Robotic tool alignment system and method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of automatic equipment manufacturing, and particularly relates to a robot tool alignment system and method.The robot tool alignment system comprises an upper tool structure, a lower tool structure, a middle tool structure, a robot side gun replacing disc, a gripper side gun replacing disc and a signal interaction and program system; the upper tool structure is installed and positioned with a robot side gun changing disc in a matched mode through a first matching pin and a second matching pin and provided with a handheld hole facilitating taking, inserting and pulling installation. The lower tool structure is installed and positioned in cooperation with the gripper side gun replacing disc through the first matching pin hole, the second matching pin hole and the third matching pin hole. The middle tool structure is used for guiding the robot to calculate the moving distance according to the sensor value so as to guarantee the gun changing disc pair. Compared with manual debugging, the posture and position of the robot can be more accurately controlled, it is guaranteed that the mounting face of the gun changing disc is accurately aligned with the positioning pin, and therefore the precision of the robot in subsequent operation is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of automated equipment manufacturing, and in particular relates to a robot tool alignment system and method. Background Art

[0002] In the field of robot debugging, especially in the welding process of vehicle manufacturing, robots often need to use a variety of tools, and the switching of tools depends on the gun changer. In terms of welding trajectory debugging, although robot offline programming technology is widely used, when applying offline programs to actual operations, robot calibration must be performed to ensure that the real benchmark data (BASE data) between the robot and the on-site welding equipment (such as fixtures) matches. However, even after detailed calibration, the robot's working path is only a reference path. For the path of the pick-and-place point in the robot's pick-and-place operation, it belongs to the fine-tuning point, and currently still needs to be manually debugged on site.

[0003] The existing manual debugging method has many disadvantages. The fine-tuning process of the gun changer is extremely time-consuming. It usually takes 10-30 minutes for experienced technicians to complete the debugging, while it often takes more than 30 minutes or even up to 2 hours for novice or unskilled operators. This not only seriously affects work efficiency, but also increases production costs and limits production progress. An efficient and accurate solution is urgently needed to improve this situation. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to effectively solve the problems in the above-mentioned background technology, the present invention proposes a robot tool alignment system and method, which aims to overcome the defects of the existing manual debugging method, reduce the requirements for the experience and ability of technicians, shorten the debugging time of novices to less than 10 minutes, and improve the efficiency and accuracy of robot tool alignment.

[0005] The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0006] A robot tool alignment system comprises an upper tool structure, a lower tool structure, an intermediate tool structure, a gun changing disk on the robot side, a gun changing disk on the gripper side, and a signal interaction and program system; the upper tool structure is installed and positioned in coordination with the gun changing disk on the robot side through a first mating pin and a second mating pin, and is provided with a hand-grip hole for convenient taking and plugging and installation; the lower tool structure is installed and positioned in coordination with the gun changing disk on the gripper side through a first mating pin hole, a second mating pin hole, and a third mating pin hole, and is provided with a position for installing a laser displacement sensor and a hand-grip hole for convenient taking and plugging and installation; the intermediate tool structure is used to guide the robot to calculate the moving distance according to the sensor value to ensure the alignment of the gun changing disk, and is provided with a sensor for recording angle values; the signal interaction and program system comprises a computer-side wireless transceiver, a PC laptop computer, and a robot system, the PC laptop computer runs the program system to realize functions such as data extraction, writing, reading and analysis, and the program system has a three-level interface for guiding operation.

[0007] Preferably, the first mating pin and the second mating pin of the upper tool structure cooperate with the corresponding first pin mounting hole and the second pin mounting hole on the gun changing disk on the robot side, and the first mating pin hole, the second mating pin hole and the third mating pin hole of the lower tool structure cooperate with the corresponding first positioning pin, the second positioning pin and the third positioning pin on the gun changing disk on the gripper side.

[0008] Preferably, a laser displacement sensor in the Y direction is installed at the first laser displacement sensor installation position of the lower tool structure, and a laser displacement sensor in the X direction is installed at the second laser displacement sensor installation position.

[0009] Preferably, the first-level main interface of the robot tool alignment system program on the PC computer side includes a connect device button, a centering angle button, an align XY button, a clear (centering angle) data button, a clear (align XY) data button, and an exit button; the second-level interface corresponding to the centering angle button includes a record fixed side device value button, a record robot initial position and record device value button, and a robot automatic angle button.

[0010] A robot tool alignment method of a robot tool alignment system, characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0011] Connection steps: Connect the PC laptop to the control cabinet of the robot system via an Ethernet cable, and insert the computer-side wireless transceiver into the USB port of the PC;

[0012] Installation steps: install the upper tool structure on the gun changer on the robot side, install the lower tool structure on the gun changer on the gripper side, and install the middle tool structure on the lower tool structure;

[0013] Device connection operation steps: Open the robot tool alignment system program on the PC, click the connect device button until the button turns green to indicate that the device is successfully connected;

[0014] Centering angle operation steps: Click the Centering Angle button and follow the prompts on the secondary page. First, click the Record Fixed Side Equipment Value button, then install the intermediate tool structure onto the upper tool structure. When the button turns green, click the Record Robot Initial Position and Record Equipment Value button. When this button also turns green, click the Robot Automatically Align Angle. At this time, the program system will pass the calculated XYZ rotation to the robot, so that the upper tool structure and the lower tool structure of the robot are in a parallel posture.

[0015] Align XY operation steps: Click the Align XY button, and the program system will pass the calculated XYZ movement to the robot, so that the XY of the upper tool structure and the lower tool structure are in an aligned state;

[0016] Finishing steps: After the tool alignment system operation is completed, remove the lower tool structure from the gun changer on the gripper side, remove the upper tool structure from the gun changer on the robot side, and manually move the robot along the tool coordinate system to achieve tool alignment of the robot.

[0017] Preferably, the robot tool alignment system program on the PC has a three-level interface. Click the corresponding button in the first-level main interface to display the corresponding operation button in the second-level interface; click the button in the second-level interface to display the specific operation content in the third-level interface. After completing the operation according to the content of the third-level interface, click the next operation button. After all operations are completed and the robot tool alignment is completed, click the exit button under the first-level main page to exit the program.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention uses a sensor to record the posture of the tool on the welding gun bracket, and synchronously records the posture of the robot head gun changer. The posture relationship between the robot tool (gun changer tool side) and the gun changer tool side is obtained through mathematical operations, and the final posture of the robot TCP is further calculated. The data of the laser displacement sensor is used to obtain the distance difference through mathematical calculations inside the program to achieve automatic alignment of the gun changer. This significantly reduces the time required for manual debugging, and the debugging time for novices can be shortened to less than 10 minutes, greatly improving the overall work efficiency. The operating process of the system is simple and clear. The program on the PC side guides the operator to complete the operation step by step. The experience and ability requirements of the technicians are relatively low, so that new employees or those with limited technical skills can also quickly get started and perform efficient robot tool alignment debugging work. The system realizes automatic alignment based on sensor data and mathematical operations. Compared with manual debugging, it can more accurately control the posture and position of the robot, ensure the precise alignment of the mounting surface and positioning pins of the gun changer, thereby improving the accuracy of the robot in subsequent operations, reducing welding defects caused by inaccurate tool alignment, and improving product quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the tool of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the tool structure on the upper side of the gun changing tray of the robot in the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the lower tool structure of the gripper-side gun-changing tray in the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate tool in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gun plate changing on the robot side of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the gun changing disc on the gripper side of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of signal interaction in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the robot tool alignment system program on the PC side of the present invention;. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" may include both "above" and "below". The device may also be positioned in other different ways, rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations, and the spatially relative descriptions used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0028] The specific implementation of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0029] See also Figure 1 , a robotic tool alignment system, see Figure 1 , a schematic diagram of a robot tool alignment tool arrangement structure, including a laser displacement sensor 1, an upper tool structure 2, a lower tool structure 3, an intermediate tool structure 4, a robot-side gun changing plate 5 and a gripper-side gun changing plate 6, the laser displacement sensor includes a first laser displacement sensor and a second laser displacement sensor, when using the alignment tool system, the upper tool structure is installed on the robot-side gun changing plate, and the lower tool structure is installed on the gripper-side gun changing plate; the intermediate tool structure is first installed on the lower tool structure, and then installed on the upper tool structure, for measuring angle values.

[0030] The overall structure of the upper tool structure is shown in Figure 2 The first hand-grip hole 2.3 and the second hand-grip hole 2.4 are convenient for operators to take, plug and install; the first matching pin 2.1 and the second matching pin 2.2 are used to match and install with the first pin mounting hole 5.1 and the second pin mounting hole 5.2 on the robot side gun changing plate, and are used to locate the relative position of the upper tool structure and the robot side gun changing plate.

[0031] The overall structure of the lower tool structure is shown in Figure 3The third hand grip hole 3.2 and the fourth hand grip hole 3.7 are convenient for operators to take and plug in and install; the first laser displacement sensor installation position 3.1 is used to install the laser displacement sensor in the Y direction, and the second laser displacement sensor installation position 3.3 is used to install the laser displacement sensor in the X direction; the first matching pin hole 3.5, the second matching pin hole 3.6, and the third matching pin hole 3.4 are used to match the three positioning pins of the gripper side gun changing disk to fix the relative position of the lower tool structure and the gripper side gun changing disk.

[0032] The overall structure of the intermediate tool structure is shown in Figure 4 ,The middleware 4.1 is used to guide the robot to calculate the moving distance according to the sensor value so as to ensure the alignment of the gun changing plate; the sensor 4.2 is used to record the angle value.

[0033] The robot side gun tray Figure 5 It is a standard part model. The first pin mounting hole 5.1, the second pin mounting hole 5.2 and the matching mounting surface in the figure are specially selected holes and surfaces, which are used to locate with the upper tool structure to ensure the unique installation position.

[0034] The machine gripper side gun plate Figure 6 It is a standard part model. The locating pin 6.1 and the matching installation surface in the figure are selected to locate with the upper tool structure to ensure the unique installation position.

[0035] The signal interaction diagram is shown in Figure 7 , where the computer-side wireless transceiver 7.1 is used to read sensor data, the robot system 7.3 represents a robot used together with the robot tool alignment system, and the PC notebook computer 7.2 is used to run the program system, including extracting and writing data to the robot system, reading and analyzing sensor data, etc. The core algorithms are all implemented through the PC notebook computer.

[0036] The schematic diagram of the robot tool alignment system program on the PC side is shown in Figure 8 , which is divided into three levels of interface: the first-level main interface (including buttons 8.1-8.6), the second-level interface (including buttons 8.2.1-8.2.3) and the third-level interface; click the corresponding button in the first-level main interface, and the corresponding operation button will be displayed in the second-level interface. When you click the button in the second-level interface, the specific operation content will be displayed in the third-level interface. If you complete the operation according to the content in the third-level interface, you can click the button to be operated next. After all operations are completed and the robot tool alignment is completed, click the exit button 8.6 under the first-level main page to exit the program.

[0037] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: first, the intermediate tool 4 is installed on the lower tool 3, and the sensor information is recorded; then the intermediate tool 4 is installed on the upper tool 2, and the posture information of the sensor and the robot information is recorded. Through mathematical operations, the robot posture and position are adjusted to align the mounting surfaces and positioning pins on the robot side and the tool side of the gun changing plate at one time.

[0038] The working process of the present invention: first, we need to connect the PC laptop 7.2 and the control cabinet of the robot system 7.3 through a network cable, then insert the computer-side wireless transceiver 7.1 into the USB port of the PC, install the upper tool structure 2 on the gun changing plate 5 on the robot side, install the lower tool structure 3 on the gun changing plate 6 on the gripper side, and install the intermediate tool 4 on the lower tool 3. Open the robot tool alignment system program 8 on the PC, click the connect device button 8.1, and wait until the button turns green to indicate that the device is successfully connected; click the centering angle button 8.2, and follow the prompts of buttons 8.2.1-8.2.3 in the secondary sub-page; first click the record fixed side device value button 8.2.1, then install the intermediate tool 4 on the upper tool 2, wait until 8.2.1 turns green, click the record robot initial position and record device value button 8.2.2; wait until 8.2.2 turns green, click the robot automatic angle, at this time the program system will pass the calculated XYZ rotation to the robot, the robot automatically rotates around the tool coordinate point (TCP), so that the upper tool 2 and the lower tool 3 of the robot are in a parallel posture; finally click the align XY button 8.3, the program system will pass the calculated XYZ movement to the robot, the robot automatically moves, so that the XY of the upper tool 2 and the lower tool 3 are in an aligned state. At this time, the tool alignment system operation is completed. Remove the lower tool 3 from the gripper-side gun-changing tray 6, remove the upper tool 2 from the robot-side gun-changing tray 5, and manually move the robot along the tool coordinate system to achieve the robot's tool alignment.

[0039] It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be regarded as within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot tool alignment system, characterized in that: It includes an upper tool structure, a lower tool structure, an intermediate tool structure, a gun changing disk on the robot side, a gun changing disk on the gripper side, and a signal interaction and program system; the upper tool structure is installed and positioned in coordination with the gun changing disk on the robot side through a first mating pin and a second mating pin, and is provided with a hand-holding hole for convenient taking and plugging and installation; the lower tool structure is installed and positioned in coordination with the gun changing disk on the gripper side through a first mating pin hole, a second mating pin hole, and a third mating pin hole, and is provided with a position for installing a laser displacement sensor and a hand-holding hole for convenient taking and plugging and installation; the intermediate tool structure is used to guide the robot to calculate the moving distance according to the sensor value to ensure the alignment of the gun changing disk, and is provided with a sensor for recording angle values; the signal interaction and program system includes a computer-side wireless transceiver, a PC laptop and a robot system, and the PC laptop runs the program system to realize functions such as data extraction, writing, reading and analysis, and the program system has a three-level interface for guiding operations.

2. The robot tool alignment system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first mating pin and the second mating pin of the upper tool structure cooperate with the corresponding first pin mounting hole and the second pin mounting hole on the gun changing disk on the robot side, and the first mating pin hole, the second mating pin hole and the third mating pin hole of the lower tool structure cooperate with the corresponding first positioning pin, the second positioning pin and the third positioning pin on the gun changing disk on the gripper side.

3. The robot tool alignment system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first laser displacement sensor installation position of the lower tool structure is provided with a laser displacement sensor in the Y direction, and the second laser displacement sensor installation position is provided with a laser displacement sensor in the X direction.

4. The robot tool alignment system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first-level main interface of the robot tool alignment system program on the PC computer side includes a connect device button, a centering angle button, an align XY button, a clear (centering angle) data button, a clear (align XY) data button, and an exit button; the second-level interface corresponding to the centering angle button includes a record fixed side device value button, a record robot initial position and record device value button, and a robot automatic angle button.

5. A robot tool alignment method based on the robot tool alignment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Connection steps: Connect the PC laptop to the control cabinet of the robot system via an Ethernet cable, and insert the computer-side wireless transceiver into the USB port of the PC; Installation steps: install the upper tool structure on the gun changer on the robot side, install the lower tool structure on the gun changer on the gripper side, and install the middle tool structure on the lower tool structure; Device connection operation steps: Open the robot tool alignment system program on the PC, click the connect device button until the button turns green to indicate that the device is successfully connected; Centering angle operation steps: Click the Centering Angle button and follow the prompts on the secondary page. First, click the Record Fixed Side Equipment Value button, then install the intermediate tool structure onto the upper tool structure. When the button turns green, click the Record Robot Initial Position and Record Equipment Value button. When this button also turns green, click the Robot Automatically Align Angle. At this time, the program system will pass the calculated XYZ rotation to the robot, so that the upper tool structure and the lower tool structure of the robot are in a parallel posture. Align XY operation steps: Click the Align XY button, and the program system will pass the calculated XYZ movement to the robot, so that the XY of the upper tool structure and the lower tool structure are in an aligned state; Finishing steps: After the tool alignment system operation is completed, remove the lower tool structure from the gun changer on the gripper side, remove the upper tool structure from the gun changer on the robot side, and manually move the robot along the tool coordinate system to achieve tool alignment of the robot.

6. The robot tool alignment method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The robot tool alignment system program on the PC has a three-level interface. Click the corresponding button in the first-level main interface to display the corresponding operation button in the second-level interface; click the button in the second-level interface to display the specific operation content in the third-level interface. After completing the operation according to the content of the third-level interface, click the next operation button. After all operations are completed and the robot tool alignment is completed, click the exit button under the first-level main page to exit the program.

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