An automatic feeding mechanism and control method without stopping the machine

Abstract

The present invention discloses a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism and a control method, comprising: 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 the robot to pick it up; the mobile robot includes at least two first tray placement stations, which are used to transfer the tray assembly fixed on the first tray placement station between the tray fixing mechanism and the feeding rack, aiming to pick up the empty tray assembly on the feeding rack and load the full tray assembly onto the feeding rack; the feeding rack includes at least two second tray placement stations, and the second tray placement stations cooperate with the first tray placement stations to complete the transfer of the tray assembly. The feeding rack realizes the switching of the two second tray placement stations through rotation; the feeding port of the feeding module is docked with the discharging port of the tray assembly placed on one of the second tray placement stations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of automation technology, and particularly relates to a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism and a control method therefor. Background Art

[0002] In the field of industrial automation production, as an important link connecting processing equipment and material transfer systems, the efficiency of the feeding mechanism directly affects the operation efficiency of the overall production line. At present, traditional feeding operations mainly rely on manual or semi-automatic equipment, which have the following significant technical defects:

[0003] First of all, in the manual operation mode, full-time operators need to be equipped for each processing equipment, resulting in high labor costs. Especially in multi-station and continuous production lines, the one-operator-one-machine labor allocation mode further aggravates the employment burden of enterprises. When performing the feeding operation, the operator needs to frequently perform material grasping, positioning, loading and unloading actions, with high labor intensity and prone to misoperations due to fatigue, posing safety hazards.

[0004] Secondly, existing semi-automatic loading and unloading equipment generally adopts a fixed mechanical structure, and its operation process needs to be strictly synchronized with the start-stop state of the processing equipment. Specifically, after the processing equipment must be paused and the protective device is turned on, the feeding mechanism can perform the material replacement operation. This intermittent working mode results in a reduction in the effective operating rate of the equipment, and frequent start-stop will also accelerate the wear of mechanical components and increase the equipment maintenance cost. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Object of the Invention: To solve the problems of strong manual dependence and low equipment cooperation efficiency of the existing feeding mechanism, the present invention proposes a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism and a control method therefor, which can achieve continuous operation and greatly reduce the manpower requirement.

[0006] Technical Solution: A non-stop automatic feeding mechanism includes: a tray fixing mechanism, a mobile robot, a feeding rack and a feeding module;

[0007] The tray fixing mechanism is used for placing an empty tray assembly for waiting for manual material filling, or placing a full tray assembly for waiting for the mobile robot to pick up;

[0008] The mobile robot includes at least 2 first tray placing stations. The mobile robot transfers the tray assembly fixed on the first tray placing station between the tray fixing mechanism and the feeding rack by moving and rotating, for the purpose of picking up the empty tray assembly on the feeding rack and loading the full tray assembly onto the feeding rack;

[0009] The feeding rack includes at least two second tray placement stations, which cooperate with the first tray placement station to complete the transfer of the tray assembly. The feeding rack realizes the switching of the two second tray placement stations by rotation;

[0010] The feeding port of the feeding module is docked with the discharging port of the tray assembly placed on one of the second tray placement stations.

[0011] Furthermore, the tray fixing mechanism includes: a fixed bracket assembly; the tray assembly is placed on the fixed bracket assembly and waits for manual material filling or for the mobile robot to pick it up;

[0012] The fixed bracket assembly includes: a vertically arranged fixed bracket main body, a horizontally arranged fixed support plate on the fixed bracket main body, a first driving motor, and a number 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 main body; the number of fixed card slots is used to fix the tray assembly;

[0013] The tray assembly includes a tray main body, a tray main body fixing part, a paper tape fixing component, and a feeding component; the tray main body is arranged on the tray main body fixing part, and the paper tape fixing component and the feeding component are respectively arranged at both ends of the tray main body fixing part;

[0014] The paper tape fixing component includes a paper tape reel, a paper tape locking mechanism, and a paper tape fixing bracket for fixing the paper tape reel on the tray main body fixing part; the paper tape reel and the paper tape locking mechanism are respectively arranged on the front and back surfaces of the paper tape fixing bracket; the paper tape locking mechanism includes a locking plate and a supporting fixing mechanism for arranging the locking plate on the paper tape fixing bracket. A channel extending upward is opened at the bottom of the locking plate, and the channel locks the shaft of the paper tape reel;

[0015] The feeding component includes a flow channel, an L-shaped locking part, and a feeding ratchet for conveying the materials in the flow channel. The short shaft of the L-shaped locking part contacts the feeding ratchet to achieve locking.

[0016] Furthermore, the number of the fixed card slots includes: a first card slot, a second card slot, and a first V-shaped card slot; the first card slot and the second card slot are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixed support plate and are used to fix both ends of the tray assembly; the first V-shaped card slot is arranged in the middle of the fixed support plate and is used to fix the shaft of the tray main body.

[0017] Furthermore, the mobile robot includes: a mobile robot main body and at least two first tray placement stations arranged on the mobile robot main body; the mobile robot main body is a robot main body that can rotate and move by itself;

[0018] The first tray placing station includes a matching mechanism main body and its supporting driving mechanism, mechanical claws arranged at both ends of the matching mechanism main body and their supporting driving mechanisms, and clamping parts arranged inside the matching mechanism main body for fixing the shaft of the tray main body and their supporting driving mechanisms;

[0019] The supporting driving mechanism of the matching mechanism main body is used to drive the matching mechanism main body to move back and forth;

[0020] The supporting driving mechanism of the mechanical claws is used to drive the mechanical claws to clamp the tray assembly;

[0021] The supporting driving mechanism of the clamping parts is used to drive the clamping parts to hold or release the shaft for fixing the tray main body.

[0022] Further, the feeding rack includes: a rack main body, a Y-axis displacement mechanism, and a double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism; the Y-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the rack main body, and the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the Y-axis displacement mechanism. The Y-axis displacement mechanism drives the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to move up and down, and the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism rotates on the Y-axis displacement mechanism;

[0023] The double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism includes: at least two second tray placing stations, a paper tape reel driving mechanism, a ratchet driving mechanism, a tray driving mechanism, a station driving mechanism, and a number of fixing grooves; each second tray placing station is used to place and fix the tray assembly; the paper tape reel driving mechanism is used to push open the locking plate and drive the paper tape reel to rotate, and the ratchet driving mechanism is used to push open the short shaft of the L-shaped locking part and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate; the tray driving mechanism is used to drive the tray main body to rotate; the station driving mechanism drives the second tray placing station to move up and down.

[0024] Further, the paper tape reel driving mechanism includes: a paper tape reel driving motor and a U-shaped cavity body. The middle cavity part of the U-shaped cavity body is used to place the driving shaft of the paper tape reel driving motor. There is a U-shaped notch opening upward on the U-shaped cavity body, and the U-shaped notch is used to push up 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.

[0025] Further, the ratchet driving mechanism includes a cylinder, a ratchet driving motor, and a connecting piece for connecting the cylinder and the ratchet driving motor; the cylinder pushes forward the short shaft of the L-shaped locking part, synchronously driving the ratchet driving motor forward to connect it with the feeding ratchet and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate.

[0026] Further, a reinforcement mechanism is also included. The reinforcement mechanism includes a reinforcement block and a reinforcement cylinder for driving the reinforcement block to move back and forth. When the reinforcement cylinder extends, it drives the reinforcement block to press forward on the tray assembly placed at the second tray placing station.

[0027] Further, the feeding module includes a feeding channel, a sensor, and a feeding driving mechanism. The sensor is disposed above the feeding channel and is used to sense whether there is material in the feeding channel.

[0028] The feeding driving 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.

[0029] When there is material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor upward to make it contact with the feeding ratchet and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate. When there is no material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor to move downward to return to its original position and make the feeding motor disengage from the feeding ratchet.

[0030] The present invention discloses a non-stop automatic feeding control method, which includes the following steps:

[0031] Step 1: Build a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism.

[0032] Step 2: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to pick up a full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, control the mobile robot to rotate by a certain angle, and control other first tray placement stations to repeat this operation until all first tray placement stations are provided with full tray assemblies.

[0033] Step 3: Control the mobile robot to move to the feeding rack.

[0034] Step 4: Control the station driving mechanism on the feeding 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.

[0035] Step 5: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend in the direction of the feeding rack.

[0036] Step 6: Control the station driving mechanism on the feeding rack to drive the second tray placement station to rise and fix the full tray assembly located on the first tray placement station on the second tray placement station. At this time, the paper tape tray driving mechanism on the feeding rack contacts the paper tape fixing component, the ratchet driving mechanism contacts the feeding component, and the tray driving mechanism contacts the tray body.

[0037] Step 7: Wait for a tray assembly on the feeding rack to become an empty tray assembly.

[0038] Step 8: Control the Y-axis displacement mechanism on the loading rack to move the double-disk Z-axis displacement mechanism, so that the feeding port of the loading module is separated from the discharging port of the empty disk assembly; control the double-disk Z-axis displacement mechanism to rotate, so that the discharging port of the full disk assembly located on another second-disk placement station is docked with the feeding port of the loading module, and control the corresponding paper tape disk driving mechanism, ratchet driving mechanism and disk driving mechanism to perform continuous feeding;

[0039] Step 9: Control the first-disk placement station of the mobile robot to extend towards the loading rack, fix the empty disk assembly, and then control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second-disk placement station to descend, and control the first-disk placement station of the mobile robot to return;

[0040] Step 10: Control the mobile robot to rotate so that its first-disk placement station carrying the full disk assembly faces the loading rack;

[0041] Step 11: Control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second-disk placement station to descend so that the second-disk placement station is lower in height than the first-disk placement station of the robot;

[0042] Step 12: Control the first-disk placement station of the mobile robot to extend towards the loading rack;

[0043] Step 13: Control the station driving mechanism on the loading rack to drive the second-disk placement station to rise, and fix the full disk assembly located on the first-disk placement station on the second-disk placement station; at this time, the paper tape disk driving mechanism on the loading rack contacts the paper tape fixing component, the ratchet driving mechanism contacts the feeding component, and the disk driving mechanism contacts the disk body;

[0044] Step 14: Control the mobile robot to return to the disk fixing mechanism, control the first-disk placement station of the mobile robot to take away the full disk assembly from the disk fixing mechanism, and control the first-disk placement station carrying the empty disk assembly to place the empty disk assembly on the disk fixing mechanism;

[0045] Step 15: Repeat Steps 3 to 15 to achieve feeding.

[0046] Advantageous Effects: Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0047] (1) By using the feeding mechanism proposed by the present invention, one person can supervise a dozen machines, greatly reducing the labor cost;

[0048] (2) By using the feeding mechanism proposed by the present invention, automatic feeding can be achieved without stopping the machine, realizing unmanned operation in the workshop. Description of the Drawings

[0049] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automatic feeding mechanism without shutting down proposed by the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0051] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0052] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0053] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0054] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0055] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0056] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0057] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tray fixing mechanism proposed by the present invention;

[0058] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the mobile robot proposed by the present invention;

[0059] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the mobile robot proposed by the present invention;

[0060] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the feeding rack structure;

[0061] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the feeding rack structure;

[0062] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the feeding rack structure;

[0063] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the feeding rack structure;

[0064] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the feeding rack structure;

[0065] Figure 17 Schematic diagram of the feeding module structure;

[0066] Figure 18 Schematic diagram of the feeding module structure. Detailed implementation manner

[0067] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0068] As Figure 1 shown, this embodiment proposes an automatic loading mechanism without stopping the machine, which mainly includes four parts: a tray fixing mechanism 1, a mobile robot 2, a loading rack 3, and a loading module 4. Generally, the tray fixing mechanism 1 is placed in the warehouse. After the mobile robot 2 carries an empty tray assembly and places it on the tray fixing mechanism 1, an operator replaces the empty tray assembly with a full tray assembly for the mobile robot 2 to take away. It is also possible for the operator to directly recycle the empty tray assembly from the mobile robot 2, and the mobile robot 2 takes away the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism 1. The mobile robot 2 in this embodiment includes 2 first tray placement stations. The mobile robot 2 rotates to replace the 2 first tray placement stations, thereby ensuring that the loading and unloading of the loading rack 3 can be achieved without stopping the machine. Specifically, the mobile robot 2 moves near the loading rack 3 and takes down the empty tray assembly from the loading rack 3. At this time, the mobile robot 2 rotates and supplies the full tray assembly placed on the other first tray placement station to the loading rack 3.

[0069] Now in combination with Figures 2 to 9 the structure of the tray fixing mechanism 1 proposed in this embodiment will be further described.

[0070] As Figure 6 shown, the tray fixing mechanism 1 proposed in this embodiment includes: a fixed bracket assembly 11 and a tray assembly 12.

[0071] As Figure 6 and Figure 7 shown, the fixed bracket assembly 11 includes: a vertically arranged fixed bracket main body 111, a horizontally arranged fixed support plate 112 on the fixed bracket main body 111, a first driving motor 113, a first card slot 114, a second card slot 115, and a first V-shaped card slot 116. The first driving motor 113 is arranged on the fixed bracket main body 111 and is used to drive the fixed support plate 112 to move up and down. The first card slot 114 and the second card slot 115 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixed support plate 112 and are used to fix both ends of the tray assembly 12. The first V-shaped card slot is arranged in the middle of the fixed support plate 112 and is used to fix the middle of the tray assembly 12, specifically to fix the shaft of the tray main body 121. The tray assembly 12 is fixed on the fixed bracket assembly 11 through the first card slot 114, the second card slot 115, and the first V-shaped card slot 116. During actual operation, the first driving motor 113 first drives the fixed support plate 112 to descend. When the tray assembly 12 is in a suitable position, the first driving motor 113 then drives the fixed support plate 112 to rise, and the first card slot 114, the second card slot 115, and the first V-shaped card slot 116 are used to fix the tray assembly 12.

[0072] As Figures 2 to 7 shown, the tray assembly 12 includes a tray body 121, a tray body fixing member 122, a paper tape fixing assembly 123, and a feeding assembly 124; an axis fixing assembly 1221 is provided on the tray body fixing member 122, and the axis fixing assembly 1221 is used to fix the tray body 121 on the tray body fixing member 122. The paper tape fixing assembly 123 is fixed at one end of the tray body fixing member 122, and the feeding assembly 124 is arranged at the other end of the tray body fixing member 122.

[0073] As Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the paper tape fixing assembly 123 includes a paper tape reel 1231 and a paper tape fixing bracket 1232 for fixing the paper tape reel 1231 on the tray body fixing member 122. To ensure that the paper tape reel 1231 does not rotate when no feeding work is carried out, the paper tape fixing assembly 123 further includes: a paper tape locking mechanism 1233; assuming that the paper tape reel 1231 is arranged on the front of the paper tape fixing bracket 1232, then the paper tape locking mechanism 1233 is fixed on the back of the paper tape fixing bracket 1232. Specifically, the paper tape locking mechanism 1233 includes a locking plate 12331 and a supporting fixing mechanism for arranging the locking plate 12311 on the back of the paper tape fixing bracket 1232. A channel is provided 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 channel. If unlocking is required, the locking plate 12331 can be lifted upward by an external motor (in this embodiment, the motor is arranged on the feeding rack 3) to make the axis of the paper tape reel 1231 free.

[0074] As Figure 8 and Figure 9 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 member 1243. To ensure that the feeding ratchet 1242 does not rotate when no feeding work is carried out, and further ensure that the feeding assembly 124 does not feed, the L-shaped locking member 1243 is introduced in this embodiment. When locking the feeding ratchet 1242 is required, the short axis of the L-shaped locking member 1243 contacts the feeding ratchet 1242 to achieve locking. The long axis of the L-shaped locking member 1243 extends towards the back of the tray body fixing member 122. When unlocking is required, the L-shaped locking member 1243 can be pushed outwards by an external air cylinder (in this embodiment, the air cylinder is arranged on the feeding rack 3) to make the feeding ratchet 1242 free. At this time, an external motor (in this embodiment, the motor is also arranged on the feeding rack 3) can be connected to the feeding ratchet 1242, and the feeding ratchet 1242 is driven by the motor to rotate for feeding.

[0075] Now combined Figure 10 and Figure 11 The mobile robot 2 proposed in this embodiment is further described.

[0076] 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.

[0077] like Figure 10 and Figure 11 As 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.

[0078] Now combined Figures 12 to 15 The structure of the loading rack 3 proposed in this embodiment is further described.

[0079] like Figure 12 and Figure 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.

[0080] like Figure 13 , Figure 14 and Figure 15As shown in the figure, the dual-disk Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 proposed in this embodiment includes: two second-disk placement stations 331, a paper tape disk drive mechanism 332, a ratchet drive mechanism 333, a disk drive mechanism 334, a reinforcement mechanism 335, a third card slot 336, a fourth card slot 337, a second V-shaped card slot 338, and a station drive mechanism for driving the second-disk placement station 331 to move up and down.

[0081] The third card slot 336 and the fourth card slot 337 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of each second-disk placement station 331, and the second V-shaped card slot 338 is arranged at the center of each second-disk placement station 331 for fixing the disk assembly 12. After the disk assembly 12 is fixed at the second-disk placement station 331, the disk assembly 12 is secondarily reinforced by the reinforcement mechanism 335 to ensure that the disk assembly 12 does not undergo any displacement during rotation or feeding.

[0082] After the disk assembly 12 is fixed at the second-disk placement station 331, the paper tape disk drive mechanism 332 cooperates with the paper tape fixing component 123 on the disk assembly 12 to complete the unlocking of the paper tape disk 1231 and drive the paper tape disk 1231 to rotate. The ratchet drive mechanism 333 cooperates with the feeding component 124 on the disk assembly 12 to complete the unlocking of the feeding component 124 and drive the feeding component 124 to rotate, thus completing the feeding action. The disk drive mechanism 334 cooperates with the shaft of the disk main body 121 on the disk assembly 12 to drive the disk main body 121 to rotate, thus completing the feeding action.

[0083] Now, the structure of the paper tape disk drive mechanism 332 will be further described.

[0084] The paper tape disk drive mechanism 332 includes a paper tape disk drive motor 3321 and a U-shaped cavity 3322. The middle cavity part of the U-shaped cavity 3322 is used to place the drive shaft of the paper tape disk drive motor 3321. There is a U-shaped notch with an upward opening on the U-shaped cavity 3322. When the paper tape disk drive mechanism 332 cooperates with the paper tape fixing component 123, the U-shaped notch lifts the locking plate 12331, unlocking the shaft of the paper tape disk 1231. At this time, the drive shaft of the paper tape disk drive motor 3321 is connected to the shaft of the paper tape disk 1231 to drive the paper tape disk 1231 to rotate for paper tape collection.

[0085] Now, the structure of the ratchet drive mechanism 333 will be further described.

[0086] The ratchet drive mechanism 333 includes a cylinder 3331, a ratchet drive motor 3332, and a connecting member 3333 for connecting the cylinder 3331 and the ratchet drive motor 3332. When the ratchet drive mechanism 333 is correspondingly engaged with the feeding assembly 124 on the tray assembly 12, the cylinder 3331 moves forward, pushing open the L-shaped locking member 1243 to disengage it from 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, realizing feeding.

[0087] Now in combination with Figures 16 to 18 make a further description of the feeding module 4 proposed in this embodiment.

[0088] As Figure 16 shown, the inlet of the feeding module 4 in this embodiment is docked with the outlet of the feeding assembly 124 to complete feeding. As Figure 17 and Figure 18 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 and is used 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 and is used to drive the feeding motor 432 to move up or down. 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 disengages from the feeding ratchet.

[0089] The working process of the non-stop automatic feeding mechanism proposed in this embodiment is as follows: The tray assembly 12 located on a second tray placement station 331 is fed. At this time, it is assumed that the tray assembly 12 on another second tray placement station 331 is an empty tray assembly. The empty tray assembly faces outward and waits for the mobile robot 2 to pick up the empty tray assembly.

[0090] The mobile robot 2 fixes the empty tray assembly on one of its tray mating mechanisms 22. The mobile robot 2 turns around and places the full tray assembly located on another tray mating mechanism 22 on the feeding rack 3. When the tray currently being fed on the feeding rack 3 is empty, the Y-axis displacement mechanism 32 of the feeding rack 3 drives the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 to retreat, that is, to make the outlet of the feeding assembly 124 not dock with the inlet of the feeding module 4, and make the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 move towards the mobile robot 2. After retreating to the specified position, the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 rotates to complete tray switching.

[0091] The specific detailed process is as follows:

[0092] The mobile robot 2 pushes the tray matching mechanism 22 outwards, 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 the low position, that is, the corresponding drive mechanism is used to control the second tray placement station 331 to move downwards. When the mobile robot 2 pushes the tray matching mechanism 22 outwards in place, the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism 33 moves upwards 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.

[0093] 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 downwards to a specified position, and the other second tray placement station 331 also moves downwards 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°, so that the positions of the two trays are swapped, that is, the full tray assembly just received from the mobile robot 2 is on the same side as the loading module 4. 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.

[0094] The replaced empty tray is taken away by the mobile robot 2 and moved to the tray fixing mechanism 1.

Claims

1. An automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine, characterized in that: Including: a tray fixing mechanism, a mobile robot, a loading rack, and a loading module; The tray fixing mechanism is used to place an empty tray assembly, waiting for manual material filling, or place a full tray assembly, waiting for the mobile robot to pick it up; The mobile robot includes at least two first tray placement stations. 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, aiming to pick up the empty tray assembly on the loading rack and load the full tray assembly onto the loading rack; The loading rack includes at least two second tray placement stations. The second tray placement stations cooperate with the first tray placement stations to complete the transfer of the tray assembly. The loading rack realizes the switching between the two second tray placement stations by rotating; The inlet of the loading module is docked with the outlet of the tray assembly placed on one of the second tray placement stations; The tray fixing mechanism includes: a fixed support assembly; the tray assembly is placed on the fixed support assembly, waiting for manual material filling or waiting for the mobile robot to pick it up; The fixed support assembly includes: a vertically arranged fixed support main body, a horizontally arranged fixed support plate on the fixed support main body, a first driving motor, and a number of fixed card slots; the first driving motor is used to drive the fixed support plate to move up and down along the fixed support main body; a number of fixed card slots are used to fix the tray assembly; The tray assembly includes a tray main body, a tray main body fixing piece, a paper tape fixing component, and a feeding component; the tray main body is arranged on the tray main body fixing piece, and the paper tape fixing component and the feeding component are respectively arranged at both ends of the tray main body fixing piece; The paper tape fixing component includes a paper tape reel, a paper tape locking mechanism, and a paper tape fixing bracket for fixing the paper tape reel on the tray main body fixing piece; the paper tape reel and the paper tape locking mechanism are respectively arranged on the front and back surfaces of the paper tape fixing bracket; the paper tape locking mechanism includes a locking plate and a supporting fixing mechanism for setting the locking plate on the paper tape fixing bracket. A channel extending upward is opened at the bottom of the locking plate, and the channel locks the shaft of the paper tape reel; The feeding component includes a flow channel, an L-shaped locking piece, and a feeding ratchet for conveying the material in the flow channel. The short shaft of the L-shaped locking piece contacts the feeding ratchet to achieve locking.

2. The automatic feeding mechanism without shutdown according to claim 1, characterized in that: A number of the fixed card slots include: a first card slot, a second card slot, and a first V-shaped card slot; the first card slot and the second card slot are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixed support plate, used to fix both ends of the tray assembly; the first V-shaped card slot is arranged in the middle of the fixed support plate, used to fix the shaft of the tray main body.

3. The automatic feeding mechanism without stopping machine according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile robot includes: a mobile robot main body and at least two first tray placement stations arranged on the mobile robot main body; the mobile robot main body is a robot main body that can rotate and move by itself; The first tray placement station includes a mating mechanism main body and its supporting drive mechanism, mechanical claws and their supporting drive mechanisms arranged at both ends of the mating mechanism main body, and a clamping member and its supporting drive mechanism for fixing the shaft of the tray main body arranged inside the mating mechanism main body; The supporting drive mechanism of the mating mechanism main body is used to drive the mating mechanism main body to move back and forth; The supporting drive mechanism of the mechanical claws is used to drive the mechanical claws to clamp the tray assembly; The supporting drive mechanism of the clamping member is used to drive the clamping member to hold or release the shaft of the fixed tray main body.

4. An automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The feeding rack includes: a rack main body, a Y-axis displacement mechanism, and a double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism; the Y-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the rack main body, and the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism is arranged on the Y-axis displacement mechanism. The Y-axis displacement mechanism drives the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to move up and down, and the double-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 paper tape reel drive mechanism, a ratchet drive mechanism, a tray drive mechanism, a station drive mechanism, and a number of fixing grooves; each second tray placement station is used to place and fix the tray assembly; the paper tape reel drive mechanism is used to push open the locking plate and drive the paper tape reel to rotate, and the ratchet drive mechanism is used to push open the short shaft of the L-shaped locking member and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate; the tray drive mechanism is used to drive the tray main body to rotate; the station drive mechanism drives the second tray placement station to move up and down.

5. The automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The paper tape reel drive mechanism includes: a paper tape reel drive motor and a U-shaped cavity body. The middle cavity part of the U-shaped cavity body is used to place the drive shaft of the paper tape reel drive motor. The U-shaped cavity body is provided with a U-shaped notch opening upward, and 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.

6. The automatic feeding mechanism without shutdown according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ratchet drive mechanism includes a cylinder, a ratchet drive motor, and a connecting member for connecting the cylinder and the ratchet drive motor; the cylinder pushes the short shaft of the L-shaped locking member forward, synchronously driving the ratchet drive motor forward, so that it is connected to the feeding ratchet to drive the feeding ratchet to rotate.

7. An automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a reinforcement mechanism. The reinforcement mechanism includes a reinforcement block and a reinforcement cylinder for driving the reinforcement block to move back and forth. When the reinforcement cylinder extends, it drives the reinforcement block to press forward on the tray assembly placed on the second tray placement station.

8. An automatic feeding mechanism without stopping the machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The feeding module includes: a feeding channel, a sensor, and a feeding drive mechanism. 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 up or down; When there is material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor upward to make it contact with the feeding ratchet and drive the feeding ratchet to rotate; when there is no material in the feeding channel, the feeding cylinder drives the feeding motor to move downward to return to its original position, so that the feeding motor is disengaged from the feeding ratchet.

9. An automatic feeding control method without stopping the machine, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: Step 1: Build a non-stop automatic feeding mechanism as described in claim 8; Step 2: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to pick up the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, control the mobile robot to rotate by a certain angle, and control other first tray placement stations to repeat this operation until all the first tray placement stations are placed with full tray assemblies; Step 3: Control the mobile robot to move to the feeding rack; Step 4: Control the station driving mechanism on the feeding rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, so that the second tray placement station is lower than the first tray placement station of the mobile robot in height; Step 5: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend towards the feeding rack; Step 6: Control the station driving mechanism on the feeding rack to drive the second tray placement station to ascend, and fix the full tray assembly located on the first tray placement station on the second tray placement station; At this time, the paper tape reel driving mechanism on the feeding rack contacts the paper tape fixing component, the ratchet driving mechanism contacts the feeding component, and the tray driving mechanism contacts the tray body; Step 7: Wait for a tray assembly on the feeding rack to become an empty tray assembly; Step 8: Control the Y-axis displacement mechanism on the feeding rack to move the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism, so that the feeding port of the feeding module is separated from the discharging port of the empty tray assembly; Control the double-tray Z-axis displacement mechanism to rotate, so that the discharging port of the full tray assembly located on another second tray placement station is docked with the feeding port of the feeding module, and control the corresponding paper tape reel driving mechanism, ratchet driving mechanism and tray driving mechanism to perform continuous feeding; Step 9: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend towards the feeding rack and fix the empty tray assembly, and then control the station driving mechanism on the feeding rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, and control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to return; Step 10: Control the mobile robot to rotate so that its first tray placement station carrying the full tray assembly faces the feeding rack; Step 11: Control the station driving mechanism on the feeding rack to drive the second tray placement station to descend, so that the second tray placement station is lower than the first tray placement station of the robot in height; Step 12: Control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to extend towards the feeding rack; Step 13: Control the station driving mechanism on the feeding rack to drive the second tray placement station to ascend, and fix the full tray assembly located on the first tray placement station on the second tray placement station; At this time, the paper tape reel driving mechanism on the feeding rack contacts the paper tape fixing component, the ratchet driving mechanism contacts the feeding component, and the tray driving mechanism contacts the tray body; Step 14: Control the mobile robot to return to the tray fixing mechanism, control the first tray placement station of the mobile robot to pick up the full tray assembly from the tray fixing mechanism, and control the first tray placement 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 achieve feeding.

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