A heavy workpiece rapid classification and carrying device and a rapid switching method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a heavy workpiece rapid classification and carrying device and a rapid switching method thereof, and belongs to the field of heavy workpiece carrying. In order to solve the problems that the air pressure driven mechanical arm is difficult to grasp the stepped special-shaped workpiece with the stepped surface as the grasping surface when sorting and carrying the heavy workpiece, the switching efficiency is low, and it is difficult to accurately position the gripper again during switching, the application comprises a control cabinet assembly, a gripper placing table assembly, a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly, a mechanical arm assembly, a special-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly and a workpiece type judgment assembly. The application can realize the reasonable division of the working area of the mechanical arm, the rapid and accurate sorting and carrying of the mixed heavy special-shaped workpiece and large-size workpiece by the gripper at the end of the mechanical arm, the rapid and high-precision repeated switching of the gripper at the end of the mechanical arm, the improvement of the working efficiency and the reduction of the production cost, and the satisfaction of the requirements of industrial carrying work for high efficiency and high precision operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heavy workpiece handling technology, and more specifically, to a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device and its rapid switching method. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing, robotic arms are increasingly widely used in the field of cargo handling. Traditional manual handling is inefficient, costly, and poses safety hazards, while robotic arms, through high-precision and highly repeatable operations, can significantly improve work efficiency and reduce labor costs. Especially in logistics, manufacturing, and warehousing, robotic arms, by selecting replaceable end grippers or adaptive bionic structures, can quickly sort and transport goods according to their actual conditions, meeting the demands of modern production for efficient and precise operations. However, in the handling of heavy equipment or components such as spindle boxes, hydraulic stations, counterweights, and lifting platforms, to ensure the safety and reliability of the handling process, they need to be securely fixed and packaged into large rectangular workpieces or irregularly shaped workpieces with stepped surfaces before the corresponding transportation process is completed.

[0003] When using existing robotic arms to handle heavy, irregularly shaped, and large workpieces, the robotic arms face challenges in designing specific grippers, rationally arranging the workspace, and quickly switching between different grippers.

[0004] Firstly, in conventional heavy workpiece handling, the top plane is usually chosen as the clamping surface. However, for irregularly shaped workpieces, the stepped surface must be the clamping surface during transportation. The end effector requires pneumatic drive, but the maximum handling weight of commonly used pneumatic drive grippers is no more than 300 kg, which cannot meet the requirements of heavy workpieces weighing up to 500 kg and the stability requirements during handling. Therefore, it is necessary to design an end effector for a robotic arm to handle heavy irregularly shaped workpieces, so as to enable the robotic arm to select the stepped surface as the clamping surface and use pneumatic drive to handle irregularly shaped workpieces.

[0005] Secondly, during the handling process, to avoid cable entanglement or structural limitations, the working space of industrial robotic arms is usually a fan-shaped area of ​​300° to 340°. However, it is necessary to determine the type of heavy workpiece to be handled in the workpiece transfer area, and then select the appropriate end gripper to move the two types of heavy workpieces to different areas in order to complete the classification and handling of heavy workpieces. Therefore, it is necessary to reasonably arrange the working space of the robotic arm to ensure that the working space of the robotic arm can cover the workpiece transfer area, gripper placement and switching area, workpiece placement area, and control area to complete the entire sorting and handling process.

[0006] Third, two types of heavy workpieces will enter the workpiece transfer area at the same time. Since the two types of heavy workpieces require different end grippers, the robotic arm needs to frequently change the end grippers during the handling process. In order to ensure the working efficiency of the robotic arm, a specific gripper placement device needs to be designed to enable a quick switching method for the end grippers of the robotic arm. This ensures that the robotic arm can quickly and accurately change the end grippers after the type of heavy workpiece changes, and continue to complete the handling process of the heavy workpiece.

[0007] To address the issues of gripper design, spatial layout, and rapid gripper switching, this invention presents a rapid sorting and handling device for heavy workpieces and its rapid switching method. This device is designed to meet the requirements of rapid and accurate sorting and handling of mixed heavy, irregularly shaped, and large-sized workpieces by the end gripper of a robotic arm, and can also achieve rapid and high-precision repeated switching of the end gripper of the robotic arm. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is:

[0009] To address the issues that commonly used pneumatically driven robotic arms have relatively low gripping weights when sorting and handling heavy workpieces, making it difficult to grip stepped, irregularly shaped workpieces with stepped surfaces as clamping surfaces, and that have low switching efficiency and difficulty in accurate positioning when changing grippers.

[0010] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows:

[0011] This invention provides a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device, including a workpiece conveying area, a heavy workpiece component placement area, a control area, and a gripper placement and switching area. The heavy workpiece component area includes an irregularly shaped workpiece placement area and a large-sized workpiece placement area. The workpiece conveying area, the heavy workpiece component placement area, and the gripper placement and switching area are all located within the working space of the robotic arm, while the control area is located outside the working space of the robotic arm.

[0012] The sorting and handling device includes a control cabinet assembly, a gripper placement platform assembly, a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly, a robotic arm assembly, an irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly, and a workpiece type judgment assembly. The robotic arm assembly is located at the center of the foundation, the control cabinet assembly is located in the control area, the gripper placement platform assembly is located in the gripper placement and switching area, the workpiece type judgment assembly and the heavy workpiece assembly are both located in the workpiece conveying area, and the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly are both located on the gripper placement platform assembly.

[0013] The gripper placement platform assembly includes shock-absorbing pads, a gripper placement frame, positioning blocks, trigger blocks, and photoelectric sensors. The gripper placement frame has a long table structure and at least four shock-absorbing pads at the bottom. Multiple positioning blocks on the gripper placement frame limit the movement of the quick-change gripper assembly for large-sized workpieces and the quick-change gripper assembly for irregularly shaped workpieces. The positioning blocks include a cylindrical section and a tapered rounded corner at the top. The trigger block is located at the outer edge of the gripper placement platform and is triggered by the limit switches on the quick-change gripper assembly for large-sized workpieces or the quick-change gripper assembly for irregularly shaped workpieces to achieve the replacement of the quick-change gripper assembly. There are two sets of photoelectric sensors, with two sensors in each set, and the two sets of photoelectric sensors are respectively located on the gripper placement platform below the quick-change gripper assembly for large-sized workpieces and the quick-change gripper assembly for irregularly shaped workpieces.

[0014] The robotic arm assembly includes a robotic arm and a robotic arm end of a quick-change assembly connected to the robotic arm end via a six-dimensional force sensor. The robotic arm end of the quick-change assembly is connected to and disconnected from the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly respectively through the positioning pin of the robotic arm end of the quick-change assembly and air pressure.

[0015] The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly includes a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform mounted on a truss structure to compensate for the absolute error of the robotic arm at each gripping point. The truss structure is a cuboid structure, and multiple symmetrically and evenly distributed large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platforms are provided below the truss structure. The robotic arm end of the quick-change assembly is connected to the truss structure via a large-size limit switch. The irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly includes a workpiece end of the quick-change assembly, an irregular-shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure, limit switches, and irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platforms. The robotic arm end of the quick-change assembly is connected to the workpiece end of the quick-change assembly via a limit switch. The workpiece end of the quick-change assembly is connected to the irregular-shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure via bolts. The irregular-shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure is an L-shaped truss structure that matches the stepped surface of the irregular-shaped workpiece. At least two irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platforms are provided on each stepped surface of the irregular-shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure.

[0016] The workpiece type determination component is set on one side of the workpiece conveying area to determine the type of heavy workpiece components placed in the workpiece conveying area; it includes multiple evenly distributed infrared sensors set on the placement block, and the height of the infrared sensors is set between the two top planes of the irregular workpiece.

[0017] The control cabinet assembly includes an internal controller. The input terminals of the controller are wirelessly connected to an infrared sensor, a limit switch, and a photoelectric sensor, respectively. The output terminals of the controller are wirelessly connected to a robotic arm and a limit switch.

[0018] Furthermore, the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly is limited by three positioning blocks on the outside, and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly is limited by two positioning blocks on the inside.

[0019] Furthermore, the cylindrical section of the positioning block has a height of 50mm and a diameter of 40mm, the tapered transition has a height of 40mm, a top diameter of 25mm, and a radius of 8mm for the transition fillet.

[0020] Furthermore, when a large workpiece is blocked by the infrared light emitted by all the infrared sensors, the analog signal output by all the infrared sensors is 1; when an irregularly shaped workpiece is blocked by the infrared light emitted by some of the infrared sensors, the analog signal output by the blocked infrared sensors is 1, and the analog signal output by the unblocked infrared sensors is 0; when the analog signal output by all the infrared sensors is 0, it indicates that workpiece transfer is not required.

[0021] Furthermore, within the workpiece conveying area, only one heavy workpiece assembly is conveyed at a time, and its position is fixed.

[0022] A rapid switching method for a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device includes the following steps:

[0023] S100. Initialize the device to ensure that all components are operating normally;

[0024] S200: Initially select a suitable quick-change gripper assembly and complete the handling of the corresponding heavy workpiece assembly;

[0025] S300 When the control cabinet component determines that the type of the heavy workpiece component has changed, the control cabinet component controls the robotic arm to move to the gripper placement platform and replace the quick-change gripper component.

[0026] S400 When the analog signals output by the infrared sensors are all 0, under the guidance of the positioning block, the robotic arm places the last used quick-change gripper assembly into the designated position on the gripper placement platform. When the limit switch and photoelectric sensor simultaneously issue trigger signals, the robotic arm is controlled to return to the initial position through the control cabinet assembly.

[0027] Furthermore, step S200 specifically includes,

[0028] S210. Determine the type of heavy workpiece assembly to be moved by the control cabinet assembly. The determination criteria are as follows: if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor are 1 and 0 respectively, then the heavy workpiece assembly to be moved is an irregularly shaped workpiece; if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor are all 1, then the heavy workpiece assembly to be moved is a large-sized workpiece.

[0029] S220. When the control cabinet assembly determines that the heavy workpiece assembly is an irregularly shaped workpiece based on the infrared sensor, the control cabinet assembly controls the robotic arm to move to the gripper placement platform. The robotic arm end of the quick-change assembly of the control arm is quickly connected to the workpiece end of the quick-change assembly through the positioning pin on the limit switch, and the locking is completed by using air pressure of 0.5 MPa or higher.

[0030] S230. After completing the connection of the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly in step S22, the control cabinet assembly controls the robotic arm to move the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly to the gripping position, connects the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly to the irregular workpiece, and determines whether the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform and the traction bolt are locked. If so, the robotic arm moves the irregular workpiece to the irregular workpiece placement area and then releases it to complete the handling of the irregular workpiece.

[0031] S240. If the type of heavy workpiece determined by the control cabinet assembly has not changed, repeat steps S220 and S230; if it has changed, proceed to the next step.

[0032] Furthermore, step S300 specifically includes,

[0033] S310. Control the robotic arm to move to the gripper placement platform via the control cabinet assembly. Guided by the positioning block, move the quick-change gripper assembly selected in step S200 to the area defined by the positioning block. Determine whether the quick-change gripper assembly is placed in the designated position. The determination is based on the following criteria: if the limit switch and photoelectric sensor simultaneously issue trigger signals, the robotic arm releases the quick-change gripper assembly connected to its end; otherwise, the robotic arm continues to adjust the position and attitude of the connected quick-change gripper assembly until the limit switch and photoelectric sensor simultaneously issue trigger signals, and then releases the quick-change gripper assembly.

[0034] S320: The control cabinet assembly controls the robotic arm to move to another quick-change gripper assembly and quickly connects it to the robotic arm end of the quick-change assembly of the control robotic arm through the positioning pin on the limit switch, and locks it with air pressure of 0.5 MPa or higher.

[0035] S330. After completing the connection of the quick-change gripper assembly in step S320, the quick-change gripper assembly of the robotic arm is moved to the workpiece conveying area by the control cabinet assembly. The quick-change gripper assembly is connected to the corresponding heavy workpiece assembly. Similarly, it is determined whether the quick-change gripper flexible moving platform and the traction bolt are locked. If so, the heavy workpiece assembly is moved to the designated position by the robotic arm and then released to complete the handling of the heavy workpiece.

[0036] S340. Repeat steps S320 and S330 until the remaining heavy workpieces of the same type have been moved.

[0037] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0038] (1) The present invention provides a rapid sorting and handling device for heavy workpieces and a rapid switching method thereof, which can meet the needs of rapid and accurate sorting and handling of mixed heavy, irregular, and large-sized heavy workpieces by the end gripper of the robotic arm, and can also achieve rapid and high-precision repeated switching of the end gripper of the robotic arm, thereby effectively improving work efficiency.

[0039] (2) The present invention selects the stepped surface as the clamping surface and adopts the stepped surface non-plane four-point clamping and release device, which can ensure the stability of heavy irregular workpieces during the handling process of the robotic arm.

[0040] (3) The present invention uses a cylindrical section with a bottom flange of 3 holes, a height of 50 mm and a diameter of 40 mm, and a tapered positioning block with a smooth transition at the top, a height of 40 mm, a top size of 25 mm, and a transition radius of 8 mm, which can guide the quick-change gripper assembly to be placed quickly in the designated position.

[0041] (4) The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly of the present invention adopts three-point positioning on the outside and two-point positioning on the inside of the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly. Limit switches and photoelectric sensors are used to monitor the gripper placement process, which can effectively ensure the repeatability of the gripper at the end of the robotic arm within 1mm.

[0042] (5) The truss structure of the irregular quick-change gripper assembly of the present invention is welded from Q235 steel plate. It is lightweight and has a safety factor of 2. During the handling of irregular workpieces with a maximum weight of 500kg, the maximum equivalent stress of the truss structure is 74.1MPa and the maximum deformation is 168μm, which meets the requirement of allowable stress of Q235 steel of 117.5MPa. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the working area division of a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gripper placement platform assembly and the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a top view of the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the irregularly shaped workpiece in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a rapid switching method for a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 7 This is an equivalent stress cloud diagram of the truss structure of the irregular quick-change gripper assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 8 This is a total deformation cloud diagram of the truss structure of the irregular quick-change gripper assembly in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0052] 1. Control cabinet assembly; 2. Gripper placement platform assembly; 3. Large workpiece quick-change gripper assembly; 4. Robotic arm assembly; 5. Irregularly shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly; 6. Workpiece type judgment assembly; 21. Vibration damping pad; 22. Gripper placement platform; 23. Positioning block; 24. Trigger block; 25. Photoelectric sensor; 31. Large workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform; 41. Robotic arm; 42. Robotic arm end of quick-change assembly; 51. Workpiece end of quick-change assembly; 52. Irregularly shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure; 53. Limit switch; 54. Irregularly shaped workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform; 61. Infrared sensor; 71. Irregularly shaped workpiece; 72. Large workpiece; 73. Traction bolt. Detailed Implementation

[0053] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms used in the various embodiments, such as "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," and "right," which indicate orientation, are only used to simplify the description of the positional relationships based on the accompanying drawings and do not mean that the components and devices referred to must be operated in accordance with the specific orientations and defined operations, methods, and structures in the specification. Such directional terms do not constitute a limitation of this invention.

[0054] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] Specific Implementation Plan 1: Combining Figures 1 to 5 As shown, this invention provides a rapid sorting and handling device for heavy workpieces. The sorting and handling device is installed on a foundation capable of withstanding weight and overturning moment, combined with... Figure 2 As shown, it includes a workpiece conveying area, a heavy workpiece assembly placement area, a control area, and a gripper placement and switching area. The heavy workpiece assembly area includes an irregularly shaped workpiece placement area and a large-sized workpiece placement area. The workpiece conveying area, the heavy workpiece assembly placement area, and the gripper placement and switching area are all located within the robotic arm's workspace, while the control area is located outside the robotic arm's workspace. This is to avoid affecting the normal operation of the robotic arm assembly 4 and to prevent injury to the debugging personnel during operation.

[0056] The sorting and handling device includes a control cabinet assembly 1, a gripper placement platform assembly 2, a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3, a robotic arm assembly 4, an irregularly shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5, a workpiece type judgment assembly 6, and a heavy-duty workpiece assembly. The robotic arm assembly 4 is located at the center of the foundation. The control cabinet assembly 1 is located in the control area. The gripper placement platform assembly 2 is located in the gripper placement and switching area to facilitate quick change of the gripper at the end of the robotic arm 41. The workpiece type judgment assembly 6 and the heavy-duty workpiece assembly are both located in the workpiece conveying area. The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 and the irregularly shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 are both located on the gripper placement platform assembly 2.

[0057] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the gripper placement platform assembly 2 includes shock-absorbing pads 21, a gripper placement frame 22, positioning blocks 23, trigger blocks 24, and photoelectric sensors 25. The gripper placement frame 22 has a long table structure and at least four shock-absorbing pads 21 at the bottom. The shock-absorbing pads 21 are adjusted with nuts to ensure that the working surface plane error of the gripper placement frame 22 is within 2mm. The gripper placement frame 22 uses multiple positioning blocks 23 to limit the positioning of the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5. The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 is limited by three positioning blocks 23 on the outside, and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 is limited by two positioning blocks 23 on the inside. This can guide the quick-change gripper assemblies to be quickly placed in the designated position and ensure that the repeatability error of the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 is within 1mm. Within; the positioning block 23 is a 3-hole flange, including a cylindrical section and a tapered transition fillet at the top. The cylindrical section is 50mm high and 40mm in diameter, the tapered transition is 40mm high, the top is 25mm in diameter, and the radius of the transition fillet is 8mm; the trigger block 24 is located at the outer edge of the gripper placement platform 22 and is used to be triggered by the limit switch 53 on the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 or the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 to realize the replacement of the quick-change gripper assembly 3; the number of photoelectric sensors 25 is two sets, with two in each set. The two sets of photoelectric sensors 25 are respectively located on the gripper placement platform 22 below the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5. The positions of the two sets of photoelectric sensors 25 are asymmetrical and the spacing is large enough to ensure that they do not affect each other and to ensure the comprehensiveness of the monitoring results, thereby ensuring repeatability and positioning accuracy;

[0058] The robotic arm assembly 4 includes a robotic arm 41 and a robotic arm end 42 of a quick-change assembly connected to the end of the robotic arm 41 via a six-dimensional force sensor. The robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly is connected to and disconnected from the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 via limit switches 53, respectively.

[0059] The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 3 includes a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform 31 mounted on a truss structure, used to compensate for the absolute error of the robotic arm 41 at each gripping point. The truss structure is a cuboid structure, and multiple symmetrically and evenly distributed large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platforms 31 are provided below the truss structure. The robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly is connected to the truss structure via a large-size limit switch. The irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 includes the workpiece end 51 of the quick-change assembly and the irregular-shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure. 52. Limit switch 53 and flexible moving platform 54 for quick-change gripper for irregular workpieces. The robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change component is connected to the workpiece end 51 of the quick-change component through the limit switch 53. The workpiece end 51 of the quick-change component is connected to the truss structure 52 of the irregular quick-change gripper component through bolts. The truss structure 52 of the irregular quick-change gripper component is an L-shaped truss structure that matches the stepped surface of the irregular workpiece 71. At least two flexible moving platforms 54 for quick-change gripper for irregular workpieces are provided on each stepped surface of the truss structure 52 of the irregular quick-change gripper component.

[0060] Both the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform 31 and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform 54 are existing connection platforms.

[0061] The workpiece type determination component 6 is located on one side of the workpiece conveying area and is used to determine the type of heavy workpiece assembly placed within the workpiece conveying area. It includes multiple evenly distributed infrared sensors 61 mounted on a placement block. The height of the infrared sensors 61 is positioned between the two top planes of the irregularly shaped workpiece 71. When the large workpiece 72 is blocked by the infrared light emitted by all the infrared sensors 61, the analog signal output by all the infrared sensors 61 is 1. When the irregularly shaped workpiece 71 is blocked by the infrared light emitted by some of the infrared sensors 61, the analog signal output by the blocked infrared sensors 61 is 1, and the analog signal output by the unblocked infrared sensors 61 is 0. When the analog signal output by all the infrared sensors 61 is 0, it indicates that workpiece conveying is not required. Furthermore, only one heavy workpiece assembly is conveyed at a time, and its position is fixed.

[0062] The control cabinet assembly 1 includes an internal controller. The input terminals of the controller are wirelessly connected to an infrared sensor 61, a limit switch 53, and a photoelectric sensor 25, respectively. The output terminals of the controller are wirelessly connected to a robotic arm 41 and a limit switch 53. The controller sends the analog signal output by the infrared sensor 61 to the controller. After the controller's internal algorithm determines the type of the heavy workpiece assembly, it controls the robotic arm 41 to move to the gripper placement platform 22, selects the corresponding quick-change gripper assembly type, grips the heavy workpiece assembly, and transports it to the workpiece placement area. When changing the quick-change gripper assembly, the limit switch 53 on the robotic arm 41 is triggered by the trigger block 24 to release the quick-change gripper assembly onto the corresponding gripper placement platform 22. Before release, the photoelectric sensor 25 and the limit switch 53 send signals to the controller to determine whether the release position is correct. If correct, the limit switch 53 is opened to release the quick-change gripper assembly. If incorrect, the robotic arm 41 is moved until the position is correct.

[0063] The heavy workpiece assembly includes an irregularly shaped workpiece 71 and a large-sized workpiece 72. Traction bolts 73 are set at each clamping point of the irregularly shaped workpiece 71 and the large-sized workpiece 72 corresponding to the flexible moving platform 31 for quick-change gripping of large-sized workpieces and the flexible moving platform 54 for quick-change gripping of irregularly shaped workpieces.

[0064] Preferably, the robotic arm 41 connected to the quick-change gripper assembly includes a robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly and a workpiece end 51 of the quick-change assembly, and the selected model is ATI-QC1210; the robotic arm 41 is selected as KUKA KR 1000TITIAN; the limit switch 53 is selected as Omron-D4MC.

[0065] Specific Implementation Plan Two: Combining Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the present invention provides a rapid switching method for a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device, comprising the following steps:

[0066] S100. Initialize the device to ensure that all components are operating normally;

[0067] S200: Initially select a suitable quick-change gripper assembly and complete the handling of the corresponding heavy workpiece, specifically including:

[0068] S210. The type of heavy workpiece to be moved is determined by the control cabinet assembly 1. The determination is based on the following criteria: if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor 61 are 0 and 1 respectively, then the heavy workpiece to be moved is an irregularly shaped workpiece 71; if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor 61 are all 1, then the heavy workpiece to be moved is a large-sized workpiece 72; if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor 61 are all 0, then no moving is required.

[0069] S220. When the control cabinet assembly 1 determines that the heavy workpiece is an irregularly shaped workpiece 71 based on the infrared sensor 61, the control cabinet assembly 1 controls the robotic arm 41 to move to the gripper placement platform 22. The robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly of the control arm 41 is quickly connected to the workpiece end 51 of the quick-change assembly through the positioning pin on the robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly, and is locked by air pressure of 0.5 MPa or higher. Due to the setting of the positioning block 23, the position of the irregularly shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 is fixed, reducing the error brought by the algorithm itself. In addition, the algorithm setting inside the controller in the control cabinet assembly 1 can ensure that the robotic arm 41 and the irregularly shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 are effectively connected.

[0070] S230. After completing the connection of the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 in step S220, the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 of the robotic arm 41 is moved to the gripping position by the control cabinet assembly 1, and the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly 5 is connected to the irregular workpiece 71. It is determined whether the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform 54 and the traction bolt 73 are locked. If so, the irregular workpiece 71 is moved to the irregular workpiece placement area by the robotic arm 41 and then released to complete the handling of the irregular workpiece 71.

[0071] S240. If the type of heavy workpiece determined by control cabinet component 1 has not changed, repeat steps S220 and S230; if it has changed, proceed to the next step.

[0072] S300. When the control cabinet assembly 1 determines that the type of heavy workpiece has changed, it controls the robotic arm 41 to move to the gripper placement platform 22 and replaces the quick-change gripper assembly, specifically including:

[0073] S310. Control the robotic arm 41 to move to the gripper placement platform 22 via the control cabinet assembly 1. Under the guidance of the positioning block 23, move the quick-change gripper assembly selected in step S200 to the area defined by the positioning block 23. Determine whether the quick-change gripper assembly is placed in the designated position. The determination is based on the following: if the limit switch 53 and the photoelectric sensor 25 simultaneously issue a trigger signal, the robotic arm 41 releases the quick-change gripper assembly connected to its end; otherwise, the robotic arm 41 continues to adjust the position and attitude of the connected quick-change gripper assembly until the limit switch 53 and the photoelectric sensor 25 simultaneously issue a trigger signal, and then releases the quick-change gripper assembly.

[0074] S320, The control cabinet assembly 1 controls the robotic arm 41 to move to another quick-change gripper assembly and quickly connects it with the robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly through the positioning pin on the robotic arm end 42 of the quick-change assembly, and locks it with air pressure of 0.5 MPa or higher.

[0075] S330. After completing the connection of the quick-change gripper assembly in step S320, the quick-change gripper assembly of the robotic arm 41 is moved to the workpiece conveying area by the control cabinet assembly 1. The quick-change gripper assembly is connected to the corresponding heavy workpiece assembly. Similarly, it is determined whether the quick-change gripper flexible moving platform and the traction bolt 73 are locked. If so, the heavy workpiece assembly is moved to the designated position by the robotic arm 41 and then released to complete the handling of the heavy workpiece.

[0076] S340. Repeat steps S320 and S330 until the remaining heavy workpieces of the same type have been moved.

[0077] S400. When the analog signals output by the infrared sensor 61 are all 0, under the guidance of the positioning block 23, the robotic arm 41 places the last used quick-change gripper assembly into the designated position of the gripper placement platform 22. When the limit switch 53 and the photoelectric sensor 25 simultaneously issue trigger signals, the robotic arm 41 is controlled to return to the initial position through the control cabinet assembly 1.

[0078] The other combinations and connections in this implementation scheme are the same as in Specific Implementation Scheme 1.

[0079] Simulation Experiment

[0080] Truss structure verification of quick-change gripper assembly

[0081] For irregularly shaped workpiece 71, the stepped surface must be the clamping surface during transportation; therefore, the stepped surface is selected as the clamping surface. Combined with... Figure 4 As shown, since the main body of the irregularly shaped workpiece 71 is square, four clamping points are selected at the four corners of the workpiece 71 to ensure stability during handling. Because the clamping surface of the irregularly shaped workpiece 71 is a stepped surface, the truss structure 52 of the irregularly shaped quick-change gripper assembly adopts an L-shaped structure. The clamping surface of the large-sized workpiece 72 is planar, and multiple clamping points are selected within the planar surface.

[0082] Preliminary estimations indicate that the truss structure of the irregular quick-change gripper assembly exhibits significant deformation, particularly the L-shaped structure. To ensure the quick-change gripper assembly meets strength requirements during operation, a maximum weight of 500 kg is selected for verification of the truss structure.

[0083] To meet the requirements of a maximum weight of 500kg for the irregularly shaped workpiece 71 and a safety factor of 1.5 or higher, the main body of the truss structure 52 of the irregularly shaped quick-change gripper assembly is made of 6mm thick Q235 steel plate, the clamping point fixing area is made of 8mm thick Q235 steel plate, and the quick-change assembly fixing structure is made of 18mm thick Q235 steel plate. Deformation analysis was performed using the finite element analysis software ANSYS Workbench. Displacement constraints were applied to the contact surface of the quick-change assembly, gravity conditions were applied to the entire truss structure, with a safety factor of 2, and a 2500N vertical downward external force was applied to each of the four clamping point fixing areas. The simulation results from the finite element analysis software are as follows: Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the truss structure has a maximum equivalent stress of 74.1 MPa and a maximum deformation of 168 μm, which meets the allowable stress requirement of 117.5 MPa for Q235 steel and satisfies the strength requirements.

[0084] While the present invention has been disclosed above, its scope of protection is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such changes and modifications will fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rapid sorting and handling device for heavy workpieces, characterized in that: It includes a workpiece conveying area, a heavy workpiece assembly placement area, a control area, and a gripper placement and switching area. The heavy workpiece assembly placement area includes an irregularly shaped workpiece placement area and a large-sized workpiece placement area. The workpiece conveying area, the heavy workpiece assembly placement area, and the gripper placement and switching area are all located within the robotic arm's workspace, while the control area is located outside the robotic arm's workspace. The sorting and handling device also includes a control cabinet assembly (1), a gripper placement platform assembly (2), a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3), a robotic arm assembly (4), an irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5), and a workpiece type judgment assembly (6). The robotic arm assembly (4) is located at the center of the foundation. The control cabinet assembly (1) is located in the control area. The gripper placement platform assembly (2) is located in the gripper placement and switching area. The workpiece type judgment assembly (6) and the heavy workpiece assembly are both located in the workpiece conveying area. The heavy workpiece assembly includes an irregular-shaped workpiece (71) and a large-size workpiece (72). The clamping surface of the irregular-shaped workpiece (71) is a stepped surface, and the clamping surface of the large-size workpiece (72) is a flat surface. The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) are both located on the gripper placement platform assembly (2). The gripper placement platform assembly (2) includes shock-absorbing pads (21), a gripper placement platform (22), positioning blocks (23), trigger blocks (24), and photoelectric sensors (25); the gripper placement platform (22) is a long table structure with at least four shock-absorbing pads (21) at the bottom; the gripper placement platform (22) uses multiple positioning blocks (23) to limit the movement of the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5); the positioning block (23) includes a cylindrical section and an upper section. The rounded corners of the tapered transition; the trigger block (24) is set at the outer edge of the gripper placement platform (22) and is used to be triggered by the limit switch (53) on the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) or the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) to realize the replacement of the quick-change gripper assembly; the number of photoelectric sensors (25) is two sets, two in each set, and the two sets of photoelectric sensors (25) are respectively set on the gripper placement platform (22) below the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) and the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5); The robotic arm assembly (4) includes a robotic arm (41) and a robotic arm end (42) of a quick-change assembly connected to the end of the robotic arm (41) via a six-dimensional force sensor. The robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly is connected to and released from the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) and the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) respectively through the positioning pin and air pressure of the robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly. The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) includes a large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform (31) set on a truss structure to compensate for the absolute error of the robotic arm at each gripping point. The truss structure is a cuboid structure, and multiple symmetrical and evenly distributed large-size workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platforms (31) are provided below the truss structure. The robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly can be connected and released to the truss structure of the large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3). The irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) includes the workpiece end (51) of the quick-change assembly, the irregular-shaped quick-change gripper assembly truss structure (52), the limit switch (53), and the irregular-shaped workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform (54). The robotic arm end (42) of the component can be connected and released to the workpiece end (51) of the quick-change component. The workpiece end (51) of the quick-change component is connected to the truss structure (52) of the irregular quick-change gripper component by bolts. The truss structure (52) of the irregular quick-change gripper component is an L-shaped truss structure that matches the stepped surface of the irregular workpiece (71). At least two irregular workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platforms (54) are provided on each stepped surface of the irregular quick-change gripper component truss structure (52). The traction bolts (73) are set at each clamping point of the large workpiece (72) and the irregular workpiece (71) corresponding to the large workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform (31) and the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform (54). The workpiece type determination component (6) is set on one side of the workpiece conveying area and is used to determine the type of heavy workpiece components placed in the workpiece conveying area; it includes multiple evenly distributed infrared sensors (61) set on the placement block, and the height of the infrared sensors (61) is set between the two top planes of the irregular workpiece (71). The control cabinet assembly (1) includes an internal controller. The input end of the controller is wirelessly connected to an infrared sensor (61), a limit switch (53), and a photoelectric sensor (25), respectively. The output end of the controller is wirelessly connected to a robotic arm (41) and a limit switch (53).

2. The heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The large-size workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (3) is limited by three positioning blocks (23) on the outside, and the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) is limited by two positioning blocks (23) on the inside.

3. The heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cylindrical section of the positioning block (23) has a height of 50mm and a diameter of 40mm. The conical transition has a height of 40mm, a top diameter of 25mm, and a radius of 8mm for the transition fillet.

4. The heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: When a large workpiece (72) is blocked by the infrared light emitted by all infrared sensors (61), the analog signal output by all infrared sensors (61) is 1; when an irregularly shaped workpiece (71) is blocked by the infrared light emitted by some infrared sensors (61), the analog signal output by the blocked infrared sensors (61) is 1, and the analog signal output by the unblocked infrared sensors (61) is 0; when the analog signal output by all infrared sensors (61) is 0, it indicates that workpiece transfer is not required.

5. The heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Within the workpiece conveying area, only one heavy workpiece assembly is conveyed at a time, and its position is fixed.

6. A rapid switching method for a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S100. Initialize the sorting and handling device to ensure that all components are operating normally; S200: Initially select a suitable quick-change gripper assembly and complete the handling of the corresponding heavy workpiece assembly; S300 When the control cabinet assembly (1) determines that the type of the heavy workpiece assembly has changed, the control cabinet assembly (1) controls the robotic arm to move to the gripper placement platform (22) and replace the quick-change gripper assembly. S400. When the analog signals output by the infrared sensor (61) are all 0, under the guidance of the positioning block (23), the robotic arm (41) places the last used quick-change gripper assembly into the designated position of the gripper placement platform (22). When the limit switch (53) and the photoelectric sensor (25) simultaneously issue trigger signals, the robotic arm (41) releases the last used quick-change gripper assembly and controls the robotic arm (41) to return to the initial position through the control cabinet assembly (1).

7. The rapid switching method for a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Step S200 specifically includes, S210. The type of heavy workpiece assembly to be moved is determined by the control cabinet assembly (1). The determination is based on the following: if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor (61) are 1 and 0 respectively, then the heavy workpiece assembly to be moved is an irregularly shaped workpiece (71); if the analog signals output by the infrared sensor (61) are all 1, then the heavy workpiece assembly to be moved is a large-sized workpiece (72). S220. When the control cabinet assembly (1) determines that the heavy workpiece assembly is an irregular workpiece (71) based on the infrared sensor (61), the control cabinet assembly (1) controls the robotic arm (41) to move to the gripper placement platform (22). The robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly of the control robotic arm (41) is quickly connected to the workpiece end (51) of the quick-change assembly through the positioning pin on the robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly, and is locked by air pressure of 0.5 MPa or higher. S230. After completing the connection of the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) in step S220, the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) connected to the robotic arm (41) is moved to the gripping position by the control cabinet assembly (1). The irregular workpiece quick-change gripper assembly (5) is connected to the irregular workpiece (71). It is determined whether the irregular workpiece quick-change gripper flexible moving platform (54) and the traction bolt (73) are locked. If so, the irregular workpiece (71) is moved to the irregular workpiece placement area by the robotic arm (41) and then released to complete the handling of the irregular workpiece (71). S240. If the type of heavy workpiece component determined by the control cabinet component (1) has not changed, repeat steps S220 and S230; if it has changed, proceed to the next step.

8. The rapid switching method for a heavy workpiece rapid sorting and handling device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Step S300 specifically includes, S310. Control the robotic arm (41) to move to the gripper placement platform (22) via the control cabinet assembly (1). Under the guidance of the positioning block (23), move the quick-change gripper assembly selected in step S200 to the area defined by the positioning block (23). Determine whether the quick-change gripper assembly is placed in the designated position. The determination is based on the following: if the limit switch (53) and the photoelectric sensor (25) simultaneously issue a trigger signal, the robotic arm (41) releases the quick-change gripper assembly connected to the end; otherwise, the robotic arm (41) continues to adjust the position and attitude of the connected quick-change gripper assembly until the limit switch (53) and the photoelectric sensor (25) simultaneously issue a trigger signal, and then releases the quick-change gripper assembly. S320. Control the robotic arm to move to another quick-change gripper assembly through the control cabinet assembly (1) and control the robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly of the robotic arm (41) to quickly connect with another quick-change gripper assembly through the positioning pin on the robotic arm end (42) of the quick-change assembly, and use air pressure above 0.5Mpa to lock it. S330. After completing the connection of the quick-change gripper assembly in step S320, the quick-change gripper assembly connected to the robotic arm (41) is moved to the workpiece conveying area by the control cabinet assembly (1). The quick-change gripper assembly is connected to the corresponding heavy workpiece assembly. Similarly, it is determined whether the quick-change gripper flexible moving platform and the traction bolt (73) are locked. If so, the heavy workpiece assembly is moved to the designated position by the robotic arm (41) and then released to complete the handling of the heavy workpiece assembly. S340. Repeat steps S320 and S330 until the remaining heavy workpiece components of the same type have been moved.

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