Intelligent sand box cleaning method

Abstract

The invention relates to an intelligent sand box cleaning method, and belongs to the field of industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing. According to the scheme, the rail type RGV is adopted to automatically convey the sand box to the closed intelligent cleaning work station, and the information of the sand box is read through the RFID tag and synchronized to the information system. The cleaning robot scans the position of the sand box through the visual recognition device, and the tool changing robot grabs the adaptive drill bit from the drill bit tool library according to a system instruction and assembles the adaptive drill bit to the electric hammer chuck. And the cleaning robot drills and dredges the sand guide hole of the sand box, returns to the quick change frame to replace the electric pick, and performs multi-angle shoveling and scraping operation on the cavity of the sand box. And after cleaning is completed, the cleaning robot is switched to the sand blasting gun, and fine sand cleaning on the surface of the sand box is completed. The scheme aims at solving the problems that traditional manual cleaning is low in efficiency, severe in environment and large in potential safety hazard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the fields of industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing, and relates to an intelligent sand box cleaning method. Background Art

[0002] With the booming development of modern foundry industry, advanced technologies such as intelligent flexible workstations and industrial robots have been gradually popularized in the foundry field, profoundly changing the dirty, messy and poor appearance of the foundry industry. The introduction of these technologies not only improves production efficiency, but also significantly improves the working environment and reduces the labor intensity of workers. However, in the link of sand box cleaning, there are still many problems in the existing technologies.

[0003] First of all, the existing sand box cleaning technologies mainly rely on manual operation, which has the problem of low efficiency. Since the cleaning work requires a large amount of manpower and time, the production efficiency is limited. Secondly, the labor intensity of manual cleaning is large, and workers need to bear a large physical burden during the cleaning process. In addition, the cleaning work environment is harsh, with flying dust, posing a threat to the health of workers. Long-term exposure to the dust environment may cause workers to suffer from occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis.

[0004] Secondly, during the cleaning process, an overhead crane is frequently used for lifting, and additional impacts are often required to clean it thoroughly, which poses a safety hazard. The operation of the overhead crane needs to be precisely controlled. Once the operation is improper, it may cause damage to the sand box or injury to personnel. And additional impacts on the sand box, although it can improve the cleaning effect, also increases the operation risk.

[0005] In addition, the waste sand in the pit accumulates, the transportation is cumbersome, occupying the workshop site and affecting the overall logistics and appearance. The accumulation of waste sand not only occupies space, but also may pollute the workshop environment. And transporting the waste sand requires a large amount of manpower and time, increasing the production cost. At the same time, the cumbersomeness of waste sand accumulation and transportation also affects the overall logistics and appearance of the workshop. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an intelligent sand box cleaning method. By establishing a digital intelligent spraying workstation, equipped with innovative technologies such as cleaning robots, tool-changing robots, special integrated systems at the end of the robot, intelligent tool racks, non-standard movable platforms, etc., and cooperating with automatic code scanning and visual scanning and recognition methods, it realizes unmanned and flexible full-automatic operation of sand box cleaning.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] An intelligent sand box cleaning method, comprising the following steps:

[0009] S1: Transport the sand box and the bracket to the enclosed intelligent cleaning workstation by an orbital RGV vehicle. The scanning device in the workstation reads the RFID tag information of the sand box and synchronizes it to the workstation information system;

[0010] S2: The cleaning robot scans the actual position and key points of the sand box through a vision recognition device. The workstation system generates an initial operation trajectory in combination with the pre-stored three-dimensional digital model and automatically corrects the deviation through laser-scanned point cloud data;

[0011] S3: The cleaning robot grabs a jackhammer from the quick-change rack. The tool-changing robot grabs a suitable drill bit from the drill bit tool library according to the system instruction and assembles it to the chuck of the jackhammer;

[0012] S4: The cleaning robot drills and clears the silt in the sand box's sand guide hole, and detects the drilling force in real time. When the load exceeds the limit, it triggers the safety protection unloading system and starts the floating buffer device;

[0013] S5: The cleaning robot returns to the quick-change rack to replace the electric pickaxe and performs multi-angle scraping operations on the sand box cavity;

[0014] S6: The cleaning robot switches to a sandblasting gun, and the sandblasting system starts to pressurize the sand material transportation to complete the fine sand cleaning on the surface of the sand box;

[0015] S7: The tool-changing robot records the usage time of the drill bit and issues a replacement reminder when the preset threshold is reached;

[0016] S8: The dust removal system runs synchronously. The waste sand falls into the collection hood through the workbench and is automatically transported out by the conveying device;

[0017] S9: After the cleaning robot resets, the RGV vehicle transports the cleaned sand box to the next process;

[0018] S10: The retractable roof on the top of the workstation opens when needed to cooperate with the overhead crane to complete emergency lifting operations.

[0019] Optionally, the enclosed intelligent cleaning workstation includes: an enclosed chamber body with a steel structure frame, an RGV access door and an observation window are provided on the side wall; the retractable roof on the top is linked with the overhead crane lifting system; a waste sand collection hood and a conveying device are provided under the workbench.

[0020] Optionally, the cleaning robot includes: a 7th-axis moving mechanism for adjusting the horizontal position of the robot to adapt to sand boxes of different sizes; an end effector that can quickly switch between a jackhammer, an electric pickaxe and a sandblasting gun; a laser scanner and a floating buffer device integrated at the end.

[0021] Optionally, the tool-changing robot is connected to the drill bit tool library and cooperates with the quick-change rack through the workstation information system; the quick-change rack is provided with a dust-proof mechanism and stores a jackhammer and an electric pickaxe respectively.

[0022] Optionally, the sandblasting system includes: a sand storage bin, a pressurized pipeline, and a robotic end sandblasting gun; the sand storage bin is connected to an external sand supply device through a pneumatic conveying pipeline, and the sandblasting gun is fed through a combination of a hose and a fixed rigid pipe.

[0023] Optionally, the safety protection unloading system includes: a sensor for real-time detection of drilling force; control software for instructing the robot to retract the tool and alarm when the load limit is exceeded; a floating buffer device that uses a hydraulic damping structure to absorb impact vibration.

[0024] Optionally, the dust removal system includes: a negative pressure dust suction device arranged on the top and side walls of the workstation; a dust filtration bin that is connected in parallel with the conveying device of the waste sand collection hood to an external discharge port of the workshop.

[0025] Optionally, the track of the RGV vehicle extends outside the workstation and seamlessly connects with the workshop logistics system.

[0026] Optionally, the workstation information system includes: a sand box process database that stores the 3D digital models and cleaning parameters of different sand boxes; a coordination control module that synchronously manages the action sequences of the cleaning robot, the tool changing robot, and the sandblasting system.

[0027] Optionally, each drill bit in the drill bit tool library is provided with an RFID tag, and the drill bit tool library is built-in with a reader-writer to record the usage times and service life of the drill bits.

[0028] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0029] Improve production efficiency: The automatic transportation of the sand box and the bracket to the enclosed intelligent cleaning workstation by the rail-type RGV vehicle realizes the automation of the sand box cleaning process, significantly improves production efficiency, and reduces the production cycle.

[0030] Reduce labor intensity: The automated equipment replaces manual operations, greatly reducing the labor intensity of workers and improving their working conditions.

[0031] Improve the working environment: The fully enclosed workstation design effectively avoids dust flying, reduces environmental pollution, and provides a healthier and safer working environment for workers.

[0032] Reduce potential safety hazards: Automated operations reduce possible errors and accidents in manual operations, reducing safety risks during the work process.

[0033] Optimize workshop logistics: The automatic collection and transportation system for waste sand reduces the cumbersome process of waste sand accumulation and transfer, optimizes the overall logistics of the workshop, and improves space utilization.

[0034] Improve cleaning quality: Through precise visual recognition and automatic rectification technology, the sand box cleaning process is more precise and consistent, improving the cleaning quality.

[0035] Reduce production costs: The application of automation and intelligent technology reduces labor costs and improves production efficiency at the same time, thus reducing the overall production costs.

[0036] Improve adaptability: The intelligent system can make adaptive adjustments according to the specifications and cleaning requirements of different sand boxes, and has good adaptability to different types of sand boxes.

[0037] Enhance user experience: Automated and intelligent operations reduce the direct participation of workers, improving the comfort and satisfaction of work.

[0038] Easy to maintain and manage: The intelligent system can monitor the equipment status in real time, record the usage time of the drill bit, and remind maintenance and replacement in time, which is convenient for the maintenance and management of the equipment.

[0039] Other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be described to some extent in the subsequent specification, and to some extent, will be obvious to those skilled in the art based on the study of the following text, or can be taught from the practice of the present invention. The objectives and other advantages of the present invention can be achieved and obtained through the following specification. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0040] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in preferred detail below in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

[0041] Figure 1 is a partial structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present solution;

[0042] Figure 2 is another partial structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present solution.

[0043] Reference numerals: 1 closed chamber body, 11 RGV access gate, 12 observation window, 13 retractable roof, 2 cleaning robot, 21 seventh-axis moving mechanism, 22 end effector, 221 floating buffer device, 23 visual recognition device, 3 tool-changing robot, 31 drill bit tool library, 32 quick-change rack, 321 dust-proof mechanism, 4 sandblasting system, 41 sand storage bin, 42 pressurized pipeline, 43 sandblasting gun, 44 pneumatic conveying pipeline, 45 hose, 46 fixed rigid pipe, 5 workbench, 51 waste sand collection cover. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0044] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation modes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation modes. Various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings provided in the following embodiments only illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner. Without conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0045] Among them, the drawings are only for illustrative purposes, showing only schematic diagrams, not physical diagrams, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention; in order to better illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, some components in the drawings will be omitted, enlarged or reduced, which does not represent the size of the actual product; for those skilled in the art, it is understandable that some well-known structures and their descriptions in the drawings may be omitted.

[0046] In the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components; in the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc. indicating the orientation or positional relationship, they are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms describing the positional relationship in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0047] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , this solution discloses a method for intelligent cleaning of a sand box. In the specific implementation process, this solution relates to a device for intelligent cleaning of a sand box.

[0048] (1) Overall structure

[0049] The core of the sand box intelligent cleaning device is the closed chamber 1, whose side wall is provided with an RGV access gate 11 and a tempered glass observation window 12, and a retractable roof 13 is installed on the top. A cleaning robot 2, a tool changing robot 3, a sandblasting system 4 and a hollow workbench 5 are installed inside the closed chamber 1. The RGV access gate 11 is connected to the external track and is used for the RGV vehicle to transport the sand box in and out of the workstation; the observation window 12 is convenient for external personnel to monitor the operation status; the retractable roof 13 is driven by multiple sections of slide rails and can be opened in case of emergency to cooperate with the overhead crane to hoist the sand box.

[0050] (2) Cleaning robot system

[0051] The cleaning robot 2 moves horizontally along the length direction of the workstation through the seventh-axis moving mechanism 21. The end effector 22 is equipped with quick-change interfaces for an electric hammer, a pneumatic pick, and a sandblasting gun 43. The end effector 22 integrates a floating buffer device 221 for absorbing the impact vibration during drilling operations; the visual recognition device 23 is installed on the robot arm and uses laser scanning technology to obtain the real-time positioning data of the sand box.

[0052] (3) Tool-changing robot system

[0053] The tool-changing robot 3 cooperates with the drill tool library 31 and the quick-change rack 32. The drill tool library 31 adopts a matrix storage rack, and each drill bit position is provided with an RFID tag; the quick-change rack 32 has two working positions, storing an electric hammer and a pneumatic pick respectively, and a dust-proof mechanism 321 is provided at its top. The dust-proof mechanism 321 is an electric sliding cover structure, which automatically opens and closes during tool access to prevent dust from contaminating the tool interface. The tool-changing robot 3 grabs a suitable drill bit according to the workstation instruction and assembles it to the electric hammer chuck of the cleaning robot 2.

[0054] (4) Sandblasting system

[0055] The sandblasting system 4 includes a sand storage bin 41, a pressurized pipeline 42, and a sandblasting gun 43 at the end of the robot. The sand storage bin 41 is connected to an external sand supply device through a pneumatic conveying pipeline 44, and a sand regulating valve and an air regulating valve are provided inside to control the sand flow; the sandblasting gun 43 is fed by a combination of a hose 45 and a fixed hard pipe 46. The hose 45 is wound on a wire reel on the robot arm, and the fixed hard pipe 46 is arranged along the side wall of the workstation to ensure the flexibility of the sandblasting operation.

[0056] (5) Waste sand treatment and interlock control

[0057] A funnel-shaped waste sand collection cover 51 is provided below the hollow workbench 5, and the waste sand is transported to an external sand storage bin outside the workshop through a screw conveyor. The cleaning robot 2, the tool-changing robot 3, and the sandblasting system 4 are cooperatively controlled through the workstation information system:

[0058] After the visual recognition device 23 of the cleaning robot 2 scans the sand box, the system automatically generates a deviation correction trajectory;

[0059] The tool-changing robot 3 prompts to change the tool according to the drill bit usage time threshold;

[0060] The sand replenishment and pressure adjustment of the sandblasting system 4 are both monitored in real time by the system.

[0061] (6) Safety and dust removal design

[0062] The floating buffer device 221 is built with a hydraulic cylinder and a pressure sensor, which triggers the tool withdrawal protection when the drilling force exceeds the limit; a negative pressure dust collection device is installed on the top of the closed chamber body 1, which is connected in parallel with the conveying pipeline of the waste sand collection cover 51 to ensure centralized treatment of dust during the operation and maintain a clean workshop environment.

[0063] Example of implementation process

[0064] The RGV vehicle transports the sand box to the hollow workbench 5 through the RGV access gate 11.

[0065] The visual recognition device 23 scans the positioning data of the sand box to generate a cleaning trajectory.

[0066] The cleaning robot 2 adjusts its position through the 7-axis moving mechanism 21, and the end effector 22 grabs the electric hammer, while the tool changing robot 3 assembles the drill bit.

[0067] After drilling, the cleaning robot 2 switches to an electric pickaxe to scrape the cavity, and finally uses a sandblasting gun 43 for fine sand cleaning.

[0068] The waste sand is transported out through the waste sand collection cover 51, and the dust removal system operates synchronously.

[0069] The retractable roof 13 is opened when hoisting is required to cooperate with the external overhead crane operation.

[0070] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the purpose and scope of the present technical solution, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sand box intelligent cleaning method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: The sand box and bracket are transported to the closed intelligent cleaning workstation by the rail-mounted RGV vehicle. The workstation scanning device reads the RFID tag information of the sand box and synchronizes it to the workstation information system; S2: The cleaning robot (2) scans the actual position and key points of the sand box through the visual recognition device (23), and the workstation system generates an initial running trajectory in combination with the pre-stored three-dimensional digital model, and automatically corrects the deviation through the laser scanning point cloud data; S3: The cleaning robot (2) grabs the electric hammer from the quick-change rack (32), and the tool-changing robot (3) grabs the matching drill bit from the drill tool library (31) according to the system instruction and assembles it to the chuck of the electric hammer; S4: the cleaning robot (2) drills and removes silt from the sand guide holes of the sand box, detects the drilling force in real time, and triggers the safety protection unloading system and starts the floating buffer device (221) when the load exceeds the limit; S5: the cleaning robot (2) returns to the quick-change rack (32) to replace the electric pick, and performs multi-angle scraping operations on the sand box cavity; S6: the cleaning robot (2) switches to the sandblasting gun (43), and the sandblasting system (4) starts the pressurized sand delivery to complete the fine sand cleaning of the sand box surface; S7: the tool changing robot (3) records the usage time of the drill bit and issues a replacement reminder when a preset threshold is reached; S8: The dust removal system runs synchronously, and the waste sand falls into the collection cover through the workbench and is automatically transported out by the conveying device; S9: After the cleaning robot (2) is reset, the RGV vehicle transfers the cleaned sand box to the next process; S10: The retractable roof (13) on the top of the workstation is opened when necessary to cooperate with the crane to complete the emergency lifting operation.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The closed intelligent cleaning workstation includes: A closed room body (1) of a steel structure frame, with a RGV entrance and exit door (11) and an observation window (12) provided on the side wall; The top retractable roof (13) is linked with the crane hoisting system; A waste sand collecting cover (51) and a conveying device are provided below the workbench (5).

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning robot (2) comprises: The seventh axis moving mechanism (21) is used to adjust the lateral position of the robot to adapt to sand boxes of different sizes; The end effector (22) can quickly switch between an electric hammer, an electric pick and a sandblasting gun; A laser scanner (23) and a floating buffer device (221) are integrated at the end.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The tool-changing robot (3) is connected to a drill tool library (31) and operates in coordination with a quick-changing rack (32) through a workstation information system; the quick-changing rack (32) is provided with a dust-proof mechanism (321) for storing electric hammers and electric picks respectively.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sandblasting system (4) comprises: It includes a sand storage bin (41), a pressurized pipeline (42) and a sandblasting gun (43) at the end of the robot; The sand material storage bin (41) is connected to an external sand supply device through a pneumatic conveying pipeline (44), and the sandblasting gun (43) is supplied with materials through a combination of a hose (45) and a fixed hard pipe (46).

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The security protection uninstallation system comprises: Sensors that detect drilling forces in real time; Control software, used to instruct the robot to retract and alarm when the load exceeds the limit; The floating buffer device (221) adopts a hydraulic damping structure to absorb impact vibration.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The dust removal system comprises: Negative pressure dust collection device, arranged on the top and side walls of the workstation; The dust filtering bin is connected in parallel with the conveying device of the waste sand collecting cover (51) to the discharge port outside the workshop.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The track of the RGV extends to the outside of the workstation. Seamlessly connected with the workshop logistics system.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The workstation information system comprises: Sand box process database, storing 3D digital models and cleaning parameters of different sand boxes; The cooperative control module synchronously manages the action sequence of the cleaning robot, tool changing robot and sandblasting system.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each drill bit in the drill bit tool library (31) is provided with an RFID tag, and a reader / writer built into the drill bit tool library (31) records the number of times the drill bits are used and their lifespan.

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