Material handling system, material handling method, and material handling mechanism

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of equipment automation, and discloses a material processing system, a material processing method and a material processing mechanism. The material processing system moves the main shaft of a material processing device to a target position outside the material changing active area of a material changing robot, and after the control system determines that the main shaft is successfully moved to the target position, the material changing robot is used to change the material of the material processing device, so that the problem of collision between the main shaft and the material changing robot is avoided, and the safety of automatic production is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of equipment automation technology, and in particular to a material handling system, a material handling method, and a material handling mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, the level of intelligence of production equipment is also constantly improving. Industrial robots are gradually replacing manual labor in 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 are placing and picking up materials on production equipment, if the production equipment experiences delays, stops, unexpected shutdowns, or unexpected restarts due to network or equipment failures, there is a risk of collision between the industrial robot and the spindle, resulting in low safety in automated production. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a material handling system, a material handling method, and a material handling mechanism to address the issue of low safety in automated production.

[0005] A material handling system includes material handling equipment, a control system, and a material changing robot, wherein...

[0006] After completing the processing of the target material, the material handling equipment moves the main shaft to a preset target position, acquires the first position data of the main shaft, 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.

[0007] The control system determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data. If the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, the control system sends a first material change command to the material change robot. If the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, the control system triggers an alarm mechanism.

[0008] The material-changing robot, in response to the first material-changing command, enters the material-changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling 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 handling equipment so that the material handling equipment can process the new material.

[0009] Optionally, in the above system, the first position data includes first coordinate data and first detection data;

[0010] After the material handling equipment moves the main shaft to the target position, it uses a first detection element set at the target position to detect the main shaft at the target position, obtains the first detection data indicating whether the main shaft exists at the target position, and acquires the first coordinate data of the main shaft in the machine coordinate system. The first detection data and the first coordinate data are then determined as the first position data and sent to the control system.

[0011] The above system is optional.

[0012] The control system determines whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range and whether the first detection data indicates that the main shaft exists at the target position. When the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the main shaft exists at the target position, the control system sends the first material change command 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 main shaft does not exist at the target position, the control system sends the emergency stop command to the material handling equipment.

[0013] The above system is optional.

[0014] The material-changing robot responds to the first material-changing command and sends a first detection command to the material handling equipment;

[0015] The material handling equipment responds to the first detection command and uses a second detection device to detect whether the target material exists on the material handling equipment. When the target material exists on the material handling equipment, it sends a second material replacement command to the material replacement robot. When the target material does not exist on the material handling equipment, it triggers the alarm mechanism.

[0016] The material-changing robot, in response to the second material-changing command, enters the material-changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling equipment, places it on the material rack, and sends a second detection command to the material handling equipment;

[0017] The material handling equipment responds to the second detection command and detects whether the target material exists on the material handling equipment through the second detection device. When the target material does not exist on the material handling equipment, it sends a third material replacement command to the material replacement robot. When the target material exists on the material handling equipment, it triggers the alarm mechanism, or resends the second material replacement command to the material replacement robot.

[0018] The material-changing robot, in response to the third material-changing command, grabs the new material from the material rack, enters the material-changing activity area, and places it on the material processing equipment so that the material processing equipment can process the new material.

[0019] The above system is optional.

[0020] The material handling equipment uses a third detection device to detect whether the material changing robot has entered the material changing activity area. When the material changing robot enters the material changing activity area, the emergency stop mechanism is triggered, and when the material changing robot leaves the material changing activity area, the emergency stop mechanism is deactivated.

[0021] A material handling method, the method comprising:

[0022] Acquire first position data sent by the material handling equipment. The first position data is the position data of the main shaft when the material handling equipment moves the main shaft to a preset target position, wherein the target position is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

[0023] Determine whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data;

[0024] If the spindle is successfully moved to the target position, a first material change command is sent to the material change robot, so that the material change robot responds to the first material change command, enters the material change activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling equipment and places it on the material rack, and grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material change activity area and places it on the material handling equipment, so that the material handling equipment processes the new material.

[0025] If it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

[0026] Optionally, in the above method, the first position data includes first coordinate data and first detection data;

[0027] Wherein, the first detection data is obtained by the material handling equipment through the first detection element set at the target position to perform spindle detection at the target position, thereby indicating whether the spindle exists at the target position;

[0028] The first coordinate data is extracted by the material handling equipment in the machine coordinate system.

[0029] Optionally, in the above method, determining whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data includes:

[0030] Determine whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determine whether the first detection data indicates that the principal axis exists at the target position;

[0031] When the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the main axis exists at the target position, it is determined that the main axis has successfully moved the target position.

[0032] If the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range, and / or the first detection data indicates that the main axis does not exist at the target position, it is determined that the main axis has not successfully moved the target position.

[0033] Optionally, in the above method, controlling the material-changing robot 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 new material from the material rack and enter the material-changing activity area and place it on the material handling equipment so that the material handling equipment can process the new material includes:

[0034] The second detection device is used to detect whether the target material is present at the material placement position.

[0035] When the target material is present on the material handling equipment, 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, or grab the new material on the material rack and place it on the material handling equipment so that the material handling equipment can process the new material;

[0036] If the target material is not present on the material handling equipment, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

[0037] Optionally, the alarm mechanism in the above method includes:

[0038] Alarm commands are 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 respond to the alarm commands and perform emergency shutdown and / or alarm reminder.

[0039] A material handling mechanism, characterized in that the material handling system includes a control system, a material handling device, and a material changing robot as described above, wherein the material handling device includes a first detection element, a second detection element, and a third detection element, wherein the first detection element detects whether the main shaft is at a preset target position, the second detection element detects whether there is target material on the material handling device, and the third detection element detects whether the material changing robot has entered the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

[0040] The aforementioned material handling system, method, and mechanism include a material handling system comprising a material handling device, a control system, and a material changing robot. After the material handling device processes the target material, it acquires the first position data of the spindle. The control system determines whether the spindle has moved to the target position based on the first position data. If the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, a first material changing command is sent to the material changing robot. Upon receiving the command, the robot enters the material changing area, picks up the target material from the material handling device, places it on a material rack, and picks up new material from the rack, placing it on the material handling device. The material handling device then processes the new material. Therefore, this invention avoids collisions between the spindle and the material changing robot by moving the spindle of the material handling device to a target position outside the material changing robot's area, and by using the control system to determine that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position before the material changing robot changes the material in the material handling device. This improves the safety of automated production. Attached Figure Description

[0041] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material handling system disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction between a material-changing robot and a material handling device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a material handling method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a partial implementation flowchart of a material handling method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a material changing structure disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0049] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0050] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0051] Furthermore, in the description of this invention and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0052] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of the invention include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0053] This invention discloses a material handling system, a material handling method, and a material handling mechanism. By moving the main shaft of the material handling equipment to a target position outside the material changing robot's activity area, and confirming through the control system that the main shaft has successfully moved to the target position, the material changing robot then changes the material in the material handling equipment. This avoids the problem of collision between the main shaft and the material changing robot, improving the safety of automated production. Specific embodiments are described below.

[0054] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of a material handling system according to 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.

[0055] After completing the processing of the target material, the material handling equipment 10 moves the main shaft to the preset target position, acquires the first position data of the main shaft, and sends the first position data to the control system 20.

[0056] The target location is outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30.

[0057] In one embodiment, the target position can be considered as a set coordinate position, or the target position can also be determined by 3D simulation of the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30, and the target position is located outside the material changing activity area simulated by the material changing robot 30, thereby effectively avoiding potential collision problems.

[0058] In one embodiment, the material handling equipment 10 includes, but is not limited to, any one or a combination of material processing equipment or material measuring equipment. The material processing equipment may be such as a CNC machine tool or an EDM machine tool, and the material measuring equipment may be such as a coordinate measuring machine. In this embodiment, the specific type of equipment for the material handling equipment 10 is not limited.

[0059] In one embodiment, the material handling device 10 in this embodiment can automatically start a material changing program after completing the processing of the target material, so as to move the main shaft to a 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.

[0060] In another embodiment, the material handling device 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 handling device 10 has entered a standby state through the API interface of the material handling device 10. When it is determined that the material handling device 10 has entered a standby state, the control system 20 uploads a material changing program to the material handling device 10 through the API interface, so that the material handling device 10 moves the spindle to a 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.

[0061] The control system 20 determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data. If the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, it sends a first material change command to the material change robot 30. If the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, it triggers an alarm mechanism.

[0062] In this embodiment, the alarm mechanism can be triggered in an ideal state and / or an online state.

[0063] It should be understood that when the material handling equipment 10 moves the main shaft according to the material changing procedure, the main shaft may not move or may not be fully moved to the target position due to situations such as action delay, action stoppage, unexpected shutdown or unexpected start. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the first position data of the main shaft in order to determine whether the main shaft has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data.

[0064] If the spindle successfully moves 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 handling equipment 10, it will not collide with the spindle. If the spindle fails to move to the target position, it means that the spindle may be inside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30. In this case, when the material changing robot 30 changes materials on the material handling 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.

[0065] The alarm mechanism includes at least one or more of the following: emergency shutdown of the material handling equipment 10 and / or the material changing robot 30, and alarm reminder. 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, stopping the material changing robot 30 from moving, or cutting off the power to the material handling equipment 10 and the material changing robot 30 to avoid collision between the main shaft and the material changing robot 30.

[0066] In a specific implementation, the alarm mechanism in this embodiment can be as follows:

[0067] The control system 20 can send alarm commands 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 can respond to the alarm commands to provide alarm reminders and / or emergency shutdowns. The alarm reminder methods include, but are not limited to, one or more combinations of audible and visual alarms, voice alarms, and graphic alarms.

[0068] In one embodiment, the first material change instruction in this embodiment is used to instruct the material change robot 30 to start performing a material change operation. The first material change instruction may include material change trajectory data of the material change robot 30 performing the material change operation, or the first material change instruction instructs the material change robot 30 to perform the material change operation according to preset material change trajectory data. That is, the material change trajectory data may 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 from the memory and performs the material change operation according to the material change trajectory data. This embodiment does not limit whether the first material change instruction includes material change trajectory data.

[0069] The material-changing robot 30 responds to the first material-changing command, enters the material-changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling equipment 10 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 handling equipment 10 so that the material handling equipment 10 can process the new material.

[0070] In one embodiment, when the material-changing robot 30 wants to grab the target material placed on the material handling device 10, or when the material-changing robot 30 places new material on the material handling device 10, the movement trajectory of the moving end of the material-changing robot 30, or the spatial area corresponding to the movement trajectory, is the material-changing activity area.

[0071] In one embodiment, the data interaction between the material handling equipment 10, the control system 20, and the material changing robot 30 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, wired transmission and wireless transmission. The wireless transmission methods include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the following: network transmission, infrared communication technology, Bluetooth, offline voice control, Wi-Fi, NFC (Near Field Communication), Zigbee, RFID, and dedicated communication protocols.

[0072] In a specific implementation, the material handling device 10 in this embodiment is provided with a material placement area. The target material is fixedly placed in the material placement area. After receiving the first material replacement instruction, the material replacement robot 30 enters the material replacement activity area, grabs the target material in the material placement area and places it on the material rack, and grabs the new material on the material rack and places it in the material replacement activity area, so that the material handling device 10 can process the new material.

[0073] It should be noted that the control system 20 in this embodiment may be independent of the material handling equipment 10 and the material changing robot 30, or the control system 20 may be integrated into the material handling equipment 10 or the material changing robot 30. This embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0074] In summary, the material handling system disclosed in this invention moves the main shaft of the material handling equipment to a target position outside the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot 30, and after the control system 20 determines that the main shaft has successfully moved to the target position, the material changing robot 30 changes the material in the material handling equipment. This avoids collisions between the main shaft and the material changing robot 30 and improves the safety of automated production.

[0075] In one embodiment, the first location data in this embodiment includes first coordinate data and first detection data;

[0076] After the material handling equipment 10 moves the spindle to the target position, it performs spindle detection at the target position by using the first detection element set at the target position to obtain the first detection data indicating whether the spindle exists at the target position, and obtains the first coordinate data of the spindle in the machine coordinate system. The first detection data and the first coordinate data are determined as the first position data and sent to the control system 20.

[0077] The first coordinate data refers to the position coordinates of the main spindle in the machine coordinate system of the material handling equipment 10 after the spindle moves to the target position according to the material changing procedure. The first coordinate data can be three-dimensional coordinates or two-dimensional coordinates, and this embodiment does not limit it.

[0078] In one embodiment, the first detection element can be a proximity sensor, which is disposed at the target position of the material handling device 10. When the material handling device 10 moves the main shaft to the target position, the material handling device 10 generates first detection data indicating the presence of the main shaft at the target position through the proximity sensor. Conversely, when the material handling device 10 does not move the main shaft to the target position, the material handling device 10 generates first detection data indicating the absence of the main shaft at the target position through the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor includes, but is not limited to, photoelectric proximity sensors or magnetic proximity sensors; this embodiment does not impose any limitation.

[0079] In summary, this embodiment determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position from the software level based on the first coordinate data, and determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position from the hardware level based on the first detection data. This helps to improve the detection accuracy of the spindle, thereby further improving the safety of automated production.

[0080] In one embodiment, the control system 20 determines whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range and whether the first detection data indicates that a main shaft exists at the target position. When the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that a main shaft exists at the target position, a first material change command 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 main shaft does not exist at the target position, an emergency stop command is sent to the material handling equipment 10.

[0081] It is understood that in this embodiment, when the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the main shaft exists at the target position, it means that the main shaft has moved to the target position, and a first material change command is sent to the material change robot 30 so that the material change robot 30 can change the material in the material handling equipment 10. If the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, or if the first detection data indicates that the main shaft does not exist at the target position, it means that one of the data in the first coordinate data or the first detection data must be incorrect, and an emergency stop command needs to be sent to the material handling equipment 10 so that the material handling equipment 10 can trigger the emergency stop mechanism according to the emergency stop command and wait 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 the main shaft does not exist at the target position, it means that the main shaft has not moved to the target position according to the material change procedure, and an emergency stop command needs to be sent to the material handling equipment 10 so that the material handling equipment 10 can trigger the emergency stop mechanism according to the emergency stop command and wait for technicians to troubleshoot the equipment failure.

[0082] In one embodiment, the material-changing robot 30 in this embodiment changes the material in the material handling equipment 10 in the following manner: Figure 2 As shown:

[0083] The material changing robot 30 responds to the first material changing command and sends the first detection command to the material handling equipment 10.

[0084] The material handling equipment 10 responds to the first detection command and uses the second detection device to detect whether there is a target material on the material handling equipment 10. When there is a target material on the material handling equipment 10, it sends a second material changing command to the material changing robot 30. When there is no target material on the material handling equipment 10, it triggers an alarm mechanism.

[0085] It should be understood that before the material-changing robot 30 can grab the target material on the material handling equipment 10, it needs to first determine that the target material exists on the material handling equipment 10. If the target material does not exist on the material handling equipment 10, it indicates that there may be a program error in the material-changing robot 30 or the material handling equipment 10. 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 element, it directly triggers the emergency stop mechanism.

[0086] The material-changing robot 30 responds to the second material-changing command, enters the material-changing activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling equipment 10, places it on the material rack, and sends the second detection command to the material handling equipment 10.

[0087] The material handling equipment 10 responds to the second detection command and detects whether the target material exists on the material handling equipment 10 through the second detection device. When the target material does not exist on the material handling equipment 10, it sends a third material replacement command to the material replacement robot 30. When the target material exists on the material handling equipment 10, it triggers an emergency stop mechanism, or resends the second material replacement command to the material replacement robot 30.

[0088] It should be understood that before the material handling equipment 10 can place new material, the material changing robot 30 needs to first determine that there is no target material on the material handling equipment 10, and then grab the new material and place it on the material handling equipment 10. If there is target material on the material handling equipment 10, it means that there may be a program error in the material changing robot 30 or the material handling equipment 10. Alternatively, after receiving the second material changing instruction, the material changing robot 30 may not have successfully grabbed the target material on the material handling equipment 10 and placed it on the material rack. Therefore, when the material handling equipment 10 detects the target material through the second detection device, it directly triggers the emergency stop mechanism to prevent the material handling equipment 10 from placing an excessive amount of material, which would prevent the material handling equipment 10 from performing material processing normally.

[0089] After receiving the third material changing instruction, the material changing robot 30 grabs the new material from the material rack, places it in the material changing activity area, and puts it on the material handling equipment 10 so that the material handling equipment 10 can process the new material.

[0090] In a specific implementation, the second detection element in this embodiment can be a gas flow sensor. When the target material is placed on the material handling device 10, and the target material covers the air hole of the gas flow sensor, the flow rate of the gas flow sensor is close to 0, thus determining that the target material exists on the material handling device 10. When no target material is placed on the material handling device 10, the air hole of the gas flow sensor is connected, and the flow rate of the gas flow sensor is significantly greater than 0, thus determining that no target material exists on the material handling device 10.

[0091] In summary, this embodiment uses a second detection device to determine whether the material handling equipment 10 has the target material, thereby determining whether the target material has been successfully grabbed and placed on the material rack by the material changing robot 30. This avoids invalid material changing and the material changing robot 30 erroneously executing the material changing program, which helps to improve the processing efficiency of the material handling equipment 10.

[0092] In one embodiment, the material handling equipment 10 in this embodiment detects whether the material changing robot 30 has entered the material changing activity area through a third detection device. When the material changing robot 30 enters the material changing activity area, an emergency stop mechanism is triggered, and when the material changing robot 30 leaves the material changing activity area, the emergency stop mechanism is deactivated.

[0093] In a specific implementation, the third detection element in this embodiment can be a safety light curtain. The safety light curtain includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter includes one or more transmitters, and the receiver includes one or more transmitters. The transmitters emit light signals to the receivers. When the material changing robot 30 wants to enter the material changing activity area, the moving end of the material changing robot 30 must pass through the safety light curtain to enter the material changing activity area. When the material changing robot 30 passes through the safety light curtain, 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, triggering an emergency stop mechanism. 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.

[0094] In summary, this embodiment uses a safety light curtain to determine whether a material-changing robot 30 has entered the material-changing activity area. When the material-changing robot 30 enters the material-changing activity area, an emergency stop mechanism is activated to prevent the material-changing robot 30 from accidentally starting the material-handling equipment 10 while it is changing materials, thus further improving the safety of automated production.

[0095] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 The diagram shown is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a material handling method disclosed in this embodiment. This method is applicable to automated material handling equipment, such as material processing equipment or material measuring equipment. The material handling method in this embodiment specifically includes the following steps:

[0096] S301: Obtain the first location data sent by the material handling equipment.

[0097] The first position data is the position data of the main shaft when the material handling 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.

[0098] In one embodiment, the material handling equipment includes, but is not limited to, any one or a combination of material processing equipment or material measuring equipment. The material processing equipment includes, for example, CNC machine tools and EDM machine tools, and the material measuring equipment includes, for example, coordinate measuring machines. In this embodiment, the specific type of material handling equipment is not limited.

[0099] In one embodiment, the device status of the material handling equipment can be obtained in real time. After the material handling equipment completes the processing of the target material and enters the standby state, the main shaft of the material handling equipment is controlled to move to the preset target position, and the first position data of the main shaft is obtained.

[0100] S302: Determine whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data.

[0101] S303: After confirming that the spindle has successfully moved to the target position, send the first material change command to the material change robot so that the material change robot responds to the first material change command, enters the material change activity area, grabs the target material on the material handling equipment and places it on the material rack, and grabs the new material on the material rack and enters the material change activity area and places it on the material handling equipment so that the material handling equipment processes the new material.

[0102] S304: If it is determined that the spindle has not successfully moved to the target position, the emergency stop mechanism is triggered.

[0103] It should be understood that when controlling the material handling equipment 10 to move the main shaft, the material handling equipment may experience delays, stops, unexpected shutdowns, or unexpected starts, which may cause the main shaft to not move or not fully move to the target position. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the first position data of the main shaft in order to determine whether the main shaft has successfully moved to the target position based on the first position data.

[0104] If the spindle successfully moves to the target position, it means the spindle is outside the material changing robot's activity area. Control the material changing robot to enter the material changing activity area, grab the target material from the material handling equipment and place it on the material rack, and grab the new material from the material rack and enter the material changing activity area, placing it on the material handling equipment. If the spindle fails to move to the target position, it means the spindle may be inside the material changing robot's activity area. In this case, control the material changing robot to change the material on the material handling equipment. There is a risk of the material changing robot colliding with the spindle, so it is necessary to control the material handling equipment to perform an emergency stop.

[0105] In summary, the material handling method disclosed in this invention controls the main shaft of the material handling equipment to move to a target position outside the material changing robot's material changing activity area, and then controls the material changing robot to change the material in the material handling equipment after confirming that the main shaft has successfully moved to the target position. This avoids the problem of collision between the main shaft and the material changing robot and improves the safety of automated production.

[0106] In one embodiment, the first position data in this embodiment includes first coordinate data and first detection data. The first detection data is obtained by the material handling equipment through a first detection element set at the target position to perform spindle detection on the target position, thereby indicating whether a spindle exists at the target position. The first coordinate data is extracted by the material handling equipment in the machine coordinate system.

[0107] The first coordinate data refers to the position coordinates of the spindle in the machine coordinate system of the material handling equipment after the spindle moves to the target position. The first coordinate data can be three-dimensional coordinates or two-dimensional coordinates, and this embodiment does not limit it.

[0108] In one embodiment, the first detection element can be a proximity sensor, which is positioned at the target location of the material handling equipment. When the material handling equipment moves the main shaft to the target location, the equipment generates first detection data indicating the presence of the main shaft at the target location using the proximity sensor. Conversely, when the equipment does not move the main shaft to the target location, the equipment generates first detection data indicating the absence of the main shaft at the target location using the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor may include, but is not limited to, photoelectric proximity sensors or magnetic proximity sensors; this embodiment does not impose any specific limitation.

[0109] In summary, this embodiment determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position from the software level based on the first coordinate data, and determines whether the spindle has successfully moved to the target position from the hardware level based on the first detection data. This helps to improve the detection accuracy of the spindle, thereby further improving the safety of automated production.

[0110] based on Figure 3In its specific implementation, step S302 in this embodiment can be achieved through the following steps, such as... Figure 4 As shown:

[0111] S401: Determine whether the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range, and determine whether the first detection data indicates the existence of a principal axis at the target position.

[0112] S402: When the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the main axis exists at the target position, it is determined that the main axis has successfully moved to the target position.

[0113] S403: When the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, and / or the first detection data indicates that the main axis does not exist at the target position, it is determined that the main axis has not successfully moved to the target position.

[0114] It is understood that in this embodiment, if the first coordinate data is within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the main shaft exists at the target position, it means that the main shaft has moved to the target position, and the material changing robot is controlled to change the material in the material handling equipment. If the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range, or if the first detection data indicates that the main shaft does not exist at the target position, it means that one of the first coordinate data or the first detection data must be incorrect, and an emergency stop mechanism needs to be triggered to wait for technicians to troubleshoot the equipment. If the first coordinate data is not within the preset coordinate range and the first detection data indicates that the main shaft does not exist at the target position, it means that the main shaft has not moved to the target position, and an emergency stop mechanism needs to be triggered to wait for technicians to troubleshoot the equipment.

[0115] In one embodiment, the alarm mechanism includes: sending alarm commands to the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot respectively, so that the material handling equipment and / or the material changing robot respond to the alarm commands respectively, and perform emergency shutdown and / or alarm reminder.

[0116] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply 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 embodiments of the present invention.

[0117] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 The diagram shown is a structural schematic 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 element, a second detection element, and a third detection element. The first detection element detects whether the main shaft is in a preset target position, the second detection element detects whether there is target material on the material handling equipment, and the third detection element detects whether the material changing robot has entered the material changing activity area of ​​the material changing robot.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the computer program can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can 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 a variety of forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), RAMbus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0119] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A material handling system, characterized by, The material processing system comprises a material processing device, a control system and a material changing robot, wherein, the material processing device moves the spindle to a preset target position after completing the processing of the target material, acquires first position data of the spindle, and sends the first position data to the control system, wherein the target position is outside a material changing active area of the material changing robot; the control system determines whether the spindle successfully moves to the target position according to the first position data, sends a first material changing instruction to the material changing robot if it is determined that the spindle successfully moves to the target position, and triggers an alarm mechanism if it is determined that the spindle does not successfully move to the target position; the material changing robot, in response to the first material changing instruction, enters the material changing active area, picks up the target material on the material processing device and places it on a material rack, picks up new material on the material rack and enters the material changing active area, and places it on the material processing device, so that the material processing device processes the new material.

2. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein, The first position data comprises first coordinate data and first detection data; the material processing device, after moving the spindle to the target position, detects the target position by a first detection member arranged at the target position, obtains the first detection data representing whether the target position has the spindle, and acquires the first coordinate data of the spindle in a 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.

3. The material processing system of claim 2, wherein, the control system determines whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range and whether the first detection data represents that the target position has the spindle, sends the first material changing instruction to the material changing robot if the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data represents that the target position has the spindle, and sends an emergency stop instruction to the material processing device if the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range and / or the first detection data represents that the target position does not have the spindle.

4. The material processing system of claim 1, wherein, the material changing robot, in response to the first material changing instruction, sends a first detection instruction to the material processing device; the material processing device, in response to the first detection instruction, detects whether the target material is present on the material processing device by a second detection member, sends a second material changing instruction to the material changing robot if the target material is present on the material processing device, and triggers the alarm mechanism if the target material is not present on the material processing device; the material changing robot, in response to the second material changing instruction, enters the material changing active area, picks up the target material on the material processing device and places it on the material rack, and sends a second detection instruction to the material processing device. The material processing device, in response to the second detection instruction, detects whether the target material exists on the material processing device through the second detection member, and sends a third material replacement instruction to the material replacement robot when the target material does not exist on the material processing device, or triggers the alarm mechanism when the target material exists on the material processing device, or re-sends the second material replacement instruction to the material replacement robot. The material replacement robot, in response to the third material replacement instruction, grasps the new material on the material rack into the material replacement active area and places it on the material processing device, so that the material processing device processes the new material.

5. The material processing system of claim 1, wherein The material processing device detects whether the material replacement robot enters the material replacement active area through a third detection member, and triggers an emergency stop mechanism when the material replacement robot enters the material replacement active area, and releases the emergency stop mechanism when the material replacement robot leaves the material replacement active area.

6. A method of processing material, characterized by, The method comprises: Obtaining first position data sent by a material processing device, the first position data being position data of a main shaft when the main shaft is moved to a preset target position by the material processing device, wherein the target position is outside a material replacement active area of a material replacement robot; Determining whether the main shaft successfully moves to the target position according to the first position data; In the case where it is determined that the main shaft successfully moves to the target position, sending a first material replacement instruction to the material replacement robot, so that the material replacement robot enters the material replacement active area in response to the first material replacement instruction, grasps a target material on the material processing device and places it on a material rack, and grasps a new material on the material rack into the material replacement active area and places it on the material processing device, so that the material processing device processes the new material; In the case where it is determined that the main shaft does not successfully move to the target position, triggering an emergency stop mechanism.

7. The material processing method according to claim 6, wherein The first position data comprises first coordinate data and first detection data; The first detection data is obtained by the material processing device detecting the target position by a first detection member arranged at the target position, and represents whether the target position exists the main shaft; The first coordinate data is extracted in a machine coordinate system by the material processing device.

8. The material processing method according to claim 7, wherein The determination of whether the main shaft successfully moves to the target position according to the first position data comprises: Determining whether the first coordinate data is within a preset coordinate range, and determining whether the first detection data represents that the target position exists the main shaft; In the case where the first coordinate data is within the coordinate range and the first detection data represents that the target position exists the main shaft, it is determined that the main shaft successfully moves to the target position; In the case where the first coordinate data is not within the coordinate range and / or the first detection data represents that the target position does not exist the main shaft, it is determined that the main shaft does not successfully move to the target position.

9. A material handling system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The alarm mechanism comprises: respectively sending an alarm instruction to the material processing device and / or the material changing robot, so that the material processing device and / or the material changing robot respectively respond to the alarm instruction to perform emergency shutdown and / or alarm reminding.

10. A material handling mechanism, comprising: The material processing mechanism comprises the material processing system according to any one of claims 1-5, and the material processing device comprises a first detection member, a second detection member and a third detection member, wherein the first detection member detects whether the main shaft is at a preset target position, the second detection member detects whether there is target material on the material processing device, and the third detection member detects whether the material changing robot enters a material changing active area of the material changing robot.

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