Automatic feeding method for spare cutter and automatic feeding method for retracting cutter

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of PCB (printed circuit board) processing, in particular to an automatic feeding method for spare tools, which comprises the following steps: a transfer mechanism transfers a first tool storage box in a tool magazine mechanism to a first carrier; the first feeding assembly conveys the first cutter storage box to the first standby cutter supply station based on the first carrier; before the knife preparing mechanism finishes taking the knife from the first knife storage box located at the first knife preparing supply station, the second feeding assembly conveys the second knife storage box to the second knife preparing supply station based on the second carrier; and before the knife storage mechanism finishes taking the knife from the second knife storage box located at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding assembly returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and conveys the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station. According to the automatic feeding method, the tool storage box of the standby tool retracting mechanism is supplied through back-and-forth conveying based on the movable carrier, and real-time dynamic supply of the to-be-matched drilling tool in the standby tool retracting process is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of PCB processing, and in particular to an automatic feeding method for tool preparation and an automatic feeding method for tool retraction. Background Art

[0002] As the main processing equipment for PCB board processing, the printed circuit board (PCB) drilling machine uses drills with different hole diameters to process several holes to install the required components. On the existing automatic tool preparation equipment in the PCB tool preparation room, the material loading operation of the tool preparation process is usually carried out manually. The tool preparation room needs to prepare tool boxes of corresponding specifications in advance according to the different operation requirements of the drilling machine, and install them to the supply tool disk of the tool preparation and retraction mechanism manually or by a robotic arm for the tool preparation and retraction mechanism to arrange the tool or retract the tool.

[0003] In the actual operation process of the existing automatic tool preparation machine, the tool box for storing tools to be equipped is usually temporarily stored based on the tool supply disc structure at the supply end of the drill tool to be equipped, so that the tool preparation machine can grab it. For example, Chinese Patent 202322987025.2 discloses an automatic needle matching device, whose needle matching device includes a storage bracket, a needle matching assembly and a buffer bracket, wherein the storage bracket is used to place multiple material storage boxes (knife storage boxes) so that the needle matching assembly can transfer multiple drill needles of different models on the storage bracket to the transfer box (knife preparation box); the buffer bracket includes multiple buffer slots, which are used to place the material storage boxes on the storage bracket in the buffer bracket based on the buffer slot, and move the material storage boxes in other buffer slots to the storage bracket to realize the turnover of the material storage boxes. This results in the consumption of additional turnover space inside the tool preparation machine, and the circulation process of the drill tool to be equipped in the tool supply disc structure (storage bracket) is complicated, which seriously reduces the operation efficiency of the tool preparation machine per unit time. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the utility model provides an automatic feeding method for tool preparation and an automatic feeding method for tool retracting. By adopting a reciprocating conveying based on a movable carrier to supply the tool storage box of the tool preparation mechanism, the transfer nodes of the tool storage box are reduced, and the real-time dynamic supply of the drill tool to be equipped in the tool preparation and retracting process is realized.

[0005] To achieve the purpose of this application, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an automatic feeding method for tool preparation, which is applied to a feeding system of a tool preparation machine, wherein the feeding system includes a tool magazine mechanism, a transfer mechanism and a tool preparation mechanism, and the method includes:

[0007] The transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier;

[0008] The first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station based on the first carrier; the first knife preparation supply station is the first knife picking station corresponding to the knife preparation mechanism;

[0009] Before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the first knife storage box at the first knife preparation supply station, the second feeding assembly transports the second knife storage box to the second knife preparation supply station based on the second carrier to wait; the second knife preparation supply station is the second knife taking station corresponding to the knife preparation mechanism, wherein the first knife preparation supply station and the second knife preparation supply station are arranged in parallel with respect to the knife preparation mechanism;

[0010] Before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station to wait.

[0011] In a possible embodiment, the first feeding component includes a first conveying rail and the first carrier, and the second feeding component includes a second conveying rail and the second carrier; a first box changing station and a second box changing station are fixedly arranged on the first conveying rail and the second conveying rail, respectively; wherein the first box changing station is used to replace the knife storage box during each round-trip transportation of the first feeding component; the second box changing station is used to replace the knife storage box during each round-trip transportation of the second feeding component; the transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier, including: the transfer mechanism obtains the first knife storage box from the tool magazine mechanism, and places the first knife storage box on the first carrier located at the first box changing station; the second feeding component transports the second knife storage box to the second knife preparation supply station based on the second carrier to wait, including: the second feeding component transports the second knife storage box from the second box changing station to the second knife preparation supply station to wait based on the second carrier.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and transports the next knife storage box to the first ready tool supply station to wait, including: the first feeding component transports the first knife storage box back to the first box changing station based on the first carrier; the transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box to the corresponding storage position of the tool magazine mechanism; the transfer mechanism transfers the third knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier located at the first box changing station; the first feeding component transports the third knife storage box to the first ready tool supply station to wait based on the first carrier.

[0013] In a possible embodiment, a first detection module is arranged on the first conveying rail, and a second detection module is arranged on the second conveying rail; the first detection module is used to detect whether the first carrier has arrived at the first tool preparation supply station or the first box changing station; the second detection module is used to detect whether the second carrier has arrived at the second tool preparation supply station or the second box changing station.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, the method further includes: when the first detection module detects that the first carrier stays at the first tool preparation supply station for a first preset time, the control unit controls the first carrier to return to the first box changing station along the first conveying guide rail; when the first detection module detects that the first carrier stays at the first box changing station for a second preset time, the control unit controls the first carrier to move to the first tool preparation supply station along the first conveying guide rail.

[0015] In a possible embodiment, the method further includes: when the first detection module detects at the first box changing station that any knife storage box is removed from the first carrier and replaced again, the control unit controls the first carrier to move along the first conveying rail to the first preparation tool supply station; when the first detection module detects at the first preparation tool supply station that the drill tool to be equipped in any knife storage box is grabbed at least once, the control unit controls the first carrier to return along the first conveying rail to the first box changing station.

[0016] In a possible embodiment, the method also includes: before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the second knife storage box located at the second knife preparation supply station, the third feeding component transports the third knife storage box to the third knife preparation supply station to wait based on the third carrier; the third knife preparation supply station is the third knife taking station corresponding to the knife preparation mechanism, and the third knife preparation supply station is arranged in parallel with the first knife preparation station and the second knife preparation station relative to the knife preparation mechanism; before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the third knife storage box located at the third knife preparation supply station, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station to wait.

[0017] In a possible embodiment, the first carrier is a movable carrier; the first carrier includes a first base, a first column and a first box carrying station; a first slider adapted to the guide groove of the first conveying guide rail is provided at the bottom of the first base, the first slider is embedded in the guide groove, and slides and extends along the length direction of the first conveying guide rail; the first column is fixedly arranged above the first base, and the first box carrying station is fixedly arranged at the top of the first column; the first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station based on the first carrier, including: the first carrier slides along the first conveying guide rail to transport the first knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station; the second feeding component transports the second knife storage box to the second knife preparation supply station to wait based on the second carrier, including: the second carrier slides along the second conveying guide rail to transport the second knife storage box to the second knife preparation supply station to wait.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner, the elevation of the first box carrying station and the elevation of the second box carrying station are simultaneously the same as the elevation of the working surface of the tool preparation mechanism.

[0019] In a possible implementation, any of the conveying guide rails can be driven forward or reversely, and the box carrying station is an inlay position fixed on the conveying guide rail.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present application provides an automatic feeding method for tool retraction, which is applied to a feeding system of a tool preparation machine, wherein the feeding system includes a tool magazine mechanism, a transfer mechanism and a tool retraction mechanism, and is characterized in that the method includes:

[0021] The transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier; wherein the first knife storage box contains a plurality of empty holes for placing drill bits;

[0022] The first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to the first knife supply station based on the first carrier; the first knife supply station is the first knife placement station corresponding to the knife retracting mechanism;

[0023] Before the tool retracting mechanism completes placing a tool in the first tool storage box at the first tool preparation supply station, the second feeding assembly transports the second tool storage box to the second tool preparation supply station based on the second carrier to wait; the second tool preparation supply station is the second tool placement station corresponding to the tool preparation mechanism, wherein the first tool preparation supply station and the second tool preparation supply station are arranged in parallel relative to the tool preparation mechanism, and the second tool storage box contains a plurality of empty holes for placing drill bits;

[0024] Before the knife preparation mechanism completes placing a knife in the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding assembly returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station to wait for knife placement.

[0025] The automatic feeding method for tool preparation and tool withdrawal provided in the embodiment of the present application realizes the real-time dynamic supply of the drill tool to be equipped in the tool preparation and tool withdrawal process by adopting the reciprocating transportation based on the movable carrier to supply the tool storage box of the tool preparation and tool withdrawal mechanism; compared with the existing tool storage tool disk that sets a temporary storage position for the tool box between the tool magazine mechanism and the tool storage tool disk, the feeding system of the present application directly transports the drill tool to be equipped to the corresponding tool retrieval position, reducing the transfer nodes of the tool storage tool box; at the same time, in the operation process, it also avoids the need for the tool preparation and tool withdrawal mechanism to stop operation in order to reorganize the tool boxes in the tool storage tool disk and place the multiple tool storage boxes corresponding to the next spare tool box when the current spare tool box is generated, thereby greatly improving the operation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the present application and do not constitute a limitation to the present application.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fully automatic knife preparation machine provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the process flow of the feeding mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first carrier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first box loading station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a knife matching device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the rear view structure of the knife matching device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first supporting module and the second supporting module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a vertical lifting assembly of a second supporting module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 9A schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping jaw assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of the loading and unloading mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a transmission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 12 An optional flow chart of an automatic feeding method for preparing a knife provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 13 An optional flow chart of an automatic feeding method for retracting a tool provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 14 A schematic flow chart of a knife matching method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Reference numerals:

[0042] 10, feeding mechanism; 111, first conveying guide rail; 1111, guide groove; 112, first carrier; 1121, first column; 11211, first base; 11212, first slider; 1122, first box loading station; 11220, first knife storage supply station; 11221, knife box placement station; 11222, knife box transfer station; 1123, junction box; 120, second conveying guide rail; 122, second carrier; 100, feeding system; 12, tool magazine mechanism; 121, magazine frame; 1211, material cabinet; 12111, material layer; 13, transfer mechanism; 131, transfer track; 132, robot arm unit; 1321, movable base; 1322, lifting member; 1323, vertical lifting track; 1324, material taking module; 13241, first positioning part; 13242, second positioning part;

[0043] knife matching device, 200; 210, supporting and conveying mechanism; 211, first supporting module; 2111, first carrier; 2112, first material taking and unloading station; 2113, target station; 21131a, knife box for ready-to-use knives; 21131b, knife box for ready-to-use knives; 2114, first conveying guide rail; 2115, first conveying member; 2116, first driving motor; 2117, conveying belt 1; 212, second supporting module; 2120, supporting bottom plate; 2121, second carrier; 2 1210, vertical lifting assembly; 212101, push rod assembly; 212102, auxiliary lifting rod; 212103, reinforcement sleeve; 2122, second material loading and unloading station; 2123, second conveying guide rail; 2124, second conveying member; 2125, second driving motor; 2126, conveying belt 2; 213, knife storage supply station; 2131a, knife storage box; 2131b, ready knife storage box; 220, support mechanism; 230, grabbing mechanism; 240, cavity;

[0044] 310, loading and unloading mechanism; 311, clamping jaw assembly; 3111, fixing plate; 31111, through hole; 3112, air gripper module; 31121, clamping cylinder; 31122, first clamping member; 311221, first horizontal pneumatic member; 311222, first vertical clamping member; 31123, second clamping member; 311231, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311232, second vertical clamping member; 311233, second clamping member; 311234, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311235, second vertical clamping member; 311236, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311237, second vertical clamping member; 311238, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311239, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311240, second vertical clamping member; 311241, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311242, second vertical clamping member; 311243, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311244, second vertical clamping member; 311245, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311246, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311247, second vertical clamping member; 311248, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311249, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311241, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311241, second vertical clamping member; 311242, second vertical clamping member; 311243, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311244, second vertical clamping member; 311245, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311246, second horizontal pneumatic member; 311247, second vertical clamping member; 311 124, photoelectric sensor; 311251, first speed control valve; 311252, second speed control valve; 3113. Manifold; 31131, solenoid valve; 312, vertical moving assembly; 3121, vertical electric cylinder; 3122, connecting lifting plate; 3123, connecting support frame; 313, transverse moving bracket; 3131, transverse moving slide rail; 3132, transverse moving slider; 3133, transverse moving drive module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features; in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0047] During the actual operation of existing automatic tool preparation machines, a single or small amount of tool preparation tool boxes based on the supply turret structure are usually stored at the supply end of the drills to be paired. This results in the tool preparation machine being in a stagnant state waiting for manual replacement or a new tool box replenishment process when the drills to be paired in the supply turret are exhausted or the tool preparation for that time is completed. Only after the replenishment or replacement is completed can the operation be restarted, thus severely reducing the operation efficiency of the tool preparation machine per unit time. To make up for the defect of insufficient single tool supply, additional storage space is usually used in the existing ones to store more tool preparation tool boxes, which is further limited by the spatial structure of the tool preparation machine itself.

[0048] The term explanations of this application are as follows. For specific interpretations, refer to the application scenarios of corresponding Embodiment 1 to Embodiment 5.

[0049] The support mechanism refers to the basic bracket in the tool matching device for carrying tool matching related equipment or related workpieces, providing stable support for various machining operations during the tool matching process.

[0050] The grasping mechanism, that is, the tool withdrawal and preparation mechanism, refers to the relevant equipment and components for transferring one or more drills in the tool storage tool box to the tool matching tool box, including the tool matching gripper and the auxiliary components located above the support mechanism for controlling the movement and operation of the tool matching gripper; among them, the tool matching gripper is used to achieve automatic tool picking and tool matching, the tool preparation tool box is used to place multiple drills that meet the drilling operation arrangement of the drilling machine, and the tool storage tool box refers to the tool magazine tool box for placing multiple drills of the same model or different models;

[0051] The drills to be paired refer to one or more drills from the tool storage tool box;

[0052] The empty tool box refers to the tool box after all the drills in the tool storage tool box are taken out and transferred to the tool to be prepared tool box;

[0053] The tool preparation supply station refers to the operation station corresponding to the front of the grasping mechanism, that is, the station within the physical working range of the grasping mechanism, usually a fixed spatial coordinate position;

[0054] The target station refers to the fixed spatial coordinate position in front of the grasping mechanism for placing the first carrier plate or the second carrier plate. This station is within the physical working range of the grasping mechanism and is close to the above-mentioned tool preparation supply station;

[0055] The loading and unloading station refers to the fixed spatial coordinate position on each conveying guide rail, and this coordinate position is within the physical working range of the transfer mechanism.

[0056] The following combines Figures 1 to 14 the shown embodiments to describe the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0057] Embodiment 1

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, a fully automatic tool preparation machine of a preferred embodiment of the present application is configured as a feeding mechanism 10 to supply the drill tool to be matched to the tool matching device 200, and to transmit the tool box (tool box) generated by the tool matching device 200 to the discharge port through the loading and unloading mechanism 310, so as to install the tool box to the drilling machine of the next process to perform PCB board processing.

[0059] refer to Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the feeding mechanism 10 includes at least two feeding components; each of the feeding components includes: a conveying rail; a carrier, the carrier cooperates with the conveying rail through a base at its bottom and can move along the conveying rail to perform reciprocating conveyance of the knife box.

[0060] Among them, the first feeding assembly of the feeding mechanism 10 includes a first conveying rail 111 and a first carrier 112; the second feeding assembly includes a second conveying rail 120 and a second carrier 122, and the second feeding assembly is configured to: before the knife preparation and retraction mechanism (grabbing mechanism) completes the removal of the knife from the first knife storage box on the first carrier 112, move the second carrier 122 (with the second knife storage box) to the knife preparation supply station (second knife preparation supply station) of the second conveying rail 120; here, each conveying rail is provided with a knife preparation supply station that cooperates with the knife preparation and retraction mechanism, and the knife preparation supply station is a knife removal station of the knife preparation mechanism (actually the same station). At the same time, before the knife preparation mechanism completes the removal of the knife from the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding assembly returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station.

[0061] Specifically, for each feeding component, its carrier includes a column and a box-carrying station; a slider adapted to the guide groove of the conveying guide rail is arranged at the bottom of the carrier base, the guide groove is arranged on the conveying guide rail and extends along the length direction of the conveying guide rail; the slider is embedded in the guide groove and slidably cooperates with the flanges on both sides of the guide groove; the column is fixedly arranged above the base, and the height of the column is the same as the height of the working table of the tool retracting mechanism; the box-carrying station is fixedly arranged at the top of the column. Reference Figure 3As shown, taking the first feeding assembly as an example, the first carrier 112 includes a first column 1121 and a first box loading station 1122, a first base 11211 is arranged at the bottom of the first column 1121, and a plurality of first sliders 11212 adapted to the guide groove 1111 of the first conveying rail 111 are arranged at the bottom of the first base 11211, and the first sliders 11212 drive the first base 11211 and the first column 1121 to move along the first conveying rail 111 under the drive of the linear motor; the junction box 1123 of this embodiment is fixedly connected to one side of the first column 1121; wherein, the first box changing station is located at the feeding starting position of the first conveying rail 111, and the first preparation tool supply station is located at the feeding target position of the first conveying rail 111.

[0062] In the examples of this application, refer to Figure 3 As shown, taking the first feeding component as an example, the feeding mechanism also includes: a detection unit and a control unit; the detection unit includes a plurality of detection modules simultaneously arranged on the first conveying rail 111, for detecting whether the first carrier 112 has arrived at the first knife storage supply station 11220, and blocking the first carrier 112 arriving at the first knife storage supply station 11220 by respectively using blocking mechanisms arranged at the detection modules; the control unit is respectively connected to the detection unit and a plurality of feeding components, and the control unit is configured as: when the detection unit detects that the first carrier 112 has stayed at the first knife storage supply station 11220 for a preset time, the control unit controls the first carrier 112 to return along the first conveying rail 111 to the first box changing station of the first conveying rail 111. As a feasible implementation, the detection unit includes: a first detection module arranged at the loading and unloading station of the first conveying rail 111, a second detection module arranged at the first knife storage supply station 11220 of the first conveying rail 111, a third detection module arranged at the loading and unloading station of the second conveying rail 120, and a fourth detection module arranged at the second knife storage supply station of the second conveying rail 120; the first detection module is configured to detect whether the returned first carrier 112 has arrived at the first box changing station (i.e., the first loading and unloading station) corresponding to the first feeding component; the second detection module is configured To detect whether the first carrier 112 has arrived at the first knife storage supply station 11220; the third detection module is configured to detect whether the returned second carrier 122 has arrived at the second box changing station (second loading and unloading station) corresponding to the second feeding assembly; the fourth detection module is configured to detect whether the second carrier 122 has arrived at the second knife storage supply station corresponding to the second feeding assembly; wherein the first knife storage supply station 11220 and the second knife storage supply station are arranged side by side in the second direction relative to the workbench of the knife retracting mechanism, and the second direction is the direction of the edge directly in front of the workbench (the workbench is rectangular).

[0063] refer to Figure 3, Figure 4 As shown, the box loading station of the present application is provided with a knife box placement station 11221 and a knife box transfer station 11222; the knife box placement station 11221 is used to place the next knife box to be equipped; the knife box transfer station 11222 is used to temporarily store the returned knife box at the first loading and unloading station of the first conveying guide rail 111. As a feasible implementation, after the last drill tool to be equipped in the knife box 2131a of the knife box placement station 11221 is grabbed, a knife box without a knife is generated, and the missing drill tool to be equipped can be grabbed from the knife box 2131a as a supplement placed in the knife box transfer station 11222. After the grabbing is completed, the knife box without a knife and the supplementary knife box are returned to the tool magazine at the same time through the feeding mechanism 10.

[0064] Here, by adopting the reciprocating conveying based on the movable carrier for supplying the knife storage box of the standby knife retracting mechanism, the real-time dynamic supply of the drill tool to be equipped in the standby knife retracting process is realized; the existing feeding mechanism adopts a mechanical gripper to directly transfer the knife storage box from the tool magazine mechanism to the knife storage disk (i.e., the supply disk, which is specially used to place the required multiple knife storage boxes), or in order to reduce the number of mechanical grippers and improve the working efficiency, a knife box temporary storage position is set between the tool magazine mechanism and the knife storage disk, but it is impossible to avoid setting a knife storage disk at the corresponding position of the standby knife retracting mechanism for the standby knife retracting mechanism to grab the drill tool to be equipped. Therefore, compared with the existing knife storage disk, the feeding system of the present application directly transports the drill tool to be equipped to the corresponding tool picking position (i.e., the standby knife supply station), reducing the transfer nodes of the knife storage box; at the same time, in the operation process, it also avoids the need for the standby knife retracting mechanism to stop the operation to reorganize the knife boxes in the knife storage disk and place the multiple knife storage boxes corresponding to the next standby knife box when the current standby knife box is generated, thereby greatly improving the working efficiency. It should be noted that the tool preparation supply station in the feeding mechanism of the present application refers to a spatial location that meets the requirements of the tool preparation and retraction operation, such as the position at the output end of each conveying guide rail.

[0065] refer to Figures 5 - 8As shown, the knife-matching device 200 of the embodiment of the present application includes a supporting and conveying mechanism 210, a supporting mechanism 220 and a grasping mechanism 230; wherein the supporting and conveying mechanism 210 is movably connected with the supporting mechanism 220, and includes a first supporting module group 211 and a second supporting module group 212, wherein the first supporting module group 211 includes a first carrier plate 2111 and a first carrier plate conveying assembly for conveying the first carrier plate 2111, and the first carrier plate conveying assembly is configured to: move the first carrier plate 2111 from the first material taking and placing station 2112 to the target The target station 2113 is moved, or the first carrier 2111 is moved back from the target station 2113 to the first loading and unloading station 2112; the second supporting module 212 includes a second carrier 2121 and a second carrier conveying assembly for transferring the second carrier 2121, and the second carrier conveying assembly is configured to move the second carrier 2121 from the second loading and unloading station 2122 to the target station 2113, or the second carrier 2121 is moved back from the target station 2113 to the second loading and unloading station 2122. The grabbing mechanism 230 is located above the supporting and conveying mechanism 220, and is used to obtain the drill tool to be equipped at the corresponding position of the target station 2113 (the tool storage and supply station 213, including at least the first tool storage and supply station 11220), and to perform tool matching on the tool box 21131a of the ready-to-be-equipped tool carried on the first carrier plate 2111 or the second carrier plate 2121 at the target station 2113. Here, the spatial position relationship between the first supporting module 211 and the second supporting module 212 on the supporting mechanism 220 can be based on the arrangement of relative up-down or left-right positions.

[0066] Considering the space usage of the unit, in the embodiment of the present application, the first supporting module 211 and the second supporting module 212 are both located inside the cavity 240 formed by the supporting mechanism 220 and the grabbing mechanism 230, wherein the second supporting module 212 is located below the first supporting module 211, and the supporting mechanism 220 is two brackets symmetrically arranged on both sides of the supporting and conveying mechanism 210. Figure 6 As shown, the first material picking and placing station 2112 and the second material picking and placing station 2122 are parallel to each other and arranged at intervals along the first vertical direction, that is, the second material picking and placing station (with the second carrier 2121 parked) 2122 is located directly below the first material picking and placing station (with the first carrier 2111 parked) 2112.

[0067] Here, the tool storage and supply station 213 (including at least the first tool storage and supply station 11220), the tool matching device 200 (from the target station 2113 to the first material picking and unloading station 2112 / the second material picking and unloading station 2122), and the loading and unloading mechanism 310 are arranged longitudinally in sequence. The tool matching device 200 is used to control the grasping mechanism 230 to grasp the drill tool to be matched in one or more knife storage boxes 2131a in the knife storage box 2131a at the tool storage and supply station 213, so as to insert the drill tool to be matched into the preset acupoint in the standby knife box 21131a at the target station 2113. After the standby knife box 21131a is full, a standby knife box 21131b is generated, and the standby knife box 21131b is conveyed to the discharge port through the loading and unloading mechanism 310. As a feasible implementation, the multiple box-carrying stations of the feeding mechanism 10 and the target station 2113 and the first material-retrieving and placing station 2112 can be arranged on an environmental surface (same elevation), or the fully automatic tool preparation machine of the present application further includes a fixed chassis, and the feeding mechanism 10 and the tool matching device 200 are fixed to the fixed chassis via a supporting mechanism 220; wherein, the fixed chassis can also be a mobile chassis, and the mobile chassis can drive the fully automatic tool preparation machine to move. In the embodiment of the present application, after the drill tool to be matched in any tool storage box 2131a is grabbed, a tool box 2131b with ready-to-match tools is generated, and the tool box 2131b with ready-to-match tools is transported to the tool magazine via the feeding mechanism 10, to wait for the drill tool to be placed in the tool retraction process. Here, the loading and unloading mechanism 310 is used to load the first carrier 2111 at the first picking and unloading station 2112 or the second carrier 2121 at the second picking and unloading station 2122 (supply the knife box 21131a to be prepared), or to transfer the knife box 21131b of the first carrier 2111 at the first picking and unloading station 2112 or the second carrier 2121 at the second picking and unloading station 2122 to the discharge port of the fully automatic knife preparation machine of the present application.

[0068] The grabbing mechanism 230 grabs the drill tool to be equipped from the knife storage box 2131a located at the knife storage supply station 213, and arranges the drill tool to be equipped in the standby knife box 21131b according to the arrangement sequence of the drill tools; the arrangement sequence of the drill tools is a source file based on the drilling machine operation preset in the system program. It should be noted that the standby knife box 21131a and the standby knife box 21131b are used to indicate the different states of the knife box before and after the knife is prepared; similarly, the knife storage box 2131a and the ready knife box 2131b are also used to indicate the different states of the knife box before and after feeding.

[0069] Specifically, the first carrier plate conveying assembly includes two first horizontal conveying components arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the first carrier plate 2111 is fixedly connected between the two first horizontal conveying components, and under the condition that the conveying power source located on one side of the support mechanism 220 provides power, the first carrier plate 2111 and the knife box assembly located on the first carrier plate 2111 are driven to transport back and forth between the first material loading and unloading station 2112 and the target station 2113 along the moving track. Among them, when the first supporting module of the tool matching device 200 needs to be transferred to the target station 2113, the first carrier plate conveying component conveys the first carrier plate 2111 from the first loading and unloading station 2112 to the target station 2113. At this time, the knife box 21131a (knife box for knife matching) carrying the ready knife to be matched on the first carrier plate 2111 is horizontally conveyed to the target station 2113, so that the grasping mechanism 230 can realize the transfer of the drill tool to be matched from the knife storage box 2131a to the ready knife box 21131a; then, after the ready knife box 21131a completes the knife preparation at the target station 2113, a ready knife box 21131b (full or not full) is generated. At this time, the first carrier plate conveying component conveys the first carrier plate 2111 (carrying the ready knife box) horizontally to the first loading and unloading station 2112.

[0070] As a feasible implementation mode, the first horizontal conveying component includes a first conveying guide rail 2114, which acts on the first carrier 2111 through a first conveying member 2115, and either end of the first carrier 2111 is connected to the first conveying member 2115, wherein the first conveying member 2115 is also fixedly connected to a conveying belt 2117 driven by a first driving motor 2116, and is used to drive the first carrier 2111 to travel back and forth on the first conveying guide rail 2114 through the first conveying member 2115 during the conveying process; wherein the first conveying guide rail 2114 is fixed on a side bracket of the supporting mechanism 220, and the first The conveying guide rail 2114 extends in the horizontal direction and is consistent with the direction in which the first carrier plate 2111 moves toward the target station 2113; the first conveying member 2115 is slidably matched with the first conveying guide rail 2114; the output shaft of the first driving motor 2116 is connected to the conveying belt 1 2117, and the first conveying member 2115 is fixed on the conveying belt 1 2117, and is used to drive the first conveying member 2115 to drive the first carrier plate 2111 to move along the first conveying guide rail 2114 to the target station 2113, and after the first carrier plate 2111 is finished, drive the first carrier plate 2111 to move along the first conveying guide rail 2114 back to the first material loading and unloading station 2112. Here, the two first conveying guide rails 2114 are symmetrically fixed to the two side brackets of the supporting mechanism 220.

[0071] In the embodiment of the present application, the second carrier plate conveying component may include a supporting bottom plate 2120 located below the second carrier plate 2121, two second horizontal conveying components respectively located below the first horizontal conveying component, and a vertical lifting assembly disposed between the second carrier plate 2121 and the supporting bottom plate 2120;

[0072] Among them, the supporting base plate 2120 is fixedly connected between the two second horizontal conveying components, and the supporting base plate 2120 and the second carrier plate 2121 are integrally arranged. Under the condition that the supporting base plate 2120 is powered by the conveying power source of the two second horizontal conveying components, the supporting base plate 2120 drives the supporting base plate 2120 and the second carrier plate 2121 to be integrally conveyed back and forth between the horizontal positions corresponding to the second material loading and unloading station 2122 and the target station 2113; the vertical lifting assembly is used to drive the second carrier plate 2121 to rise to the target height in the vertical direction after the supporting base plate 2120 and the second carrier plate 2121 move to the horizontal position at the same time, or, after the second carrier plate 2121 completes its work, drive the second carrier plate 2121 to descend from the target station 2113 to the horizontal position.

[0073] The knife matching device of the present application refers to a knife matching device that is different from the existing one that can only stop the knife matching device (knife matching device) after the gripping mechanism (knife matching device) completes the current knife matching, and after the knife box prepared for the current time is manually or mechanically moved out, the knife matching device is restarted to perform the next knife matching operation. It allows the generated knife box to be moved out through the first carrier plate and immediately moves the second carrier plate carrying the next knife box to be prepared to the target station, so as to perform continuous operation of the gripping mechanism in the time dimension. Furthermore, the second supporting module of the knife matching device of the present application is located in the space below the first supporting module, and at the same time realizes the expansion of the knife matching device in a limited space, thereby improving the operating efficiency in the spatial dimension.

[0074] Specifically, the second horizontal conveying component includes a second conveying guide rail 2123, which acts on the supporting base plate 2120 through a second conveying member 2124, and any end of the supporting carrier plate 2120 is connected to the second conveying member 2123 (relative to the other side of the supporting mechanism 220 of the first conveying member 2115), wherein the second conveying member 2124 is also fixedly connected to a conveying belt 2126 driven by a second driving motor 2125, and is used to drive the supporting carrier plate 2120 on the second conveying guide rail 2123 through the second conveying member 2124 during the conveying process. 123 sliding fit; wherein, the output shaft of the second driving motor 2125 is connected to the second conveying belt 2126, and the second conveying member 2124 is fixed on the second conveying belt 2126, which is used to drive the second conveying member 2124 to drive the supporting plate 2120 to move along the second conveying guide rail 2234 to the target station 2113, and after the supporting plate 2120 has finished working, drive the supporting plate 2120 to move along the second conveying guide rail 2123 back to the second material loading and unloading station 2122; the two second conveying guide rails 2123 are symmetrically fixed to the two side brackets of the support mechanism 220. Here, the second horizontal conveying member can be the same as the above-mentioned first horizontal conveying member to drive the second conveying member 2124 to move back and forth on the second conveying guide rail 2123.

[0075] As a feasible implementation, the vertical lifting assembly 21210 may include one or more push rod assemblies 212101 passing through the supporting base plate 2120 and fixed to the bottom of the second carrier plate 2121, and the push rod end of the push rod assembly 212101 is connected to the bottom (center) of the second carrier plate 2121. Figure 8 As shown, the push rod assembly 212101 is a linear motor, and an auxiliary lifting rod 212102 is respectively set at the four corners of the second carrier plate 2121, and a reinforcement sleeve 212103 is set at a position of the supporting base plate 2120 corresponding to each auxiliary lifting rod 212102.

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, multiple knife box positions are provided on the first carrier plate 2111 and the second carrier plate 2121, and the multiple knife box positions on the first carrier plate 2111 and the multiple knife box positions on the second carrier plate 2121 are of the same position and quantity; wherein each of the knife box positions includes a fixing groove adapted to the specifications of the knife box, and a positioning mechanism connected to the fixing groove.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first carrier plate 2111 is located at the first material picking and placing station 2112 or the second carrier plate 2121 is located at the second material picking and placing station 2122 for placing materials, a corresponding code reader is arranged above each knife box loading position to detect the knife box code on the ready knife box 21131a and whether the knife box is correctly placed. Here, a plurality of code readers are arranged at the rear side of the gantry where the gripping mechanism 230 is located.

[0078] In the embodiment of the present application, the tool matching device 200 can be used to perform the tool retracting operation of the tool box. During the tool retracting process, the loading and unloading mechanism 310 places the tool box 21131b of the tool box after the operation is completed at the first material picking and unloading station 2112 or the second material picking and unloading station 2122, so as to transfer the tool box 21131b to the target station 2113 through the first supporting module or the second supporting module, and the gripping mechanism 230 realizes the tool retracting process of the drill to be retracted based on the feeding mechanism 10. The specific process is the reverse process of the tool preparation operation process, which will not be described in detail here.

[0079] The knife matching device of the present application is connected to a supporting and conveying mechanism on a supporting structure, and the supporting and conveying mechanism includes a first supporting module group and a second supporting module group, the first supporting module group includes a first carrier and a first carrier conveying assembly, and the first carrier conveying assembly is configured to realize the reciprocating movement of the first carrier between the first material picking and unloading station and the target station; the second supporting module group includes a second carrier and a second carrier conveying assembly, and the second carrier conveying assembly is configured to move the second carrier from the second material picking and unloading station to the target station when the target station is in an idle state, or, when the second carrier operation at the target station is completed, move the second carrier from the target station to the second material picking and unloading station. In this way, the alternating operation of the first supporting module group and the second supporting module group at the target station corresponding to the grasping mechanism realizes the continuous operation of the grasping mechanism in time and space, and effectively improves the operation efficiency of the knife matching device.

[0080] Example 2

[0081] Based on the foregoing embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a loading and unloading mechanism 310, which includes a clamping jaw assembly 311, a vertical moving assembly 312, and a transverse moving bracket 313; wherein the clamping jaw assembly 311 is used to move multiple knife boxes (empty PCB knife boxes) from the loading knife disc to the first picking and unloading station 2112 or the second picking and unloading station 2122 based on the up and down movement of the vertical moving assembly 312 and the horizontal movement of the transverse moving bracket 313, or, to move the knife boxes (PCB knife boxes with knives already fitted) of the first picking and unloading station 2112 or the second picking and unloading station 2122 to the equipped knife disc.

[0082] Specifically, refer to Figure 9As shown, the gripper assembly 311 includes a fixed plate 3111, a plurality of air gripper modules 3112 and a manifold 3113, and the plurality of air gripper modules 3112 are evenly arranged at the bottom of the fixed plate 3111; each air gripper module 3112 includes a clamping cylinder 31121, and a first clamping member 31122 and a second clamping member 31123 connected to the clamping cylinder 31121, and the first clamping member 31122 and the second clamping member 31123 are symmetrically arranged along the clamping cylinder 31121; the manifold 3113 is arranged above the fixed plate 3111, and the manifold 3113 integrates a plurality of solenoid valves 31131, and the plurality of solenoid valves 31131 are connected to the air circuits of the plurality of air gripper modules 3112 through a plurality of through holes 31111 on the fixed plate 3111 via the manifold 3113. Among them, the first clamping member 31122 includes a first horizontal pneumatic member 311221 and a first vertical clamping member 311222 fixedly connected vertically to the first horizontal pneumatic member 311221 at one end of the first horizontal pneumatic member 311221, the second clamping member 31123 includes a second horizontal pneumatic member 311231 and a second vertical clamping member 311232 fixedly connected vertically to the second horizontal pneumatic member 311231 at one end of the second horizontal pneumatic member 311231, and the tail ends of the first vertical clamping member 311222 and the second vertical clamping member 311232 are used for combining and clamping the knife box. When each air gripper module 3112 is used to clamp the knife box, the tail ends of the first vertical clamping member 311222 and the second vertical clamping member 311232 slide inwards under the relative movement of the first horizontal pneumatic member 311221 and the second horizontal pneumatic member 311231, respectively, to clamp the knife box, and maintain the clamping action during the upward and horizontal movement until reaching the first station or the second station. In order to increase the stability of clamping the knife box, a first protrusion is provided on one side of the first vertical clamping member 311222 clamping the knife box, and a second protrusion is provided on one side of the second vertical clamping member 311232 clamping the knife box.

[0083] Among them, multiple photoelectric sensors 31124 are evenly arranged along the length direction of the fixed plate 3111; wherein the multiple photoelectric sensors 31124 correspond one by one to the positions of the multiple air gripper modules 3112 on one side of the fixed plate 3111; two speed control valves are correspondingly arranged for each clamping cylinder 31121; for each air gripper module 3112, a first speed control valve 311251 is arranged on the side of the clamping cylinder 31121 close to the first clamping member 31122, and a second speed control valve 311252 is arranged on the side of the clamping cylinder 31121 close to the second clamping member 31123.

[0084] refer to Figure 10As shown, the vertical moving assembly 312 includes: a vertical electric cylinder 3121 and a connecting lifting plate 3122, the connecting lifting plate 3122 is arranged at the bottom end of the piston rod of the vertical electric cylinder 3121, and is used to connect with the fixing plate 3111 of the air claw assembly 311, and a servo motor is arranged on one side of the vertical electric cylinder 3121. Connecting support frames 3123 are arranged on both sides of the vertical electric cylinder 3121, and the connecting support frames 3123 are connected to the outer periphery of the vertical electric cylinder 3121 to form an electric cylinder placement cavity inside; the top of the connecting support frame 3123 is fixedly connected to the transverse sliding block 3132.

[0085] refer to Figure 10 As shown, the transverse bracket 313 of the present application is provided with a transverse slide rail 3131, a transverse slider 3132 and a transverse drive module 3133. The transverse drive module 3133 drives the transverse slide 3132 to slide along the transverse guide rail 3131, so as to drive the knife boxes on the several air claw modules 3112 to transfer between the first station and the second station at the same time. Here, the second station is the first material picking and placing station 2112 or the second material picking and placing station 2122 on the knife matching device (knife matching mechanism), and the first station is the loading knife disc or the knife disc with a knife at the inlet and outlet.

[0086] Here, the layout intervals of the multiple fixed grooves on the first picking and placing station 2112 and the second picking and placing station 2122 are the same as the layout intervals of the multiple air gripper modules 3112 on the clamping jaw assembly 311, so as to facilitate direct and convenient grasping; the placement intervals of the multiple tool boxes on the loading knife disc and the equipped knife disc are also the same as the layout intervals of the multiple air gripper modules 3112 on the clamping jaw assembly 311.

[0087] The loading and unloading mechanism of the embodiment of the present application can effectively improve the transportation speed and avoid time waste due to transportation waiting during operation by transferring multiple knife boxes between the inlet and outlet of the knife preparation machine and the knife matching device, compared with the existing multiple transfers of a single knife box.

[0088] Example 3

[0089] Based on the above embodiments, reference Figure 11 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a feeding system 100 , which includes the above-mentioned feeding mechanism 10 , and a tool magazine mechanism 12 and a transfer mechanism 13 that cooperate with the feeding mechanism 10 .

[0090] In the embodiment of the present application, the tool magazine mechanism 12 is located on both sides of the feeding mechanism 10, and includes a magazine frame 121 (in a straight line) arranged parallel to the guide rail of the feeding mechanism 10, and the magazine frame includes several material cabinets 1211, each of which is provided with several equidistant material layers 12111, each of which is provided with several parallel material troughs, and the material troughs are provided with multiple knife boxes 2131a; the drill tools to be equipped in the knife boxes 2131a can be the same or different. The transfer mechanism 13 is located in the middle area of ​​the tool magazine mechanism 12 and the feeding mechanism 10, and is used to transfer the knife box 2131a on the tool magazine mechanism 12 to the first carrier 112 or the second carrier 122 during the knife preparation process, so as to provide the drill tools to be equipped for the knife storage supply station 213.

[0091] Specifically, the transfer mechanism 13 includes a transfer track 131 parallel to the guide rail direction of the feeding mechanism 10 (or the layout direction of the library rack), and at least one mechanical arm unit 132 is arranged on the transfer track 131; the mechanical arm unit 132 includes a movable base 1321, a lifting member 1322, a vertical lifting track 1323, and a material picking module 1324; the lifting member 1322 drives the material picking module 1324 to rise and fall on the vertical lifting track 1322; the movable base 1 321 moves or positions on the transfer track 131; the material picking module 1324 includes a first positioning portion 13241, a second positioning portion 13242 and a mechanical gripper arranged at the end of the second positioning portion 13242, the first positioning portion 13241 is used to perform positioning in the X-axis direction, and the second positioning portion 13242 is used to perform positioning in the Y-axis direction; the mechanical gripper is used to take and place the tool box from the tool magazine mechanism 12, or the first box loading station 1122, or the second box loading station.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, after the drills to be equipped in the knife storage box are completely grabbed, a knife box without a knife is generated; the knife box without a knife is used to assemble a drill during the knife withdrawal process, or to assemble a ground drill from the loading port of the knife preparation machine to meet the operation of the feeding mechanism 10 and the knife matching device 200. As a feasible implementation method, in the library frame 121, one or more special empty box material cabinets are set in the several material cabinets 1211 for the knife box without a knife generated during the feeding process, so as to perform a separate tool magazine mechanism refilling process for the empty box material cabinet.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present application, the tool magazine mechanism 12 includes a first magazine frame module and a second magazine frame module; the first magazine frame module is located on one side of the first conveying rail 111, and the second magazine frame module is located on the side of the second conveying rail 120 away from the first conveying rail 111; wherein the list of drill bit models in the first magazine frame module and the second magazine frame module is the same; the transfer mechanism 13 includes a first transfer module between the first magazine frame module and the first feeding component, and a second transfer module between the second magazine frame module and the second feeding component; the first transfer module is configured to transfer the knife box on the first magazine frame module to the first carrier 112, or, transfer the knife box on the first carrier 112 to the first magazine frame module; the second transfer module is configured to transfer the knife box on the second magazine frame module to the second carrier 122, or, transfer the knife box on the second carrier 122 to the second magazine frame module.

[0094] Specifically, when the feeding mechanism includes four conveying rails, the third conveying rail and the fourth conveying rail extend along the lateral arrangement direction of the first conveying rail 111 and the second conveying rail 120, the first warehouse module is located on one side of the first conveying rail 111, and the second warehouse module is located on the side of the fourth conveying rail away from the first conveying rail, so that the first transfer module is configured to transfer the knife box on the first warehouse module to the first carrier 112 or the second carrier 122, and the second transfer module is configured to transfer the knife box on the second warehouse module to the third carrier corresponding to the third conveying rail or the fourth carrier corresponding to the fourth conveying rail.

[0095] In an embodiment of the present application, a knife box steering mechanism is provided between the first conveying rail 111 and the second conveying rail 120; the knife box steering mechanism is used to transfer the target knife box to the knife box steering mechanism through the second transfer module when the next target knife box to be transported corresponding to the first box carrying station 1122 is missing in the first shelf module and is stored in the second shelf module, and then the target knife box is transferred to the first box carrying station 1122 by the first transfer module.

[0096] The feeding system of the embodiment of the present application realizes efficient supply of the feeding mechanism by arranging a tool magazine mechanism and a transfer mechanism on both sides of the feeding mechanism.

[0097] Example 4

[0098] Based on the above embodiments, the present application provides an automatic feeding method for preparing a knife, which is applied to the above feeding system, referring to Figure 12 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0099] S101, the transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier.

[0100] In an embodiment of the present application, the robotic arm unit takes out the first transfer tool box from the tool magazine shelf according to the shelf position of the grabbed first target tool box and transfers it to the first carrier of the first box changing station; at this time, the first carrier is waiting to be placed at the feeding starting position of the first conveying rail.

[0101] S102, the first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station based on the first carrier; the first knife preparation supply station is the first knife picking station corresponding to the knife preparation mechanism.

[0102] S103. Before the tool preparation mechanism completes taking the tool from the first tool storage box located at the first tool preparation supply station, the second feeding assembly transports the second tool storage box to the second tool preparation supply station based on the second carrier; the second tool preparation supply station is the second tool taking station corresponding to the tool preparation mechanism, wherein the first tool preparation supply station and the second tool preparation supply station are arranged in parallel relative to the tool preparation mechanism.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first feeding mechanism conveys the first knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station, the transfer mechanism is configured to place the second target knife box on the second carrier, and before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the first knife storage box at the first knife preparation supply station, the second feeding component conveys the second knife storage box to the second knife preparation supply station based on the second carrier. At the same time, before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and conveys the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station.

[0104] It should be noted that the tool preparation mechanism of the embodiment of the present application is a continuous operation mechanism, which continuously takes multiple drill needles from the tool taking station, then moves to the tool box to be prepared at the target station to place the drill needles, and then returns to the tool taking station again. Exemplarily, the tool taking (tool taking station) - placing the drill needle - returning to the tool taking station of the tool preparation and retraction mechanism is a cycle, and the operation time of this cycle can be 4S. Here, the tool preparation mechanism only grabs the drill needle a to be equipped once on the first target tool box at the first tool taking station, and then returns to the second tool taking station again to grab the drill needle b to be equipped in the second tool box.

[0105] In an embodiment of the present application, the first feeding component transports the first knife storage box back to the first box changing station based on the first carrier; the transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box to the corresponding storage position of the tool magazine mechanism; the rear transfer mechanism transfers the third knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier at the first box changing station; the first feeding component transports the third knife storage box to the first preparation tool supply station based on the first carrier, so that the preparation mechanism can grab the drill tool c in the third knife storage box after grabbing the drill tool b in the second knife storage box, thereby performing a circular supply.

[0106] In the embodiment of the present application, when four feeding components (A1, B1, C1, D1) are set up at the same time, when the knife picking of A1 is completed, the knife box of C1 is in place (knife picking station), and the knife box of D1 is returned to the warehouse; when the knife picking of B1 is completed, the knife box of D1 is in place, and the knife box of A1 is returned to the warehouse; when the knife picking of C1 is completed, the knife box of A1 is in place, and the knife box of B is returned to the warehouse; when the knife picking of D1 is completed, the knife box of B1 is in place, and the knife box of C1 is returned to the warehouse; when the knife picking of A1 is completed, the knife box of C1 is in place, and the knife box of D1 is returned to the warehouse, and the cycle is repeated in sequence. That is to say, when four feeding components are used for feeding, when the current pass is completed, there must be two conveying guide rails to convey the next two knife boxes to the corresponding knife picking stations respectively, thereby, the knife box of one conveyor line is returned to the warehouse, and the time rhythm of picking and placing knives is not delayed.

[0107] Similarly, the present application also provides an automatic feeding method for retracting the tool, which is applied to the above-mentioned feeding system, referring to Figure 13 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0108] S201, the transfer mechanism transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism to the first carrier; wherein the first knife storage box contains a plurality of empty holes for placing drill bits.

[0109] S202, the first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station based on the first carrier; the first knife preparation supply station is the first knife placement station corresponding to the knife retracting mechanism.

[0110] S203, before the tool retracting mechanism completes placing the tool in the first tool storage box located at the first tool preparation supply station, the second feeding assembly transports the second tool storage box to the second tool preparation supply station based on the second carrier to wait; the second tool preparation supply station is the second tool placement station corresponding to the tool preparation mechanism, wherein the first tool preparation supply station and the second tool preparation supply station are arranged side by side relative to the tool preparation mechanism, and the second tool storage box contains a plurality of empty holes for placing drill bits.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present application, before the knife preparation mechanism completes placing a knife in the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding assembly returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station to wait for knife placement.

[0112] Here, the process of retracting the tool is the opposite process of the tool preparation process.

[0113] Example 5

[0114] Based on the above embodiments, the present application provides a knife matching method, such as Figure 14 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0115] S301. When the gripping mechanism completes matching knives for the multiple first knife boxes at the target station, the first carrier plate where the multiple first knife boxes are located is moved to the first loading and unloading station by the first supporting module, and at the same time, the second carrier plate carrying the multiple second knife boxes is moved from the second loading and unloading station to the target station by the second supporting module; wherein, the second knife box is the next knife box to be matched with knives relative to the first knife box, and the second supporting module is located below the first supporting module.

[0116] In an embodiment of the present application, when the gripping mechanism performs knife matching processing on multiple first knife boxes of the target station, the loading and unloading mechanism arranges the second knife boxes at the second picking and unloading station, and waits for the knife matching of the second knife boxes to be completed after the arrangement is completed.

[0117] Here, the gripping mechanism is the tool preparation or tool retraction mechanism.

[0118] S302: The gripping mechanism performs tool matching processing at the target station based on the plurality of second tool boxes.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present application, the gripping mechanism simultaneously matches knives to 6 first knife boxes (6 second knife boxes).

[0120] The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or a part of a code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0121] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the equipment for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into being embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0122] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present invention can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a touch terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present invention.

[0123] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, modules and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the module embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, modules or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0124] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present application, but not to limit it. The present application is not limited to the exact structure described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present application is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present application belongs, various changes and modifications made without departing from the concept of the present application should be deemed to belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An automatic feeding method for tool preparation, applied to a feeding system (100) of a tool preparation machine, wherein the feeding system (100) comprises a tool magazine mechanism (12), a transfer mechanism (13) and a tool preparation mechanism, and is characterized in that: The method comprises: The transfer mechanism (13) transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism (12) to the first carrier (112); The first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to a first knife preparation supply station based on the first carrier (112); the first knife preparation supply station is a first knife picking station corresponding to the knife preparation mechanism; Before the tool preparation mechanism completes taking the tool from the first tool storage box at the first tool preparation supply station, the second feeding assembly transports the second tool storage box to the second tool preparation supply station based on the second carrier (122); the second tool preparation supply station is the second tool taking station corresponding to the tool preparation mechanism, wherein the first tool preparation supply station and the second tool preparation supply station are arranged in parallel relative to the tool preparation mechanism.

2. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first feeding assembly comprises a first conveying rail (111) and the first carrier (112), and the second feeding assembly comprises a second conveying rail (120) and the second carrier (122); a first box changing station and a second box changing station are respectively arranged on the first conveying rail (111) and the second conveying rail (120); wherein the first box changing station is used for replacing the knife box for storing knives during each round-trip transportation process of the first feeding assembly; and the second box changing station is used for replacing the knife box for storing knives during each round-trip transportation process of the second feeding assembly; The transfer mechanism (13) transfers the first knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism (12) to the first carrier (112), comprising: the transfer mechanism (13) obtains the first knife storage box from the tool magazine mechanism (12), and places the first knife storage box on the first carrier (112) located at the first box changing station; The second feeding component transports the second knife storage box to the second knife supply station for waiting based on the second carrier (122), including: the second feeding component transports the second knife storage box from the second box changing station to the second knife supply station for waiting based on the second carrier (122).

3. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier (112) and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station.

4. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier (112) and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife supply station for waiting, including: The first feeding component transports the first knife storage box back to the first box changing station based on the first carrier (112); The transfer mechanism (13) transfers the first knife storage box to a corresponding storage position of the tool storage mechanism (12); The transfer mechanism (13) transfers the third knife storage box in the tool magazine mechanism (12) to the first carrier (112) located at the first box changing station; The first feeding component transports the third knife storage box to the first knife supply station based on the first carrier (112).

5. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first detection module is arranged on the first conveying guide rail (111), and a second detection module is arranged on the second conveying guide rail (120); The first detection module is used to detect whether the first carrier (112) has arrived at the first tool supply station or the first box changing station; The second detection module is used to detect whether the second carrier (122) has arrived at the second tool supply station or the second box changing station.

6. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the first detection module detects that the first carrier (112) stays at the first knife supply station for a first preset time, the control unit controls the first carrier (112) to return to the first box changing station along the first conveying guide rail (111); When the first detection module detects that the first carrier (112) stays at the first box changing station for a second preset time, the control unit controls the first carrier (112) to move along the first conveying rail (111) to the first knife supply station.

7. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the first detection module detects at the first box changing station that any knife box for storing knives has been removed from the first carrier (112) and is placed again, the control unit controls the first carrier (112) to move along the first conveying guide rail (111) to the first spare knife supply station; When the first detection module detects that the drill tool to be equipped in any tool storage box has been grabbed at least once at the first tool supply station, the control unit controls the first carrier (112) to return to the first box changing station along the first conveying guide rail (111).

8. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking a knife from the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, a third feeding assembly conveys the third knife storage box to the third knife preparation supply station based on a third carrier to wait; the third knife preparation supply station is a third knife taking station corresponding to the knife preparation mechanism, and the third knife preparation supply station is arranged in parallel with the first knife preparation supply station and the second knife preparation supply station relative to the knife preparation mechanism; Before the knife preparation mechanism completes taking the knife from the third knife storage box at the third knife preparation supply station, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier (112) and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station to wait.

9. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first carrier (112) is a movable carrier; the first carrier (112) comprises a first base (11211), a first column (1121) and a first box-carrying station (1122); a first slider (11212) adapted to the guide groove (1111) of the first conveying guide rail (111) is provided at the bottom of the first base (11211); the first slider (11212) is embedded in the guide groove (1111) and slides and extends along the length direction of the first conveying guide rail (111); the first column (1121) is fixedly arranged above the first base (11211), and the first box-carrying station (1122) is fixedly arranged at the top of the first column (1121); The first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to a first knife supply station based on the first carrier (112), comprising: The first carrier (112) slides along the first conveying guide rail (111) to convey the first knife storage box to the first knife supply station; The second feeding component transports the second knife storage box to the second knife supply station for waiting based on the second carrier (122), including: The second carrier (122) slides along the second conveying guide rail (120) to convey the second knife storage box to the second knife supply station for waiting.

10. The automatic feeding method for preparing a knife according to claim 9, characterized in that: The elevation of the first box loading station (1122) and the elevation of the second box loading station are simultaneously the same as the elevation of the working table of the knife preparation mechanism.

11. The automatic feeding method for preparing a tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Any conveying guide rail can be driven in forward or reverse direction, and the box carrying station is an inlaying position fixed on the conveying guide rail.

12. An automatic feeding method for tool retraction, applied to a feeding system (100) of a tool preparation machine, the feeding system (100) comprising a tool magazine mechanism (12), a transfer mechanism (13) and a tool retraction mechanism, characterized in that: The method comprises: The transfer mechanism (13) transfers the first knife storage box in the tool storage mechanism (12) to the first carrier (112); wherein the first knife storage box contains a plurality of empty holes for placing drill bits; The first feeding component transports the first knife storage box to a first knife preparation supply station based on the first carrier (112); the first knife preparation supply station is a first knife placement station corresponding to the knife retracting mechanism; Before the tool retracting mechanism completes placing the tool in the first tool storage box at the first tool preparation supply station, the second feeding assembly transports the second tool storage box to the second tool preparation supply station based on the second carrier (122) to wait; the second tool preparation supply station is the second tool placement station corresponding to the tool preparation mechanism, wherein the first tool preparation supply station and the second tool preparation supply station are arranged in parallel relative to the tool preparation mechanism, and the second tool storage box contains a plurality of empty holes for placing drill bits.

13. The automatic feeding method for retracting a tool according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Before the knife preparation mechanism completes placing a knife in the second knife storage box at the second knife preparation supply station, the first feeding component returns the first knife storage box based on the first carrier (112) and transports the next knife storage box to the first knife preparation supply station to wait for knife placement.

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