Ball pin welding workstation and method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ball pin welding, and discloses a ball pin welding workstation which comprises a conveying device, a distance changing mechanism, a carrying mechanism, a distance resetting mechanism, a transferring mechanism and a feeding device, and a feeding robot, a primary welding device, a heat preservation device, a tempering device, a cleaning device and a discharging robot are sequentially arranged on the inner side of the conveying device. The ball body is provided for the primary welding device through the feeding device, the pin rod is provided for the primary welding device through the feeding robot, the distance changing mechanism and the carrying mechanisms, after primary welding is conducted through the primary welding device, the other carrying mechanisms synchronously carry the ball pin to the next station, and after primary welding, heat preservation, tempering and grinding are conducted in sequence, the ball pin is obtained. After the transfer mechanism and the distance resetting mechanism are used for resetting the distance of the ball pin, the discharging robot carries the final ball pin finished product back to the conveying device. The invention further discloses a ball pin welding method, all devices and mechanisms of the workstation are matched in an ordered and coordinated mode, and the reliability of the quality of the ball pin is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of ball pin welding, and in particular to a ball pin welding workstation and a method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The lateral parallel rods in the automobile suspension system usually need to be connected by ball pins. The lateral parallel rods are also called lateral stabilizer bars, anti-roll bars or balance bars. They are an auxiliary elastic element in the automobile suspension. The middle part of the rod body is usually hinged to the vehicle body or frame, while the two ends are mostly connected to the suspension guide arm through ball pins. The ball pin can not only realize multi-angle flexible rotation, adapt to the different degrees of compression or extension of the left and right suspensions during vehicle driving, and ensure that the lateral stabilizer bar effectively suppresses the body roll, but also effectively transmits force and torque, balances the body posture, and ensures the working efficiency of the lateral stabilizer bar.

[0003] In the manufacturing process of automobile suspension systems, the connection quality between the ball and the pin of the ball pin is crucial, and welding, as the main means of connection, has a direct impact on the overall performance and safety of the car. At present, there are many problems in the traditional ball pin welding method that are difficult to ignore.

[0004] In some welding methods with a high degree of automation, the pin rod is used as an axis structure, and its loading is relatively easy to achieve, but the loading of the ball is not easy to control, which will affect the overall welding efficiency. In addition, the existing ball pin welding method has shortcomings in terms of quality stability and welding reliability. Therefore, a set of innovative welding workstations is urgently needed to solve these problems in order to improve the manufacturing quality and production efficiency of ball pins in automobile suspension systems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide a ball pin welding workstation and method thereof. A loading robot transports the pin rod from a conveying device to a pitch changing mechanism, the loading device transports the sphere to an initial welding device, and a plurality of transport mechanisms transport the workpiece to the next workstation in sequence. After initial welding, heat preservation, tempering and grinding, the workpiece is transported to a re-distance mechanism by a transfer mechanism, and the final ball pin is moved back to the conveying device by a unloading robot, thereby improving the quality and reliability of ball pin welding and improving welding efficiency.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: In a first aspect, a ball pin welding workstation is provided, comprising a conveying device for conveying pin rods and / or ball pins, a loading robot, an initial welding device, a heat preservation device, a tempering device, a cleaning device and a unloading robot are sequentially arranged on the inner side of the conveying device, a distance-changing mechanism is arranged on the side of the initial welding device close to the loading robot, a plurality of conveying mechanisms are sequentially arranged on the outer side of the distance-changing mechanism, a distance-recovering mechanism and a transfer mechanism are arranged on the side of the cleaning device close to the unloading robot, and a loading device for feeding a ball is arranged on the front side of the initial welding device; wherein, the loading robot conveys the pin rod from the conveying device to the distance-changing mechanism, and after the loading device provides the ball to the initial welding device, the plurality of conveying mechanisms synchronously convey the workpiece to the next workstation in sequence, the transfer mechanism conveys the ball pin from the cleaning device to the distance-recovering mechanism, and the unloading robot conveys the ball pin from the distance-recovering mechanism back to the conveying device.

[0007] Optionally, the feeding device includes a hopper, a pipe and a material rubbing mechanism, the hopper is fixed on the initial welding device, one end of the pipe extends from bottom to top into the hopper and can float up and down, and the other end is connected to the material rubbing mechanism through an anti-error component; the material rubbing mechanism includes a material guide block connected to the pipe, a material rubbing block that can move laterally is arranged below the material guide block, a material rubbing hole for accommodating a sphere is opened on the material rubbing block, and a lifting component for ejecting the sphere is arranged below the material rubbing hole.

[0008] Optionally, the initial welding device includes a first positioning tool for fixing the pin rod, and a suction head for grabbing the ball that is ejected from the rubbing hole is arranged above the first positioning tool, and the suction head can be raised and lowered longitudinally to place the ball on the top of the pin rod.

[0009] Optionally, the error-proofing component includes a material picking block, both ends of which are respectively connected to the pipe and the material guiding block, and a limit pin is passed through the top of the material picking block, a discharge hole is opened at the bottom of the material picking block, and a material box for receiving wrong materials is arranged below the discharge hole.

[0010] Optionally, a feeding device for replenishing spheres into the hopper is also provided on the outside of the initial welding device, and the feeding device includes a material frame, a transmission component and a push plate that can be lifted and lowered reciprocatingly; one end of the transmission component is located above the hopper, and the other end is connected to the material frame through a conduit, and the material frame is fixedly installed on the rear side of the initial welding device, and the push plate is slidably installed on the inner side of the material frame, and a material guide groove that can be connected to the conduit is opened on the top of the push plate.

[0011] Optionally, the heat preservation device includes a first turntable capable of rotating horizontally, the first turntable is located between the initial welding device and the tempering device, and a plurality of first fixtures for clamping ball pins are fixedly installed near the edge of the first turntable, a fixed disk is arranged above the first turntable, and a blowing assembly for maintaining the temperature of the ball pin is arranged on the fixed disk.

[0012] Optionally, the cleaning device includes a second turntable capable of rotating horizontally, the second turntable is located between the tempering device and the distance adjustment mechanism, and a plurality of second jigs for clamping ball pins are rotatably installed near the edge of the second turntable; a grinding assembly for grinding the ball pins is arranged above the second turntable, and a driving assembly for driving the second jig to rotate is arranged below the second turntable.

[0013] Optionally, the driving assembly includes a support plate that can reciprocate radially along the second turntable, a driven wheel is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the second fixture, and a driving wheel that can drive the driven wheel to rotate is rotatably mounted on the support plate.

[0014] In a second aspect, a ball pin welding method is provided, using the ball pin welding workstation described in the first aspect, comprising the following steps: S1. The conveying device transports the pin rod to one side of the feeding robot through the material tray. The feeding robot moves the pin rod to the pitch-changing mechanism for pitch change. At the same time, the feeding device transports the sphere to the bottom of the suction head. After the suction head absorbs the sphere, the rubbing mechanism of the feeding device retracts to its original position. S2. Multiple transport mechanisms act synchronously to transport the ball pins on the tempering station to the cleaning station for grinding, transport the ball pins on the insulation station to the tempering station for tempering, transport the ball pins completed on the initial welding station to the insulation station for insulation, and transport the pins on the variable pitch station to the initial welding station for welding with the sphere; S3, the transfer mechanism transports the polished ball pin on the cleaning station to the distance adjustment mechanism for distance adjustment, so as to facilitate the unloading robot to grab; S4, the unloading robot moves the ball pin from the distance recovery mechanism to the material tray of the conveying device again, and the conveying device drives the material tray to flow back; S5. In the process of moving the ball pins back to the material tray, one group of ball pins is moved to the sampling inspection station by the unloading robot every specified number.

[0015] Optionally, during the process of conveying the spheres by the feeding device, the upper end of the pipe floats up and down in the hopper, the spheres in the hopper enter the pipe and are conveyed along the pipe to the error-proofing component, and qualified spheres then enter the rubbing mechanism and are ejected by the jacking component below the rubbing hole for suction by the suction head.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) In the present invention, a ball is provided to the initial welding device through a loading device, and a pin rod is provided to the initial welding device through a loading robot, a pitch-changing mechanism and a transporting mechanism. After the initial welding by the initial welding device, the ball pin is synchronously transported to the next station by the remaining transporting mechanisms. After the initial welding, heat preservation, tempering and grinding, the ball pin is re-distanced by the transfer mechanism and the re-distance mechanism, and then the final ball pin product is moved back to the conveying device by the unloading robot, thereby improving the reliability of welding and the stability of the ball pin quality, and improving the efficiency of ball pin welding; (2) With respect to the aforementioned feeding device, the upper end of the pipe can float up and down in the hopper, which can not only improve the transportation efficiency of the balls, but also prevent the balls in the hopper from being blocked in the pipe, thereby ensuring that the feeding device can smoothly feed the materials; (3) With respect to the aforementioned feeding device, the rubbing block and the guide block of the rubbing mechanism can slide relative to each other, and the rubbing hole can ensure the single feeding of the ball. The lifting assembly can ensure that the ball can be ejected from the rubbing hole, which is convenient for the suction head of the initial welding device to grab; (4) For the aforementioned feeding device, a limit pin and a discharge hole are provided on the material inspection block of the error prevention component. The limit pin can limit the maximum size of the ball, and the discharge hole can limit the minimum size of the ball, thereby avoiding the situation where the specifications of the ball and the pin rod do not correspond. This can not only improve the application range of the feeding device, but also ensure the accuracy of feeding; (5) In the present invention, a feeding device is also provided for the feeding device. Since the hopper is located at a high position, manual feeding has safety hazards. Therefore, the feeding device can be used to add the spheres to the hopper from a low position, thereby reducing the work intensity of the staff, improving the feeding efficiency, and ensuring the personal safety of the staff. (6) In the present invention, the second fixture of the cleaning device is driven to rotate by the driving assembly through friction. This design can simplify the overall structure of the cleaning device and ensure that the second fixture can be driven to rotate to different positions; (7) In the present invention, the ball pin welding method enables the various devices and mechanisms of the ball pin welding workstation to coordinate and cooperate in an orderly manner, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of welding. After initial welding, heat preservation, tempering and grinding in sequence, the reliability of the ball pin quality is greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a ball pin welding workstation in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the isometric structure of a ball pin welding workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of the top view of the ball pin welding workstation in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4It is a schematic diagram of the position structure of the first positioning tool and the welding assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a feeding device in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the error-proofing component and the material rubbing mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a feeding device in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a transmission component in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a heat preservation device in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.10 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning device in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a drive assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.12 is a structural schematic diagram of a pitch-changing mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.13 It is a structural schematic diagram of a transfer mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.14 is a schematic structural diagram of a transport mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention; Among them, 1, frame; 2, pitch changing mechanism; 201, bracket; 202, fixture seat; 3. Initial welding device; 301. Suction head; 302. First positioning tool; 303. Welding assembly; 4. Insulation device; 401. First rotating disk; 402. First fixture; 403. Fixed disk; 404. Blowing assembly; 405. Support rod; 5. Tempering device; 6. Cleaning device; 601. Second turntable; 602. Second fixture; 603. Grinding assembly; 604. Driving assembly; 641. Support; 642. Support plate; 643. Guide rod; 644. Mounting plate; 645. Support plate; 646. Auxiliary wheel; 605. Driven wheel; 7. Feeding device; 701. Hopper; 702. Pipeline; 703. Error-proofing assembly; 731. Material inspection block; 732. Discharge hole; 733. Material box; 704. Material rubbing mechanism; 741. Material guide block; 742. Material rubbing block; 743. Material rubbing hole; 744. Lifting assembly; 8. Feeding device; 801. Material frame; 802. Push plate; 803. Material guide trough; 804. Conduit; 805. Transmission component; 851. Shell; 852. Conveyor belt; 853. Baffle; 9. Transport mechanism; 901. Base; 902. Lifting assembly; 903. Translation and telescopic assembly; 904. Horizontal plate; 10. Transfer mechanism; 101. Support frame; 102. Transverse linear module; 103. Lifting linear module; 104. Fixture plate; 11. Re-distance mechanism; 12. Loading robot; 13. Unloading robot; 14. Conveying device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention will now be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams that only illustrate the basic structure of the present invention in a schematic manner, and therefore only show the components related to the present invention. Embodiment 1

[0019] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a ball pin welding workstation comprises a frame 1, on which a conveying device 14 is arranged, and on the inner side of the conveying device 14, a loading robot 12, an initial welding device 3, an insulation device 4, a tempering device 5, a cleaning device 6 and a unloading robot 13 are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the frame 1; a variable distance mechanism 2 is arranged on the side of the initial welding device 3 close to the loading robot 12, and a plurality of conveying mechanisms 9 are arranged in sequence on the outer side of the variable distance mechanism 2, a distance adjustment mechanism 11 and a transfer mechanism 10 are arranged on the side of the cleaning device 6 close to the unloading robot 13, and a loading device 7 for ball feeding is arranged on the front side of the initial welding device 3.

[0020] Among them, the loading robot 12 transports the pin rod from the conveying device 14 to the pitch changing mechanism 2. After the loading device 7 provides the sphere to the initial welding device 3, multiple conveying mechanisms 9 synchronously transport the workpieces to the next workstation in turn. The transfer mechanism 10 transports the ball pin from the cleaning device 6 to the distance adjustment mechanism 11. Finally, the unloading robot 13 moves the ball pin from the distance adjustment mechanism 11 back to the conveying device 14.

[0021] Specifically, a sphere is provided to the initial welding device 3 through the loading device 7, and a pin rod is provided to the initial welding device 3 through the loading robot 12, the pitch changing mechanism 2 and the transporting mechanism 9. After initial welding by the initial welding device 3, the ball pin is synchronously transported to the next workstation by the remaining transporting mechanisms 9. After initial welding, insulation, tempering and grinding in sequence, the ball pin is re-distanced by the transfer mechanism 10 and the re-distance mechanism 11, and then the unloading robot 13 moves the final ball pin product back to the conveying device 14, thereby improving the reliability of welding and the stability of the ball pin quality, and improving the efficiency of ball pin welding.

[0022] As mentioned above, initial welding is to initially weld and fix the ball and the pin together to form a ball pin. Insulation is to keep the temperature of the ball pin within a certain range for a period of time after the initial welding to avoid reducing the connection strength after the connection is cooled, and also to prepare for subsequent tempering. Tempering is the tempering process after welding, which heats the welded ball pin, keeps it warm at a certain temperature and cools it to improve the structure and performance of the welded joint. Grinding is to clean the surface of the ball pin after tempering to improve the quality of the product.

[0023] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the initial welding device 3 includes a welding body, a lifting and lowering suction head 301 is arranged above the front side of the welding body, a first positioning tool 302 is arranged below the suction head 301, and welding components 303 for fixing the ball and the pin rod together are arranged on both sides of the first positioning tool 302.

[0024] The first positioning fixture 302 is used to fix the pin rod, and the suction head 301 is used to grab the sphere. When the pin rod is fixed on the first positioning fixture 302 and the suction head 301 grabs the sphere, the suction head 301 moves down and places the sphere on the top of the pin rod. Then the welding components 303 on both sides are attached to the connection between the pin rod and the sphere to weld the two together to form a ball pin.

[0025] The suction head 301 is hollow inside, with one end provided with a groove matching the outer contour of the sphere, and the other end connected to a vacuum generator, where negative pressure is generated by vacuum to adsorb the sphere and grab it from the feeding device 7; and the suction head 301 is driven by an existing linear module, such as an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, etc. to achieve lifting and lowering.

[0026] In addition, the welding assembly 303 includes two welding pieces that can open and close relative to each other. When the pin rod and the sphere are in place, the two welding pieces are synchronously close to the connection between the pin rod and the sphere, and welding is achieved after power is turned on.

[0027] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the tempering device 5 includes a tempering body, and the front side of the tempering body is also provided with a second positioning fixture, and heating components are provided on both sides of the second positioning fixture. After the ball pin after initial welding and heat preservation is placed on the second positioning fixture of the tempering device 5, the heating component is close to the weld to perform tempering treatment. Reduce or eliminate welding residual stress, prevent deformation and cracking of welded components; eliminate the hardened structure of the welding heat affected zone, improve the toughness and plasticity of the welded joint, and improve its comprehensive mechanical properties; promote the escape of residual hydrogen, which is conducive to preventing delayed cracks.

[0028] The heating assembly includes two heating plates that can open and close relative to each other. When the ball pin is in place, the two heating plates are synchronously close to the weld and are heated after power is turned on.

[0029] In addition, gas treatment equipment is installed on both sides of the tempering station to suck in the gas generated by tempering through negative pressure for unified treatment to ensure that the gas will not leak into the external working environment.

[0030] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the feeding device 7 includes a hopper 701, a pipe 702 and a material rubbing mechanism 704, one end of the pipe 702 extends from bottom to top into the hopper 701 and can float up and down, and the other end is connected to the material rubbing mechanism 704 through an error-proofing component 703; the material rubbing mechanism 704 includes a material guide block 741 connected to the pipe 702, a material rubbing block 742 capable of moving laterally is arranged below the material guide block 741, a material rubbing hole 743 for accommodating a sphere is opened on the material rubbing block 742, and a lifting component 744 for ejecting the sphere is arranged below the material rubbing hole 743.

[0031] As mentioned above, the lower part of the hopper 701 is in a funnel-shaped structure, and the pipe 702 penetrates into the hopper 701 along the axis from bottom to top, and a cylinder is provided on the outer side of the lower part of the hopper 701, and the output end of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the pipe 702. When the cylinder is extended or retracted, the upper end of the pipe 702 can be driven to float up and down in the hopper 701, and the spheres in the hopper 701 can be made to enter the pipe 702 by shaking up and down, thereby avoiding blockage caused by gravity alone and improving the efficiency of transporting the spheres along the pipe 702.

[0032] The specifications of the material rubbing hole 743 can only accommodate one sphere at a time, ensuring that the spheres are fed one by one; when the material rubbing block 742 retracts and the material rubbing hole 743 is aligned with the inner hole of the guide block 741, the sphere in the inner hole falls into the material rubbing hole 743 due to gravity, and then the material rubbing block 742 extends, and the lifting component 744 pushes the sphere out of the material rubbing hole 743, and the suction head 301 of the initial welding device 3 moves down to fit the sphere, and after it is adsorbed by negative pressure, the suction head 301 moves up to complete the grabbing of the sphere; then the material rubbing block 742 retracts again, and the suction head 301 moves down to place the sphere on the top of the pin rod, until it moves up to its original position again after welding is completed.

[0033] Among them, the outer fixed sleeve of the welding body is provided with a fixed frame, the hopper 701 is fixedly installed on the fixed frame and is in a higher position, and the pipeline 702 adopts a hose to facilitate the transportation of the sphere; the rubbing block 742 is driven by the existing linear module to reciprocate along the length direction of the frame 1, the linear module is installed on the frame 1, and the jacking assembly 744 can adopt a cylinder, and its body and the rubbing block 742 are connected to the output end of the linear module.

[0034] Furthermore, the error-proofing component 703 includes a picking block 731, both ends of which are connected to the pipe 702 and the guide block 741 respectively, and a limit pin is passed through the top of the picking block 731, and a discharge hole 732 is opened at the bottom of the picking block 731, and a material box 733 for receiving wrong materials is arranged below the discharge hole 732.

[0035] By rotating the limit pin, the protruding length of its end in the inner cavity of the picking block 731 can be controlled. The picking block 731 includes a fixed part and a disassembly part. The limit pin is screwed and penetrated in the fixed part, and the discharge hole 732 is opened in the disassembly part. By replacing the disassembly part with discharge holes 732 of different sizes, the limitation of different minimum diameters can be achieved.

[0036] The material checking block 731 is tilted, and its two ends are respectively connected to the pipe 702 and the material guide block 741. The maximum size of the sphere allowed to pass through can be limited by the limit pin, and the minimum size of the sphere allowed to pass through can be limited by the discharge hole 732, avoiding the situation where the specifications of the sphere and the pin rod do not correspond. This structure can not only improve the application scope of the feeding device 7, but also ensure the accuracy of feeding.

[0037] In addition, position sensors are provided on both sides of the material inspection block 731 corresponding to the limit pin. When the position sensor detects that there is a ball for a long time and the position does not change, it can be determined that the limit pin has intercepted a larger ball. When the position sensor detects that no ball passes for a long time, it can be determined that the hopper 701 is short of material.

[0038] When the smaller-sized spheres enter the inner cavity of the material-checking block 731 , they will pass through the discharge hole 732 and fall into the material box 733 , thus preventing them from entering the material-rubbing mechanism 704 , thereby greatly improving the accuracy of the material-feeding device 7 .

[0039] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Fig. 9 As shown, the insulation device 4 includes a first turntable 401 and a fixed disk 403. The first turntable 401 is located between the initial welding device 3 and the tempering device 5, and is horizontally rotatably installed on the top surface of the frame 1; the fixed disk 403 is located at the center above the first turntable 401, and the fixed disk 403 is fixedly connected to the frame 1 through a support rod 405.

[0040] Among them, a plurality of first fixtures 402 for clamping ball pins are fixedly installed near the edge of the first turntable 401, and the plurality of first fixtures 402 are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the first turntable 401, and a blowing assembly 404 for maintaining the temperature of the ball pin is provided on the fixed disk 403.

[0041] The blowing assembly 404 includes a plurality of curved pipes, which are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the fixed disk 403, and one end of the curved pipe is aligned with the ball pin on the first fixture 402, and the other end is connected to the hot air blower; the hot air blower blows hot air to the surface of the ball pin through the curved pipe to ensure that its own temperature can be maintained within a certain range; as the first turntable 401 rotates, the surrounding side of the ball pin can be blown by the hot air.

[0042] The temperature of the ball pin is maintained within a certain range by the heat preservation device 4, which can not only prevent the weld from being cooled after the initial welding, thereby reducing the connection strength, but also prepare for the subsequent tempering treatment, so that its temperature rises smoothly, ensures its connection strength, and improves the welding quality of the ball pin.

[0043] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, the cleaning device 6 includes a second turntable 601, which is located between the tempering device 5 and the distance adjustment mechanism 11, and is also horizontally rotatably installed on the top surface of the frame 1. A plurality of second fixtures 602 for clamping ball pins are rotatably installed near the edge of the second turntable 601, and the plurality of second fixtures 602 are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the second turntable 601.

[0044] A grinding assembly 603 is arranged above the second turntable 601, and a driving assembly 604 is arranged below; the grinding assembly 603 is used to grind and clean the welding slag of the ball pin, and the driving assembly 604 is used to drive the second fixture 602 at the corresponding position to rotate; when the second fixture 602 rotates to the position corresponding to the grinding assembly 603, the driving assembly 604 drives the corresponding second fixture 602 to rotate, which simplifies the structure and reduces the cost.

[0045] Specifically, the grinding component 603 includes two brushes that can open and close relative to each other, and the two brushes are distributed on both sides of the second fixture 602. When the second fixture 602 drives the ball pin to rotate between the two brushes, the two brushes are relatively close to and fit the ball pin. Then the driving component 604 drives the second fixture 602 to rotate, indirectly driving the ball pin to rotate, causing relative friction between it and the brushes, thereby achieving the purpose of removing impurities such as welding slag.

[0046] As mentioned above, the driving assembly 604 includes a support plate 642 that can reciprocate along the radial direction of the second rotating disk 601, that is, close to or away from the second fixture 602, the lower end of the second fixture 602 passes through the second rotating disk 601 and is fixedly mounted with a driven wheel 605, and a driving wheel that can drive the driven wheel 605 to rotate is rotatably mounted on the support plate 642. When the support plate 642 drives the driving wheel and the outer circumferential surface of the driven wheel 605 to be close together, the torque of the driving wheel is transmitted to the driven wheel 605 through friction, thereby realizing the rotation of the second fixture 602 around its own axis.

[0047] Furthermore, the driving component 604 also includes a support 641 slidably mounted on the frame 1, a support plate 642 fixedly mounted on the top of the support 641, a motor is installed below the support plate 642, and the output end of the motor is connected to the driving wheel; a first telescopic component is provided on one side of the support 641, and the output end of the first telescopic component is connected to the support 641, which is used to drive the driving wheel and the driven wheel 605 to stick together.

[0048] A guide rod 643 is movably provided on the upper part of the support 641, one end of the guide rod 643 is connected to a support plate 645, and the other end is connected to a mounting plate 644; a second telescopic component is installed on the mounting plate 644, and an output end of the second telescopic component is connected to the support 641; two auxiliary wheels 646 arranged opposite to each other are rotatably installed on the support plate 645, and the auxiliary wheel 646 is located on the inner side of the driven wheel 605.

[0049] Specifically, both the first telescopic assembly and the second telescopic assembly use cylinders. The first telescopic assembly pushes the support 641 and the support plate 642 close to the center of the second turntable 601, so that the driving wheel is close to the driven wheel 605 from the outside; at the same time, the second telescopic assembly extends out, and pulls the auxiliary wheel 646 from the inside to the driven wheel 605 through the guide rod 643, realizing triangular positioning, thereby improving the stability of the rotation drive of the second fixture 602.

[0050] The first fixture 402 and the second fixture 602 are both prior art, and thus will not be described in detail herein.

[0051] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Fig.12 As shown, the variable distance mechanism 2 includes two jig seats 202 that can open and close relative to each other along the length direction of the frame 1, and the jig seats 202 are used to fix the pin rods; when the loading robot 12 places the pin rods on the two jig seats 202, one of them moves away from the other until the distance between the two pin rods is the same as the gripping spacing of the conveying mechanism 9.

[0052] As mentioned above, the pitch changing mechanism 2 also includes a bracket 201 fixedly mounted on the frame 1, a linear module is arranged on the top of the bracket 201, one of the jig seats 202 is fixedly connected to the bracket 201, and the other jig seat 202 is connected to the output end of the linear module; one of the jig seats 202 is driven away from the other jig seat 202 by the linear module, thereby achieving the purpose of pitch changing.

[0053] In order to ensure the accuracy of the distance change, a position sensor for detecting the position of the jig seat 202 is also provided on the bracket 201, that is, the position sensor is set at a fixed position. When the distance between the two jig seats 202 reaches the specified interval, the linear module stops moving; the two pins are taken away synchronously by the conveying mechanism 9; when the position sensor detects that the pins are taken away, the output end of the linear module is reset to facilitate the next loading robot 12 to transport the pins to the two jig seats 202.

[0054] In addition, a detection mechanism for detecting the height of the pin rod is also provided on the inner side of the bracket 201, including two longitudinal plates that can slide relative to each other along the length direction of the frame 1. A detection probe that can be raised and lowered is installed on the longitudinal plates. The longitudinal plates drive the probe to move to the top of the pin rod, and then the probe moves down to contact the top surface of the pin rod to detect its height to avoid material errors.

[0055] Among them, the workstation adopts a double workstation, that is, the initial welding device 3, the tempering device 5 and the cleaning device 6 have two workstations at the same time. The initial welding device 3 can complete the welding of two ball pins at the same time, the tempering device 5 can temper the two ball pins at the same time, and the cleaning device 6 can clean the welding slag and other impurities of the two ball pins at the same time.

[0056] Similarly, two loading devices 7, feeding devices 8, suction heads 301, grinding components 603, etc. are provided; since the pins are stored relatively closely on the material tray of the conveying device 14, and the spacing between the double workstations is relatively large, before welding, the pins need to be changed to the same spacing as the grabbing spacing of the transport mechanism 9.

[0057] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Fig.10 and Fig.14 As shown, the transport mechanism 9 includes a base 901 that can reciprocate along the length direction of the frame 1. The base 901 is slidably connected to the frame 1 through a slide rail slider and is driven by a gear rack structure. A lifting component 902 is installed on the base 901. The output end of the lifting component 902 is connected to a translation telescopic component 903. The movement directions of the translation telescopic component 903 and the output end of the lifting component 902 are perpendicular to each other, and the output end of the translation telescopic component 903 is connected to a cross plate 904 parallel to the slide rail, and two clamping claws for clamping pins or ball pins are relatively arranged on the cross plate 904.

[0058] As mentioned above, the horizontal plate 904 can move along the length direction of the frame 1, can also be lifted and lowered in the longitudinal direction, and can also be close to or away from the initial welding device 3; the two clamps are symmetrically distributed on the horizontal plate 904, and when the transport mechanism 9 clamps the pin rod through the clamps, it moves along the slide rail to the front side of the initial welding device 3, and adjusts the position of the horizontal plate 904 through the lifting component 902 and the translation and telescopic component 903, so that the pin rod can be inserted into the positioning tooling for fixing. The lifting component 902 and the translation and telescopic component 903 here can both use cylinders, and the transport mechanism 9 is provided with four, which are distributed in sequence along the length direction of the frame 1.

[0059] Among them, the first conveying mechanism 9 is used to convey the pin rod from the pitch changing mechanism 2 to the positioning fixture of the initial welding device 3, the second conveying mechanism 9 is used to convey the ball pin after initial welding from the positioning fixture to the first fixture 402 of the insulation device 4, the third conveying mechanism 9 is used to convey the ball pin from the first fixture 402 to the work station of the tempering device 5, and the fourth conveying mechanism 9 is used to convey the ball pin from the work station of the tempering device 5 to the second fixture 602 of the cleaning device 6 for fixing.

[0060] The four transport mechanisms 9 transport and move synchronously, so that the transfer of the ball pins at different workstations is orderly and efficient, which greatly improves the overall welding efficiency.

[0061] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Fig.10 and Fig.13 As shown, the transfer mechanism 10 includes a support frame 101 fixed on the top of the frame 1, a transverse linear module 102 is installed on one side of the support frame 101, the output end of the transverse linear module 102 is connected to the lifting linear module 103, the output end of the lifting linear module 103 is connected to the clamp plate 104, and two clamping claws for clamping ball pins are installed on the clamp plate 104, and the two clamping claws are distributed at intervals.

[0062] Specifically, the clamp plate 104 can drive the clamp to move along the length direction of the frame 1, and can also be lifted and lowered in the longitudinal direction; the transverse linear module 102 first drives the clamp to move transversely to the top of the second fixture 602, and then the lifting linear module 103 drives the clamp to move downward to clamp the ball pin, and then move upward to a safe position after clamping, and then move horizontally to the top of the return distance mechanism 11, and finally the lifting linear module 103 drives the clamp to move downward to place the ball pin on the return distance mechanism 11 for return distance.

[0063] As mentioned above, the structures of the distance adjustment mechanism 11 and the distance changing mechanism 2 are the same. The latter is used to adjust the distance of the clamping of the loading robot 12 to the distance of the clamping of the transport mechanism 9. The function of the former is opposite to this, so that the ball pin after the distance change is restored to the initial interval, and the unloading robot 13 is adapted to clamp it, so that the unloading robot 13 can move the final ball pin back to the material tray of the conveying device 14.

[0064] Here, both the loading robot 12 and the unloading robot 13 are existing six-axis robots, and claws are also provided at the ends of the robots for clamping pins or ball pins, and positioning is achieved by using visual technology.

[0065] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the conveying device 14 includes a double-layer reflux conveying line, which is used to convey a material tray, and the material tray is used to hold pin rods or ball pins.

[0066] The upper layer of the reflux conveyor line is above the rack 1, and the lower layer is inside the rack 1. When the pins on the tray are taken by the loading robot 12, the empty tray moves along the upper conveyor line to the unloading robot 13 to be loaded with ball pins. After it is full, it moves down to the lower conveyor line and returns, and then is unloaded manually.

[0067] In order to facilitate the overall work, the double-layer reflux conveying line in the present invention adopts an L-shaped structure as a whole. Since the double-layer reflux conveying line is a prior art, it will not be described in detail here.

[0068] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Fig.10 As shown, a visual inspection device for inspecting the quality of the ball pin is provided above the cleaning device 6. The visual inspection device includes a visual camera located above the second turntable 601. The visual camera takes a picture of the ball pin to obtain the projection of its side profile, and determines whether the ball pin is qualified by analyzing the size of the projection.

[0069] Since the visual inspection device adopts existing technology, no further details are given here.

[0070] In addition, a carrier that can move along the length direction of the frame 1 is arranged on the side of the unloading robot 13 opposite to the conveying device 14. The bottom of the carrier is slidably connected to the frame 1 through a guide rail slider. A linear module is also arranged on the frame 1. The output end of the linear module is connected to the carrier, and a material tray for storing random inspection samples is arranged on the carrier, which is the random inspection station.

[0071] When the sampling material tray is full, the linear module drives it back to the edge of the frame 1, where it is manually removed and replaced with a new sampling material tray. Embodiment 2

[0072] On the basis of the first embodiment, the present invention further proposes a feeding device 8 for replenishing spheres into the hopper 701 .

[0073] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the feeding device 8 is arranged on the outside of the initial welding device 3, and is used to add spheres to the hopper 701; the feeding device 8 includes a material frame 801, a transmission component 805 and a push plate 802 that can be lifted and lowered reciprocatingly; one end of the transmission component 805 is located above the hopper 701, and the other end is connected to the material frame 801 through a conduit 804, the material frame 801 is fixedly installed on the rear side of the initial welding device 3, the push plate 802 is slidably installed on the inner side of the material frame 801, and the top of the push plate 802 is provided with a material guide groove 803 that can be connected with the conduit 804.

[0074] Among them, the push plate 802 is close to the inner wall of the material frame 801 and is driven by a cylinder to achieve reciprocating lifting; the material guide trough 803, the conduit 804, the transmission component 805 and the bottom surface of the material frame 801 are all inclined, and the upper end of the conduit 804 can be connected with the lower end of the material guide trough 803, and the lower end of the conduit 804 can be connected with the lower end of the transmission component 805, and the bottom surface of the material frame 801 is inclined toward the push plate 802, so that the spheres inside the material frame 801 can gather above the push plate 802.

[0075] Specifically, after the push plate 802 moves downward, the material guide trough 803 is lower than the bottom surface of the inner side of the material frame 801, and the ball rolls along the inclined surface to the top of the push plate 802. After the push plate 802 moves upward, part of the ball falls into the material guide trough 803. As the material guide trough 803 is connected with the conduit 804, the ball rolls into the conduit 804 under the action of its own gravity, and then enters the lower end of the transmission component 805, is driven to a higher place by the transmission component 805, and is replenished into the hopper 701, thereby realizing the replenishment of the material bin.

[0076] Furthermore, the transmission component 805 includes a shell 851 connected to a fixed frame, the interior of the shell 851 is installed with a conveyor belt 852, and a plurality of baffles 853 are fixedly installed on the surface of the conveyor belt 852; the motor drives the conveyor belt 852 to rotate, and the ball enters the transmission component 805 along the conduit 804, and moves to a higher place with the conveyor belt 852 under the obstruction of the baffle 853, until it passes through the output end of the transmission component 805 and falls into the hopper 701.

[0077] Since the hopper 701 is located at a high position, manual feeding poses a safety hazard. Therefore, the feeding device 8 can be used to add the spheres to the lower material frame 801, and then transport them to the higher hopper 701 after lifting and conveying, thereby reducing the work intensity of the staff, improving the feeding efficiency, and ensuring the personal safety of the staff. Embodiment 3

[0078] On the basis of the first and second embodiments, the present invention further proposes a ball pin welding method, comprising the following steps: The conveying device 14 transports the pin rod to one side of the loading robot 12 through the material tray, and the loading robot 12 moves the pin rod to the distance changing mechanism 2 for distance changing; after the loading robot 12 places the pin rod on two fixture seats 202, one of them moves away from the other until the distance between the two pin rods is the same as the grabbing spacing of the transport mechanism 9.

[0079] At the same time, the feeding device 7 transports the sphere to the bottom of the suction head 301, and the upper end of the pipe 702 floats up and down in the hopper 701. The sphere in the hopper 701 enters the pipe 702 by shaking up and down, and is transported along the pipe 702 to the error-proofing component 703. Qualified spheres pass through the limit pin and the discharge hole 732 and enter the rubbing mechanism 704.

[0080] When the material rubbing block 742 retracts and the material rubbing hole 743 is aligned with the inner hole of the material guide block 741, the sphere in the inner hole falls into the material rubbing hole 743 due to gravity, and then the material rubbing block 742 extends, and the lifting assembly 744 pushes the sphere out of the material rubbing hole 743, and the suction head 301 of the initial welding device 3 moves down to fit the sphere, and after it is adsorbed by negative pressure, the suction head 301 moves up to complete the grabbing of the sphere.

[0081] After the suction head 301 absorbs the ball, the rubbing mechanism 704 of the feeding device 7 retracts to its original position, so that the suction head 301 moves downward to place the ball on the pin.

[0082] After the sphere is in place, multiple transport mechanisms 9 operate synchronously to transport the ball pin on the tempering station to the cleaning station for grinding, transport the ball pin on the insulation station to the tempering station for tempering, transport the ball pin completed on the initial welding station to the insulation station for insulation, and transport the pin rod on the variable distance station to the initial welding station for welding with the sphere.

[0083] At the same time, the transfer mechanism 10 transports the polished ball pin on the cleaning station to the distance adjustment mechanism 11 for distance adjustment, so that the unloading robot 13 can grab it; the unloading robot 13 transports the ball pin from the distance adjustment mechanism 11 to the material tray of the conveying device 14 again, and the conveying device 14 drives the material tray to flow back.

[0084] Among them, in the process of moving the ball pins back to the material tray, every specified number, such as 100 or 200, one group of ball pins is moved to the sampling inspection station by the unloading robot 13 to facilitate the subsequent sampling inspection of the overall welding quality; if a ball pin sampled is unqualified, only the previous and next 100 or 200 ball pins need to be checked, thereby improving the efficiency of quality management.

[0085] In summary, the present invention proposes a ball pin welding workstation and a welding method thereof, wherein a loading robot 12 transports the pin rod from a conveying device 14 to a pitch-changing mechanism 2, a loading device 7 transports the sphere to an initial welding device 3, and a plurality of transport mechanisms 9 transport the workpiece to the next workstation in sequence, and after initial welding, heat preservation, tempering and polishing, the workpiece is transported to a re-distance mechanism 11 by a transfer mechanism 10, and the final ball pin is moved back to the conveying device 14 by a unloading robot 13, and a ball pin welding method is also proposed, so that the various devices and mechanisms of the ball pin welding workstation can be coordinated and cooperated in an orderly manner, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of welding, and after initial welding, heat preservation, tempering and polishing in sequence, the reliability of the ball pin quality is greatly improved.

[0086] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", and the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0087] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by specific circumstances.

[0088] The above is based on the ideal embodiment of the present invention. Through the above description, relevant personnel can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical concept of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the content in the specification, and the technical scope must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A ball pin welding workstation, characterized in that: The invention comprises a conveying device (14) for conveying a pin rod and / or a ball pin, wherein a loading robot (12), an initial welding device (3), a heat preservation device (4), a tempering device (5), a cleaning device (6) and a discharging robot (13) are sequentially arranged on the inner side of the conveying device (14); a variable pitch mechanism (2) is arranged on the side of the initial welding device (3) close to the loading robot (12); a plurality of transport mechanisms (9) are sequentially arranged on the outer side of the variable pitch mechanism (2); a re-distance mechanism (11) and a transfer mechanism (10) are arranged on the side of the cleaning device (6) close to the discharging robot (13); and a loading device (7) for feeding a ball is arranged on the front side of the initial welding device (3); The loading robot (12) transports the pin rod from the conveying device (14) to the pitch-changing mechanism (2), and after the loading device (7) provides the ball to the initial welding device (3), the plurality of transport mechanisms (9) synchronously transport the workpieces to the next workstation in sequence, the transfer mechanism (10) transports the ball pin from the cleaning device (6) to the distance-adjusting mechanism (11), and the unloading robot (13) transports the ball pin from the distance-adjusting mechanism (11) back to the conveying device (14).

2. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding device (7) comprises a hopper (701), a pipe (702) and a material kneading mechanism (704); the hopper (701) is fixed on the initial welding device (3); one end of the pipe (702) extends from bottom to top into the hopper (701) and can float up and down, and the other end is connected to the material kneading mechanism (704) via an error-proofing component (703); The material rubbing mechanism (704) comprises a material guide block (741) connected to the pipe (702); a material rubbing block (742) capable of moving in the transverse direction is arranged below the material guide block (741); a material rubbing hole (743) for accommodating a ball is provided on the material rubbing block (742); and a lifting assembly (744) for ejecting the ball is arranged below the material rubbing hole (743).

3. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 2, characterized in that: The initial welding device (3) comprises a first positioning fixture (302) for fixing a pin rod, a suction head (301) for grabbing a sphere ejected from the material kneading hole (743) is arranged above the first positioning fixture (302), and the suction head (301) can be lifted and lowered in the longitudinal direction to place the sphere on the top of the pin rod.

4. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 2, characterized in that: The error prevention component (703) comprises a material picking block (731), the two ends of which are respectively connected to the pipe (702) and the material guiding block (741), and a limit pin is passed through the top of the material picking block (731), a material discharge hole (732) is provided at the bottom of the material picking block (731), and a material box (733) for receiving the wrong material is provided below the material discharge hole (732).

5. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 2, characterized in that: A feeding device (8) for replenishing balls into the hopper (701) is also provided on the outside of the initial welding device (3), wherein the feeding device (8) comprises a material frame (801), a transmission component (805), and a push plate (802) capable of reciprocating upward and downward movement; One end of the transmission component (805) is located above the hopper (701), and the other end is connected to the material frame (801) through a conduit (804). The material frame (801) is fixedly installed on the rear side of the initial welding device (3). The push plate (802) is slidably installed on the inner side of the material frame (801), and a material guide groove (803) that can communicate with the conduit (804) is opened on the top of the push plate (802).

6. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat-insulating device (4) comprises a first rotating disk (401) capable of horizontal rotation, the first rotating disk (401) being located between the initial welding device (3) and the tempering device (5), and a plurality of first fixtures (402) for clamping ball pins are fixedly mounted near the edge of the first rotating disk (401), a fixed disk (403) is arranged above the first rotating disk (401), and a blowing assembly (404) for maintaining the temperature of the ball pin is arranged on the fixed disk (403).

7. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning device (6) comprises a second rotating disk (601) capable of horizontal rotation, the second rotating disk (601) being located between the tempering device (5) and the distance adjustment mechanism (11), and a plurality of second fixtures (602) for clamping ball pins are rotatably mounted near the edge of the second rotating disk (601); A grinding assembly (603) for grinding the ball pin is arranged above the second rotating disk (601), and a driving assembly (604) for driving the second fixture (602) to rotate is arranged below the second rotating disk (601).

8. The ball pin welding workstation according to claim 7, characterized in that: The driving assembly (604) comprises a support plate (642) which can reciprocate along the radial direction of the second rotating disk (601); a driven wheel (605) is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the second fixture (602); and a driving wheel which can drive the driven wheel (605) to rotate is rotatably mounted on the support plate (642).

9. A ball pin welding method, using the ball pin welding workstation according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The steps include: S1, the conveying device (14) transports the pin rod to one side of the feeding robot (12) through the material tray, and the feeding robot (12) moves the pin rod to the pitch changing mechanism (2) for pitch changing. At the same time, the feeding device (7) transports the sphere to the bottom of the suction head (301), and after the suction head (301) absorbs the sphere, the rubbing mechanism (704) of the feeding device (7) retracts to its original position; S2, multiple transport mechanisms (9) act synchronously to transport the ball pins on the tempering station to the cleaning station for grinding, transport the ball pins on the heat preservation station to the tempering station for tempering, transport the ball pins completed on the initial welding station to the heat preservation station for heat preservation, and transport the pins on the pitch changing station to the initial welding station for welding with the ball; S3, the transfer mechanism (10) moves the polished ball pin on the cleaning station to the re-distance mechanism (11) for re-distance, so as to facilitate the unloading robot (13) to grab it; S4, the unloading robot (13) moves the ball pin from the distance-recovering mechanism (11) to the material tray of the conveying device (14) again, and the conveying device (14) drives the material tray to flow back; S5. In the process of moving the ball pins back to the material tray, one group of ball pins is moved to the sampling inspection station by the unloading robot (13) at every specified number.

10. The ball pin welding method according to claim 9, characterized in that: During the process of conveying the spheres by the feeding device (7), the upper end of the pipe (702) floats up and down in the hopper (701), and the spheres in the hopper (701) enter the pipe (702) and are conveyed along the pipe (702) to the error-proofing component (703). Qualified spheres then enter the rubbing mechanism (704) and are pushed out by the lifting component (744) below the rubbing hole (743) to be sucked by the suction head (301).

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