Material processing system, material processing method and material processing mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of equipment automation, and discloses a material processing system, a material processing method and a material processing mechanism. A main shaft of material processing equipment is moved to a target position outside a material changing activity area of a material changing robot, and after it is determined that the main shaft successfully moves to the target position through a control system, the material processing robot is started to change materials; and the material handling equipment is reloaded through the reloading robot, so that the problem of collision between the main shaft and the reloading robot is avoided, and the safety of automatic production is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of equipment automation, and in particular to a material processing system, a material processing method and a material processing mechanism. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, the intelligence level of production equipment is also constantly improving. Industrial robots are gradually replacing manual labor for automated production and manufacturing. For example, industrial robots place and grab materials during the operation of production equipment to achieve automated production and manufacturing without human intervention.

[0003] However, when industrial robots place and grab materials on production equipment, if the production equipment experiences delays, stops, unexpected shutdowns, or unexpected starts due to network failures or equipment failures, there is a risk of the industrial robot colliding with the spindle, resulting in low safety in automated production. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present invention provide a material processing system, a material processing method and a material processing mechanism to solve the problem of low safety in automated production.

[0005] A material handling system, comprising material handling equipment, a control system and a material changing robot, wherein: The material processing equipment, after completing the processing of the target material, moves the spindle to a preset target position, obtains first position data of the spindle, and sends the first position data to the control system, wherein the target position is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot; The control system determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data, sends a first material change instruction to the material change robot when it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, and triggers an alarm mechanism when it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position; The material changing robot responds to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack, enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material.

[0006] In the above system, optionally, the first position data includes first coordinate data and first detection data; After the material handling equipment moves the spindle to the target position, the first detection member provided at the target position detects the spindle at the target position, obtains the first detection data indicating whether the spindle exists at the target position, obtains the first coordinate data of the spindle in the machine coordinate system, determines the first detection data and the first coordinate data as the first position data and sends them to the control system.

[0007] The above system, optional, The control system determines whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determines whether the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position; when the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position, the first material change instruction is sent to the material change robot; when the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range, and / or the first detection data indicates that the spindle does not exist at the target position, the emergency stop instruction is sent to the material handling equipment.

[0008] The above system, optional, The material changing robot, in response to the first material changing instruction, sends a first detection instruction to the material processing equipment; The material processing equipment, in response to the first detection instruction, detects whether the target material exists on the material processing equipment through the second detection component, and when the target material exists on the material processing equipment, sends a second material change instruction to the material change robot, and when the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment, triggers the alarm mechanism; The material changing robot, in response to the second material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, and sends a second detection instruction to the material processing equipment; The material processing equipment, in response to the second detection instruction, detects whether the target material exists on the material processing equipment through the second detection component, and when the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment, sends a third material change instruction to the material change robot, and when the target material exists on the material processing equipment, triggers the alarm mechanism, or resends the second material change instruction to the material change robot; The material changing robot responds to the third material changing instruction, grabs the new material on the material rack, enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material.

[0009] The above system, optional, The material handling equipment detects whether the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area through a third detection component, triggers the emergency stop mechanism when the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area, and releases the emergency stop mechanism when the material changing robot leaves the material changing activity area.

[0010] A material processing method, the method comprising: Acquire first position data sent by the material processing equipment, where the first position data is position data of the spindle when the material processing equipment moves the spindle to a preset target position, wherein the target position is outside a material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot; determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data; When it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, a first material changing instruction is sent to the material changing robot, so that the material changing robot responds to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material; In the event that it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

[0011] In the above method, optionally, the first position data includes first coordinate data and first detection data; The first detection data is obtained by the material processing equipment performing spindle detection on the target position through a first detection member arranged at the target position, and the first detection data characterizing whether the spindle exists at the target position; The first coordinate data is extracted from the material handling equipment in a machine coordinate system.

[0012] In the above method, optionally, determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data includes: Determining whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determining whether the first detection data indicates that the main axis exists at the target position; When the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position, determining that the spindle successfully moves to the target position; When the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range and / or the first detection data indicates that the spindle does not exist at the target position, it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position.

[0013] The above method, optionally, controls the material changing robot to enter the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material, including: Detecting whether the target material exists on the material placement position by a second detection member; When the target material exists on the material processing equipment, the material changing robot is controlled to enter the material changing activity area, grab the target material on the material processing equipment and place it on the material rack, or grab the new material on the material rack and place it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material; When the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

[0014] In the above method, optionally, the alarm mechanism includes: An alarm command is respectively sent to the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot, so that the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot respectively respond to the alarm command, perform emergency shutdown and / or alarm reminder.

[0015] A material handling mechanism, characterized in that the material handling system includes the control system, material handling equipment and material changing robot described in any one of the above items, and the material handling equipment includes a first detection member, a second detection member and a third detection member, wherein the first detection member detects whether the main shaft is in a preset target position, the second detection member detects whether there is a target material on the material handling equipment, and the third detection member detects whether the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

[0016] The above-mentioned material processing system, material processing method and material processing mechanism, the material processing system includes material processing equipment, a control system and a material changing robot. After the material processing equipment completes the processing of the target material, the first position data of the spindle is obtained, and the control system determines whether the spindle moves to the target position according to the first position data. When it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, the first material changing instruction is sent to the material changing robot, so that the material changing robot, after receiving the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, and grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material. It can be seen that the present invention moves the spindle of the material processing equipment to the target position outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot, and after the control system determines that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, the material changing robot changes the material of the material processing equipment, thereby avoiding the problem of collision between the spindle and the material changing robot, and improving the safety of automated production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0018] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a material processing system disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the interaction between the material changing robot and the material handling equipment disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a flow chart of the implementation of the material processing method disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a partial implementation flow chart of a material processing method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a material replacement structure disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] It should be understood that when used in the present specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in the present description and the appended claims refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] As used in the present specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted as "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted as meaning "upon determination" or "in response to determining" or "upon detection of [described condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [described condition or event]", depending on the context.

[0023] In addition, in the description of the present specification and the appended claims, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0024] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in the present specification mean that one or more embodiments of the present invention include specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. appearing in different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0025] The present invention discloses a material handling system, a material handling method and a material handling mechanism, which can avoid the problem of collision between the main shaft and the material changing robot by moving the main shaft of the material handling equipment to a target position outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot through a control system to determine that the main shaft has successfully moved to the target position, and then use the material changing robot to change the material of the material handling equipment, thereby improving the safety of automated production. The following is an explanation through specific embodiments.

[0026] In one embodiment, Figure 1FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a material handling system disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. The material handling system includes a material handling device 10, a control system 20 and a material changing robot 30, wherein: After completing the processing of the target material, the material processing equipment 10 moves the main shaft to a preset target position, obtains the first position data of the main shaft, and sends the first position data to the control system 20.

[0027] The target position is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30 .

[0028] In one embodiment, the target position in this embodiment can be considered as a set coordinate position, or the target position can also be determined by simulating the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30 through 3D simulation, and the target position is outside the material changing activity area simulated by the material changing robot 30, thereby effectively avoiding potential collision problems.

[0029] In one embodiment, the material handling equipment 10 includes but is not limited to any one or a combination of multiple material processing equipment or material measuring equipment, wherein the material processing equipment is such as CNC machine tools, electric spark machining machines, etc., and the material measuring equipment is such as three-coordinate measuring machines, etc. In this embodiment, there is no limitation on what kind of equipment the material handling equipment 10 is.

[0030] In one embodiment, the material processing equipment 10 in this embodiment can automatically start the material changing program after completing the processing of the target material, so as to move the main shaft to the preset target position according to the material changing program, obtain the first position data of the main shaft, and send the first position data to the control system 20.

[0031] In another embodiment, the material processing equipment 10 in this embodiment can enter a standby state after completing the processing of the target material. The control system 20 determines whether the material processing equipment 10 enters the standby state through the API interface of the material processing equipment 10. When it is determined that the material processing equipment 10 enters the standby state, the material changing program is uploaded to the material processing equipment 10 through the API interface, so that the material processing equipment 10 moves the spindle to the preset target position according to the material changing program, obtains the first position data of the spindle, and sends the first position data to the control system 20.

[0032] The control system 20 determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data. If it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, it sends a first material change instruction to the material change robot 30, and triggers an alarm mechanism if it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position.

[0033] The alarm mechanism in this embodiment may be triggered in an ideal state and / or an online state.

[0034] It should be understood that when the material handling equipment 10 moves the spindle according to the material changing program, the material handling equipment 10 may cause the spindle to fail to move or fail to move completely to the target position due to action delays, action stops, unexpected shutdowns or unexpected starts. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the first position data of the spindle to determine whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data.

[0035] If it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, it means that the spindle is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30. Therefore, when the material changing robot 30 changes materials on the material processing equipment 10, the material changing robot 30 will not collide with the spindle; if the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, it means that the spindle may be within the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30. At this time, when the material changing robot 30 changes materials on the material processing equipment 10, there is a risk of collision between the material changing robot 30 and the spindle, and the control system 20 needs to trigger the alarm mechanism.

[0036] Among them, the alarm mechanism at least includes one or more of emergency shutdown and alarm reminder of the material handling equipment 10 and / or the material changing robot 30, wherein the emergency shutdown method includes but is not limited to locking the material handling equipment 10 and / or the material changing robot 30, so that the main shaft of the material handling equipment 10 cannot move, and the material changing robot 30 stops moving, or the material handling equipment 10 and the material changing robot 30 are powered off to avoid the main shaft from colliding with the material changing robot 30.

[0037] In a specific implementation, the alarm mechanism in this embodiment can be as follows: The control system 20 can send alarm instructions to the material changing robot 30 and the material handling equipment 10 respectively, so that the material changing robot 30 and the material handling equipment 10 respond to the alarm instructions to issue alarm reminders and / or emergency shutdowns, wherein the alarm reminder methods include but are not limited to a combination of one or more of sound and light alarms, voice alarms, and graphic alarms.

[0038] In one embodiment, the first material change instruction in this embodiment is used to instruct the material change robot 30 to start performing the material change operation, wherein the first material change instruction may include the material change trajectory data for the material change robot 30 to perform the material change operation, or the first material change instruction instructs the material change robot 30 to perform the material change operation according to the preset material change trajectory data, that is, the material change trajectory data can be pre-stored in the memory of the material change robot 30, so that when the material change robot 30 receives the first material change instruction, it directly reads the material change trajectory data in the memory and performs the material change operation according to the material change trajectory data. In this embodiment, whether the first material change instruction includes the material change trajectory data is not limited.

[0039] The material changing robot 30 responds to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment 10 and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment 10, so that the material processing equipment 10 processes the new material.

[0040] In one embodiment, when the material changing robot 30 in this embodiment wants to grab the target material placed on the material processing equipment 10, or the material changing robot 30 places new material on the material processing equipment 10, the moving trajectory of the active end of the material changing robot 30, or the spatial area corresponding to the moving trajectory, is the material changing activity area.

[0041] In one embodiment, the data interaction methods among the material handling equipment 10, the control system 20 and the material changing robot 30 in this embodiment include but are not limited to wired transmission and wireless transmission, wherein the wireless transmission method includes but is not limited to any one or more methods of network transmission, infrared communication technology, Bluetooth, offline voice control, Wi-Fi, NFC (near field communication), Zigbee, RFID and dedicated communication protocols.

[0042] In a specific implementation, a material placement area is provided on the material handling equipment 10 in this embodiment, and a target material is fixedly placed on the material placement area. After receiving a first material change instruction, the material changing robot 30 enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material placement area and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area and places it on the material placement area, so that the material handling equipment 10 processes the new material.

[0043] It should be noted that the control system 20 in this embodiment can be independent of the material handling equipment 10 and the material changing robot 30, or the control system 20 can be integrated into the material handling equipment 10, or the control system 20 can be integrated into the material changing robot 30, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0044] In summary, the material handling system disclosed in the present invention moves the spindle of the material handling equipment to a target position outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30, and after determining through the control system 20 that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, the material handling equipment is changed by the material changing robot 30, thereby avoiding a collision between the spindle and the material changing robot 30 and improving the safety of automated production.

[0045] In one embodiment, the first position data in this embodiment includes first coordinate data and first detection data; After the material handling equipment 10 moves the spindle to the target position, it detects the spindle at the target position through the first detection member set at the target position, obtains the first detection data characterizing whether the spindle exists at the target position, and obtains the first coordinate data of the spindle in the machine coordinate system, and determines the first detection data and the first coordinate data as the first position data and sends them to the control system 20.

[0046] Among them, the first coordinate data is the position coordinates of the spindle recorded in the machine coordinate system of the material handling equipment 10 after the spindle moves to the target position according to the material change program. The first coordinate data can be a three-dimensional coordinate or a two-dimensional coordinate, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0047] In one embodiment, the first detection member in this embodiment can be a proximity sensor, which is arranged at the target position of the material processing equipment 10. When the material processing equipment 10 moves the spindle to the target position, the material processing equipment 10 generates first detection data indicating that the spindle exists at the target position through the proximity sensor. On the contrary, when the material processing equipment 10 does not move the spindle to the target position, the material processing equipment 10 generates first detection data indicating that the spindle does not exist at the target position through the proximity sensor. Wherein, the proximity sensor includes but is not limited to a photoelectric proximity sensor or a magnetic proximity sensor, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0048] To sum up, in this embodiment, determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position is determined from the software level based on the first coordinate data, and determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position is determined from the hardware level based on the first detection data, which is conducive to improving the detection accuracy of the spindle and further improving the safety of automated production.

[0049] In one embodiment, the control system 20 in this embodiment determines whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determines whether the first detection data indicates that a spindle exists at the target position. When the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that a spindle exists at the target position, a first material change instruction is sent to the material change robot 30. When the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, and / or the first detection data indicates that a spindle does not exist at the target position, an emergency stop instruction is sent to the material handling equipment 10.

[0050] It can be understood that, in the present embodiment, when the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that there is a spindle at the target position, it means that the spindle has moved to the target position, and a first material change instruction is sent to the material change robot 30 so that the material change robot 30 changes the material of the material processing equipment 10. If the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, or the first detection data indicates that there is no spindle at the target position, it means that one of the first coordinate data or the first detection data must be erroneous data, and an emergency stop instruction needs to be sent to the material processing equipment 10 so that the material processing equipment 10 triggers the emergency stop mechanism according to the emergency stop instruction, and waits for technicians to troubleshoot the equipment failure. If the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that there is no spindle at the target position, it means that the spindle has not moved to the target position according to the material change procedure, and an emergency stop instruction needs to be sent to the material processing equipment 10 so that the material processing equipment 10 triggers the emergency stop mechanism according to the emergency stop instruction, and waits for technicians to troubleshoot the equipment failure.

[0051] In one embodiment, the material changing robot 30 in this embodiment changes the material of the material handling equipment 10 in the following manner: Figure 2 As shown: The material changing robot 30 , in response to the first material changing instruction, sends a first detection instruction to the material processing equipment 10 .

[0052] The material processing equipment 10 responds to the first detection instruction and detects whether the target material exists on the material processing equipment 10 through the second detection component. When the target material exists on the material processing equipment 10, a second material change instruction is sent to the material change robot 30. When the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment 10, an alarm mechanism is triggered.

[0053] It should be understood that in order for the material changing robot 30 to grab the target material on the material handling equipment 10, it is necessary to first determine whether the target material exists on the material handling equipment 10, and then grab the target material on the material handling equipment 10. If the target material does not exist on the material handling equipment 10, it means that the material changing robot 30 or the material handling equipment 10 may have a program running error. At this time, if the material changing robot 30 continues to grab the target material on the material handling equipment 10, there is a risk of collision between the material changing robot 30 and the main shaft of the material handling equipment 10. Therefore, when the material handling equipment 10 cannot detect the target material through the second detection component, the emergency stop mechanism is directly triggered.

[0054] The material changing robot 30 responds to the second material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment 10 and places it on the material rack, and sends a second detection instruction to the material processing equipment 10.

[0055] The material processing equipment 10 responds to the second detection instruction and detects whether the target material exists on the material processing equipment 10 through the second detection component. When the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment 10, a third material change instruction is sent to the material change robot 30. When the target material exists on the material processing equipment 10, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered, or the second material change instruction is resent to the material change robot 30.

[0056] It should be understood that in order for the material changing robot 30 to place new materials on the material handling equipment 10, it is necessary to first determine that the target material does not exist on the material handling equipment 10, and then grab the new material and place it on the material handling equipment 10. If the target material exists on the material handling equipment 10, it means that the material changing robot 30 or the material handling equipment 10 may have a program error, or the material changing robot 30 fails to successfully grab the target material on the material handling equipment 10 and place it on the material rack after receiving the second material changing instruction. Therefore, when the material handling equipment 10 detects the target material through the second detection component, the emergency stop mechanism is directly triggered to prevent an excess amount of material from being placed on the material handling equipment 10, causing the material handling equipment 10 to be unable to perform material processing normally.

[0057] After receiving the third material changing instruction, the material changing robot 30 grabs the new material on the material rack, places it in the material changing activity area, and goes to the material processing equipment 10 so that the material processing equipment 10 processes the new material.

[0058] In a specific implementation, the second detection component in this embodiment can be a gas flow sensor. When the target material is placed on the material processing equipment 10, when the target material covers the pores of the gas flow sensor, the flow of the gas flow sensor is close to 0, and it is determined that the target material exists on the material processing equipment 10. When the target material is not placed on the material processing equipment 10, the pores of the gas flow sensor are connected, and the flow of the gas flow sensor is obviously greater than 0, and it is determined that the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment 10.

[0059] To sum up, in this embodiment, the second detection component is used to determine whether the target material exists in the material processing equipment 10 to determine whether the target material is successfully grasped by the material changing robot 30 and placed on the material rack, thereby avoiding invalid material changing and the material changing robot 30 erroneously executing the material changing procedure, which is beneficial to improving the processing efficiency of the material processing equipment 10.

[0060] In one embodiment, the material handling equipment 10 in this embodiment detects whether the material changing robot 30 enters the material changing activity area through a third detection component, and triggers the emergency stop mechanism when the material changing robot 30 enters the material changing activity area, and releases the emergency stop mechanism when the material changing robot 30 leaves the material changing activity area.

[0061] In a specific implementation, the third detection component in this embodiment can be a safety grating, which includes a transmitting end and a receiving end, wherein the transmitting end includes one or more transmitters, and the receiving end includes one or more transmitters, and the transmitter transmits a light signal to the receiver. When the material changing robot 30 wants to enter the material changing activity area, the active end of the material changing robot 30 must pass through the safety grating to enter the material changing activity area. When the material changing robot 30 passes through the safety grating, it will block the light signal emitted by the transmitter to the receiver. Therefore, when one or more receivers cannot receive the light signal, it is determined that the material changing robot 30 has entered the material changing activity area and the emergency stop mechanism is triggered. When all receivers can receive the light signal, it is determined that the material changing robot 30 has left the material changing activity area and the emergency stop mechanism is released.

[0062] To sum up, in this embodiment, a safety grating is used to determine whether a material changing robot 30 enters the material changing activity area, so that the emergency stop mechanism is activated when the material changing robot 30 enters the material changing activity area, so as to avoid the material handling equipment 10 from being accidentally started when the material changing robot 30 is changing materials in the material handling equipment 10, thereby further improving the safety of automated production.

[0063] In one embodiment, Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a material processing method disclosed in this embodiment. The method is applicable to automated material processing equipment, such as material processing equipment or material measuring equipment. The material processing method in this embodiment specifically includes the following steps: S301: Acquire first position data sent by material handling equipment.

[0064] Among them, the first position data is the position data of the main shaft when the material processing equipment moves the main shaft to a preset target position, and the target position is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

[0065] In one embodiment, material handling equipment includes but is not limited to any one or a combination of multiple material processing equipment or material measuring equipment, wherein material processing equipment is such as CNC machine tools, electric spark machining machines, etc., and material measuring equipment is such as three-coordinate measuring machines, etc. In this embodiment, there is no limitation on the specific type of material handling equipment.

[0066] In one embodiment, the equipment status of the material handling equipment can be obtained in real time. After the material handling equipment completes processing of the target material and enters the standby state, the main shaft of the material handling equipment is controlled to move to a preset target position and the first position data of the main shaft is obtained.

[0067] S302: Determine whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data.

[0068] S303: When it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, a first material changing instruction is sent to the material changing robot, so that the material changing robot responds to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling equipment and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material handling equipment, so that the material handling equipment processes the new material.

[0069] S304: When it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, the emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

[0070] It should be understood that when controlling the material handling equipment 10 to move the spindle, the material handling equipment may cause the spindle to fail to move or fail to move completely to the target position due to action delays, action stops, unexpected shutdowns or unexpected starts. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the first position data of the spindle to determine whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data.

[0071] If it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, it means that the spindle is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot. The material changing robot is controlled to enter the material changing activity area, grab the target material on the material handling equipment and place it on the material rack, and grab the new material on the material rack to enter the material changing activity area, and place it on the material handling equipment; if the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, it means that the spindle may be within the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot. At this time, the material changing robot is controlled to change the material of the material handling equipment. There is a risk of collision between the material changing robot and the spindle, and the material handling equipment needs to be controlled to perform an emergency shutdown.

[0072] To sum up, a material processing method disclosed in the present invention controls the spindle of the material processing equipment to move to a target position outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot, and after determining that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, controls the material changing robot to change materials in the material processing equipment, thereby avoiding the problem of collision between the spindle and the material changing robot and improving the safety of automated production.

[0073] In one embodiment, the first position data in this embodiment includes first coordinate data and first detection data, wherein the first detection data is obtained by the material handling equipment performing spindle detection on the target position through a first detection piece set at the target position, thereby obtaining first detection data characterizing whether there is a spindle at the target position; and the first coordinate data is extracted by the material handling equipment in the machine coordinate system.

[0074] Among them, the first coordinate data is the position coordinates of the spindle recorded in the machine coordinate system of the material handling equipment after the spindle is controlled to move to the target position. The first coordinate data can be a three-dimensional coordinate or a two-dimensional coordinate, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0075] In one embodiment, the first detection member in this embodiment can be a proximity sensor, which is arranged at the target position of the material processing equipment. When the material processing equipment moves the spindle to the target position, the material processing equipment generates first detection data indicating that the spindle exists at the target position through the proximity sensor. Conversely, when the material processing equipment does not move the spindle to the target position, the material processing equipment generates first detection data indicating that the spindle does not exist at the target position through the proximity sensor. Wherein, the proximity sensor includes but is not limited to a photoelectric proximity sensor or a magnetic proximity sensor, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0076] To sum up, in this embodiment, determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position is determined from the software level based on the first coordinate data, and determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position is determined from the hardware level based on the first detection data, which is conducive to improving the detection accuracy of the spindle and further improving the safety of automated production.

[0077] based on Figure 3 In the specific implementation, step S302 in this embodiment can be implemented by the following steps: Figure 4 As shown: S401: Determine whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determine whether the first detection data indicates that a main axis exists at the target position.

[0078] S402: When the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position, determining that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position.

[0079] S403: When the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range and / or the first detection data indicates that the spindle does not exist at the target position, determine that the spindle has not been successfully moved to the target position.

[0080] It can be understood that, in this embodiment, when the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that there is a spindle at the target position, it means that the spindle has moved to the target position, and the material changing robot is controlled to change the material of the material handling equipment. If the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, or the first detection data indicates that there is no spindle at the target position, it means that one of the first coordinate data or the first detection data must be erroneous data, and the emergency stop mechanism needs to be triggered, waiting for the technician to troubleshoot the equipment failure. If the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, and the first detection data indicates that there is no spindle at the target position, it means that the spindle has not moved to the target position, and the emergency stop mechanism needs to be triggered, waiting for the technician to troubleshoot the equipment failure.

[0081] In one embodiment, the alarm mechanism in this embodiment includes: sending alarm instructions to the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot respectively, so that the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot respectively respond to the alarm instructions, perform emergency shutdown and / or alarm reminder.

[0082] It should be understood that the order of execution of the steps in the above embodiment does not necessarily mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] In one embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, it is a structural schematic diagram of a material handling mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention, the material handling system includes the material handling equipment and the material changing robot disclosed in any of the above embodiments, the material handling equipment includes a first detection member, a second detection member and a third detection member, wherein the first detection member detects whether the main shaft is in a preset target position, the second detection member detects whether there is a target material on the material handling equipment, and the third detection member detects whether the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

[0084] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application may include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0085] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A material handling system, characterized in that: The material handling system includes material handling equipment, a control system and a material changing robot, wherein: The material processing equipment, after completing the processing of the target material, moves the spindle to a preset target position, obtains first position data of the spindle, and sends the first position data to the control system, wherein the target position is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot; The control system determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data, sends a first material change instruction to the material change robot when it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, and triggers an alarm mechanism when it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position; The material changing robot responds to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack, enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material.

2. The material handling system according to claim 1, characterized in that The first position data includes first coordinate data and first detection data; After the material handling equipment moves the spindle to the target position, the first detection member provided at the target position detects the spindle at the target position, obtains the first detection data indicating whether the spindle exists at the target position, obtains the first coordinate data of the spindle in the machine coordinate system, determines the first detection data and the first coordinate data as the first position data and sends them to the control system.

3. The material handling system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control system determines whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determines whether the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position; when the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position, the first material change instruction is sent to the material change robot; when the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range, and / or the first detection data indicates that the spindle does not exist at the target position, the emergency stop instruction is sent to the material handling equipment.

4. The material handling system according to claim 1, wherein: The material changing robot, in response to the first material changing instruction, sends a first detection instruction to the material processing equipment; The material processing equipment, in response to the first detection instruction, detects whether the target material exists on the material processing equipment through the second detection component, and when the target material exists on the material processing equipment, sends a second material change instruction to the material change robot, and when the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment, triggers the alarm mechanism; The material changing robot, in response to the second material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, and sends a second detection instruction to the material processing equipment; The material processing equipment, in response to the second detection instruction, detects whether the target material exists on the material processing equipment through the second detection component, and when the target material does not exist on the material processing equipment, sends a third material change instruction to the material change robot, and when the target material exists on the material processing equipment, triggers the alarm mechanism, or resends the second material change instruction to the material change robot; The material changing robot responds to the third material changing instruction, grabs the new material on the material rack, enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material.

5. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: The material handling equipment detects whether the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area through a third detection component, triggers the emergency stop mechanism when the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area, and releases the emergency stop mechanism when the material changing robot leaves the material changing activity area.

6. A material processing method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire first position data sent by the material processing equipment, where the first position data is position data of the spindle when the material processing equipment moves the spindle to a preset target position, wherein the target position is outside a material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot; determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data; When it is determined that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, a first material changing instruction is sent to the material changing robot, so that the material changing robot responds to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material processing equipment and places it on the material rack, grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment, so that the material processing equipment processes the new material; In the event that it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

7. The material processing method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first position data includes first coordinate data and first detection data; The first detection data is obtained by the material processing equipment performing spindle detection on the target position through a first detection member arranged at the target position, and the first detection data characterizing whether the spindle exists at the target position; The first coordinate data is extracted from the material handling equipment in a machine coordinate system.

8. The material processing method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position according to the first position data includes: Determining whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determining whether the first detection data indicates that the main axis exists at the target position; When the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the spindle exists at the target position, determining that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position; When the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range and / or the first detection data indicates that the spindle does not exist at the target position, it is determined that the spindle has not reached the target position.

9. The material processing system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The alarm mechanism includes: An alarm command is respectively sent to the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot, so that the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot respectively respond to the alarm command and perform emergency shutdown and / or alarm reminder.

10. A material handling mechanism, characterized in that: The material handling system includes the control system, material handling equipment and material changing robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the material handling equipment includes a first detection member, a second detection member and a third detection member, wherein the first detection member detects whether the spindle is in a preset target position, the second detection member detects whether there is a target material on the material handling equipment, and the third detection member detects whether the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

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