A type of SMT material tray storage bin

Abstract

This invention provides an SMT material tray storage bin, comprising a first storage area and a second storage area arranged side by side. The front ends of the first and second storage areas are equipped with feeding mechanisms for conveying materials. The first storage area stores individual trays as storage units, while the second storage area stores material strings as storage units. The first storage area includes two sets of identical drawer-type first material towers. A first sorting robot is positioned between the two sets of first material towers to grasp, sort, and store material strings from the feeding mechanism. The second storage area includes two sets of identical second material towers. Each second material tower includes a storage rack and several sets of storage units mounted on the storage rack. The several sets of storage units are equidistantly arranged vertically. A second sorting robot is positioned between the two sets of second material towers to transport material strings from the feeding mechanism to individual storage units. Each storage unit stores at least two material strings side by side horizontally. This application discloses an SMT material tray storage bin, which adopts a three-dimensional stacking storage rack structure. It can store single pieces of material on a tray or store material strings as storage units, making it highly versatile. Furthermore, the storage unit of the second bin adopts a conveyor line structure storage mode, which can store multiple material strings at a depth, making reasonable use of space and improving storage efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material storage technology, specifically to an SMT material tray storage bin. Background Technology

[0002] SMT components are surface-mount packaged components. They are small in size, do not require drilling on printed circuit boards, and are easy to automate in production lines. Currently, most SMT components are stored and stacked in tray-like containers. However, when managing the storage of SMT trays, the existing storage space is insufficient and the layout is not reasonable. The storage capacity and logistics transfer capacity are limited, and the efficiency of storing and retrieving components is particularly low. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an SMT material tray storage bin to solve the technical problems in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] An SMT material tray storage bin includes a first storage area and a second storage area arranged side by side. The front ends of the first and second storage areas are equipped with feeding mechanisms for conveying materials. The first storage area stores individual trays as storage units, while the second storage area stores material strings as storage units. The first storage area includes two sets of identical drawer-type first material towers. A first sorting robot is positioned between the two sets of first material towers to grasp, sort, and store material strings from the feeding mechanism. The second storage area includes two sets of identical second material towers. Each second material tower includes a storage rack and several sets of storage units mounted on the storage rack. The several sets of storage units are equidistantly arranged vertically. A second sorting robot is positioned between the two sets of second material towers to transport material strings from the feeding mechanism to individual storage units. Each storage unit stores at least two material strings side by side horizontally.

[0006] The second sorting robot includes a lifting mechanism, a translation mechanism, and a bidirectional telescopic fork. The lifting mechanism is vertically installed at the front end of the two second material towers. The translation mechanism is driven to be installed with the lifting mechanism and driven to be installed with the bidirectional telescopic fork. The translation mechanism drives the bidirectional telescopic fork to move along the Y-axis between the two sets of second material towers. The bidirectional telescopic fork moves along the left and right directions between the two sets of second material towers to place materials.

[0007] The storage unit includes a mounting base, a first conveyor belt, a second conveyor belt, and a first driving component that drives the first and second conveyor belts to move synchronously. A support plate is installed between the first and second conveyor belts. The front end of the support plate has a cutout near the bidirectional telescopic fork for the bidirectional telescopic fork to enter. The first driving component is driven to install the first conveyor belt. The first and second conveyor belts move synchronously through a drive shaft.

[0008] The support plate is provided with a number of detection holes at equal intervals, and a sensor is provided below each detection hole for detecting the material string.

[0009] The storage unit also includes a first outer cover, which has open structures at both the front and rear ends, and covers the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt.

[0010] The lifting mechanism includes a first support frame, a first screw, and a first motor. The first screw is installed vertically within the first support frame, and a first nut is threaded onto the first screw. The first motor drives the first screw to rotate within the first support frame. A first slide rail is also provided within the first support frame, and the first slide rail is arranged parallel to the first screw. The first nut is fixedly installed with a translation mechanism, and a first slider is provided on the translation mechanism and slides on the first slide rail. The translation mechanism includes a drive block, a fixed plate, a first rack, a second support frame, and a second motor. The drive block is fixedly installed with the fixed plate and the first nut, and its other end is fixedly installed with the first slider. The first rack is arranged laterally on the fixed plate along the Y-axis. A second slide rail is installed above the first rack and fixed to the fixed plate. A second slider is installed on the second support frame and slides on the second slide rail. The second motor is fixed within the second support frame and has a first gear installed on it. The first gear meshes with the first rack for transmission. The bidirectional telescopic fork is fixed on the second support frame.

[0011] The bidirectional telescopic fork includes a fork plate and a drive base for driving the fork plate to move left and right. The drive base is fixedly installed on a second support frame. The drive base includes a mounting base, a telescopic arm, a first transmission chain, a second transmission chain, and a third motor. The mounting base is a hollow frame structure. The first and second transmission chains are symmetrically installed front and rear within the mounting base. The first transmission chain is driven by the third motor. The first and second transmission chains are synchronously transmitted through a transmission rod. The third motor is fixedly installed on the mounting base. The telescopic arm has two sets, which are respectively above the first and second transmission chains. Either or both sets of telescopic arms mesh with the first or second transmission chain through a second rack. The fork plate is fixed above the telescopic arm, and an electromagnet is installed on the fork plate to magnetically position the material string.

[0012] The feeding mechanism includes an upper conveyor belt, a lower conveyor belt, a first clamping manipulator, and a second clamping manipulator. The upper conveyor belt is above the lower conveyor belt and is arranged parallel to each other. The first clamping manipulator and the second clamping manipulator have the same structure. The first clamping manipulator is fixed to one side of the upper conveyor belt for clamping the material string of the upper conveyor belt, and the second clamping manipulator is fixed to one side of the lower conveyor belt for clamping the material string of the lower conveyor belt.

[0013] The first clamping robot includes a column, a first Y-axis drive and a first clamping assembly. The first Y-axis drive is fixed above the column. The first clamping assembly is driven and installed with the first Y-axis drive. The first clamping assembly is above the upper conveyor belt. The first clamping assembly includes a fourth motor and a bidirectional cylinder. The two telescopic ends of the bidirectional cylinder are respectively equipped with clamping arms. The lower part of the clamping arms is provided with hooks for clamping the material string.

[0014] It also includes an outer shell that covers the first storage area, the second storage area and the feeding mechanism. One end of the outer shell is provided with two first material inlets that communicate with the upper conveyor belt and the lower conveyor belt. The other end of the outer shell is provided with two second material inlets for conveying a single material tray. The second material inlets correspond to the positions of the first material tower on the first material area. The first material inlets are used for conveying a single material tray.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the SMT material tray storage bin of this application adopts a three-dimensional stacking storage rack structure, which can store single pieces of material on the tray or store material strings as storage units, making it highly versatile. The storage unit of the second bin adopts a conveyor line structure storage mode, which can store multiple material strings at a depth, making reasonable use of space and improving storage efficiency. The first bin also adopts a drawer-type stacking mode. The storage bin of this application effectively improves the unit area utilization rate and volume ratio of intelligent material storage equipment. It adopts automated handling and sorting for material handling and storage, which greatly reduces labor costs and improves the storage efficiency of SMT trays. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 : A three-dimensional structural diagram of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 Internal structure diagram of this application;

[0018] Figure 3 : 3D structural diagram of the first storage area;

[0019] Figure 4 : Three-dimensional structural diagram of the second storage area;

[0020] Figure 5 : Figure 4 Enlarged view of point A;

[0021] Figure 6 : 3D structural diagram of the storage unit;

[0022] Figure 7 : 3D structural diagram of the lifting mechanism;

[0023] Figure 8 : Installation structure diagram of translation mechanism and bidirectional telescopic forks;

[0024] Figure 9 Side view of the translation mechanism and bi-directional telescopic forks installed;

[0025] Figure 10 : 3D diagram of the extended bidirectional telescopic forks;

[0026] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of a two-way telescopic fork conveyor system;

[0027] Figure 12 : 3D structural diagram of the feeding mechanism;

[0028] Figure 13 : 3D structural diagram of the first clamping component;

[0029] Figure 14 : Diagram of the material string and tray structure used in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Specific Implementation Example 1: Please refer to Figures 1 to 14 In this embodiment of the invention, an SMT material tray storage bin includes a shell, a first storage area 2 and a second storage area 3 arranged side by side. The front end of the first storage area 2 and the second storage area 3 is provided with a feeding mechanism 10 for conveying materials. The shell 1 covers the first storage area 2, the second storage area 3 and the feeding mechanism 10. The first storage area 2 stores a single tray 16 as a storage unit, and the second storage area 3 stores a string of materials 16 as a storage unit. The first storage area 2 includes two sets of first material towers 201 with identical drawer-type structures. A first sorting robot 202 is provided between the two sets of first material towers 201 to grab, sort and store the strings of materials 16 in the feeding mechanism 10. The first material tower 201 and the first sorting robot 202 used in this application are the material tower mechanism and sorting robot structure of publication number CN117228195A, and will not be described again.

[0032] The second storage area 3 includes two sets of second material towers 4 with identical structures. The second material tower 4 includes a storage rack and several sets of storage units 5 installed on the storage rack. The several sets of storage units 5 are equidistantly arranged in the vertical direction. A second sorting robot 6 is provided between the two sets of second material towers 4. The second sorting robot 6 transports the material strings 16 in the feeding mechanism 10 to a single storage unit 5. The single storage unit 5 stores at least two sets of material strings 16 side by side in the horizontal direction. Multiple material strings 16 can be stored in the depth direction of the storage unit 5. In this embodiment, two sets of material strings 16 are placed in a single storage unit 5 for storage.

[0033] The second sorting robot 6 includes a lifting mechanism 7, a translation mechanism 8, and a bidirectional telescopic fork 9. The lifting mechanism 7 is vertically installed at the front end of the two second material towers 4. The translation mechanism 8 is driven to be installed with the lifting mechanism 7 and driven to be installed with the bidirectional telescopic fork 9. The translation mechanism 8 drives the bidirectional telescopic fork 9 to move along the Y-axis between the two sets of second material towers 4. The bidirectional telescopic fork 9 moves along the left and right directions between the two sets of second material towers 4 to place materials.

[0034] The lifting mechanism 7 of this application includes a first support frame 701, a first screw 702, and a first motor (not shown in the figure). The first screw 702 is installed vertically inside the first support frame 701, and a first nut 703 is threaded onto the first screw 702. The first motor drives the first screw 702 to rotate within the first support frame 701. A first slide rail 704 is also provided inside the first support frame 701, and the first slide rail 704 is arranged parallel to the first screw 702. The first nut 703 is fixedly installed with the translation mechanism 8. The first slider 705 is provided on the first slide rail 704 and slides on the first slide rail. The first motor drives the first screw 702 to rotate, thereby causing the first nut 703 to move up and down on the first screw 702, and then causing the translation mechanism 8 to move up and down. In this application, the first support frame 701 is also provided with a secondary slide rail 706, which is arranged vertically. The secondary slide rail 706 is on the other side of the first support frame 701. A secondary slider 707 is correspondingly fixed on the first support frame 701 and slides on the secondary slide rail 706. The primary slide rail 704 and secondary slide rail 706 are designed to ensure more stable and precise vertical movement of the entire translation mechanism 8. The translation mechanism 8 includes a drive block 801, a fixed plate 802, a first rack 803, a second support frame 808, and a second motor 804. The drive block 801 is fixedly installed on the fixed plate 802 and the first nut 703. Its other end is fixedly installed on the first slider 705. The first rack 803 is arranged laterally on the fixed plate 802 along the Y-axis. The second slide rail 706 is mounted above the first rack 803. The rail 806 is fixed to the fixed plate 802. The second support frame 808 is equipped with a second slider 807 that slides on the second slide rail 806. The second motor 804 is fixed inside the second support frame 808. The second motor 804 is equipped with a first gear 805. The first gear 805 meshes with the first rack 803 for transmission. The bidirectional telescopic fork 9 is fixed on the second support frame 808. The second motor 804 drives the first gear 805 to rotate on the rack 803, thereby driving the entire second support frame 808 to move in and out between the two second material towers 4.

[0035] The bidirectional telescopic fork 9 includes a fork plate 901 and a drive base 902 for driving the fork plate 901 to move left and right. The drive base 902 is fixedly installed with the second support frame 808. The drive base 902 includes a mounting base 902-1, a telescopic arm 902-6, a first drive chain 902-2, a second drive chain 902-3, and a third motor 902-4. The mounting base 901 is a hollow frame structure. The first drive chain 902-2 and the second drive chain 902-3 are symmetrically installed front and rear within the mounting base 902-1. The first drive chain 902-2 is driven by the third motor 902-4. The first transmission chain 902-2 and the second transmission chain 902-3 are synchronously driven by the transmission rod 902-5. The third motor 902-4 is fixedly installed on the base 501. There are two sets of telescopic arms 902-6. The two sets of telescopic arms 902-6 are respectively above the first transmission chain 902-2 and the second transmission chain 902-3. Either or both sets of telescopic arms 902-6 are engaged with the first transmission chain 902-2 or the second transmission chain 902-3 through the second rack 902-7. The fork plate 901 is fixed above the telescopic arm 902-6. An electromagnet 903 is installed on the fork plate 901 to magnetically attract and position the material string 16. During material handling, the third motor 902-4 (forward rotation) drives the first transmission chain 902-2 and the second transmission chain 902-3 to synchronously drive the rack 803 to move towards the storage unit 5 of the second material tower 4. At the same time, the telescopic arm 902-6 drives the fork plate 901 to extend in front of the material unit until the material string 16 is placed on the first conveyor belt 502 and the second conveyor belt 503. Then, the third motor 902-4 is turned off and started (reverse rotation). The fork plate 901 retracts under the action of the first transmission chain 902-2 and the second transmission chain 902-3.

[0036] The storage unit 5 includes a mounting base 501, a first conveyor belt 502, a second conveyor belt 503, and a first drive member 506 that drives the first conveyor belt 502 and the second conveyor belt 503 to move synchronously. The first drive member 506 is a conventional motor structure. A support plate 504 is installed between the first conveyor belt 502 and the second conveyor belt 503. The front end of the support plate 504 is provided with a hollowed-out position near the bidirectional telescopic fork 9 for the bidirectional telescopic fork 9 to enter. This hollowed-out position allows the telescopic fork to lift the material string 16 from the bottom for picking up and placing. The first drive member 506 is driven to install the first conveyor belt 502. The first conveyor belt 502 and the second conveyor belt 503 move synchronously through a drive shaft.

[0037] A number of detection holes 504-2 are provided at equal intervals on the support plate 504. A sensor is provided below the detection hole 504-2 to detect the material string 16. By setting the sensor, the position and quantity of the material string 16 on the storage unit 5 can be controlled independently and accurately.

[0038] The storage unit 5 also includes a first outer cover 505, which has open structures at both the front and rear ends. The first outer cover 505 covers the first conveyor belt 502 and the second conveyor belt 503. The outer cover can effectively protect the material string 16 placed inside and prevent foreign objects from entering the material string 16.

[0039] In this application, the feeding mechanism 10 includes an upper conveyor belt 11, a lower conveyor belt 12, a first clamping robot 13, and a second clamping robot 14. The upper conveyor belt 11 is above the lower conveyor belt 12 and is arranged parallel to each other. The first clamping robot 13 and the second clamping robot have the same structure. The first clamping robot 13 is fixed on one side of the upper conveyor belt 11 for clamping the material string 16 of the upper conveyor belt 11. The second clamping robot 14 is fixed on one side of the lower conveyor belt 12 for clamping the material string 16 of the lower conveyor belt 12.

[0040] The first gripping robot 13 includes a column 1301, a first Y-axis drive 1302, and a first gripping assembly 1303. The first Y-axis drive 1302 is fixed above the column 1301, and the first gripping assembly 1303 is driven and mounted to the first Y-axis drive 1302. In this embodiment, the first Y-axis drive 1302 adopts an existing cylinder structure. The first gripping assembly 1303 is located above the upper conveyor belt 11 and includes a fourth motor 1303-1 and... The bidirectional cylinder 1303-2 has two telescopic ends equipped with clamping arms 1303-3. The clamping arms 1303-3 have hooks 1303-3-1 below them for clamping the material string 16. The material string 16 has a boss structure 1601 on its outside for cooperating with the clamping arms 1303-3. The hooks 1303-2-1 of the two clamping arms 1303-3 are clamped and rest against the boss 1601. The material string 16 is transferred to the bidirectional telescopic fork 9 by the first Y-axis drive unit 1302.

[0041] One end of the outer casing 1 is provided with two first material inlets 101 that communicate with the upper conveyor belt 11 and the lower conveyor belt 12. The other end of the outer casing 1 is provided with two second material inlets 102 for conveying a single material tray 16. The second material inlets 102 correspond to the positions of the first material tower 201 on the first material area. The first material inlets 101 are used for conveying a single material tray 16. By setting the first material inlets 101 and the second material inlets 102, the silo of this application can simultaneously connect with the outside for feeding or discharging, thereby achieving the requirements of automated management.

[0042] Compared with existing technologies, the SMT material tray storage bin of this application adopts a three-dimensional stacking storage rack structure, which can store single pieces of material on the tray or store material strings as storage units, making it highly versatile. The storage unit of the second bin adopts a conveyor line structure storage mode, which can store multiple material strings at a depth, making reasonable use of space and improving storage efficiency. The first bin also adopts a drawer-type stacking mode. The storage bin of this application effectively improves the unit area utilization rate and volume ratio of intelligent material storage equipment. It adopts automated handling and sorting for material handling and storage, which greatly reduces labor costs and improves the storage efficiency of SMT trays.

[0043] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0044] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A storage bin for SMT materials, characterized in that: The system includes a first storage area and a second storage area arranged side-by-side. The front ends of both areas are equipped with feeding mechanisms for material conveying. The first storage area stores materials in individual trays as storage units, while the second storage area stores material strings as storage units. The first storage area includes two sets of identical drawer-type first material towers. A first sorting robot is positioned between the two sets of first material towers to grab, sort, and store material strings from the feeding mechanism. The second storage area includes two sets of identical second material towers. Each second material tower includes a storage rack and several sets of storage units mounted on the rack. These storage units are equidistantly arranged vertically. A second sorting robot is positioned between the two sets of second material towers to transport material strings from the feeding mechanism to individual storage units. Each storage unit stores at least two material strings side-by-side horizontally. The second sorting robot includes a lifting mechanism. The material storage unit comprises a lifting mechanism, a translating mechanism, and a bidirectional telescopic fork. The lifting mechanism is vertically mounted at the front end of two second material towers. The translating mechanism is driven and mounted to the lifting mechanism and the bidirectional telescopic fork. The translating mechanism drives the bidirectional telescopic fork to move along the Y-axis between the two sets of second material towers, and the bidirectional telescopic fork moves left and right between the two sets of second material towers to place materials. The material storage unit includes a mounting base, a first conveyor belt, a second conveyor belt, and a first driving component that drives the first and second conveyor belts to move synchronously. A support plate is installed between the first and second conveyor belts. The front end of the support plate has a cutout near the bidirectional telescopic fork for the bidirectional telescopic fork to enter. The first driving component is driven and mounted to the first conveyor belt. The first and second conveyor belts move synchronously through a drive shaft. The support plate has several equally spaced detection holes, and sensors are correspondingly installed below the detection holes for detecting material strings.

2. The SMT material tray storage bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage unit also includes a first outer cover, which has open structures at both the front and rear ends, and covers the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt.

3. The SMT material tray storage bin according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism includes a first support frame, a first screw, and a first motor. The first screw is installed vertically within the first support frame, and a first nut is threaded onto the first screw. The first motor drives the first screw to rotate within the first support frame. A first slide rail is also provided within the first support frame, and the first slide rail is arranged parallel to the first screw. The first nut is fixedly installed with a translation mechanism, and a first slider is provided on the translation mechanism and slides on the first slide rail. The translation mechanism includes a drive block, a fixed plate, a first rack, a second support frame, and a second motor. The drive block is fixedly installed with the fixed plate and the first nut, and its other end is fixedly installed with the first slider. The first rack is arranged laterally on the fixed plate along the Y-axis. A second slide rail is installed above the first rack and fixed to the fixed plate. A second slider is installed on the second support frame and slides on the second slide rail. The second motor is fixed within the second support frame and has a first gear installed on it. The first gear meshes with the first rack for transmission. The bidirectional telescopic fork is fixed on the second support frame.

4. The SMT material tray storage bin according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bidirectional telescopic fork includes a fork plate and a drive base for driving the fork plate to move left and right. The drive base is fixedly installed on a second support frame. The drive base includes a mounting base, a telescopic arm, a first transmission chain, a second transmission chain, and a third motor. The mounting base is a hollow frame structure. The first and second transmission chains are symmetrically installed front and rear within the mounting base. The first transmission chain is driven by the third motor. The first and second transmission chains are synchronously transmitted through a transmission rod. The third motor is fixed on the mounting base. The telescopic arm has two sets, which are respectively above the first and second transmission chains. Either or both sets of telescopic arms mesh with the first or second transmission chain through a second rack. The fork plate is fixed above the telescopic arm, and an electromagnet is installed on the fork plate to magnetically position the material string.

5. The SMT material tray storage bin according to claim 4, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism includes an upper conveyor belt, a lower conveyor belt, a first clamping robot, and a second clamping robot. The upper conveyor belt is above the lower conveyor belt and is arranged parallel to each other. The first clamping robot and the second clamping robot have the same structure. The first clamping robot is fixed to one side of the upper conveyor belt for clamping the material string of the upper conveyor belt, and the second clamping robot is fixed to one side of the lower conveyor belt for clamping the material string of the lower conveyor belt.

6. The SMT material tray storage bin according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first clamping robot includes a column, a first Y-axis drive and a first clamping assembly. The first Y-axis drive is fixed above the column. The first clamping assembly is driven and installed with the first Y-axis drive. The first clamping assembly is above the upper conveyor belt. The first clamping assembly includes a fourth motor and a bidirectional cylinder. The two telescopic ends of the bidirectional cylinder are respectively equipped with clamping arms. The lower part of the clamping arms is provided with hooks for clamping the material string.

7. An SMT material tray storage bin according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: It also includes an outer shell that covers the first storage area, the second storage area and the feeding mechanism. One end of the outer shell is provided with two first material inlets that communicate with the upper conveyor belt and the lower conveyor belt. The other end of the outer shell is provided with two second material inlets for conveying a single material tray. The second material inlets correspond to the positions of the first material towers on the first material inlets. The first material inlets are used for conveying a single material tray.

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