Online flexible loading machine and method

Abstract

The present invention provides an online flexible loader, comprising: a frame, on which a workbench is arranged; a vibrating turning assembly, arranged on the workbench and used to turn raw materials; a material taking assembly, arranged on the workbench and configured to take out raw materials in a predetermined direction from the vibrating turning assembly; a transfer fixture, arranged on the workbench and used to receive the raw materials taken out by the material taking assembly; a material moving mechanism, arranged on the workbench and used to move the raw materials on the transfer fixture; and a material unloading mechanism, arranged on the workbench and used to receive the raw materials on the material moving mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of precision machining technology, and in particular to an online flexible loading machine and method for micro accessories. Background Art

[0002] With the growing demand for precision and miniaturized portable devices and accessories, the need for automated production lines for these devices is becoming increasingly urgent. For example, an automated headphone production line is a complex system involving multiple processes and equipment, and is inherently a highly technical and automated field. With continuous technological advancement and growing market demand, the level of automation will continue to increase. Full automation of headphone production remains an ideal, especially in the assembly of the headphones themselves. While automation is possible in areas such as welding, dispensing, and testing, assembly and wiring still require significant labor. Automated assembly systems can significantly improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance product quality. Automated processes can reduce human error, improve product consistency and reliability, and ensure that every product meets quality standards. Automated assembly systems can reduce the number of workers on the production line, thereby reducing labor costs. This is particularly important given the rising labor costs and recruitment difficulties.

[0003] Currently, the loading of headphone speaker bases is still done manually, but with the increase in labor costs and the many uncertainties brought about by manual work in production practice, the base has high requirements for directionality and front and back sides in the circumferential plane, and the positioning accuracy on the jig is also relatively high. In addition, the base is a tiny component and is randomly stacked in a box. The front and back and the notch orientation are irregular, making automation impossible. Based on this, the automated assembly technology of headphone speaker bases is an effective means to improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure product quality. With the continuous advancement of technology, the application of automated assembly in the field of headphone manufacturing will become more and more extensive.

[0004] Therefore, how to achieve automatic loading when assembling small accessories such as headphone speaker bases, and then realize full-line automated assembly technology to improve production efficiency, is a technical problem that needs to be solved by technical personnel in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an online flexible loader to realize fully automatic loading of tiny accessories, especially tiny accessories with plane alignment notch requirements, front and back side orientation requirements, and precise positioning requirements in the jig. The online flexible loader can realize front and back side adjustment, plane reference point alignment, and precise positioning in the jig.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: an online flexible loader, comprising:

[0007] A frame, wherein a workbench is provided on the frame;

[0008] A vibrating turning assembly is provided on the workbench and is used to turn the raw materials;

[0009] A material taking component is arranged on a workbench and is configured to take out the raw materials in a predetermined direction from the vibrating material turning component;

[0010] The transfer fixture is set on the workbench and is used to receive the raw materials taken out by the material taking component;

[0011] The material transfer mechanism is arranged on the workbench and is used to move the raw materials on the transfer jig;

[0012] A material unloading mechanism is provided on the workbench and is used to receive the raw materials from the material transferring mechanism;

[0013] Controller;

[0014] It is characterized by:

[0015] The vibration turning assembly includes a vibration tray and a first camera module located directly above the vibration tray. The first camera module takes pictures of the raw materials on the vibration tray to obtain position information and orientation information of each raw material.

[0016] Furthermore, the first camera module includes:

[0017] A first camera is located directly above the vibrating tray and shoots downward;

[0018] A first camera light source is located directly above the vibrating tray and irradiates downwards;

[0019] When viewed from above, the first camera is located in the middle of the light source of the first camera, and the controller can obtain the image taken by the first camera and process it to obtain the position information and orientation information of the raw material.

[0020] Furthermore, the material taking component includes:

[0021] The Z-axis mounting plate of the material picking suction head can move in the X, Y, and Z space;

[0022] Multiple material picking suction heads are arranged on the Z-axis mounting plate of the material picking suction head. The multiple material picking suction heads are arranged at equal intervals along the Y direction. The multiple material picking suction heads can be moved directly above the vibrating material tray, and the multiple material picking suction heads can move up and down independently relative to the Z-axis mounting plate of the material picking suction head.

[0023] Furthermore, a second camera module is included, and the second camera module includes:

[0024] The second camera is set on the workbench and located between the vibrating material tray and the transfer fixture, shooting upward, and multiple material removal suction heads can be moved to just above the second camera;

[0025] Each material picking suction head is rotatable along its own axis. The controller can determine the angle of the mark on the raw material through the picture taken by the second camera and control the rotation of the material picking suction head to adjust the mark on the raw material to a specified angle.

[0026] Furthermore, the transfer jig is arranged on the workbench through the transfer jig mounting frame, and a plurality of positioning slots are provided on the transfer jig, the number of the plurality of positioning slots is the same as the number of the material picking suction heads, the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning slots is the same as the arrangement direction of the plurality of material picking suction heads, and the spacing between adjacent positioning slots is equal to the spacing between adjacent material picking suction heads;

[0027] The radial dimension of each positioning groove matches the dimension of the raw material;

[0028] A notch is formed on each positioning groove, and the direction of each notch is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning grooves;

[0029] A positioning block is provided at the position corresponding to each notch on the transfer jig mounting frame. The positioning block can move back and forth in the direction close to or away from the notch. When the raw material is placed in the positioning groove, the positioning block can move toward the notch and push the raw material against the groove wall of the positioning groove to complete the positioning.

[0030] Furthermore, the material moving mechanism includes a plurality of magnetic heads, which are arranged along the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning slots and the number of the magnetic heads is the same as the number of the positioning slots; the magnetic head includes an outer tube and an inner rod arranged vertically, the lower end of the inner rod is inserted into the outer tube, and the inner rod can move up and down relative to the outer tube, and a magnet is provided at the lower end of the inner rod, and the magnet can follow the inner rod to move up and down relative to the outer tube to selectively expose or retract from the lower end of the outer tube, when the magnet is exposed from the lower end of the outer tube, the magnet can directly contact the raw material, and then suck up the raw material, and when the magnet retracts to a distance exceeding a predetermined value from the lower end of the outer tube, the suction force of the magnet on the raw material is less than the gravity of the raw material, and the raw material falls.

[0031] Furthermore, the material moving mechanism further includes a material moving module arranged on the workbench through a material moving bracket, a material moving mounting plate arranged on the output end of the material moving module, a first cylinder mounting plate movably arranged on the material moving mounting plate, and a magnetic head mounting plate arranged on the first cylinder mounting plate, the outer tube is arranged on the magnetic head mounting plate, and an inner rod lifting cylinder is arranged on the first cylinder mounting plate, the inner rod lifting cylinder is connected to the inner rod, and the extension and retraction of the inner rod can be achieved by the extension and retraction of the inner rod lifting cylinder;

[0032] A magnetic head lifting cylinder is provided on the material moving mounting plate, and the magnetic head lifting cylinder is connected to the first cylinder mounting plate, and is used to drive the magnetic head to move up and down;

[0033] The material transfer module can drive the magnetic suction head to move back and forth between the transfer fixture and the material discharge mechanism.

[0034] Furthermore, the unloading mechanism includes an unloading module arranged on the workbench, the unloading module having two output ends, the two output ends being independently controlled, a feeding pallet being arranged on each output end, a feeding tool being placed on each feeding pallet, and when viewed from above, the parts of the two feeding pallets supporting the feeding tool being located on the same straight line;

[0035] One of the feeding pallets can be lifted and lowered relative to the unloading module. When the two feeding pallets move toward each other and get close to each other, the liftable feeding pallet moves upward by a certain distance so that the two feeding pallets are staggered up and down.

[0036] Furthermore, it also includes a tool loading and unloading mechanism, including two jaws, the two jaws move synchronously, the arrangement direction of the two jaws is perpendicular to the moving direction of the two output ends of the unloading module, and the two jaws can move along the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the two output ends of the unloading module, thereby being able to move the feeding tool without raw materials from the conveyor line for transporting the feeding tool to one of the feeding pallets, and being able to place the feeding tool with raw materials on the feeding pallet from the feeding pallet to the conveyor line.

[0037] The present invention also provides an online flexible feeding method, which uses the above-mentioned feeding machine and specifically includes the following steps:

[0038] Step 1: transport the raw materials to be loaded onto the vibrating tray, and vibrate the vibrating tray for a period of time;

[0039] Step 2: The first camera shoots the raw material on the vibrating tray, and the controller obtains the position information and orientation information of the raw material based on the shot image;

[0040] Step 3: The controller controls the material taking suction head to move to the top of the raw material in the required direction and suck up the raw material. If there are multiple raw materials that need to be taken out, the material taking suction head moves to the top of the corresponding raw materials in turn and sucks up the raw materials;

[0041] Step 4: Multiple material picking suction heads pass directly above the second camera in sequence. The second camera takes pictures of the raw materials on the material picking suction heads in sequence. The controller obtains the angle of the mark on the raw materials based on the pictures taken, and determines whether the current mark angle is within the predetermined angle. If it is not within the predetermined angle, the controller controls the corresponding material picking suction head to rotate so that the mark rotates to the predetermined angle.

[0042] Step 5: The material taking suction head places the raw material into the corresponding positioning slot;

[0043] Step 6: The positioning block moves toward the raw material in the positioning groove to position the raw material;

[0044] Step 7: The magnetic head moves the positioned raw materials to the feeding fixture at the receiving position of the unloading mechanism. The feeding fixture carrying the raw materials moves in the direction of unloading, and the other feeding fixture moves toward the receiving position. When the two feeding fixtures are close to a certain distance, the feeding support plate that can move up and down moves up a distance, so that the two feeding fixtures are staggered up and down;

[0045] Step 8: After the feeding tooling carrying the raw materials moves to the designated position, the feeding tooling and the raw materials are unloaded together.

[0046] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0047] The present invention can realize automatic turning over, angle positioning and position positioning of raw materials, providing guarantee for subsequent automatic processing of raw materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0049] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the component layout structure of an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 3 A schematic side cross-sectional view of an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a first camera module 61 in an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structural layout of a three-axis gantry module, a material retrieving assembly, and a material transfer mechanism in an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 6A schematic structural diagram of a material taking component in an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Another perspective structural diagram;

[0056] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a material transfer mechanism in an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 9 A schematic structural diagram of a transfer fixture in an online flexible loader provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 10 A schematic structural diagram of a magnetic suction head of a material transfer mechanism in an online flexible loading machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of a material unloading mechanism in an online flexible loading machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 12 This is a structural schematic diagram of a loading module in an online flexible loading machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The core of this invention is to provide an in-line flexible loader that enables fully automated loading of tiny components that require alignment points on both sides and within a circumferential plane, thereby enabling fully automated assembly to improve production efficiency. While this embodiment does not limit the tiny components, it only uses a headphone speaker base as an example, as this example only uses a headphone speaker base as a case study.

[0062] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and implementation methods.

[0063] Please refer to Figures 1 to 12 The present invention discloses an online flexible loading machine, which can realize full-automatic loading of raw materials, such as Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown in the figure, the online flexible loader includes a frame 1 and a casing placed on the upper part of the frame 1, and also includes a workbench 2 located on the upper part of the frame 1 and inside the casing. The frame 1, the casing, and the workbench 2 are common basic components of processing equipment. The description cited here is to better express the innovation of the present invention. The main innovation of this embodiment is that a vibration turning component 6 for turning the raw materials is provided on the workbench 2. Since the present loader is aimed at small and very light accessory raw materials, the raw materials can be turned over by the principle of vibration, which is a conventional principle. The vibration turning component 6 in this embodiment includes a vibration material tray and a first camera module 61 located on the upper side of the vibration material tray. The first camera module 61 takes pictures of the raw materials on the vibration material tray, obtains the position information and front and back information of each raw material, and transmits the position information and front and back information to the material picking component 8 through the control system. The material picking component 8 performs the material picking action according to the position information and front and back information, grabs the raw material at the front at a certain position, and transfers it to the transfer fixture 91. During this period, the material picking component 8 can take a second picture of the grabbed raw material through the second camera module 12, obtain the angle of the raw material plane alignment point in the grabbing state, and then send the angle information to the control system. The control system controls the self-rotation of the material picking component 12 according to the angle information, so that it rotates to the loading reference angle; Regarding the setting method of the material picking component 8, as shown Figure 5 In the figure, the workbench 2 is provided with a material picking assembly 8 via a three-axis gantry module 7. That is, the material picking assembly 8 is provided on the three-axis gantry module 7 via a slider structure. Driven by the three-axis gantry module 7, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis follow-up are achieved. The three-axis gantry module 7 is a common three-axis gantry industrial robot with three motion axes: X-axis (lateral movement), Y-axis (longitudinal movement), and Z-axis (longitudinal movement). This structure provides stable support for the material picking assembly 8, enabling it to handle large loads and operate under high acceleration. In this embodiment, the three-axis gantry module 7 is not the innovation of this solution, but the material picking assembly 8 is loaded based on the form of the motion axis. The picking component 8 is provided with a picking suction head 85, which has the function of rotating in the horizontal plane. The picking suction head 85 sucks the raw material through the vacuum generator 810 and rotates in the horizontal plane to adjust the horizontal reference angle or alignment position of the raw material; the three-axis gantry module 7 provides it with motion support, and the picking component 8 realizes the function of sucking the raw material and rotating in the horizontal plane through its own structure. The specific implementation structure of the suction and the horizontal rotation will be introduced in detail below.

[0064] After the material is picked up by the material picking component 8 and the horizontal reference angle or alignment position of the raw material is adjusted by rotating it in the horizontal plane, the raw material is oriented to a predetermined angle. Driven by the three-axis gantry module 7, the material picking component 8 places the raw material on the transfer jig 91 provided on the workbench 2 and positions it on the transfer jig 91. After the positioning is completed, the material moving mechanism 9 moves the raw material from the transfer jig 91 to the unloading mechanism 10, and then the unloading mechanism 10 sends the adjusted and positioned raw material to the conveyor line, thereby realizing fully automatic loading.

[0065] The workbench 2 is also provided with a waiting box 3 for placing raw materials. The waiting box 3 can accommodate a large amount of raw materials. The waiting box 3 is provided with a discharge port 31 relative to the vibration turning assembly 6. A vibration motor 32 is provided at the lower part of the waiting box 3. Through the vibration action of the vibration motor 32, the raw materials in the waiting box 3 are discharged from the discharge port 31 into the material tray at the vibration turning assembly 6. The control system can control the vibration motor 32 to work or not work according to the amount of raw materials in the material tray, and adjust the amount of material in the material tray in time.

[0066] The first camera module 61 is shown in the attached Figure 4 As shown in FIG, it includes a first camera light source fixing plate 63 fixed by a first camera fixing plate 62 and a first camera support column 66. A first camera 67 is fixedly connected to the first camera light source fixing plate 63 via a first camera mounting member 68. A first camera light source 65 is mounted on the first camera light source fixing plate 63 via a first camera light source mounting plate 64. The first camera module 61 is mounted on the top of the housing via a first camera module mounting bracket 69. The first camera light source 65 provides light for the first camera 67 to take pictures. The photographic range of the first camera 67 and the illumination range of the first camera light source 65 are both slightly larger than the size of the material tray in the vibrating material turning assembly 6.

[0067] Regarding the material taking assembly 8 described in the above embodiment, as shown in the attached Figure 6 and attached Figure 7As shown in , this part of the content will combine with the accompanying drawings to illustrate the specific principles of the function of the material picking component 8 described in this embodiment to suck materials and adjust the horizontal reference angle or alignment position of the raw materials in the plane. As shown in the accompanying drawings, the material picking component 8 includes a material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 fixed on the gantry slider mounting plate 81, and the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 is provided with a material picking suction head 85 that can move up and down relative to the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83, and also includes a rotating motor 86 arranged on the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 to drive the material picking suction head 85 to rotate. Regarding the material picking suction head 85 that can move up and down relative to the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83, it can be seen from the accompanying drawings that the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 is provided with a material picking suction head mounting plate 87 that can move up and down relative to the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83, and the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 is fixedly provided with a material picking lifting motor 812, and the output shaft of the material picking lifting motor 812 is provided with a driving wheel, and the driving wheel is connected to the driven wheel 82 through a belt, and the material picking suction head mounting plate 87 is connected to the belt through a fixed block, and a guide rail slider matching structure is provided between the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 and the material picking suction head mounting plate 87. Through the guide rail slider matching structure, the material picking lifting motor 812 drives the driving wheel and the driven wheel to make the material picking suction head mounting plate 87 on the guide rail slider move up and down relative to the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83, thereby making the material picking suction head 85 move up and down relative to the material picking suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83. Moreover, as a preferred solution of this embodiment, a material picking shield 88 is provided on the top of the material picking suction head mounting plate 87, and the material picking shield 88 protects the position sensor structure of the material picking suction head mounting plate 87; in order to further control the up and down movement range of the material picking suction head 85, a material picking suction head mounting plate sensor 813 is provided on the top of the material picking suction head mounting plate 87, and the sensor can monitor the rising distance of the material picking suction head mounting plate 87 to control the rising and falling distances of the material picking suction head 85, so as to facilitate the safe realization of material picking, suction and displacement.

[0068] Regarding the implementation of the rotational positioning of the reclaiming suction head 85, the bottom of the reclaiming suction head mounting plate 87 is mounted with a reclaiming R-axis motor mounting plate 84, which is equipped with a rotary motor 86. The reclaiming suction head 85 is mounted on the reclaiming R-axis motor mounting plate 84. The reclaiming suction head Z-axis mounting plate 83 is equipped with a vacuum generator 810 that provides air to the reclaiming suction head 85. It is also equipped with a solenoid valve 811 to control the air supply, and a negative pressure gauge 89 to display the air supply pressure. The underside of the reclaiming assembly 8 is equipped with a second camera module 12 that takes pictures and identifies the raw materials picked up by the reclaiming suction head 85. The rotary motor 86 drives the reclaiming suction head 85 to rotate. Moreover, after the material picking suction head 85 sucks the raw material, such as the headphone speaker base 001 in the attached figure, the three-axis gantry module 7 will carry the material picking suction head 85 through the second camera module 12 in turn, and the second camera module 12 will take pictures of the headphone speaker base 001 sucked by multiple material picking suction heads 85, and then transmit the pictures to the image processing module to identify the angle position of the notch on the headphone speaker base 001, which is the horizontal reference angle or alignment position of the raw material. Then the control system controls the rotating motor 86 to rotate according to the initial angle information obtained by taking the picture, so that the reference mark (for example, the notch of the headphone speaker base 001 needs to correspond to the position of the speaker installation line) is adjusted to the predetermined position. After the angle is adjusted, the raw material is placed on the transfer fixture 91 by the material picking suction head 85 to complete this process operation.

[0069] The realization of the multi-position linkage of the material picking suction head 85 has been described above. It is realized by using a three-axis gantry module 7. In order to further describe the specific implementation structure and principle of the three-axis gantry module 7, this section will further describe it; the three-axis gantry module 7 includes a gantry X-axis guide rail module 71, a gantry X-axis slider guide rail group 72 arranged parallel to the gantry X-axis guide rail module 71, and a gantry Y-axis guide rail module 73 arranged between the gantry X-axis guide rail module 71 and the gantry X-axis slider guide rail group 72. The material picking assembly 8 can be slidably set on the gantry Y-axis guide rail module 73 through the gantry slider mounting plate 81, and the three-axis gantry module 7 is installed on the workbench 2 through the gantry column 74. Through the cooperation of the gantry X-axis guide rail module 71, the gantry X-axis slider guide rail group 72, and the gantry Y-axis guide rail module 73, the X-axis and Y-axis movements of the material picking component 8 and the material picking suction head thereon are realized, and then the Z-axis movement of the material picking suction head 85 is realized through the material picking suction head mounting plate 87 in the material picking component 8, thereby completing the movement of the vibration turning component 6 position → the second camera module 12 position → the transfer fixture 91 position, as well as the lifting and lowering action of the material picking suction head 85.

[0070] After the angle adjustment is completed, the raw material on the transfer jig 91 needs to be positioned again in the plane to prevent the raw material sucked by the material pickup head 85 from being radially offset relative to the material pickup head 85 itself (for example, the raw material and the material pickup head 85 are not concentric). The transfer jig 91 is mounted on a transfer jig mounting frame 914. The transfer jig 91 is provided with multiple positioning slots 916. The number of the multiple positioning slots 916 is the same as the number of the material pickup heads 85. The multiple positioning slots 916 are arranged in the same direction as the arrangement of the multiple material pickup heads 85, and the spacing between adjacent positioning slots 916 is equal to the spacing between adjacent material pickup heads 85. The radial dimension of each positioning slot 916 matches the size of the raw material. A notch is formed in each positioning slot 816, and each notch is oriented perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the multiple positioning slots 816. A positioning block 913 is provided at the position corresponding to each notch on the transfer jig mounting frame 914. The positioning block 913 can move back and forth in a direction close to or away from the notch. When the raw material is placed in the positioning groove 916, the positioning block 913 moves toward the notch and exerts a certain force on the raw material, so that the raw material fits into the groove wall of the positioning groove 916, completing the positioning.

[0071] Preferably, multiple positioning blocks 913 are provided on the same driving rod 915 , and springs are provided between the driving rod 915 and the positioning blocks 913 , so that a certain buffer can be achieved by the springs to avoid damage to the raw material. The driving rod 915 is driven by a cylinder 917 .

[0072] Then, the material transfer mechanism 9 absorbs the positioned raw materials and places them on the feeding tooling 101 of the unloading mechanism 10 .

[0073] The material transfer mechanism 9 includes a plurality of magnetic heads arranged along the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning slots, and the number of the magnetic heads is the same as the number of positioning slots. The magnetic head includes a vertically arranged outer tube 92 and an inner rod 97. The lower end of the inner rod 97 is inserted into the outer tube 92. The inner rod 97 can move up and down relative to the outer tube 92. A magnet 912 is provided at the lower end of the inner rod 97. The magnet 912 can follow the inner rod 97 to move up and down relative to the outer tube 92 to selectively emerge or retract from the lower end of the outer tube 92. When the magnet 912 emerges from the lower end of the outer tube 92, the magnet 912 can directly contact the raw material and thereby attract the raw material. When the magnet retracts to a distance exceeding a predetermined distance from the lower end of the outer tube 92, the attraction of the magnet 912 on the raw material is less than the gravity of the raw material, and the raw material falls.

[0074] The material transfer mechanism 9 also includes a material transfer module 94 mounted on the workbench 2 via a material transfer bracket 911, a material transfer mounting plate 93 mounted on the output end of the material transfer module 94, a first cylinder mounting plate 95 movably mounted on the material transfer mounting plate 93, and a magnetic head mounting plate 96 mounted on the first cylinder mounting plate 95. The outer tube 92 is mounted on the magnetic head mounting plate 96. An inner rod lifting cylinder 910 is mounted on the first cylinder mounting plate 95. The inner rod lifting cylinder 910 is connected to the inner rod 97, and the extension and retraction of the inner rod 97 can be achieved by the extension and retraction of the inner rod lifting cylinder 910. A magnetic head lifting cylinder 99 is mounted on the material transfer mounting plate 93. The magnetic head lifting cylinder 99 is connected to the first cylinder mounting plate 95 and is used to drive the magnetic head to move up and down. The material transfer module 94 can drive the magnetic head to move back and forth between the transfer fixture 91 and the unloading mechanism 10.

[0075] The unloading mechanism 10 includes a unloading module 102 disposed on a workbench. The unloading module 102 has two independently controlled output terminals, each of which is provided with a feed tray 103. A feed fixture 101 can be placed on each feed tray 103. When viewed from above, the portions of the two feed trays 103 supporting the feed fixture 101 are located in the same straight line, ensuring that the magnetic head only needs to move to the same position each time to place the raw material on the feed fixture 101. One of the feed trays 103 can be raised and lowered relative to the unloading module 102. When the two feed trays 103 move toward each other and approach each other, the raiseable feed tray 103 moves upward a certain distance to stagger the two feed trays 103 vertically to avoid collision. The feed trays 103 are driven by a cylinder 105.

[0076] In the above summary, the material is picked up and positioned at the reference angle by the material picking component 8, and then further coaxially positioned on the transfer fixture 91. The material is then kept positioned by the material moving mechanism 9 and transferred to the loading and feeding tooling 101 while being positioned, so that the raw material is in a fully constrained assembly positioning state on the feeding tooling 101, and then the feeding tooling 101 loaded with the raw material can be loaded and assembled. As a further supplement to this embodiment, in order to realize automatic loading, it also includes a tool loading and unloading mechanism 11 located at the rear of the unloading mechanism 10, and the tool loading and unloading mechanism 11 includes a clamping claw Z-axis moving arm 112 connected by a loading bracket 111 and a clamping claw X-axis support arm 114, and the bottom end of the clamping claw Z-axis moving arm 112 is provided with a clamping claw 119 which is controlled to open and close by a clamping claw cylinder, and the clamping claw Z-axis moving arm 112 is connected to the clamping claw X-axis support arm 114 through a clamping claw Z-axis fixed plate 113, and the clamping claw Z-axis moving arm 112 is driven by the clamping claw Z-axis moving arm motor 116 to move up and down relative to the clamping claw Z-axis fixed plate 113; the clamping claw Z-axis moving arm 112 is in the clamping claw Z-axis fixed plate 113. Driven by the Z-axis fixed plate 113, the clamping jaw X-axis support arm 114 can be reciprocated by the clamping jaw X-axis support arm motor 115, thereby realizing the lifting and lowering and X-axial movement of the clamping jaw 119; the bottom of the clamping jaw Z-axis movable arm 112 is connected to a rotating cylinder 118 for controlling the rotation of the clamping jaw 119 through a clamping jaw adapter block 117; a conveyor line 5 is provided at the bottom of the tooling loading and unloading mechanism 11; a large bottom plate 1110 is provided at the bottom of the tooling loading and unloading mechanism 11 relative to the conveyor line 5, and the large bottom plate 1110 is used to support the tooling loading and unloading mechanism 11, and a bottom plate discharge port 1111 is provided on the large bottom plate 1110 for the tooling loading and unloading mechanism 11 to place the feeding tooling 101 onto the conveyor line 5. When the unloading module 102 delivers the feeding fixture 101 loaded with raw materials in the correct position to the lower part of the fixture loading and unloading mechanism 11, the clamping jaw 119 in the fixture loading and unloading mechanism 11 moves to the upper part of the feeding fixture 101 under the drive of the clamping jaw X-axis support arm 114 and the clamping jaw X-axis support arm motor 115, and then descends to the same height as the feeding fixture 101 under the drive of the clamping jaw Z-axis movable arm motor 116 and the clamping jaw Z-axis movable arm 112, and adjusts the clamping angle by rotating the cylinder 118 and clamps the feeding fixture 101, and finally places it on the conveyor line 5, and the conveyor line 5 delivers the feeding fixture 101 to the assembly station. Of course, the fixture loading and unloading mechanism 11 can also clamp the empty feeding fixture 101 delivered by the conveyor line 5, and place the empty feeding fixture 101 on the alternating feeding pallet 103 on the unloading module 102, so that the unloading module 102 can realize loading and unloading.

[0077] It should be noted that, as used herein, the retrieving assembly 8 may include multiple or one retrieving suction heads 85, and the corresponding motion execution control structures may also include multiple or one, without specific limitation. Of course, one or more internal rods 97, transfer fixture positioning slots 916, and feeding fixtures 101 may be provided to correspond or not correspond to the number of retrieving suction heads 85 in the retrieving assembly 8; the corresponding number can be adjusted based on actual work needs, or the number of parallel processes can be maintained to achieve maximum work efficiency.

[0078] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An online flexible loader, comprising: A frame, wherein a workbench is provided on the frame; A vibrating turning assembly is provided on the workbench and is used to turn the raw materials; A material taking assembly is provided on the workbench and is used to take out the raw materials in a predetermined direction from the vibrating material turning assembly; The transfer fixture is set on the workbench and is used to receive the raw materials taken out by the material taking component; The material transfer mechanism is arranged on the workbench and is used to move the raw materials on the transfer jig; A material unloading mechanism is provided on the workbench and is used to receive the raw materials from the material transferring mechanism; Controller; It is characterized in that The vibration turning assembly includes a vibration tray and a first camera module located directly above the vibration tray, wherein the first camera module takes pictures of the raw materials on the vibration tray to obtain position information and orientation information of each raw material; The transfer jig is arranged on a workbench through a transfer jig mounting frame, and a plurality of positioning slots are provided on the transfer jig, the number of the plurality of positioning slots is the same as the number of the material picking suction heads, the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning slots is the same as the arrangement direction of the plurality of material picking suction heads, and the spacing between adjacent positioning slots is equal to the spacing between adjacent material picking suction heads; The radial dimension of each positioning groove matches the dimension of the raw material; A notch is formed on each positioning groove, and the direction of each notch is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning grooves; A positioning block is provided at the position corresponding to each notch on the transfer jig mounting frame. The positioning block can move back and forth in the direction close to or away from the notch. When the raw material is placed in the positioning groove, the positioning block can move toward the notch and push against the raw material, so that the raw material fits into the groove wall of the positioning groove to complete the positioning; The material moving mechanism includes a plurality of magnetic heads, which are arranged along the arrangement direction of the plurality of positioning slots, and the number of the magnetic heads is the same as the number of the positioning slots; the magnetic head includes a vertically arranged outer tube and an inner rod, the lower end of the inner rod is inserted into the outer tube, and the inner rod can move up and down relative to the outer tube, and a magnet is provided at the lower end of the inner rod, and the magnet can follow the inner rod to move up and down relative to the outer tube to selectively expose or retract from the lower end of the outer tube, when the magnet is exposed from the lower end of the outer tube, the magnet can directly contact the raw material, thereby sucking up the raw material, and when the magnet is retracted to a distance exceeding a predetermined value from the lower end of the outer tube, the suction force of the magnet on the raw material is less than the gravity of the raw material, and the raw material falls; The material moving mechanism also includes a material moving module arranged on the workbench through a material moving bracket, a material moving mounting plate arranged on the output end of the material moving module, a first cylinder mounting plate movably arranged on the material moving mounting plate, and a magnetic head mounting plate arranged on the first cylinder mounting plate. The outer tube is arranged on the magnetic head mounting plate, and an inner rod lifting cylinder is arranged on the first cylinder mounting plate. The inner rod lifting cylinder is connected to the inner rod, and the extension and retraction of the inner rod can be achieved by the extension and retraction of the inner rod lifting cylinder. A magnetic head lifting cylinder is provided on the material moving mounting plate, and the magnetic head lifting cylinder is connected to the first cylinder mounting plate, and is used to drive the magnetic head to move up and down; The material transfer module can drive the magnetic suction head to move back and forth between the transfer fixture and the material discharge mechanism.

2. The online flexible loader according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first camera module includes: A first camera is located directly above the vibrating tray and shoots downward; A first camera light source is located directly above the vibrating tray and irradiates downwards; When viewed from above, the first camera is located in the middle of the light source of the first camera, and the controller can obtain the image taken by the first camera and process it to obtain the position information and orientation information of the raw material.

3. The online flexible loader according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material taking component comprises: The Z-axis mounting plate of the material picking suction head can move in the X, Y, and Z space; Multiple material picking suction heads are arranged on the Z-axis mounting plate of the material picking suction head. The multiple material picking suction heads are arranged at equal intervals along the Y direction. The multiple material picking suction heads can be moved directly above the vibrating material tray, and the multiple material picking suction heads can move up and down independently relative to the Z-axis mounting plate of the material picking suction head.

4. The online flexible loader according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also included is a second camera module, the second camera module including: The second camera is set on the workbench and located between the vibrating material tray and the transfer fixture, shooting upward, and multiple material removal suction heads can be moved to just above the second camera; Each material picking suction head is rotatable along its own axis. The controller can determine the angle of the mark on the raw material through the picture taken by the second camera and control the rotation of the material picking suction head to adjust the mark on the raw material to a specified angle.

5. The online flexible loader according to claim 4, characterized in that: The unloading mechanism includes an unloading module arranged on a workbench, the unloading module having two output ends, the two output ends being independently controlled, a feeding support plate being arranged on each output end, each feeding support plate being used to place a feeding tool, and when viewed from above, the parts of the two feeding support plates supporting the feeding tool are located in the same straight line; One of the feeding pallets can be lifted and lowered relative to the unloading module. When the two feeding pallets move toward each other and get close to each other, the liftable feeding pallet moves upward by a certain distance so that the two feeding pallets are staggered up and down.

6. The online flexible loader according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a tool loading and unloading mechanism, including two jaws, which move synchronously, and the arrangement direction of the two jaws is perpendicular to the moving direction of the two output ends of the unloading module, and the two jaws can move along the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the two output ends of the unloading module, thereby being able to move the feeding tool without raw materials from the conveyor line for transporting the feeding tool to one of the feeding pallets, and being able to place the feeding tool with raw materials on the feeding pallet from the feeding pallet onto the conveyor line.

7. An online flexible loading method, using the online flexible loading machine according to claim 6, comprising the following steps: Step 1: transport the raw materials to be loaded onto the vibrating tray, and vibrate the vibrating tray for a period of time; Step 2: The first camera shoots the raw material on the vibrating tray, and the controller obtains the position information and orientation information of the raw material based on the shot image; Step 3: The controller controls the material taking suction head to move to the top of the raw material in the required direction and suck up the raw material. If there are multiple raw materials that need to be taken out, the material taking suction head moves to the top of the corresponding raw materials in turn and sucks up the raw materials; Step 4: Multiple material picking suction heads pass directly above the second camera in sequence. The second camera takes pictures of the raw materials on the material picking suction heads in sequence. The controller obtains the angle of the mark on the raw materials based on the pictures taken, and determines whether the current mark angle is within the predetermined angle. If it is not within the predetermined angle, the controller controls the corresponding material picking suction head to rotate so that the mark rotates to the predetermined angle. Step 5: The material taking suction head places the raw material into the corresponding positioning slot; Step 6: The positioning block moves toward the raw material in the positioning groove to position the raw material; Step 7: The magnetic head moves the positioned raw materials to the feeding fixture at the receiving position in the unloading mechanism. The feeding fixture carrying the raw materials moves along the unloading direction, and the other feeding fixture moves toward the receiving position. When the two feeding fixtures are close to a certain distance, the feeding support plate that can move up and down moves a distance upward, so that the two feeding fixtures are staggered up and down; Step 8: After the feeding tooling carrying the raw materials moves to the designated position, the feeding tooling and the raw materials are unloaded together.

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