the circumferential edges of the blanking hole, the circumferential edges of the discharging hole and the circumferential edges of the upper surface of the loading platform. The guide surfaces are used to guide the movement direction of the steel balls in the silo when the loading platform moves up and down. When the loading platform moves between the steel balls in the silo, the guide surfaces can separate the steel balls from each other, thereby preventing the steel balls from getting stuck in the loading platform when the loading platform moves up and down, making the movement of the loading platform smoother and improving the loading efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a front view of a feeding device in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Right view of the middle loading device;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 2 AA section view of the middle feeding device;

[0021] Figure 4It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the loading platform in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the detection device in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] In the figure: 1-loading platform; 11-groove; 12-dropping hole; 13-discharging hole; 14-guide surface; 2-bin; 21-bin body; 22-first material guide slope; 23-collecting trough; 24-second material guide slope; 3-driving device; 31-linear driving device; 32-guide rod base; 33-guide rod; 34-floating joint; 4-fixed platform; 5-anti-rotation structure; 6-camera; 61-clamp; 62-fastening screw; 7-long rod; 8-fixed seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only 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 ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a feeding device and a feeding detection system to solve the problems existing in the prior art, so as to make the steel ball feeding smooth and improve the feeding efficiency.

[0026] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the following is a brief description of the present invention in conjunction with the attached drawings. Figures 1 to 5 The present invention is further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0027] Embodiment 1

[0028] This embodiment provides a feeding device, referring to Figures 1 to 4, including a silo 2, a loading platform 1 and a driving device 3. The silo 2 is used to hold the steel balls to be assembled. The silo 2 has an upper opening and a lower opening. The upper opening is used to add steel balls into the silo 2 and move materials. The material moving is to transfer the steel balls to the next process through a manipulator or other device; a drop hole 12 and a plurality of grooves 11 are provided on the upper surface of the loading platform 1. Each groove 11 is used to accommodate a steel ball. When the loading platform 1 moves up from the bottom of the silo 2, the groove 11 can drive the steel ball to move up. A discharge hole 13 is provided on the side wall of the loading platform 1. The drop hole 12 is connected with the discharge hole 13, and the steel ball can fall back into the silo 2 through the drop hole 12 and the discharge hole 13. The circumferential edges of the drop hole 12, the circumferential edges of the discharge hole 13 and the circumferential edges of the upper surface of the loading platform 1 are all provided with guide surfaces 14; the output member of the driving device 3 is fixedly connected to the loading platform 1 through the lower opening and can drive the loading platform 1 to move up from the bottom of the silo 2. The feeding device provided in this embodiment is provided with a drop hole 12 and a discharge hole 13. The drop hole 12 is opened on the upper surface of the feeding platform 1, and the discharge hole 13 is opened on the side wall of the feeding platform 1. The drop hole 12 and the discharge port 13 are connected, and can allow steel balls to pass through. When the feeding platform 1 is raised, the steel balls that fall into the grooves 11 of the feeding platform 1 fall from the drop hole 12 and return to the silo 2 through the discharge hole 13, so that the setting of the drop hole 12 and the discharge hole 13 can ensure that no steel balls stay outside the grooves 11 of the feeding platform 1, thereby avoiding the accumulation of steel balls on the surface of the feeding platform 1 and causing the loaded steel balls to exceed the number required for assembly. A blanking hole 12 is provided on the upper surface of the loading platform 1, a discharge hole 13 is provided on the side wall of the loading platform 1, and guide surfaces 14 are provided on the circumferential edges of the blanking hole 12, the circumferential edges of the discharge hole 13, and the circumferential edges of the upper surface of the loading platform 1. The guide surfaces 14 are used to guide the movement direction of the steel balls in the silo 2 when the loading platform 1 moves up and down, so that when the loading platform 1 moves between the steel balls in the silo 2, the guide surfaces 14 can separate the steel balls, thereby preventing the steel balls from getting stuck in the loading platform 1 when the loading platform 1 moves up and down, making the movement of the loading platform 1 smoother and improving the loading efficiency. In this embodiment, the driving force source of the driving device 3 is the lifting cylinder, and the output member of the lifting cylinder drives the loading platform 1 to move up and down. In some other embodiments, the driving device 3 can be in the form of a cylinder driving a crankshaft connecting rod structure, or in the form of a motor driving a lead screw, or in other devices that can drive the loading platform 1 to move up and down.

[0029] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the guide surface 14 is a surface formed by chamfering the edges along the circumference of the blanking hole 12, the circumference of the discharge hole 13, and the circumference of the upper surface of the loading platform 1. The guide surface 14 is formed by processing the chamfer, and the structure of the guide surface 14 is simple and easy to process. The chamfer can be a rounded corner or a chamfered corner, and the guide surface 14 can also be other structures that can prevent the steel ball from hindering the up and down movement of the loading platform 1.

[0030] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the silo 2 includes a silo body 21, and the inner side wall of the silo body 21 is a first material guide slope 22 in an annular shape, and the cross section of the first material guide slope 22 gradually decreases from the top to the bottom. By providing the first material guide slope 22, the steel balls can be gathered to the bottom of the silo 2 under the action of gravity, and the loading platform 1 can also load the steel balls when there are fewer steel balls, thereby avoiding waste and pollution of the steel balls.

[0031] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the silo 2 further includes a collection trough 23, which is arranged in the silo body 21, and the outer wall of the collection trough 23 is connected to the bottom of the first material guide slope 22, and the inner wall of the collection trough 23 is provided with a second material guide slope 24, and the cross section of the second material guide slope 24 gradually decreases from the top to the bottom, and the lower opening is provided at the bottom of the second material guide slope 24, and the collection trough 23 is detachably connected to the silo body 21, and the output member of the drive device 3 is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the lower opening. The collection trough 23 is used in conjunction with the output member of the drive device 3 and the loading platform 1. By providing the collection trough 23, not only can the loading be realized when there are fewer steel balls, but also the collection trough 23 and the output member of the drive device 3 can be replaced, and different loading platforms 1 can be adapted to meet different assembly requirements.

[0032] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the drive device 3 includes a linear drive device 31, a guide rod base 32 and a guide rod 33; the linear drive device 31 is connected to the guide rod base 32 through a floating joint 34, and the linear drive device 31 can drive the guide rod base 32 to move vertically through the floating joint 34; the output member of the drive device 3 is a guide rod 33, the cross section of the guide rod 33 is consistent with the cross section shape of the lower opening, the lower surface of the guide rod 33 is detachably connected to the upper surface of the guide rod base 32, and the linear drive device 31 drives the guide rod base 32 to move and then drives the guide rod 33 to move. By providing the linear drive device 31, the guide rod base 32 and the guide rod 33, and the guide rod base 32 is detachably connected to the lower surface of the guide rod 33, it is convenient to replace only the guide rod 33 without affecting other structures and positions of the drive device 3, and the connection form is simple and easy to implement. In addition, by keeping the cross-section of the guide rod 33 and the loading platform 1 consistent with the shape of the lower opening, it is also possible to prevent the steel ball from getting stuck in the gap between the guide rod 33 and the lower opening, thereby preventing the steel ball from hindering the up and down movement of the loading platform 1. In this embodiment, the lower opening extends downward to form a guide hole, and the guide hole cooperates with the guide rod 33 to make the movement direction of the guide rod 33 controllable.

[0033] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the feeding device further includes a fixed platform 4 and an anti-rotation structure 5, and the silo 2 is fixed on the fixed platform 4; the anti-rotation structure 5 is arranged between the fixed platform 4 and the guide rod base 32, and is used to prevent the fixed platform 4 and the guide rod base 32 from rotating relative to each other. In this embodiment, the guide rod 33 and the guide rod base 32 can move up and down through the fixed platform 4. The setting of the fixed platform 4 can fix the position of the silo 2 and make it difficult to move. The anti-rotation structure 5 is arranged between the fixed platform 4 and the guide rod base 32, so that the guide rod 33 can only move up and down without circumferential rotation, so that the driving force transmission of the guide rod 33 is more stable, and the feeding platform 1 does not rotate during the feeding process, so that the steel ball feeding is more stable and smooth. In this embodiment, the anti-rotation structure 5 includes an anti-rotation guide rod, which is fixed on the fixed platform 4. An anti-rotation guide hole is provided on the guide rod base 32. The diameter of the anti-rotation guide rod is consistent with the inner diameter of the anti-rotation guide hole. In the process in which the guide rod base 32 is driven up and down by the floating joint 34, the anti-rotation guide rod is always inserted in the anti-rotation guide hole, and the anti-rotation guide rod and the anti-rotation guide hole can only move up and down relative to each other. In other embodiments, the anti-rotation structure 5 can also be other structures that can prevent the fixed platform 4 and the guide rod base 32 from rotating relative to each other.

[0034] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the lower end of the floating joint 34 is fixedly connected to the linear drive device 31, and the upper end of the floating joint 34 is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the guide rod base 32. The setting of the floating joint 34 can reduce the installation error of the linear drive device 31, and the floating joint 34 has a certain angle adjustment function, thereby allowing the power direction of the linear drive device 31 to have a certain deviation during operation, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the entire drive device 3 and extending the service life of the feeding device.

[0035] Embodiment 2

[0036] This embodiment also provides a feeding detection system, including: a detection device and a feeding device, the detection device is connected to the drive device 3 by signal, the detection device is used to detect whether each groove 11 contains steel balls, and when it is detected that some grooves 11 do not contain steel balls, for example, there are ten grooves 11 on the upper surface of the feeding platform 1, and one groove 11 or more grooves 11 do not contain steel balls, the drive device 3 is controlled to drive the feeding platform 1 to move downward so that the feeding platform 1 can be reloaded. The detection device is used to detect the feeding of steel balls, and the detection is accurate, which avoids manual detection errors that cause incomplete assembly of parts. In addition, the detection of steel ball feeding is carried out by the detection device, and the feedback is rapid, which can shorten the assembly cycle and improve the assembly efficiency.

[0037] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, the detection device includes a camera 6 and a processor. The camera 6 is arranged above the loading platform 1. The camera 6 is used to obtain image information including each groove 11 and the steel balls in each groove 11. The camera 6 is connected to the processor signal. The image information is obtained by the camera 6, and then the image information is processed by the processor, and then the visual detection related algorithm is used for judgment, so that the position and number of steel balls on the loading platform 1 can be detected. The device is simple and easy to implement. Specifically, when the loading platform 1 reaches the highest point driven by the driving device 3, that is, when one loading is completed, the driving device 3 transmits a signal to the processor, and the processor controls the camera 6 to obtain the image information of the grooves 11 on the upper surface of the loading platform and the steel balls in each groove 11.

[0038] In some embodiments provided by the present invention, reference Figure 5 The detection device further includes an adjustment component and a fixing seat 8, and the camera 6 is connected to the fixing seat 8 through the adjustment component, and the adjustment component is used to adjust the angle and position of the camera 6 relative to the fixing seat 8. Since the fixing seat 8 and the loading platform 1 are both fixedly arranged, by setting the camera 6 on the adjustment component, the angle and position of the camera 6 relative to the fixing seat 8 can be conveniently adjusted, that is, the angle and position of the camera 6 relative to the upper surface of the loading platform 1 can be adjusted, which can improve the shooting quality of the camera 6 and avoid the situation that the camera 6 cannot be adjusted after the position is fixed, resulting in poor image quality obtained by the camera 6 and the processor cannot recognize it. In this embodiment, the adjustment component is a long rod 7, and a clamp 61 is fixedly provided on the camera 6. The clamp 61 is sleeved on the long rod 7 and can move along the axial direction of the long rod 7 and can rotate around the axis of the long rod 7. A threaded hole is also provided on the clamp 61, and a fastening screw 62 is threadedly connected in the threaded hole. The fastening screw 62 is tightened to clamp the long rod 7, so that the relative position and angle of the clamp 61 and the long rod 7 can be fixed, that is, the position and angle of the camera 6 relative to the loading platform 1 are fixed. Loosening the fastening screw 62 can adjust the relative position and angle of the clamp 61 and the long rod 7, that is, the position and angle of the camera 6 relative to the loading platform 1. In some other embodiments, the adjustment component can also be a cantilever bracket that can adjust the angle and elongation length, or other structures that can fix or adjust the relative position and angle of the camera 6 and the loading platform 1.

[0039] In some other embodiments, the detection device may also be provided with a camera protection cover, which is mounted on the outside of the camera 6. The camera protection cover can prevent the camera 6 from being bumped when the steel ball moves the material or in other situations, resulting in the inability to perform feeding detection.

[0040] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding device, characterized in that: include: A silo, used to hold the steel balls to be assembled, the silo having an upper opening and a lower opening, the upper opening being used to add steel balls into the silo and to transfer materials; A loading platform, wherein a feeding hole and a plurality of grooves are provided on the upper surface of the loading platform, each of the grooves is used to accommodate one of the steel balls, and when the loading platform moves upward from the bottom of the silo, the grooves can drive the steel balls to move upward, and a discharge hole is provided on the side wall of the loading platform, the feeding hole is connected with the discharge hole, and the steel balls can fall back into the silo via the feeding hole and the discharge hole, and the circumferential edges of the feeding hole, the circumferential edges of the discharge hole and the circumferential edges of the upper surface of the loading platform are all provided with guide surfaces; and A driving device, wherein an output member of the driving device passes through the lower opening and is fixedly connected to the loading platform and can drive the loading platform to move upward from the bottom of the silo.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide surface is a surface formed by chamfering the circumferential edge of the blanking hole, the circumferential edge of the discharge hole, and the circumferential edge of the upper surface of the loading platform.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The silo comprises a silo body, an inner side wall of which is a first material guiding slope in an annular shape, and a cross section of the first material guiding slope gradually decreases from the top to the bottom.

4. The feeding device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The silo also includes a material collection trough, which is arranged in the silo body, the outer wall of the material collection trough is connected to the bottom of the first material guide slope, the inner wall of the material collection trough is provided with a second material guide slope, the cross-section of the second material guide slope gradually decreases from the top to the bottom, the lower opening is arranged at the bottom of the second material guide slope, the material collection trough is detachably connected to the silo body, and the output member of the driving device is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the lower opening.

5. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device comprises a linear driving device, a guide rod base and a guide rod; The linear drive device is connected to the guide rod base via a floating joint, and the linear drive device can drive the guide rod base to move vertically via the floating joint; The output member of the driving device is the guide rod, the cross section of the guide rod is consistent with the cross section shape of the lower opening, the lower surface of the guide rod is detachably connected to the upper surface of the guide rod base, and the linear driving device drives the guide rod base to move and then drives the guide rod to move.

6. The feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A fixed platform, on which the silo is fixed; The anti-rotation structure is arranged between the fixing platform and the guide rod base, and is used to prevent the fixing platform and the guide rod base from rotating relative to each other.

7. The feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower end of the floating joint is fixedly connected to the linear drive device, and the upper end of the floating joint is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the guide rod base.

8. A feeding detection system, characterized in that: include: The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; as well as A detection device is signal-connected to the drive device, and is used to detect whether each of the grooves contains the steel balls, and can control the drive device to move the loading platform downward when it is detected that some of the grooves do not contain the steel balls.

9. The feeding detection system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The detection device includes a camera and a processor, wherein the camera is disposed above the loading platform, and the camera is used to obtain image information including each of the grooves and the steel balls in each of the grooves; The camera is signal-connected to the processor.

10. The material feeding detection system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The detection device also includes an adjustment component and a fixing seat, the camera is connected to the fixing seat via the adjustment component, and the adjustment component is used to adjust the angle and position of the camera relative to the fixing seat.

Images