Non-stop automatic feeding mechanism and control method

By designing an automatic loading mechanism without stopping, and using the coordinated work of mobile robots and loading racks, the problems of strong manual dependence and low equipment coordination efficiency are solved, automatic loading is achieved, labor demand and maintenance costs are reduced, and the safety of the production line is improved.

CN119911728AActive Publication Date: 2025-05-02KUNSHAN INNO STAR AUTOMATION TECH

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510413590.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-04-03
Publication Date
2025-05-02
Estimated Expiration
2045-04-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing feeding mechanism has strong manual dependence and low equipment coordination efficiency, resulting in high labor costs, increased equipment maintenance costs and safety hazards.

Method used

An automatic loading mechanism without stopping is designed, including a material tray fixing mechanism, a mobile robot, a loading rack and a loading module. Through the coordinated work of the mobile robot and the loading rack, the automatic transfer and loading of the material tray is realized, avoiding the need for manual operation.

Benefits of technology

It realizes automatic feeding, reduces manpower demand, improves the effective equipment machining rate, reduces equipment maintenance costs, and improves the safety of the production line.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN119911728A_ABST
    Figure CN119911728A_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The invention discloses a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism and a control method. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism comprises a tray fixing mechanism, a mobile robot, a feeding rack and a feeding module. The tray fixing mechanism is used for placing an empty tray assembly to wait for manual material filling or placing a full tray assembly to wait for a robot to take away; the mobile robot comprises at least two first material disc placing stations and is used for transferring the material disc assemblies fixed on the first material disc placing stations between the material disc fixing mechanism and the feeding rack so as to take away the material disc assemblies above the feeding rack and fill the feeding rack with the material disc assemblies; the feeding machine frame comprises at least two second material disc containing stations, the second material disc containing stations are matched with the first material disc containing stations to complete conveying of the material disc assemblies, and the feeding machine frame rotates to achieve switching of the two second material disc containing stations. A feeding port of the feeding module is in butt joint with a discharging port of the material disc assembly placed on a second material disc placing station.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of automation, and in particular relates to a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism and a control method. Background Art

[0002] In the field of industrial automation production, the feeding mechanism is an important link between processing equipment and material transmission system, and its efficiency directly affects the operation efficiency of the entire production line. At present, traditional feeding operations mainly rely on manual or semi-automatic equipment, and there are the following significant technical defects: First, under the manual operation mode, each processing equipment needs to be equipped with a full-time operator, resulting in high labor costs. Especially in multi-station, continuous production lines, the human resource allocation mode of one person per machine further aggravates the labor burden of enterprises. When performing material loading operations, operators need to frequently perform material grabbing, positioning, loading and unloading actions, which is labor-intensive and prone to misoperation due to fatigue, posing safety hazards.

[0003] Secondly, existing semi-automatic loading and unloading equipment generally adopts a fixed mechanical structure, and its operation process must be strictly synchronized with the start and stop status of the processing equipment. Specifically, the processing equipment must be suspended and the protective device must be turned on before the loading mechanism can perform material replacement operations. This intermittent working mode reduces the effective utilization rate of the equipment, and frequent starts and stops will accelerate the wear of mechanical parts and increase equipment maintenance costs. Summary of the invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: In order to solve the problems of strong manual dependence and low equipment coordination efficiency of the existing feeding mechanism, the present invention proposes an automatic feeding mechanism and control method without stopping, which can realize continuous operation and greatly reduce manpower requirements.

[0005] Technical solution: A non-stop automatic feeding mechanism, including: a tray fixing mechanism, a mobile robot, a feeding rack and a feeding module; The tray fixing mechanism is used to place an empty tray assembly waiting for manual filling of materials, or to place a full tray assembly waiting for the mobile robot to take it away; The mobile robot comprises at least two first tray placement stations, and the mobile robot transfers the tray assembly fixed on the first tray placement station between the tray fixing mechanism and the loading rack by moving and rotating, so as to take out the empty tray assembly on the loading rack and fill the loading rack with the tray assembly; The loading rack includes at least two second tray placement stations, the second tray placement stations cooperate with the first tray placement station to complete the transfer of the tray assembly, and the loading rack realizes the switching of the two second tray placement stations by rotation; The feeding port of the loading module is connected to the discharging port of the tray assembly placed on a second tray placement station.

[0006] Furthermore, the tray fixing mechanism comprises: a fixing bracket assembly; the tray assembly is placed on the fixing bracket assembly, waiting for manual filling of materials or waiting for a mobile robot to take it away; The fixed bracket assembly includes: a fixed bracket body arranged vertically, a fixed support plate arranged horizontally on the fixed bracket body, a first driving motor and a plurality of fixed card slots; the first driving motor is used to drive the fixed support plate to move up and down along the fixed bracket body; the plurality of fixed card slots are used to fix the material tray assembly; The tray assembly includes a tray body, a tray body fixing member, a paper tape fixing member and a feeding member; the tray body is arranged on the tray body fixing member, and the paper tape fixing member and the feeding member are arranged at two ends of the tray body fixing member respectively; The paper tape fixing assembly includes a paper tape reel, a paper tape locking mechanism and a paper tape fixing bracket for fixing the paper tape reel to the material tray body fixing member; the paper tape reel and the paper tape locking mechanism are respectively arranged on the front and back sides of the paper tape fixing bracket; the paper tape locking mechanism includes a locking plate and a matching fixing mechanism for setting the locking plate on the paper tape fixing bracket, and a groove extending upward is opened at the bottom of the locking plate, and the groove realizes locking of the axis of the paper tape reel; The feeding assembly comprises a flow channel, an L-shaped locking piece and a feeding ratchet wheel for conveying the material in the flow channel, and the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece contacts with the feeding ratchet wheel to achieve locking.

[0007] Furthermore, the plurality of fixed slots include: a first slot, a second slot and a first V-shaped slot; the first slot and the second slot are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixed support plate for fixing the two ends of the tray assembly; the first V-shaped slot is arranged in the middle of the fixed support plate for fixing the axis of the tray body.

[0008] Further, the mobile robot comprises: a mobile robot body and at least two first material tray placement stations arranged on the mobile robot body; the mobile robot body is a robot body that can rotate and move by itself; The first tray placement station includes a matching mechanism body and its matching driving mechanism, mechanical claws arranged at both ends of the matching mechanism body and its matching driving mechanism, and a clamping piece arranged inside the matching mechanism body for fixing the shaft of the tray body and its matching driving mechanism; The matching driving mechanism of the matching mechanism body is used to drive the matching mechanism body to move forward and backward; The supporting driving mechanism of the mechanical claw is used to drive the mechanical claw to clamp the tray assembly; The supporting driving mechanism of the clamp is used to drive the clamp to clamp or loosen the shaft of the fixed material tray body.

[0009] Further, the feeding frame includes: a frame body, a Y-axis displacement mechanism and a double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism; the Y-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the frame body, the double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the Y-axis displacement mechanism, the Y-axis displacement mechanism drives the double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to move up and down, and the double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism rotates on the Y-axis displacement mechanism; The double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism includes: at least two second tray placement stations, a tape reel drive mechanism, a ratchet drive mechanism, a tray drive mechanism, a station drive mechanism and a plurality of fixing slots; each second tray placement station is used to place and fix the tray assembly; the tape reel drive mechanism is used to push open the locking plate and drive the tape reel to rotate, and the ratchet drive mechanism is used to push open the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate; the tray drive mechanism is used to drive the tray body to rotate; the station drive mechanism drives the second tray placement station to move up and down.

[0010] Furthermore, the paper tape reel drive mechanism includes: a paper tape reel drive motor and a U-shaped cavity, the middle hollow portion of the U-shaped cavity is used to place the drive shaft of the paper tape reel drive motor, the U-shaped cavity is provided with a U-shaped notch opening upward, the U-shaped notch is used to lift the locking plate, the drive shaft of the paper tape reel drive motor is connected to the shaft of the paper tape reel to drive the paper tape reel to rotate.

[0011] Furthermore, the ratchet drive mechanism includes a cylinder, a ratchet drive motor and a connecting piece for connecting the cylinder and the ratchet drive motor; the cylinder pushes the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece forward, and synchronously drives the ratchet drive motor forward, so that it is connected to the feeding ratchet, driving the feeding ratchet to rotate.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a reinforcement mechanism, which includes a reinforcement block and a reinforcement cylinder for driving the reinforcement block to move forward and backward. When the reinforcement cylinder is pushed out, it drives the reinforcement block forward to press the tray assembly placed on the second tray placement station.

[0013] Furthermore, the feeding module comprises: a feeding channel, a sensor and a feeding drive mechanism, wherein the sensor is arranged above the feeding channel and is used to sense whether there is material in the feeding channel; The feeding drive mechanism includes a feeding ratchet, a feeding cylinder and a feeding motor; the feeding cylinder is used to drive the feeding motor to move upward or downward; When there is material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor upward, causing it to contact with the feeding ratchet, thereby driving the feeding ratchet to rotate; when there is no material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor downward, thereby disengaging the feeding motor from the feeding ratchet.

[0014] The present invention discloses a non-stop automatic feeding control method, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Build an automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine; Step 2: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to remove the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, control the mobile robot to rotate a certain angle, and control other first tray placement stations to repeat the operation until all first tray placement stations are placed with full tray assemblies; Step 3: Control the mobile robot to move to the loading rack; Step 4: Control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, so that the second tray placement station is lower in height than the first tray placement station of the mobile robot; Step 5: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend it toward the upper material rack; Step 6: Control the station drive mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to rise, and fix the full tray assembly on the first tray placement station to the second tray placement station; at this time, the paper tape reel drive mechanism on the loading rack contacts the paper tape fixing assembly, the ratchet drive mechanism contacts the feeding assembly, and the tray drive mechanism contacts the tray body; Step 7: Wait for a tray assembly on the loading rack to become an empty tray assembly; Step 8: Control the Y-axis displacement mechanism on the loading frame to move the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to separate the feeding port of the loading module from the discharging port of the empty tray assembly; control the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to rotate to dock the discharging port of the full tray assembly located at the other second tray placement station with the feeding port of the loading module, and control the corresponding paper tape reel driving mechanism, ratchet driving mechanism and tray driving mechanism to perform continuous loading; Step 9: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend toward the upper feeding frame, fix the empty tray assembly, and then control the station drive mechanism on the feeding frame to drive the second tray placement station to descend, and control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to return to its original position; Step 10: Control the mobile robot to rotate so that the first tray placement station carrying the full tray assembly faces the loading rack; Step 11: Control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, so that the second tray placement station is lower in height than the first tray placement station of the robot; Step 12: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend it toward the upper material rack; Step 13: Control the station drive mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to rise, and fix the full tray assembly on the first tray placement station to the second tray placement station; at this time, the paper tape reel drive mechanism on the loading rack contacts the paper tape fixing assembly, the ratchet drive mechanism contacts the feeding assembly, and the tray drive mechanism contacts the tray body; Step 14: Control the mobile robot to return to the tray fixing mechanism, and control the first tray placing station of the mobile robot to take the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, and control the first tray placing station carrying the empty tray assembly to place the empty tray assembly on the tray fixing mechanism; Step 15: Repeat steps 3 to 15 to complete the loading process.

[0015] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: (1) The feeding mechanism proposed by the present invention can enable one person to supervise more than ten machines, greatly reducing the labor cost; (2) The feeding mechanism proposed in the present invention can realize automatic feeding without stopping the machine, thus realizing unmanned workshop. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine proposed by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Figure 8 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Fig. 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention; Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the mobile robot proposed by the present invention; Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the mobile robot proposed by the present invention; Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding rack; Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding rack; Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding rack; Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding rack; Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding rack; Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding module; Fig.18 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding module structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment proposes an automatic feeding mechanism without stopping, which mainly includes four parts: a tray fixing mechanism 1, a mobile robot 2, a feeding rack 3 and a feeding module 4. Generally speaking, the tray fixing mechanism 1 is placed in a warehouse. When the mobile robot 2 carries an empty tray assembly and places it on the tray fixing mechanism 1, the empty tray assembly is manually replaced with a full tray assembly for the mobile robot 2 to take away. The empty tray assembly can also be directly recovered from the mobile robot 2 by manual labor, and the mobile robot 2 takes the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism 1. The mobile robot 2 of this embodiment includes two first tray placement stations. The mobile robot 2 rotates to achieve the replacement of the two first tray placement stations, thereby ensuring that the feeding rack 3 can load and unload materials without stopping. Specifically, the mobile robot 2 moves to the vicinity of the feeding rack 3 and takes the empty tray assembly from the feeding rack 3. At this time, the mobile robot 2 rotates to supply the full tray assembly placed on another first tray placement station to the feeding rack 3.

[0019] Now combined Figures 2 to 9 The structure of the tray fixing mechanism 1 proposed in this embodiment is further described.

[0020] like Figure 6 As shown, the material tray fixing mechanism 1 proposed in this embodiment includes: a fixing bracket assembly 11 and a material tray assembly 12.

[0021] like Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the fixed support assembly 11 includes: a fixed support body 111 arranged vertically, a fixed support plate 112 arranged horizontally on the fixed support body 111, a first drive motor 113, a first clamping groove 114, a second clamping groove 115 and a first V-shaped clamping groove 116. The first drive motor 113 is arranged on the fixed support body 111, and is used to drive the fixed support plate 112 to move up and down. The first clamping groove 114 and the second clamping groove 115 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixed support plate 112, and are used to fix the two ends of the material tray assembly 12. The first V-shaped clamping groove is arranged in the middle of the fixed support plate 112, and is used to fix the middle of the material tray assembly 12, specifically the axis of the fixed material tray body 121. The material tray assembly 12 is fixed to the fixed support assembly 11 by the first clamping groove 114, the second clamping groove 115 and the first V-shaped clamping groove 116. In actual operation, the first drive motor 113 first drives the fixed support plate 112 to descend. When the material tray assembly 12 is in a suitable position, the first drive motor 113 drives the fixed support plate 112 to rise, and the material tray assembly 12 is fixed by the first slot 114, the second slot 115 and the first V-shaped slot 116.

[0022] like Figure 2~Figure 7 As shown, the material tray assembly 12 includes a material tray body 121, a material tray body fixing piece 122, a paper tape fixing assembly 123 and a feeding assembly 124; an axis fixing assembly 1221 is provided on the material tray body fixing piece 122, and the axis fixing assembly 1221 is used to fix the material tray body 121 on the material tray body fixing piece 122, the paper tape fixing assembly 123 is fixed to one end of the material tray body fixing piece 122, and the feeding assembly 124 is arranged on the other end of the material tray body fixing piece 122.

[0023] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the tape fixing assembly 123 includes a tape reel 1231 and a tape fixing bracket 1232 for fixing the tape reel 1231 on the material tray main body fixing member 122. In order to ensure that the tape reel 1231 does not rotate when no material is being loaded, the tape fixing assembly 123 also includes: a tape locking mechanism 1233; assuming that the tape reel 1231 is set on the front side of the tape fixing bracket 1232, then the tape locking mechanism 1233 is fixed on the back side of the tape fixing bracket 1232. Specifically, The paper tape locking mechanism 1233 includes a locking plate 12331 and a matching fixing mechanism for setting the locking plate 12311 on the back of the paper tape fixing bracket 1232. A groove is opened at the bottom of the locking plate 12331. When locking is required, the locking plate 12331 locks the axis of the paper tape reel 1231 in the groove. If unlocking is required, the locking plate 12331 can be lifted upward by an external motor (in this embodiment, the motor is set on the feeding frame 3) to make the axis of the paper tape reel 1231 free.

[0024] like Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the feeding assembly 124 includes a flow channel 1241, a feeding ratchet 1242 for conveying the material in the flow channel 1241, and an L-shaped locking piece 1243. In order to ensure that the feeding ratchet 1242 does not rotate when no feeding is performed, thereby ensuring that the feeding assembly 124 does not feed the material, the L-shaped locking piece 1243 is introduced in this embodiment. When the feeding ratchet 1242 needs to be locked, the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece 1243 is locked with the feeding ratchet 1242. The L-shaped locking piece 1243 is locked by contacting the material tray body 122. The long axis of the L-shaped locking piece 1243 extends toward the back of the material tray body fixing piece 122. When unlocking is required, the L-shaped locking piece 1243 can be pushed outward by an external cylinder (in the present embodiment, the cylinder is arranged on the loading frame 3) to free the feeding ratchet 1242. At this time, the feeding ratchet 1242 can be connected to the external motor (in the present embodiment, the motor is also arranged on the loading frame 3), and the feeding ratchet 1242 is driven by the motor to rotate, thereby realizing feeding.

[0025] Now combined Fig.10 and Fig.11 The mobile robot 2 proposed in this embodiment is further described.

[0026] The mobile robot 2 proposed in this embodiment includes a mobile robot body 21 and a material tray matching mechanism 22 arranged on the front and back sides of the mobile robot body 21. The material tray matching mechanism 22 here is the first material tray placement station mentioned above; the mobile robot body 21 used in this embodiment only needs to complete a simple point-to-point movement and a 180° rotation. The point-to-point movement only refers to the material tray fixing mechanism 1 in the warehouse to the loading rack 3 located in other areas.

[0027] like Fig.10 and Fig.11As shown, the tray matching mechanism 22 includes a matching mechanism body 221 and its matching driving mechanism, mechanical claws 222 and its matching driving mechanism arranged at both ends of the matching mechanism body 221, and a clamping member 223 and its matching driving mechanism arranged inside the matching mechanism body 221 for fixing the shaft of the tray body 121. The matching driving mechanism of the matching mechanism body 221 is used to drive the matching mechanism body 221 to move forward to obtain the tray assembly 12, and after obtaining, drive the matching mechanism body 221 to move backward, so that the tray assembly 12 is fixed on the mobile robot body 21. The matching driving mechanism of the mechanical claw 222 is used to first open the mechanical claw 222, and then tighten the mechanical claw 222, to clamp the tray assembly 12, and complete the transfer of the tray assembly 12 to the matching mechanism body 221. The matching driving mechanism of the clamping member 223 is used to drive the clamping member 223 to hold or loosen the shaft that fixes the tray body 121.

[0028] Now combined Figures 12 to 15 The structure of the loading rack 3 proposed in this embodiment is further described.

[0029] like Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown, the loading frame 3 includes: a frame body 31, a Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 and a double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33; the Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 is arranged on the frame body 31, and the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 is arranged on the Y-axis displacement mechanism 32, and the Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 drives the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 to move up and down, and the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 rotates 180° on the Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 to complete the tray switching.

[0030] like Fig.13 , Fig.14 and Fig.15 As shown, the dual material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 proposed in this embodiment includes: two second material tray placement stations 331, a paper tape disk driving mechanism 332, a ratchet driving mechanism 333, a material tray driving mechanism 334, a reinforcement mechanism 335, a third slot 336, a fourth slot 337, a second V-shaped slot 338 and a station driving mechanism for driving the second material tray placement station 331 to move up and down.

[0031] The third clamping groove 336 and the fourth clamping groove 337 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of each second tray placement station 331, and the second V-shaped clamping groove 338 is arranged at the center of each second tray placement station 331, and is used to fix the tray assembly 12. After the tray assembly 12 is fixed to the second tray placement station 331, the tray assembly 12 is reinforced for a second time by the reinforcement mechanism 335 to ensure that the tray assembly 12 does not move during rotation or loading.

[0032] After the tray assembly 12 is fixed to the second tray placement station 331, the tape reel drive mechanism 332 cooperates with the tape fixing assembly 123 on the tray assembly 12 to unlock the tape reel 1231 and drive the tape reel 1231 to rotate, and the ratchet drive mechanism 333 cooperates with the feeding assembly 124 on the tray assembly 12 to unlock the feeding assembly 124 and drive the feeding assembly 124 to rotate, thereby completing the feeding action. The tray drive mechanism 334 cooperates with the axis of the tray body 121 on the tray assembly 12 to drive the tray body 121 to rotate, thereby completing the feeding action.

[0033] The structure of the paper tape reel driving mechanism 332 is now further described.

[0034] The paper tape reel driving mechanism 332 includes a paper tape reel driving motor 3321 and a U-shaped cavity 3322. The middle cavity portion of the U-shaped cavity 3322 is used to place the driving shaft of the paper tape reel driving motor 3321. The U-shaped cavity 3322 is provided with a U-shaped notch opening upward. When the paper tape reel driving mechanism 332 corresponds to the paper tape fixing assembly 123, the U-shaped notch lifts up the locking plate 12331, so that the locking plate 12331 unlocks the axis of the paper tape reel 1231. At this time, the driving shaft of the paper tape reel driving motor 3321 is connected to the axis of the paper tape reel 1231, driving the paper tape reel 1231 to rotate to collect the paper tape.

[0035] The structure of the ratchet drive mechanism 333 is now further described.

[0036] The ratchet drive mechanism 333 includes a cylinder 3331, a ratchet drive motor 3332, and a connector 3333 for connecting the cylinder 3331 and the ratchet drive motor 3332. When the ratchet drive mechanism 333 corresponds to the feeding assembly 124 on the tray assembly 12, the cylinder 3331 moves forward to push open the L-shaped locking member 1243 to disengage the feeding ratchet 1242. At this time, the feeding ratchet 1242 is unlocked. When the cylinder 3331 moves forward, the ratchet drive motor 3332 also moves forward synchronously. Therefore, the ratchet drive motor 3332 is connected to the feeding ratchet 1242 to drive the feeding ratchet 1242 to rotate, thereby realizing feeding.

[0037] Now combined Figures 16 to 18 The feeding module 4 proposed in this embodiment is further described.

[0038] like Fig.16 As shown, the inlet of the feeding module 4 of this embodiment is connected with the outlet of the feeding assembly 124 to complete the feeding. Fig.17 and Fig.18As shown, the feeding module 4 includes a feeding channel 41, a sensor 42 and a feeding drive mechanism 43. The sensor 42 is arranged above the feeding channel 41 to sense whether there is material in the feeding channel 41. Specifically, the sensor 42 is arranged above the middle section of the feeding channel 41. The feeding drive mechanism 43 includes a feeding ratchet, a feeding cylinder 431 and a feeding motor 432. The feeding cylinder 431 is arranged below the feeding motor 432 to drive the feeding motor 432 to move upward or downward. When there is material in the feeding channel 41, the feeding cylinder 431 drives the feeding motor 432 upward to make it contact with the feeding ratchet. When there is no material, the feeding cylinder 431 drives the feeding motor 432 downward, and the feeding motor 432 is disengaged from the feeding ratchet.

[0039] The working process of the non-stop automatic loading mechanism proposed in the present embodiment is: the tray assembly 12 located on a second tray placement station 331 is loaded. At this time, it is assumed that the tray assembly 12 on another second tray placement station 331 is an empty tray assembly, which faces outward, waiting for the mobile robot 2 to take away the empty tray assembly.

[0040] The mobile robot 2 fixes the empty material tray assembly on one of its own material tray matching mechanisms 22, and the mobile robot 2 turns around and places the full material tray assembly on the other material tray matching mechanism 22 on the loading rack 3, and waits for the material tray currently being loaded on the loading rack 3 to be empty. The Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 of the loading rack 3 drives the double material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 to retreat, so that the outlet of the feeding assembly 124 is not connected to the entrance of the loading module 4, so that the double material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 moves toward the mobile robot 2. After retreating to the specified position, the double material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 rotates to complete the tray switching.

[0041] The specific details are as follows: The mobile robot 2 pushes the tray matching mechanism 22 outward, and the loading rack 3 receives the tray assembly 12 thereon. When the loading rack 3 is waiting to receive the tray assembly 12, the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 is in a low position, that is, the corresponding driving mechanism is used to control the second tray placement station 331 to move downward. When the mobile robot 2 pushes the tray matching mechanism 22 outward to be in place, the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 moves upward to fix the tray assembly 12. After the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 receives the tray assembly 12, the mobile robot 2 retracts the manipulator.

[0042] After the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 receives the tray assembly 12, the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 drives the tray assembly 12 to move downward to the specified position, and the other second tray placement station 331 also moves downward synchronously. At this time, the two second tray placement stations 331 are on the same horizontal line. At this time, the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 rotates 180° to swap the positions of the two trays, that is, the full tray assembly just received from the mobile robot 2 is on the same side as the loading module 4, and the Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 drives the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 forward to align the outlet of the feeding assembly 124 with the inlet of the loading module 4 for feeding.

[0043] The replaced empty tray is taken away by the mobile robot 2 and moved to the tray fixing mechanism 1 .

Claims

1. A non-stop automatic feeding mechanism, characterized by: include: Tray fixing mechanism, mobile robot, loading rack and loading module; The tray fixing mechanism is used to place an empty tray assembly, waiting for manual filling of materials, or to place a full tray assembly, waiting for the mobile robot to take it away; The mobile robot comprises at least two first tray placement stations, and the mobile robot transfers the tray assembly fixed on the first tray placement station between the tray fixing mechanism and the loading rack by moving and rotating, so as to take out the empty tray assembly on the loading rack and fill the loading rack with the tray assembly; The loading rack includes at least two second tray placement stations, the second tray placement stations cooperate with the first tray placement station to complete the transfer of the tray assembly, and the loading rack realizes the switching of the two second tray placement stations by rotation; The feeding port of the loading module is connected to the discharging port of the tray assembly placed on a second tray placement station.

2. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tray fixing mechanism comprises: a fixing bracket assembly; the tray assembly is placed on the fixing bracket assembly, waiting for manual filling of materials or waiting for a mobile robot to take it away; The fixed bracket assembly includes: a fixed bracket body arranged vertically, a fixed support plate arranged horizontally on the fixed bracket body, a first driving motor and a plurality of fixed card slots; the first driving motor is used to drive the fixed support plate to move up and down along the fixed bracket body; the plurality of fixed card slots are used to fix the material tray assembly; The tray assembly includes a tray body, a tray body fixing member, a paper tape fixing member and a feeding member; the tray body is arranged on the tray body fixing member, and the paper tape fixing member and the feeding member are arranged at two ends of the tray body fixing member respectively; The paper tape fixing assembly includes a paper tape reel, a paper tape locking mechanism and a paper tape fixing bracket for fixing the paper tape reel to the material tray body fixing member; the paper tape reel and the paper tape locking mechanism are respectively arranged on the front and back sides of the paper tape fixing bracket; the paper tape locking mechanism includes a locking plate and a matching fixing mechanism for setting the locking plate on the paper tape fixing bracket, and a groove extending upward is opened at the bottom of the locking plate, and the groove realizes locking of the axis of the paper tape reel; The feeding assembly comprises a flow channel, an L-shaped locking piece and a feeding ratchet wheel for conveying the material in the flow channel, and the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece contacts with the feeding ratchet wheel to achieve locking.

3. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 2 is characterized by: The several fixed slots include: a first slot, a second slot and a first V-shaped slot; the first slot and the second slot are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixed support plate, for fixing the two ends of the tray assembly; the first V-shaped slot is arranged in the middle of the fixed support plate, for fixing the axis of the tray body.

4. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 2 is characterized by: The mobile robot comprises: a mobile robot body and at least two first material tray placement stations arranged on the mobile robot body; the mobile robot body is a robot body that can rotate and move by itself; The first tray placement station includes a matching mechanism body and its matching driving mechanism, mechanical claws arranged at both ends of the matching mechanism body and its matching driving mechanism, and a clamping piece arranged inside the matching mechanism body for fixing the shaft of the tray body and its matching driving mechanism; The matching driving mechanism of the matching mechanism body is used to drive the matching mechanism body to move forward and backward; The supporting driving mechanism of the mechanical claw is used to drive the mechanical claw to clamp the tray assembly; The supporting driving mechanism of the clamp is used to drive the clamp to clamp or loosen the shaft of the fixed material tray body.

5. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 4 is characterized by: The feeding frame comprises: a frame body, a Y-axis displacement mechanism and a double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism; the Y-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the frame body, the double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the Y-axis displacement mechanism, the Y-axis displacement mechanism drives the double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to move up and down, and the double-material tray Z-axis displacement mechanism rotates on the Y-axis displacement mechanism; The double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism includes: at least two second tray placement stations, a tape reel drive mechanism, a ratchet drive mechanism, a tray drive mechanism, a station drive mechanism and a plurality of fixing slots; each second tray placement station is used to place and fix the tray assembly; the tape reel drive mechanism is used to push open the locking plate and drive the tape reel to rotate, and the ratchet drive mechanism is used to push open the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate; the tray drive mechanism is used to drive the tray body to rotate; the station drive mechanism drives the second tray placement station to move up and down.

6. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The paper tape reel driving mechanism includes: a paper tape reel driving motor and a U-shaped cavity. The middle cavity part of the U-shaped cavity is used to place the driving shaft of the paper tape reel driving motor. The U-shaped cavity is provided with a U-shaped notch opening upward. The U-shaped notch is used to lift the locking plate. The driving shaft of the paper tape reel driving motor is connected to the shaft of the paper tape reel to drive the paper tape reel to rotate.

7. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ratchet drive mechanism includes a cylinder, a ratchet drive motor and a connecting piece for connecting the cylinder and the ratchet drive motor; the cylinder pushes the short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece forward, and synchronously drives the ratchet drive motor forward, so that it is connected to the feeding ratchet and drives the feeding ratchet to rotate.

8. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a reinforcement mechanism, which includes a reinforcement block and a reinforcement cylinder for driving the reinforcement block to move forward and backward. When the reinforcement cylinder is pushed out, it drives the reinforcement block forward to press the tray assembly placed on the second tray placement station.

9. The non-stop automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding module comprises: a feeding channel, a sensor and a feeding drive mechanism, wherein the sensor is arranged above the feeding channel and is used to sense whether there is material in the feeding channel; The feeding drive mechanism includes a feeding ratchet, a feeding cylinder and a feeding motor; the feeding cylinder is used to drive the feeding motor to move upward or downward; When there is material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor upward, causing it to contact with the feeding ratchet, thereby driving the feeding ratchet to rotate; when there is no material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor downward, thereby disengaging the feeding motor from the feeding ratchet.

10. A non-stop automatic feeding control method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: construct an automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine as claimed in claim 9; Step 2: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to remove the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, control the mobile robot to rotate a certain angle, and control other first tray placement stations to repeat the operation until all first tray placement stations are placed with full tray assemblies; Step 3: Control the mobile robot to move to the loading rack; Step 4: Control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, so that the second tray placement station is lower in height than the first tray placement station of the mobile robot; Step 5: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend it toward the upper material rack; Step 6: Control the station drive mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to rise, and fix the full tray assembly on the first tray placement station to the second tray placement station; at this time, the paper tape reel drive mechanism on the loading rack contacts the paper tape fixing assembly, the ratchet drive mechanism contacts the feeding assembly, and the tray drive mechanism contacts the tray body; Step 7: Wait for a tray assembly on the loading rack to become an empty tray assembly; Step 8: Control the Y-axis displacement mechanism on the loading frame to move the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to separate the feeding port of the loading module from the discharging port of the empty tray assembly; control the double tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to rotate to dock the discharging port of the full tray assembly located at the other second tray placement station with the feeding port of the loading module, and control the corresponding paper tape reel drive mechanism, ratchet drive mechanism and tray drive mechanism to continuously load materials; Step 9: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend toward the upper feeding frame, fix the empty tray assembly, and then control the station drive mechanism on the feeding frame to drive the second tray placement station to descend, and control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to return to its original position; Step 10: Control the mobile robot to rotate so that the first tray placement station carrying the full tray assembly faces the loading rack; Step 11: Control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, so that the second tray placement station is lower in height than the first tray placement station of the robot; Step 12: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend it toward the upper material rack; Step 13: Control the station drive mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second tray placement station to rise, and fix the full tray assembly on the first tray placement station to the second tray placement station; at this time, the paper tape reel drive mechanism on the loading rack contacts the paper tape fixing assembly, the ratchet drive mechanism contacts the feeding assembly, and the tray drive mechanism contacts the tray body; Step 14: Control the mobile robot to return to the tray fixing mechanism, and control the first tray placing station of the mobile robot to take the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, and control the first tray placing station carrying the empty tray assembly to place the empty tray assembly on the tray fixing mechanism; Step 15: Repeat steps 3 to 15 to complete the loading process.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Double-tray feeding device

    CN111039090A

  • Automatic welding strip tray replacing device and method

    CN114455366A

  • Universal charging tray automatic switching device

    CN217675059U

  • Double-tray feeding mechanism

    CN219216910U

  • Automatic welding feeding device

    CN219546309U

Cited By

  • Automatic conveying device and method for winding disc

    CN119976154A

  • An automatic conveying device and method for a coil reel

    CN119976154B