Automatic heat exchange plate robot, robot suite and automatic heat exchange plate method

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic heat exchange plate robot, a robot suite and an automatic heat exchange plate method.The automatic heat exchange plate robot comprises a moving base, a taking and placing mechanism and a control system, the moving base comprises a left moving seat, a right moving seat and a distance adjusting part, and the left moving seat and the right moving seat are connected through the distance adjusting part; the pick-and-place mechanism comprises a left pick-and-place arm assembly and a right pick-and-place arm assembly, the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly are each provided with a bearing face used for pick-and-place of the hot plate, the left pick-and-place arm assembly is rotationally connected to the left moving base around the transverse shaft, and the right pick-and-place arm assembly is rotationally connected to the right moving base around the transverse shaft; the control system is used for driving the left moving seat and the right moving seat to synchronously move or relatively move in the left-right direction so as to adjust the distance between the left taking and placing arm assembly and the right taking and placing arm assembly; the control system is further used for driving the left taking and placing arm assembly and the right taking and placing arm assembly to rotate so as to take and place the hot plate to the bearing face. The robot is high in universality and flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and particularly to an automatic heat exchange plate robot, a robot kit, and an automatic heat exchange plate method. Background Art

[0002] The magnetic adsorption type printing hot plate is an auxiliary device of a printing device, which is a hot plate with magnetic adsorption performance. Through the heating of the hot bed, the temperature of the hot plate rises, providing the attachment and forming temperature for the printing material. At the same time, the printing material is firmly adsorbed on the hot plate by the magnetic adsorption effect, ensuring the stability of the printing process. Since the hot plate is magnetically fixed to the hot bed, thus, there is no need for a clamping mechanism to fix, so that the hot plate and the hot bed are closely attached, which facilitates the user to take and place the plate, and also provides convenience for automatic replacement of the hot plate.

[0003] In the prior art, a hot plate replacement device is only adapted to one type of printer. If it needs to be applied to different types of printers, different mechanical structures need to be customized. Moreover, the hot plate replacement device is usually fixedly installed on the printer. If there are multiple printers, each printer needs to be installed with a set separately, resulting in poor flexibility of the hot plate replacement device.

[0004] The above content is only used to assist in understanding the technical solution of the invention, and does not represent an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic heat exchange plate robot, aiming to solve the technical problem of poor flexibility of the existing hot plate replacement device.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the automatic heat exchange plate robot provided by the present invention includes: a moving base, a picking and placing mechanism, and a control system. Among them,

[0007] The moving base includes a left moving seat, a right moving seat, and a spacing adjusting member. The left moving seat and the right moving seat are connected by the spacing adjusting member, so that the spacing between the two in the left-right direction is adjustable;

[0008] The picking and placing mechanism includes a left picking and placing arm assembly and a right picking and placing arm assembly. Both the left picking and placing arm assembly and the right picking and placing arm assembly have a supporting surface for picking and placing the hot plate. The left picking and placing arm assembly is rotatably connected to the left moving seat around a horizontal axis, and the right picking and placing arm assembly is rotatably connected to the right moving seat around the horizontal axis;

[0009] The control system is used to drive the left moving seat and the right moving seat to move synchronously or move relatively in the left-right direction, so as to adjust the distance between the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly; and the control system is also used to drive the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly to rotate, so as to pick and place the hot plate onto the supporting surface.

[0010] In one embodiment, the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly extend along the front-back direction, and the rotation axes of the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly extend along the left-right direction;

[0011] The supporting surface extends along the front-back direction.

[0012] In one embodiment, the control system includes a main control board, a left drive motor and a right drive motor respectively electrically connected to the main control board. The left pick-and-place arm assembly is connected to the left drive motor, the right pick-and-place arm assembly is connected to the right drive motor, and the main control board controls the left drive motor and the right drive motor to drive respectively.

[0013] In one embodiment, both the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly include a pick-and-place member extending along the front-back direction and a rolling conveyor. The rolling conveyor is wound from the top of the pick-and-place member to the bottom of the pick-and-place member, and the supporting surface is arranged on the outer wall surface of the rolling conveyor;

[0014] The control system includes a rolling motor, and the rolling motor is used to drive the rolling conveyor to rotate around the pick-and-place member to pick and place the hot plate.

[0015] In one embodiment, a magnetic member for picking and placing the hot plate is laid along the front-back direction on the supporting surface, or,

[0016] A plurality of magnetic members are arranged at intervals along the front-back direction on the supporting surface, and the magnetic members are used to pick and place the hot plate.

[0017] In one embodiment, adsorption surfaces for adsorbing the printer cabin door are arranged at the ends of both the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly. The control system drives the left moving seat and the right moving seat to move synchronously or move relatively in the left-right direction to open or close the printer cabin door.

[0018] In one embodiment, first linear motion pairs and positioning parts arranged at intervals in the front-back direction are convexly provided on the tops of both the left moving seat and the right moving seat;

[0019] The first linear motion pair includes a first rotating part and a first moving part connected by rotation. The first rotating part rotates to drive the first moving part to move up and down;

[0020] Both the left pick - and - place arm assembly and the right pick - and - place arm assembly include a connecting member and a pick - and - place member extending in the front - rear direction, and the supporting surface is provided on the pick - and - place member;

[0021] The connecting member has a first section, a second section, and a third section that are connected to each other. The two opposite ends of the second section in the front - rear direction are respectively rotatably connected to the first section and the third section, and the pick - and - place member is fixedly connected to the second section; the first section is fixedly connected to the first moving part, and the third section is connected to the positioning part;

[0022] The control system includes a first motor, and the first motor controls the rotation of the first rotating part so that the first section moves in the up - down direction to drive the pick - and - place member to rotate.

[0023] In one embodiment, the positioning part is a second linear motion pair. The second linear motion pair includes a second rotating part and a second moving part that are rotatably connected. The third section is fixedly connected to the second moving part, and the second rotating part rotates to drive the second moving part to move up and down;

[0024] The control system further includes a second motor, and the second motor controls the rotation of the second rotating part so that the third section moves in the up - down direction to drive the pick - and - place member to rotate.

[0025] In one embodiment, the left pick - and - place arm assembly and the right pick - and - place arm assembly further include a telescopic mechanism;

[0026] The telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic motor, a third rotating part and a third moving part that are rotatably connected to each other. The third rotating part and the telescopic motor are fixedly connected to the second section. The third rotating part rotates to drive the third moving part to move back and forth, and the pick - and - place member is fixedly connected to the third moving part;

[0027] The telescopic motor drives the third rotating part to rotate so that the third moving part drives the pick - and - place member to move in the front - rear direction until the pick - and - place member extends out of the first section.

[0028] In one embodiment, a convex column protrudes from the top wall of the spacing adjusting member, and the convex column is located below the pick - and - place member;

[0029] When the control system drives the pick - and - place arm to drive the hot plate to the middle of the automatic heat - exchange plate robot in the front - rear direction, the convex column rises or the pick - and - place member descends to jack up the middle of the hot plate so that the workpiece on the hot plate is separated from the hot plate.

[0030] In one embodiment, the pick-and-place mechanism comprises two telescopic mechanisms corresponding to the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly respectively, and the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly can be telescoped in the front-to-back direction through the telescopic mechanisms; or,

[0031] The pick-and-place mechanism comprises two lifting mechanisms corresponding to the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly respectively. Both the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly can be lifted and lowered in the up-and-down direction by the lifting mechanisms.

[0032] In one embodiment, the left movable seat and the right movable seat each include a base and a Mecanum wheel connected to each other, and the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly are respectively connected to the base;

[0033] The spacing adjustment member is a telescopic bracket, and the left movable seat and the right movable seat are respectively provided with slide grooves on the base, and the slide grooves extend along the front-back direction. The opposite ends of the telescopic bracket in the left-right direction are respectively slidably accommodated in the slide grooves.

[0034] In one embodiment, an air supply device is further provided on the top of the movable base, the air outlet of the air supply device faces upward and is located below the pick-and-place mechanism, and the air supply device is used to cool the hot plate to allow the workpiece on the hot plate to detach from the hot plate.

[0035] In one embodiment, a camera with a lens facing forward is further provided at a position of the pick-and-place mechanism away from the supporting surface, and the camera is used to obtain environmental information.

[0036] The present invention further provides a robot kit, comprising a mobile lift and the above-mentioned automatic heat exchange plate robot, wherein the mobile lift comprises a mobile platform and a lifting structure, and the mobile platform is slidably connected to the lifting structure along the up and down directions;

[0037] The control system of the automatic heat exchange plate robot drives the mobile base to move to the mobile platform, so that the automatic heat exchange plate robot is lifted and lowered along with the lifting structure.

[0038] The present invention further provides an automatic heat exchange plate method, wherein the automatic heat exchange plate robot of any of the above embodiments replaces the heat plate, and the automatic heat exchange plate method comprises the following steps:

[0039] The control system transmits a board taking instruction or a board placing instruction;

[0040] When a plate-taking instruction is received, determine the position of the hot bed, and drive the moving base to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; determine the position information of the hot plate, drive the picking and placing mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and drive the picking and placing mechanism or the moving base to move forward further until the supporting surface of the picking and placing mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate;

[0041] After the supporting surface of the picking and placing mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate, drive the picking and placing mechanism or the moving base to move so as to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed;

[0042] When a plate-placing instruction is received, determine the position of the hot bed, drive the moving base to drive the hot plate to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; drive the picking and placing mechanism to rotate so that the rear side edge of the hot plate contacts the hot bed, and drive the moving base or the picking and placing mechanism to drive the hot plate to move forward further until the rear side edge of the hot plate abuts against the rear baffle of the hot bed;

[0043] After the hot plate abuts against the rear baffle of the hot bed, drive the picking and placing mechanism or the moving base to move in a direction away from the hot bed so as to gradually reduce the contact area between the picking and placing mechanism and the hot plate, so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed.

[0044] The present invention also provides an automatic hot plate replacement method, which replaces the hot plate through an automatic hot plate replacement robot. The automatic hot plate replacement robot includes a moving base and a picking and placing mechanism connected to each other. The picking and placing mechanism has a supporting surface for picking and placing the hot plate; the automatic hot plate replacement method includes the following steps:

[0045] Transmit a plate-taking instruction or a plate-placing instruction by the control system;

[0046] When a plate-taking instruction is received, determine the position of the hot bed, drive the moving base to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; determine the position information of the hot plate, drive the picking and placing mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and drive the picking and placing mechanism or the moving base to move forward further until the supporting surface of the picking and placing mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate;

[0047] After the supporting surface of the picking and placing mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate, drive the picking and placing mechanism or the moving base to move so as to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed;

[0048] When a plate-placing instruction is received, determine the position of the hot bed, drive the moving base to drive the hot plate to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; drive the picking and placing mechanism to rotate so that the rear side edge of the hot plate contacts the hot bed, and drive the moving base or the picking and placing mechanism to drive the hot plate to move forward further until the rear side edge of the hot plate abuts against the rear baffle of the hot bed;

[0049] After the hot plate abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, drive the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move away from the hot bed, so as to gradually reduce the contact area between the pick-and-place mechanism and the hot plate, so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed.

[0050] In one embodiment, the step of determining the position information of the hot plate, driving the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move forward further until the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism fits the plate surface of the hot plate is specifically as follows:

[0051] Determine the position information of the hot plate, drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and drive the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move forward further until the supporting surface fits the rear side of the hot plate;

[0052] After the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism fits the plate surface of the hot plate, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed is specifically as follows:

[0053] After the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism fits the rear side of the hot plate, drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rotate to lift the hot plate until it is detached from the adsorption of the hot bed;

[0054] After the hot plate is detached from the adsorption of the hot bed, drive the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move away from the hot bed to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed.

[0055] In one embodiment, for the automatic hot plate robot as claimed in claim 9, the step of determining the position information of the hot plate, driving the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move forward further until the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism fits the plate surface of the hot plate is specifically as follows:

[0056] Determine the position information of the hot plate, drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rotate so that the supporting surface adsorbs on the top wall or the bottom wall of the hot plate;

[0057] After the pick-and-place mechanism adsorbs on the top wall or the bottom wall of the hot plate, drive the rolling conveyor to rotate, and at the same time drive the pick-and-place mechanism to move in the direction of the rear edge of the hot plate until the supporting surface fits the rear side of the hot plate;

[0058] After the hot plate abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move away from the hot bed to gradually reduce the contact area between the pick-and-place mechanism and the hot plate so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed is specifically as follows:

[0059] After the hot plate abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, drive the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move in a direction away from the hot bed, and at the same time drive the rolling conveyor to rotate until the rolling conveyor disengages from the hot plate, so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed.

[0060] In one embodiment, before the step of sending a plate picking instruction or a plate placing instruction by the control system, the following steps are further included:

[0061] Receive an instruction to open the printer hatch, determine the position of the printer hatch, drive the moving base to move to the front of the printer, and detect the position of the hatch door handle;

[0062] After detecting the position of the hatch door handle, drive the pick-and-place arm assembly close to the hatch door handle to adsorb the hatch door handle; drive the moving seat close to the hatch door handle to move towards the other moving seat, and at the same time drive the moving base or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward until the hatch door handle moves to a predetermined position corresponding to the other moving seat; drive the rolling conveyor to rotate so that the pick-and-place arm assembly releases the hatch door handle;

[0063] Real-time detect the position of the hatch door handle;

[0064] If the hatch door handle is in the fully open position, the hatch door opening operation is completed;

[0065] If the hatch door handle is not in the fully open position, drive another pick-and-place arm assembly close to the hatch door handle to adsorb the hatch door handle; drive the moving seat close to the hatch door handle to move away from the other moving seat in the left-right direction, and at the same time drive the moving base or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward until the hatch door is fully open.

[0066] In one embodiment, after the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed after the surface of the hot plate is attached to the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism, the following steps are further included:

[0067] After the hot plate is pulled out of the hot bed, cool the hot plate;

[0068] Drive the pick-and-place mechanism to drive the hot plate to rotate until the hot plate is in an inclined state; drive the pick-and-place mechanism to vibrate within a target range until the workpiece disengages from the hot plate.

[0069] In one embodiment, when applying the above automatic hot plate replacement robot, after the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed after the surface of the hot plate is attached to the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism, the following steps are further included:

[0070] After the hot plate is pulled out of the hot bed, drive the pick-and-place mechanism to drive the hot plate to move until the hot plate is located at the middle position of the moving base in the front-rear direction;

[0071] After the hot plate is located at the middle position of the moving base in the front-rear direction, drive the pick-and-place mechanism to drive the hot plate to descend or drive the convex column of the moving base to rise until the convex column arches the middle of the hot plate, so that the workpiece is separated from the hot plate.

[0072] In an embodiment, after the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the moving base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed after the plate surface of the hot plate is attached to the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism, the method further includes:

[0073] After the hot plate is pulled out of the hot bed, determine the position of the scraper, and drive the moving base to move to a predetermined unloading area provided with the scraper;

[0074] Drive the pick-and-place mechanism to drive the hot plate and the workpiece to move, so that the hot plate and the workpiece move relative to the scraper until the workpiece is scraped out of the hot plate by the scraper.

[0075] The automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention is provided with a moving base, and the left moving seat and the right moving seat of the moving base are driven by a control system to move synchronously, so that the robot can move to the positions of printers of different models, so that the robot can adapt to various common types of printers, regardless of the brand, size and structural form of the printer. Moreover, the robot is independent of the printer, and a complex mechanical structure does not need to be installed on the printer, so that one robot can be used for multiple printers. In addition, the robot can transport the taken-out hot plate and workpiece to other positions, without occupying a whole continuous space, and is suitable for the use scenario of a family and the high-density layout of machines in a 3D printing factory.

[0076] Secondly, the automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention drives the left moving seat and the right moving seat to move relative to each other through a control system to adjust the distance between the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly, so that the robot can adapt to hot plates of different sizes, improving the versatility and flexibility of the robot, and solving the problem in the prior art that different models of printers and hot plates of different sizes require different heat exchange plate devices. Moreover, when the robot does not carry a hot plate, the spacing adjusting member can be contracted to the narrowest width and return to the charging position for charging, saving the occupied space of the robot indoors, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0077] In addition, the automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention is provided with left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies. The left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies are respectively used to support or adsorb the left and right sides of the heat plate. Compared with the structure in which a single pick-and-place arm assembly is placed in the middle of the heat plate, the setting of the two pick-and-place arm assemblies can ensure that the heat plate is picked up and placed more stably, ensuring that the heat plate remains in an untipped state during the high-speed travel of the mobile base, thereby ensuring that the workpiece on the heat plate does not fall off. Moreover, a supporting surface for picking up and placing the heat plate is provided on both the left and right pick-and-place arms. Compared with the pick-and-place structure of the gripping type, the planar pick-and-place structure is simpler. For example, the pick-and-place arm can be in a plate-like structure, and the supporting surface can be adapted to the plate surface of the heat plate, so that the workpiece on the heat plate will not fall off during the pick-and-place process.

[0078] In addition, since the distance between the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies is adjustable, the robot can perform the clamping operation on the workpiece. For example, when the shape of the workpiece is relatively regular, the height and volume are constant, and the workpiece is located in the middle of the heat plate, the automatic heat exchange plate robot can be driven to clamp the workpiece without replacing the entire heat plate, reducing the number of heat plates required for preparation. After the workpiece is clamped and taken away, the printing of the next workpiece can be directly started, improving the production efficiency. Moreover, the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies can also be used to clamp and remove obstacles on the travel route, etc.

[0079] In addition, the control system drives the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies to rotate around the horizontal axis respectively to pick up and place the heat plate on the supporting surface. For example, the pick-and-place mechanism can change the angle around the horizontal axis to be able to perform a series of operations for adjusting the angle of the heat plate. For example, one side of the heat plate is lifted to make the heat plate tilt, the heat plate is laid flat, etc., to pick up and place the heat plate on the supporting surface. In this way, the maximum degree of fit between the supporting surface and the heat plate can be ensured. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0080] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings.

[0081] Figure 1 Shows a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention;

[0082] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the automatic heat exchange plate robot from another angle;

[0083] Figure 3 Is a schematic diagram of the automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention for adjusting the height of the right pick-and-place arm assembly;

[0084] Figure 4Schematic diagram of the automatic heat exchange plate robot fetching the heat plate;

[0085] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of an embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate robot;

[0086] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate robot;

[0087] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate robot;

[0088] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the right pick - and - place arm assembly of the automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention;

[0089] Figure 9 Exploded view of the structure of the right pick - and - place arm assembly of the automatic heat exchange plate robot of the present invention;

[0090] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of picking up the heat plate of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0091] Figure 11 Flow chart of an embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0092] Figure 12 Flow chart of another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0093] Figure 13 Flow chart of yet another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0094] Figure 14 Flow chart of still another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0095] Figure 15 Flow chart of another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0096] Figure 16 Flow chart of another embodiment of the automatic heat exchange plate method of the present invention;

[0097] Explanation of the reference numerals in the drawings:

[0098] Reference numeral Name Reference numeral Name Reference numeral Name 100 Automatic heat exchange plate robot 16 Base 254 Third linear motion pair 10 Moving base 17 Mecanum wheel 252 Third rotating part 11 Left moving seat 18 Chute 253 Third moving part 12 Right moving seat 20 Pick-and-place mechanism 26 Rolling conveyor 13 Spacing adjuster 21 Left pick-and-place arm assembly 27 Magnetic part 14 First linear motion pair 22 Right pick-and-place arm assembly 28 Supporting surface 141 First rotating part 23 Connecting piece 30 Control device 142 Second moving part 231 First section 31 Main control board 15 Positioning part 232 Second section 34 First motor 151 Second linear motion pair 233 Third section 35 Second motor 152 Second rotating part 24 Pick-and-place piece 40 Camera 153 Second moving part 251 Retractable motor 200 Hot plate

[0099] The realization of the object, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Detailed implementation manners

[0100] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that those of ordinary skill in the art can implement them. When the combination of technical solutions conflicts with each other or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present invention.

[0101] It should be noted that if there are directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) involved in the embodiments of the present invention, then the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement conditions between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0102] In addition, if there are descriptions such as "first" and "second" involved in the embodiments of the present invention, then the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing throughout the text is that it includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, or solution B, or a solution where A and B are satisfied simultaneously.

[0103] The present invention provides an automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 for a 3D printer.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present invention, please refer to Figures 1 to 7 , the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 includes a moving base 10, a picking and placing mechanism 20, and a control system. Among them, the moving base 10 includes a left moving seat 11, a right moving seat 12, and a spacing adjusting member 13. The left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 are connected by the spacing adjusting member 13 so that the spacing between them in the left-right direction is adjustable;

[0105] The picking and placing mechanism 20 includes a left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and a right picking and placing arm assembly 22. Both the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 have a supporting surface 28 for picking and placing the heat plate 200. The left picking and placing arm assembly 21 is rotatably connected to the left moving seat 11 around a horizontal axis, and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 is rotatably connected to the right moving seat 12 around a horizontal axis;

[0106] The control system is used to drive the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 to move synchronously or relatively in the left - right direction, so as to adjust the distance between the left pick - and - place arm assembly 21 and the right pick - and - place arm assembly 22; and the control system is also used to drive the left pick - and - place arm assembly 21 and the right pick - and - place arm assembly 22 to rotate, so as to pick and place the hot plate 200 onto the supporting surface 28.

[0107] In this embodiment, the automatic hot - plate robot 100 is a device for automatically replacing the hot plate 200 between multiple models of printers. Through the design of the mechanical structure and the drive of the control system, the picking - and - placing mechanism 20 can efficiently and accurately pick and place the hot plate 200, thus realizing the automation of the hot - plate 200 replacement.

[0108] The automatic hot - plate robot 100 includes a moving base 10, a picking - and - placing mechanism 20, and a control system. The moving base 10 is the supporting part of the whole robot, responsible for supporting and moving the whole device and providing the function of horizontal movement. The moving base 10 includes a left moving seat 11, a right moving seat 12, and a spacing adjusting member 13. The spacing adjusting member 13 is connected to the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 respectively on the relative two sides in the left - right direction. By adjusting the distance between the left and right moving seats through the spacing adjusting member 13, the distance between the left and right picking - and - placing arm assemblies is further adjusted to adapt to hot plates 200 of different sizes, improving the versatility and flexibility of the robot for different printer devices. The spacing adjusting member 13 can be a telescopic rod, a telescopic bracket or other structures that can realize spacing adjustment, which is not limited here. The moving base 10 can be made of metal alloy, such as aluminum alloy or steel, or high - strength plastic, to ensure the rigidity and stability of the moving base 10.

[0109] The picking and placing mechanism 20 is a component for grasping and placing the hot plate 200. The picking and placing mechanism 20 includes a left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and a right picking and placing arm assembly 22. Both the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 are provided with a supporting surface 28. The supporting surface 28 is a flat surface for contacting and adsorbing the plate surface of the hot plate 200. The supporting surface 28 can be located at the top of the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22, can also wrap the left and right picking and placing arm assemblies 22 in the up and down direction, or can fully wrap the left and right picking and placing arm assemblies 22, without limitation here. The supporting surface 28 can be covered with a high-friction material, such as rubber or soft material. In this way, the friction force between the supporting surface 28 and the plate surface of the hot plate 200 can be increased to ensure that the grasping of the hot plate 200 will not cause damage, and at the same time, sufficient friction force is provided to more stably support the hot plate 200. An adsorption device can also be provided on the supporting surface 28. The adsorption device can be an active adsorption device. For example, an electromagnet is provided on the supporting surface 28, or a suction cup driven by negative pressure air. The adsorption device can also be a passive adsorption device. For example, a permanent magnet is provided on the supporting surface 28, or a reusable sticky silicone sheet, etc. In this way, the hot plate 200 can be more firmly attached to the supporting surface 28 to avoid accidental slipping during the operation of the robot. There is no limitation on the material and structure of the supporting surface 28 here.

[0110] The left picking and placing arm assembly 21 is rotationally connected to the left moving seat 11 around a transverse axis, and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 is rotationally connected to the right moving seat 12 around a transverse axis. This means that the picking and placing mechanism 20 can change its angle around the transverse axis to be able to perform a series of operations for adjusting the angle of the hot plate 200. For example, one side of the hot plate 200 is lifted to make the hot plate 200 tilt, or the hot plate 200 is laid flat, etc. It should be noted that the transverse axis refers to all transverse axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, that is, the picking and placing mechanism 20 can rotate in the up and down direction, and there is no limitation on the extending direction of the picking and placing arm assembly and the specific direction of the rotation axis. For example, the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 can extend in the front and back direction, and the rotation axes of the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 extend in the left and right direction; it can also be that the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 extends in the front and back direction, the rotation axis of the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 extends in the left and right direction, the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 extends in the left and right direction, and the rotation axis of the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 extends in the front and back direction; it can also be that the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 extend in the left and right direction, and the rotation axes of both extend in the front and back direction, as long as the hot plate 200 can be lifted or lowered under the combined action of the two picking and placing arm assemblies, without limitation here.

[0111] The control system is the general term for all drive motors within the robot, including but not limited to the base motor and the pick-and-place arm lifting motor. The control system is used to drive and control the movement of the mobile base 10 and the pick-and-place mechanism 20, enabling the robot to accurately complete the pick-and-place operation of the hot plate 200, and at the same time being able to adapt to printers of different specifications and hot plates 200 of different sizes. The drive assembly can achieve synchronous movement of the left and right moving seats through motors, sensors, etc. to move to the position of the printer. When the robot reaches the position of the printer, the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 can be driven by motors to move relative to each other in the left-right direction, so that the spacing adjusting member 13 expands and contracts, thereby adjusting the distance between the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies to adapt to hot plates 200 of different sizes. The control system is also used to drive the rotation of the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies, so that the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies can change angles to be able to perform a series of operations for adjusting the angle of the hot plate 200, for example, lifting one side of the hot plate 200 to make the hot plate 200 tilt, laying flat the hot plate 200, etc.

[0112] Referring to Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 7 , it should be noted that the rotation of the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies can be active rotation or passive rotation. For example, active rotation can be achieved by driving the pick-and-place arm assembly to rotate actively through a motor to adjust the angle, and passive rotation can be achieved by rotatably connecting the opposite ends of the pick-and-place arm assembly to two spaced screw rods respectively, and determining the angle of the pick-and-place arm assembly by controlling the positions of the opposite ends of the pick-and-place arm assembly, so that the pick-and-place arm assembly rotates passively; in some embodiments, passive rotation can also be achieved by fixedly connecting the pick-and-place arm assembly to two spaced scissor lift mechanisms, and the two scissor lift mechanisms are rotatably connected to the mobile base 10, and determining the angle of the pick-and-place arm assembly by controlling the relative height of the two scissor lift mechanisms, so that the pick-and-place arm assembly rotates passively.

[0113] The automatic hot plate robot 100 of the present invention is provided with a mobile base 10, and the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 of the mobile base 10 are driven by the control system to move synchronously, so that the robot can move to the positions of different models of printers, thereby enabling the robot to adapt to various common types of printers, regardless of the brand, size, and structural form of the printer. And the robot is independent of the printer, and a complex mechanical structure does not need to be installed on the printer, so that one robot can be used for multiple printers. Moreover, the robot can transport the taken-out hot plate 200 and workpieces to other positions, without occupying a whole continuous space, and is suitable for the use scenarios of families and the high-density layout of machines in 3D printing factories.

[0114] Secondly, the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 of the present invention drives the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 to move relative to each other through the control system to adjust the distance between the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22, so that the robot can adapt to heat plates 200 of different sizes, improving the versatility and flexibility of the robot, and solving the problem in the prior art that different types of printers and heat plates 200 of different sizes require different heat exchange plate 200 devices. Moreover, when the robot is not equipped with the heat plate 200, the spacing adjusting member 13 can be contracted to the narrowest width and return to the charging position for charging, saving the occupied space of the robot in the room, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0115] In addition, the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 of the present invention is provided with left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies. The left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies are respectively used to hold or adsorb the left and right sides of the heat plate 200. Compared with the structure where a single pick-and-place arm assembly is placed in the middle of the heat plate 200, the setting of the two pick-and-place arm assemblies can ensure more stable picking and placing of the heat plate 200, ensuring that the heat plate 200 remains in an untipped state during the high-speed movement of the mobile base 10, thereby ensuring that the workpiece on the heat plate 200 does not fall off. Moreover, a supporting surface 28 for picking and placing the heat plate 200 is provided on both the left and right pick-and-place arms. Compared with the pick-and-place structure of the gripping type, the planar pick-and-place structure is simpler. For example, the pick-and-place arm can be in a plate-like structure, and the supporting surface 28 can be adapted to the plate surface of the heat plate 200, so that the workpiece on the heat plate 200 will not fall off during the picking and placing process.

[0116] In addition, since the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 can change the distance between the two through the spacing adjusting member 13, and further adjust the distance between the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies, the robot can perform clamping operations on the workpiece. For example, when the shape of the workpiece is relatively regular, the height and volume are constant, and the workpiece is located in the middle position of the heat plate 200, the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 can be driven to clamp the workpiece without replacing the entire heat plate 200, reducing the number of heat plates 200 required for preparation. After the workpiece is clamped and taken away, the printing of the next workpiece can be directly started, improving the production efficiency. Moreover, the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies can also be used to clamp and remove obstacles on the traveling route, etc.

[0117] In addition, the control system drives the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies to rotate around the horizontal axis respectively to pick and place the heat plate 200 onto the supporting surface 28. For example, the picking and placing mechanism 20 can change the angle around the horizontal axis to be able to perform a series of operations for adjusting the angle of the heat plate 200, such as lifting one side of the heat plate 200 to make the heat plate 200 tilt, laying the heat plate 200 flat, etc., to pick and place the heat plate 200 onto the supporting surface 28. In this way, the maximum degree of fit between the supporting surface 28 and the heat plate 200 can be ensured.

[0118] In one embodiment, the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 extend in the front-rear direction, and the rotation axes of the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 extend in the left-right direction; the supporting surface 28 extends in the front-rear direction.

[0119] In this embodiment, the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 can be slender rod-like structures to reduce the occupied space, while providing a sufficient supporting surface 28 to support the hot plate 200. The pick-and-place arm assembly can be made of high-strength lightweight materials, such as aluminum alloy or carbon fiber composite material. The fact that the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 extend in the front-rear direction means that the two pick-and-place arm assemblies are similar to two manipulators extending forward, and can enter the interior of the printer from the front for pick-and-place operations. Compared with the structure where the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies extend in the left-right direction or extend in different directions respectively, the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies and the supporting surface 28 extending in the front-rear direction enable the robot to work flexibly in a limited space to adapt to different models of printers. Secondly, the rotation axes of the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 extend in the left-right direction, that is, the pick-and-place arm assembly can swing up and down like a lever to complete actions such as lifting, raising, and releasing.

[0120] In one embodiment, the control system includes a main control board 31, a left drive motor (not shown) and a right drive motor (not shown) electrically connected to the main control board 31. The left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 is connected to the left drive motor, and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 is connected to the right drive motor. The main control board 31 controls the left drive motor and the right drive motor to drive respectively.

[0121] In this embodiment, the control system includes a main control board 31, a left drive motor and a right drive motor. The main control board 31 is the electronic control core and is responsible for coordinating the movements of the drive motors. The main control board 31 can cooperate with position sensors, pressure sensors, etc. to precisely control the pick-and-place process. The main control board 31 can include an embedded microcontroller to ensure fast response. Its communication interface can support communication protocols such as CAN bus, I2C, and UART to connect sensors and drive motors.

[0122] The drive motor can be a stepper motor, a servo motor or a DC motor. The left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 is connected to the left drive motor, and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 is connected to the right drive motor, which means that each pick-and-place arm assembly has an independent control system, enabling it to operate independently. That is, the two pick-and-place arm assemblies can adjust angles, heights, etc. respectively, thereby increasing the flexibility of the robot and enabling the robot to adapt to hot plates 200 of different specifications and shapes. For example, when the mobile base 10 and the hot bed plane cannot be guaranteed to be parallel, such as when the ground is uneven or there are foreign objects padding up one side of the wheels, the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies can still be adjusted to the precise fitting positions of the hot plate 200.

[0123] In one embodiment, both the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 include a pick-and-place member 24 extending in the front-rear direction and a rolling conveyor member 26. The rolling conveyor member 26 is wound from the top of the pick-and-place member 24 to the bottom of the pick-and-place member 24. A support surface 28 is provided on the outer wall surface of the rolling conveyor member 26. The control system drives the rolling conveyor member 26 to rotate around the pick-and-place member 24 to pick and place the hot plate 200.

[0124] In this embodiment, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 further includes a rolling conveyor member 26. The rolling conveyor member 26 can be a conveyor belt, a timing belt, a belt, a crawler, a chain, a rotating shaft, etc. The rolling conveyor member 26 is wound around the pick-and-place member 24 to form a closed loop belt. The outer wall surface of the rolling conveyor member 26 serves as the support surface 28. The hot plate 200 is placed on the outer wall of the rolling conveyor member 26. When the pick-and-place member 24 and the moving base 10 are fixed, the hot plate 200 can still complete the pick-and-place operation as the rolling conveyor member 26 moves, realizing the stable transmission of the hot plate 200 and reducing friction and loss. For example, when the rolling conveyor member 26 rotates forward, the hot plate 200 is picked up by the pick-and-place mechanism 20 from the printer. When the rolling conveyor member 26 rotates backward, the hot plate 200 is stably released to the designated position.

[0125] Specifically, when the rolling conveyor member 26 picks up the hot plate 200, when the pick-and-place member 24 extends forward into the bottom of the hot plate 200, through the synchronous movement of the forward rotation of the rolling conveyor member 26 and the forward extension of the pick-and-place member 24, the contact surface between the support surface 28 and the hot plate 200 has no relative sliding, making the picking of the hot plate 200 more stable and controllable. In some embodiments, when a magnetic attracting member is provided on the support surface 28, with the synchronous movement of the forward rotation of the rolling conveyor member 26 and the forward extension of the pick-and-place member 24, the adsorption area between the support surface 28 and the hot plate 200 will gradually increase until it is completely adsorbed. Secondly, when a magnetic member 27 or other adsorption devices are provided on the support surface 28, the powerful adsorption force of the adsorption device can be utilized to pick up the hot plate 200 with the bottom of the pick-and-place arm. The magnetic member 27 can follow the rotation of the rolling conveyor member 26 and rotate to the bottom of the pick-and-place arm, and then the bottom of the pick-and-place arm can be adsorbed to the top of the hot plate 200. In this way, the spare hot plates 200 can be stacked together on the ground or placed in the space under the printer hot bed without specifically setting up a shelf to raise the hot plate 200 outside. Such a structure is simpler and saves space.

[0126] Since the rolling conveyor member 26 moves slowly and continuously, compared with the direct grasping method, it can reduce the impact, ensure a smoother pick-and-place process, and avoid damaging the hot plate 200. And the rolling conveyor member 26 mechanism has a simpler structure and is more convenient to maintain compared with the mechanical grasping device, reducing the maintenance cost caused by complex mechanical fixtures.

[0127] Further, a magnetic member 27 for taking and placing the heat plate 200 is laid along the front-rear direction on the supporting surface 28, or a plurality of magnetic members 27 are arranged at intervals along the front-rear direction on the supporting surface 28, and the magnetic member 27 is used for taking and placing the heat plate 200.

[0128] In this embodiment, the magnetic member 27 can be a magnet or an electromagnet. There are two ways to arrange the magnetic member 27. One is to continuously arrange long strip-shaped or planar magnetic materials along the front-rear direction on the supporting surface 28 to form a uniform magnetic adsorption area, which is suitable for high-frequency picking and placing, ensuring uniform magnetic attraction and avoiding the offset of the heat plate 200. The other is that the magnetic members 27 are arranged at intervals, which can be dot-shaped magnets or strip-shaped magnets. In this way, the usage amount of magnetic materials can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. When the rolling conveyor 26 is combined with the magnetic member 27, the strong adsorption force of the magnetic member 27 can be utilized to realize taking the heat plate 200 with the bottom of the picking and placing arm. The magnetic member 27 can follow the rotation of the rolling conveyor 26 and rotate to the bottom of the picking and placing arm, and then the bottom of the picking and placing arm can be adsorbed on the top of the heat plate 200. In this way, the spare heat plates 200 can be stacked together on the ground or in the space under the printer hot bed without specially setting up a shelf for raising the heat plate 200 outside. The structure set in this way is simpler and saves space. Secondly, due to the strong adsorption force of the magnetic member 27, the bonding area between the supporting surface 28 and the heat plate 200 does not need to be too large to drag out the heat plate, that is, the picking and placing arm does not need to extend to the rear side of the heat plate. In this way, the structure of the robot can be simplified and the plate-taking steps can also be simplified. At the same time, it is also applicable to the use scenario of the robot for opening and closing the printer cabin door. For example, if the handle of the printer cabin door is made of iron material, the robot can move the magnetic member 27 to the end of the picking and placing arm by rotating the rolling conveyor 26, and adjust the angle of the picking and placing member 24 to adsorb the cabin door handle to realize the adsorption of the cabin door handle. By moving the moving base 10, the cabin door can be driven to open. After the cabin door is opened, the magnetic member 27 can be moved away from the end position by rotating the rolling conveyor 26, so as to release the adsorption. In this way, the door can be opened relying on the adsorption force without specially designing a door-opening actuator.

[0129] In one embodiment, adsorption surfaces for adsorbing the printer cabin door are provided at the ends of the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 and the right picking and placing arm assembly 22, and the control system drives the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 to move synchronously or move relative to each other in the left-right direction to drive the left picking and placing arm assembly 21 or the right picking and placing arm assembly 22 to move, so as to open or close the printer cabin door.

[0130] In this embodiment, the adsorption surface can be a magnetic adsorption surface or a vacuum adsorption surface, which can be set according to the material of the printer cabin door and is not limited here. For example, if the cabin door handle is made of metal, the adsorption surface can be a magnetic adsorption surface; if the cabin door handle is made of glass or plastic, the adsorption surface can be a vacuum adsorption surface. The control system drives the adsorption surface of the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 or the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 to adsorb on the cabin door handle, and drives the left moving base 11 and the right moving base 12 to move synchronously or move relatively in the left-right direction, so that the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 or the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 moves, thereby opening or closing the printer cabin door. For example, the pick-and-place arm assembly extends to adsorb the adsorption surface on the cabin door handle, and the left moving base 11 and the right moving base 12 move synchronously in the direction of opening the cabin door to drive the cabin door to open; conversely, move in the direction of closing the cabin door to drive the cabin door to close. In addition, when the space in the house is insufficient, the side moving base can also be driven separately to achieve unilateral opening and closing, flexibly coping with narrow spaces and ensuring convenient and efficient operation. If the opening degree of the cabin door driven unilaterally is not enough, the other side moving base can be continuously driven to assist in opening and closing until the cabin door is fully opened or closed. In this way, the movement space of the robot when opening the door can be limited to a small range, so as to reduce the required vacated robot movement space, enabling the robot to operate in a small house site or on a mobile lifting platform.

[0131] After the cabin door is fully opened or closed, the adsorption can be released by driving the moving base to move backward or driving the pick-and-place arm assembly to retract. In some embodiments, the adsorption can also be released by rotating the rolling conveyor 26 to move the magnetic part 27 away from the end position. In this way, the door can be opened relying on the adsorption force without specially designing a door opening actuator.

[0132] In one embodiment, first linear motion pairs 14 and positioning parts 15 are convexly provided at the tops of the left moving base 11 and the right moving base 12 at intervals in the front-rear direction; the first linear motion pair 14 includes a first rotating part 141 and a first moving part 142 that are rotatably connected, and the first rotating part 141 rotates to drive the first moving part 142 to move up and down; both the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 include a connecting member 23 extending in the front-rear direction and a pick-and-place member 24, and a supporting surface 28 is provided on the pick-and-place member 24; the connecting member 23 has a first section 231, a second section 232 and a third section 233 that are connected to each other. The two opposite ends of the second section 232 in the front-rear direction are respectively rotatably connected to the first section 231 and the third section 233, and the pick-and-place member 24 is fixedly connected to the second section 232; the first section 231 is fixedly connected to the first moving part 142, and the third section 233 is connected to the positioning part 15; the control system includes a first motor 34, and the first motor 34 controls the rotation of the first rotating part 141 so that the first section 231 moves in the up-down direction to drive the pick-and-place member 24 to rotate.

[0133] In this embodiment, the first linear motion pair 14 can be a combination of a lead screw and a nut seat. That is, the first rotating part 141 is the lead screw, and the first moving part 142 is the nut seat. In some embodiments, the first linear motion pair 14 can also be a combination of a pulley and a timing belt. That is, the first rotating part 141 is the pulley, and the first moving part 142 is the timing belt. The first linear motion pair 14 can also have other embodiments, which are not limited herein.

[0134] The positioning part 15 can be a fixed structure. The third section 233 is fixedly connected to the positioning part 15. The first motor 34 drives the first rotating part 141 to drive the first section 231 to move up and down, so as to realize the angle adjustment of the picking and placing part 24. In some embodiments, the positioning part 15 can be designed as an adjustable structure, such as the second linear motion pair 151. Then the control system can further include a second motor 35. By driving the relative position change between the positioning part 15 and the third section 233 by the second motor 35, and driving the relative position change between the first rotating part 141 and the first section 231 by the first motor 34, the angle adjustment of the second section 232 is realized, and further the angle adjustment of the picking and placing part 24 is realized. In this way, the lifting is realized by using the linear motion pair, so that the picking and placing arm can accurately control the height and reduce the picking and placing failure caused by mechanical vibration. At the same time, the robot can adjust the height of the picking and placing arm without the need for the hot bed to cooperate with the movement adjustment and the relative height of the picking and placing arm.

[0135] It should be noted that the picking and placing part 24 can be a U-shaped clamping structure or an elongated flat plate structure. The supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing part 24 can be covered with high-temperature resistant silica gel, rubber pads or anti-slip coatings to prevent the hot plate 200 from slipping. The picking and placing part 24 is fixedly connected to the second section 232, and its fixing method can adopt bolt fixing or a quick-release mechanism, which is convenient for replacing picking and placing parts 24 of different specifications to adapt to hot plates 200 of different models, which are not limited herein.

[0136] In one embodiment, the positioning part 15 is the second linear motion pair 151. The second linear motion pair 151 includes a second rotating part 152 and a second moving part 153 that are rotatably connected. The third section 233 is fixedly connected to the second moving part 153. The second rotating part 152 rotates to drive the second moving part 153 to move up and down. The control system further includes a second motor 35. The second motor 35 controls the rotation of the second rotating part 152 so that the third section 233 moves in the up and down direction to drive the picking and placing part 24 to rotate.

[0137] In this embodiment, the second linear motion pair 151 can be a combination of a lead screw and a nut seat. The nut seat is sleeved and threadedly connected to the lead screw. That is, the second rotating part 152 is the lead screw, and the second moving part 153 is the nut seat. In some embodiments, the second linear motion pair 151 can also be a combination of a pulley and a timing belt. The timing belt is wound around the pulley in the up-and-down direction. That is, the second rotating part 152 is the pulley, and the second moving part 153 is the timing belt. The second linear motion pair 151 can also have other embodiments, which are not limited herein.

[0138] This embodiment adopts a structure of double linear motion pairs. That is, the first rotating part 141 is used to drive the first section 231 to move up and down, and the second rotating part 152 is used to drive the third section 233 to move up and down, so as to further control the angle or height of the picking and placing part 24. The control system further includes a second motor 35. The second motor 35 controls the rotation of the second rotating part 152 so that the third section 233 moves in the up-and-down direction to drive the picking and placing part 24 to rotate. In other words, by two independent motors respectively driving the first rotating part 141 and the second rotating part 152, dual control of the picking and placing part 24 is achieved. For example, the first linear motion pair 14 controls the first section 231, affecting the overall lifting of the picking and placing part 24, and the second linear motion pair 152 controls the third section 233, affecting the angle of the picking and placing part 24 or further finely adjusting the height. In this way, more precise adjustment of the picking and placing angle can be achieved, and the picking and placing part 24 can be lifted, improving the flexibility and stability of the picking and placing operation and being applicable to a variety of usage scenarios. For example, it can be applicable to the picking and placing of hot plates 200 at different heights, with strong versatility. Generally speaking, the hot bed needs to move up and down to cooperate with the robot's plate picking and placing action. Since the robot in this embodiment has the degree of freedom of self-lifting, the hot bed can be fixed, and the picking and placing part 24 and the moving base 10 can cooperate to complete the up-and-down movement. Compared with the relative up-and-down movement coordinated by the hot bed, the up-and-down movement of the moving base 10 itself will be more convenient for synchronous control, and the completed motion trajectory will be more precise, more stable, and faster. And due to the separation of the control systems of the printer and the robot, it is impossible to make the synchronous movement of the hot bed, the picking and placing part 24, and the moving base 10 reach a very precise level. The robot in this embodiment only needs imprecise synchronous movement to complete the operation of picking and placing the hot plate 200.

[0139] Further, the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 further include a telescopic mechanism 25; the telescopic mechanism 25 includes a telescopic motor 251 and a third linear motion pair 254. The third linear motion pair 254 includes a third rotating part 252 and a third moving part 253 that are rotatably connected to each other. The third rotating part 252 and the telescopic motor 251 are fixedly connected to the second section 232. The third rotating part 252 rotates to drive the third moving part 253 to move back and forth, and the pick-and-place member 24 is fixedly connected to the third moving part 253; the telescopic motor 251 drives the third rotating part 252 to rotate, so that the third moving part 253 drives the pick-and-place member 24 to move in the front-back direction until the pick-and-place member 24 extends out of the first section 231.

[0140] In this embodiment, the third linear motion pair 254 can be a combination of a lead screw and a nut seat. The nut seat is sleeved and threadedly connected to the lead screw. That is, the third rotating part 252 is the lead screw, and the third moving part 253 is the nut seat; in some embodiments, the third linear motion pair 254 can also be a combination of a pulley and a timing belt. The timing belt is wound around the pulley in the up-down direction. That is, the third rotating part 252 is the pulley, and the third moving part 253 is the timing belt. The third linear motion pair 254 can also have other embodiments, which are not limited herein.

[0141] The left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 further include a telescopic mechanism 25, which increases the adjustability of the pick-and-place member 24 in the front-back direction. That is, the pick-and-place member 24 can not only move up and down in the up-down direction but also extend and retract in the front-back direction, providing a more flexible pick-and-place ability. For example, the movement of the mobile base may be affected by conditions such as the ground flatness and the wheel grip, which is not as precise as the telescopic freedom of the pick-and-place member 24 itself. The pick-and-place arm 24 with its own telescopic freedom can complete the action of picking and placing the hot plate 200 with higher quality. The telescopic motor 251 drives the third rotating part 252 to rotate, driving the third moving part 253 and the pick-and-place member 24 to perform linear movement in the front-back direction. The third rotating part 252, as a transmission component, rotates in cooperation with the third moving part 253. When the third rotating part 252 rotates, it will cause the third moving part 253 to move back and forth, thereby driving the pick-and-place member 24 to slide back and forth relative to the second section 232. In some embodiments, the second section 232 can be provided with a sliding groove, and the pick-and-place member 24 is provided with a slide rail that cooperates with the sliding groove, so that the pick-and-place member 24 slides back and forth relative to the second section 232 through the third moving part 253.

[0142] Through the telescopic setting of the pick-and-place member 24, the pick-and-place member 24 can extend out of the first section 231 of the connecting member 23 in the front-to-back direction to penetrate into the internal space of the printer and hold the hot plate 200, and can also be retracted into the connecting member 23, so that the hot plate 200 can be carried within the contour of the vehicle body, reducing the projection area on the ground, facilitating turning and passing through narrow spaces during transportation, and saving floor space. Secondly, through the cooperation of the telescopic mechanism 25, the adjustment range of the pick-and-place member 24 in the front-to-back direction is larger, and some process actions can be completed without driving the mobile base 10 to move. The telescopic freedom of the pick-and-place member 24 is equivalent to the freedom of the mobile base 10 to move in the front-to-back direction, which improves the operational flexibility and efficiency.

[0143] In one embodiment, a top wall of the spacing adjustment member 13 is provided with a protruding column (not shown), and the protruding column is located below the pick-up and placement member 24; when the control system drives the pick-up and placement member 24 to drive the hot plate 200 to the middle of the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 in the front-to-back direction, the protruding column rises or the pick-up and placement member 24 descends to lift the middle part of the hot plate 200, so that the workpiece on the hot plate 200 is detached from the hot plate 200.

[0144] In this embodiment, the spacing adjustment member 13 is located in the middle of the mobile base 10, and the top wall of the spacing adjustment member 13 is provided with a boss, which is located below the pick-up and placement member 24. The boss can be a fixed boss, or an elastic boss or an electric lifting boss, and the boss is used to lift the middle part of the hot plate 200, deform the hot plate 200, and then separate the workpiece from the hot plate 200. The specific working process is as follows: first, start the telescopic motor 251, drive the third rotating part 252 to rotate, so that the third moving part 253 drives the pick-up and placement member 24 to extend to the specified position; then the pick-up and placement member 24 supports the hot plate 200, and drives the hot plate 200 to move to the middle position of the machine along the front and rear direction. Then there are two ways to separate the hot plate 200 from the workpiece: one is to drive the boss to rise and lift the middle part of the hot plate 200. For example, when the hot plate 200 reaches the middle position, the control system drives the convex column to rise upward, supporting the middle area of ​​the hot plate 200, so that the hot plate 200 is bent or tilted, reducing the contact force between the workpiece and the hot plate 200, and the workpiece is separated from the hot plate 200. Second, the hot plate 200 is controlled to descend as a whole by the pick-and-place member 24, while the convex column remains stationary, causing relative movement, thereby supporting the hot plate 200 and separating the workpiece from the hot plate 200.

[0145] In one embodiment, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 includes two telescopic mechanisms 25 corresponding to the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22, respectively, and the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 can be telescoped in the front-to-back direction through the telescopic mechanisms 25; or, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 includes two lifting mechanisms corresponding to the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22, respectively, and the left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 can be lifted and lowered in the up-and-down direction through the lifting mechanisms.

[0146] In this embodiment, the telescopic manner can be in the form of a linear kinematic pair, or can be driven by a cylinder or an electric steel, which is not limited herein. Through the telescopic setting of the pick-and-place member 24, the pick-and-place member 24 can extend along the front-rear direction out of the first section 231 of the connecting member 23 to penetrate into the internal space of the printer and support the hot plate 200, or can retract into the connecting member 23. The hot plate 200 can be carried within the body contour, reducing the ground projection area, facilitating turning during transportation and passing through narrow spaces, and also saving floor space. Secondly, through the cooperation of the telescopic mechanism 25, the pick-and-place member 24 has a larger adjustment range in the front-rear direction, and some process actions can be completed without driving the moving base 10 to move. The telescopic freedom degree of the pick-and-place member 24 is equivalent to the freedom degree of the moving base 10 moving along the front-rear direction, improving the operation flexibility and efficiency.

[0147] Secondly, the lifting manner can be a lead screw lifting structure, or can adopt a hydraulic or electric push rod, so that the pick-and-place arm can be adjusted up and down as needed, which is not limited herein. Through the lifting setting, it can be applied to printers with different hot bed heights, improving the versatility of the robot.

[0148] In one embodiment, both the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 include a base 16 and Mecanum wheels 17 connected to each other. The left pick-and-place arm assembly 21 and the right pick-and-place arm assembly 22 are respectively connected to the base 16; the spacing adjusting member 13 is a telescopic bracket. The left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 are respectively provided with sliding grooves 18 on the base 16. The sliding grooves 18 extend along the front-rear direction, and the relative two ends of the telescopic bracket in the left-right direction are respectively slidably accommodated in the sliding grooves 18.

[0149] In this embodiment, both the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 include a base 16 and Mecanum wheels 17 connected to each other. The base 16 is the basic load-bearing structure of the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12, used for installing the control system and the pick-and-place arm assembly, and the first rotating part 141 and the second rotating part 152 both protrude from the top of the base 16.

[0150] The Mecanum wheel 17 is a special omnidirectional wheel composed of a plurality of small rollers installed obliquely, which can realize forward, backward, left and right translation and rotation movements. Driven by a servo motor or a stepper motor, it allows the robot to move freely in different directions, improving the operation flexibility, being applicable to environments with limited space, enabling the robot to turn in place or move laterally, and avoiding cumbersome path adjustment.

[0151] The telescopic bracket is a mesh-like connecting rod hinge structure, which is used to horizontally connect the left movable seat 11 and the right movable seat 12. The control system drives the Mecanum wheel to move and adjust the distance between the left movable seat 11 and the right movable seat 12, so that the telescopic bracket can be extended and retracted, which can flexibly adapt to printers of different widths and improve the compatibility of the equipment. When no adjustment is needed, the distance can be shortened to reduce the occupied space.

[0152] The slide groove 18 is a long strip-shaped groove extending forward and backward. The telescopic bracket can be provided with a slider sliding along the slide groove 18 to make the telescopic bracket have a larger telescopic range to adapt to hot plates 200 and printers of different sizes.

[0153] In one embodiment, an air supply device (not shown) is further provided on the top of the movable base 10, the air outlet of the air supply device faces upward and is located below the pick-and-place mechanism 20, and the air supply device is used to cool the hot plate 200 so that the workpiece on the hot plate 200 is detached from the hot plate 200.

[0154] In this embodiment, the air supply device is installed on the top of the mobile base 10 and is located below the pick-and-place mechanism 20, with the air outlet facing upward, ensuring that the wind flow directly acts on the bottom of the hot plate 200, quickly reducing the temperature of the hot plate 200, so that the workpiece on the hot plate 200 is separated from the hot plate 200. The specific working process is as follows: first, the telescopic motor 251 is started to drive the third rotating part 252 to rotate, so that the third moving part 253 drives the pick-and-place member 24 to extend to the specified position; then the pick-and-place mechanism 20 supports the hot plate 200 and drives the hot plate 200 to move to the middle position of the machine or a specific cooling position in the front-to-back direction. Subsequently, the air supply device is started, the air outlet of the air supply device faces upward, and the wind flow directly acts on the bottom of the hot plate 200 to accelerate the cooling. At the same time, the cooling effect can be optimized by adjusting the wind speed or changing the direction of the air flow. As the temperature decreases, the workpiece is more easily separated from the hot plate 200 due to the thermal expansion and contraction effect or the weakening of the adhesion. In some embodiments, the lifting of the convex column or the lifting of the pick-and-place mechanism 20 can also be combined to ensure the smooth separation of the workpiece. In other embodiments, after the bonding force between the workpiece and the hot plate 200 decreases, the workpiece can be further facilitated to fall off by shaking the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or slightly vibrating the hot plate 200, and finally the air supply device stops supplying air, and the pick-and-place mechanism 20 can place the empty hot plate 200 with the workpiece shaken off onto the hot bed. In this way, continuous operation can be achieved without exchanging the hot plate 200, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0155] In one embodiment, a camera 40 with a lens facing forward is further provided at a position of the pick-and-place mechanism 20 away from the supporting surface 28 , and the camera 40 is used to obtain environmental information.

[0156] In this embodiment, one or more cameras 40 may be provided, and there is no limitation here. The camera 40 is installed avoiding the supporting surface 28, which can prevent the functional area of the heat taking and releasing plate 200 from being blocked. The lens faces forward to ensure that the front environment information can be clearly captured, so as to enhance the intelligence and adaptability of the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100.

[0157] Specifically, when a camera 40 is respectively provided on each of the left and right pick-and-place arm assemblies, the position of the cooperation target can be measured through machine vision algorithms to complete the relative positioning of the pick-and-place arm assembly and the target. For example, the target on the pick-and-place arm assembly can cooperate with the targets located on the printer, the hot bed, and the heat plate 200 to accurately position the target position, so that the moving base 10 can be adjusted to the accurate working position of the printer during work, and the pick-and-place part 24 can be moved to the accurate relative position of the hot bed and the heat plate 200. If the cooperation target is located on the hot bed, the relative accurate positioning of the pick-and-place part 24 and the hot bed can be realized, making the operations of picking and placing the plate more accurate and stable. Secondly, the measurement of the width distance of the camera 40 itself is realized through the positions of the two cameras 40 relative to the known target. In other words, the cameras 40 on the left and right pick-and-place parts 24 respectively measure the relative positions with the same target, and the relative position of the two pick-and-place parts 24 can be calculated, and then the relative distance between the left moving seat 11 and the right moving seat 12 can be measured. In this way, there is no need to separately set a spacing sensor on the left and right moving seats 12, saving costs. In addition, the cooperation target is pasted on the fixed objects in the room, and the camera 40 realizes the spatial positioning of the robot itself in the room by measuring the relative position with the target, and then the indoor positioning and navigation of the robot can be realized.

[0158] At the same time, the image data captured by the camera 40 is transmitted to the control system in real time. The system analyzes the environmental conditions through image recognition algorithms, adjusts the action path and speed of the pick-and-place mechanism 20, and ensures accurate obstacle avoidance and efficient operation. Moreover, the camera 40 can also be used to monitor the workpiece state, timely detect abnormal situations, and improve the safety and reliability of the overall operation. If the camera 40 is a color camera 40, it can be used for remote confirmation, or artificial intelligence automatically identifies the color of the consumables in the feeder to avoid feeding errors.

[0159] The present invention also proposes a robot kit, which includes a mobile lift (not shown) and an automatic heat exchange plate robot 100. The specific structure of the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 refers to the above embodiment. Since this robot kit adopts all the technical solutions of the above all embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated here one by one. Among them, the mobile lift includes a mobile platform and a lifting structure, and the mobile platform is slidably connected to the lifting structure in the up and down direction; the control system of the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 drives the moving base 10 to move to the mobile platform, so that the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100 can lift and lower with the lifting structure.

[0160] In this embodiment, the mobile platform is a structure for supporting the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100. The mobile platform can be a flat structure, and its material can be made of materials with high rigidity and wear resistance, such as aluminum alloy and stainless steel. The mobile platform can be provided with a limiting structure to ensure the stable parking of the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100. The lifting structure can adopt screw rod lifting, that is, the motor drives the screw rod to rotate to realize the lifting of the mobile platform. It can also adopt hydraulic lifting, that is, the height is adjusted by the telescopic of the hydraulic cylinder. It can also be driven by electromagnetic force to control the lifting of the mobile platform. There is no limitation here.

[0161] Through the collaborative operation of the mobile elevator and the automatic heat exchange plate robot 100, it can adapt to printers or working areas at different heights, and is suitable for the operation of the heat exchange plate 200 of multi-layer printers, so that the robot can not only be limited to ground operation, but also be suitable for high-position operation.

[0162] Refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11 The present invention also proposes a method for automatically replacing the heat exchange plate 200. The method for automatically replacing the heat exchange plate 200 replaces the heat plate 200 through the above-mentioned automatic heat exchange plate 200 robot 100. The specific structure of the automatic heat exchange plate 200 robot 100 refers to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the method for automatically replacing the heat exchange plate 200 adopts all the technical solutions of the above-mentioned all embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, and will not be elaborated here one by one. Among them, the method for automatically replacing the heat exchange plate 200 includes the following steps:

[0163] S100. The control system issues a plate-taking instruction or a plate-releasing instruction;

[0164] In this step, the control system issues an instruction of "taking the plate from the hot bed" or "putting the plate on the hot bed" according to the preset program or the monitoring result of the sensor. Specifically, the control system can be a PLC (programmable logic controller), an industrial computer or an embedded controller. The system receives instructions from the upper computer or the printing task scheduling system, judges whether it is a plate-taking or plate-releasing task at present, and issues corresponding instructions to the automatic heat exchange plate 200 robot 100. In this way, seamless docking between the automatic heat exchange plate 200 robot 100 and the printer system can be realized, and the plate-changing task can be automatically scheduled, thereby improving the degree of automation and eliminating the need for manual judgment of when to take and place the plate. In some embodiments, the plate-taking button or the plate-releasing button of the hot bed can be triggered manually, so that the control system issues a plate-taking instruction or a plate-releasing instruction. In this way, the control system can flexibly adjust the operation mode according to actual needs to ensure accurate transmission of the instruction.

[0165] S200. When receiving the instruction to pick up the hot plate, determine the position of the hot bed, and drive the moving base 10 to move to the predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; determine the position information of the hot plate 200, and drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate 200, and drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move forward further until the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate 200;

[0166] In this step, the predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located refers to the position where the picking and placing mechanism 20 is close to the hot bed. For example, it can be a position where the end of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is 10 cm - 50 cm away from the hot bed, which can be specifically determined according to the length of the hot plate protruding from the hot bed horizontally and is not limited here. When receiving the instruction to remove the hot plate from the hot bed, the automatic hot plate replacement robot 100 can obtain the accurate position of the hot bed through camera 40 image recognition, QR code marking or communication with the printer system. Then drive the moving base 10 to move to the predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located. Specifically, omnidirectional movement can be achieved by using Mecanum wheels 17 until it moves to the predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located. Then, through camera 40 image recognition or sensor detection, accurately locate the position of the hot plate 200, that is, judge the height of the hot plate 200 and the distance from the front end of the hot plate 200 close to the picking and placing mechanism 20 to the end of the picking and placing mechanism 20. Subsequently, drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to abut against the top wall or bottom wall of the hot plate 200, and drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rotate through the rotation motor, so that the picking and placing mechanism 20 slowly lifts one side of the hot plate 200 to make the hot plate 200 fit the supporting surface 28. In this way, the requirement for the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 can be reduced.

[0167] Among them, there are various ways to drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rise or rotate. For example, in one example, if a lead screw is used as the lifting mechanism, the lead screw can be driven to rotate by the lifting motor to drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to move up and down, and the rotation of the picking and placing mechanism 20 can be achieved through the rotation motor. In one example, if two lead screws are arranged at intervals front and back, they can be respectively driven by the front and rear lifting motors to achieve more accurate lifting and rotation control.

[0168] In addition, there are various implementation forms for lifting one side of the hot plate 200 until the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate 200. For example, in one example, if the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is small, such as using a high-friction surface, the picking and placing mechanism 20 can be driven to abut against the bottom wall of the hot plate 200, and the picking and placing mechanism 20 can be driven to rotate or the hot bed can be moved downward to slowly lift the hot plate 200 until the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate 200. Since the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 is small, a higher degree of contact between the supporting surface 28 and the plate surface of the hot plate 200 is required, and the contact area between the two should be large. Preferably, the supporting surface 28 is attached to the rear side of the hot plate 200 away from the picking and placing mechanism 20. In this case, the moving base 10 needs to be driven forward or the picking and placing mechanism 20 needs to extend forward to increase the contact area between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200 and ensure a stable fit. During this process, the rear side of the hot plate 200 always abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed.

[0169] In one example, if the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is large, such as using a permanent magnet, a sticky patch, an electromagnet, a pneumatic negative pressure suction cup, etc., the picking and placing mechanism 20 can be driven to abut against the top wall or the bottom wall of the hot plate 200, and the hot plate 200 can be directly adsorbed by using the adsorption force without excessive rotation. By precisely controlling the adsorption force, it is ensured that the hot plate 200 is stably attached to the supporting surface 28 and sliding is avoided. Since the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 is large, the requirement for the contact area during fitting is relatively low, and the contact area is not limited here. Preferably, to ensure the stability during the plate picking process, a larger contact area should be ensured.

[0170] S210. After the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate 200, the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 is driven to move to pull the hot plate 200 out of the hot bed;

[0171] In this step, the contact state between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200 can be detected in real time, and whether the adsorption force between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200 is sufficient can also be detected. The detection method can be a method of motor current feedback or a machine vision measurement method, or a combination of the two. It can also be determined whether the supporting surface 28 is in contact with the hot plate 200 through the structure, the movement of the motor, and the stability of disengagement and adsorption. Subsequently, the picking and placing mechanism 20 is driven to move or the moving base 10 is driven to retreat to smoothly pull out the hot plate 200. In one example, the picking and placing mechanism 20 may include a picking and placing member 24 and a rolling conveyor 26 surrounding the picking and placing member 24. The movement of the rolling conveyor 26 drives the hot plate 200 to move. In this way, there is no requirement for the retraction of the picking and placing member 24 and the retreat of the moving base 10.

[0172] S300. When receiving the instruction to place the hot plate, determine the position of the hot bed, and drive the moving base 10 to drive the hot plate 200 to move to the predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rotate so that the rear edge of the hot plate 200 contacts the hot bed, and drive the moving base 10 or the picking and placing mechanism 20 to drive the hot plate 200 to move forward further until the rear edge of the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear stop edge of the hot bed;

[0173] In this step, after receiving the instruction to place the hot plate 200 on the hot bed, the automatic hot plate 200 replacement robot 100 can obtain the exact position of the hot bed through camera 40 image recognition, QR code marking, or communication with the printer system. Then drive the moving base 10 to drive the hot plate 200 to move to the predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located. Specifically, the Mecanum wheel 17 can be used to achieve omnidirectional movement until it approaches the front of the hot bed. Then, through camera 40 image recognition or sensor detection, accurately position the hot bed, that is, judge the height of the hot plate 200 and the distance between the hot plate 200 and the hot bed, or drive the hot bed to move to a preset height. Subsequently, drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rotate so that the edge of the hot plate 200 away from the picking and placing mechanism 20 contacts the hot bed, that is, the hot plate 200 and the hot bed first form a linear contact, generating a small adsorption force. Then drive the moving base 10 to move forward or the picking and placing mechanism 20 to move to further move forward until the rear edge of the hot plate 200 away from the picking and placing mechanism 20 abuts against the rear stop edge of the hot bed.

[0174] In one example, the picking and placing mechanism 20 includes a picking and placing member 24, and a supporting surface 28 is provided on the picking and placing member 24. The picking and placing member 24 can be driven to extend forward to further move the hot plate 200 forward until the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear stop edge of the hot bed.

[0175] In one example, the picking and placing mechanism 20 includes a picking and placing member 24 and a rolling conveyor 26 surrounding the picking and placing member 24. The hot plate 200 is smoothly pushed forward through the movement of the rolling conveyor 26 until the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear stop edge of the hot bed. At this time, the picking and placing mechanism 20 does not need to extend forward.

[0176] S310. After the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear stop edge of the hot bed, drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move in a direction away from the hot bed to gradually reduce the contact area between the picking and placing mechanism 20 and the hot plate 200, so that the hot plate 200 is adsorbed on the hot bed.

[0177] In this step, the relative position between the hot plate 200 and the hot bed can be detected in real time. The detection method can be the method of motor current feedback or the method of machine vision measurement, or a combination of both. When the rear edge of the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear stop edge of the hot bed, the sensor sends a signal to drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to slowly retreat, so as to gradually reduce the contact area between the picking and placing mechanism 20 and the hot plate 200, ensure that the adsorption force between the hot plate and the picking and placing mechanism gradually decreases, and at the same time, the adsorption force between the hot plate 200 and the hot bed gradually increases until a preset stable state is reached.

[0178] Among them, the method of gradually reducing the contact area between the picking and placing mechanism and the hot plate is preferably to drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rotate to form a linear contact with the hot plate 200. The purpose is to reduce the adsorption force between the picking and placing mechanism 20 and the hot plate 200, so that when the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 retreats, the rear edge of the hot plate 200 is fixedly adsorbed on the hot bed and will not move with the automatic hot plate 200 robot 100.

[0179] It should be noted that the rear edge of the hot plate 200 refers to the edge on the side far from the moving base 10 when the hot plate 200 is not in contact with the picking and placing mechanism 20. The rear stop edge of the hot bed refers to the edge on the side of the hot bed far from the moving base 10 when the hot plate 200 is not in contact with the picking and placing mechanism 20, and the rear stop edge protrudes above the top wall of the hot bed in the up and down directions.

[0180] The automatic hot plate 200 method of the present invention realizes the above steps of the automatic hot plate 200 by applying the automatic hot plate 200 robot 100, can realize the automatic replacement of the hot plate 200 by the robot between multiple models of printers, has good compatibility, versatility and flexibility, significantly improves the efficiency and stability of the hot plate 200 replacement, and is applicable to batch printing tasks in the automated manufacturing scenario. At the same time, this method also reduces manual intervention, reduces operation risks, ensures the continuity and safety of the production process, further optimizes the production process, and improves the overall production efficiency.

[0181] Refer to Figure 12 , in an embodiment, in step S200, the step of determining the position information of the hot plate 200, driving the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate 200, and driving the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move forward further until the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 fits the plate surface of the hot plate 200 is specifically as follows:

[0182] S201. Determine the position information of the hot plate 200, drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate 200, and drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move forward further until the supporting surface 28 fits the rear side of the hot plate 200;

[0183] In this step, the automatic heat exchange plate 200 robot 100 can accurately locate the position of the heat plate 200 through camera 40 image recognition or sensor detection, that is, judge the height of the heat plate 200 and the distance from the front end of the heat plate 200 close to the picking and placing mechanism 20 to the end of the picking and placing mechanism 20. Subsequently, drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rise or rotate to abut against the top wall or bottom wall of the heat plate 200, and lift the heat plate 200 close to the front side of the picking and placing mechanism 20, that is, the side close to the picking and placing mechanism 20, so that the heat plate 200 is initially in contact with the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20. Subsequently, drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to extend, or move the base 10 forward to further move forward until the supporting surface 28 fits against the rear side of the heat plate 200.

[0184] Among them, there are various implementation manners for driving the picking and placing mechanism 20 or the base 10 to further move forward until the supporting surface 28 fits against the rear side of the heat plate 200. For example, in one example, if the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 is small, such as using a high-friction surface, the picking and placing mechanism 20 can be driven to abut against the bottom wall of the heat plate 200, and the picking and placing mechanism 20 is continuously driven to rotate until the heat plate 200 is parallel to the supporting surface 28, and then the hot bed is controlled to move upward or the picking and placing mechanism 20 is finely adjusted downward to reduce the angle between the heat plate 200 and the hot bed to prevent the workpiece on the heat plate 200 from falling. At the same time, drive the base 10 to move forward or drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to extend forward until the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 of the heat plate 200 fits against the plate surface of the heat plate 200. During this process, the supporting surface 28 can always maintain surface contact with the plate surface of the heat plate 200, or can first have line contact and finally achieve surface contact. Since the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 is small, the requirement for the fitting degree between the supporting surface 28 and the plate surface of the heat plate 200 is relatively high, and the contact area between the two should be large. Therefore, preferably, the supporting surface 28 should fit against the rear side of the heat plate 200 to ensure the stability of the heat plate 200.

[0185] In one example, if the adsorption force of the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 is large, such as using a passive adsorption structure (such as a permanent magnet or a sticky patch, etc.), then during the process of pushing the supporting surface 28 to fit against the rear side of the heat plate 200, the scheme of keeping the supporting surface 28 parallel to the heat plate 200 and always having surface contact is not applicable, because this will cause the adsorption force between the supporting surface 28 and the heat plate 200 to be too large, which is not conducive to the smooth and stable completion of the pushing movement. During the pushing process, the heat plate 200 and the supporting surface 28 should be kept at a certain angle, that is, kept in line contact, and then adjusted to surface contact when finally fitting, to ensure the smooth transition of the heat plate 200. This method effectively avoids the propulsion hindrance caused by too large adsorption force and improves the operation fluency and safety.

[0186] In one example, if the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20 adopts an active adsorption structure (such as an electromagnet, a pneumatic negative pressure suction cup, etc.), the pushing process can maintain surface contact. That is, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 can be driven to rotate until the hot plate 200 is parallel to the supporting surface 28. When the supporting surface 28 is attached to the rear side of the hot plate 200, electromagnetic suction or air suction is activated to firmly adsorb the hot plate 200 and prevent sliding. Subsequently, the next step is executed.

[0187] In step S210, after the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is attached to the plate surface of the hot plate 200, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move to pull the hot plate 200 out of the hot bed is specifically as follows:

[0188] S211. After the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is attached to the rear side of the hot plate 200, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is driven to rotate to lift the hot plate 200 until it is detached from the adsorption of the hot bed.

[0189] In this step, the attachment position between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200 can be detected in real time. The detection method can be a method of motor current feedback or a machine vision measurement method, or a combination of both. The attachment position between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200 can also be determined by the structure and motor movement. After detecting that the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is attached to the rear side of the hot plate 200, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is driven to rotate until the supporting surface 28 is parallel to the horizontal plane. At the same time, the hot bed is controlled to move upward to reduce the angle between the hot bed and the pick-and-place mechanism 20, and the hot plate 200 is supported on the pick-and-place mechanism 20 until the hot plate 200 is completely detached from the adsorption of the hot bed, that is, the rear edge of the hot plate 200 is detached from the adsorption of the hot bed. In this way, the smooth transfer of the hot plate 200 can be realized to ensure the safety of the workpiece.

[0190] S212. After the hot plate 200 is detached from the adsorption of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed to pull the hot plate 200 out of the hot bed.

[0191] In this step, the adsorption force between the hot plate 200 and the hot bed can be detected in real time, or the detachment of the hot plate 200 from the adsorption of the hot bed can be determined by the structure, motor movement, and the stability of release and adsorption. After detecting that the hot plate 200 is detached from the adsorption of the hot bed, the hot bed is controlled to move downward, or the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is driven to rise. At the same time, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is driven to retract or the moving base 10 is driven to move backward to move in a direction away from the hot bed, and the hot plate 200 is pulled out of the hot bed and moved to the transfer area or the cooling area to complete the operation of taking out the hot plate 200 from the hot bed.

[0192] Refer to Figure 13, in one embodiment, the picking and placing mechanism 20 of the automatic heat exchange plate 200 robot 100 includes a picking and placing member 24 and a rolling conveyor member 26. The rolling conveyor member 26 winds from the top of the picking and placing member 24 to the bottom of the picking and placing member 24. A supporting surface 28 is provided on the outer wall surface of the rolling conveyor member 26. The control system drives the rolling conveyor member 26 to rotate around the picking and placing member 24 to pick and place the heat exchange plate 200; a magnetic member 27 for picking and placing the heat exchange plate 200 is laid along the front-rear direction on the supporting surface 28, or a plurality of magnetic members 27 are arranged at intervals along the front-rear direction on the supporting surface 28, and the magnetic member 27 is used for picking and placing the heat exchange plate 200.

[0193] In step S200, the specific steps for determining the position information of the heat exchange plate 200 and driving the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rise or rotate to lift one side of the heat exchange plate 200 until the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 fits the plate surface of the heat exchange plate 200 are as follows:

[0194] S202. Determine the position information of the heat exchange plate 200, and drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to rotate so that the supporting surface 28 adsorbs to the top wall or the bottom wall of the heat exchange plate 200;

[0195] In this step, the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 can abut against the top wall or the bottom wall of the heat exchange plate 200. When the supporting surface 28 abuts against the top wall of the heat exchange plate 200, the spare heat exchange plates 200 can be stacked together to improve the compatibility of the system, without the need to set the heat exchange plate 200 to protrude laterally from the heat bed, or additionally set up a shelf for raising the heat exchange plate 200 to form a picking and placing space between the bottom wall of the heat exchange plate 200 and the heat bed for the picking and placing mechanism 20 to operate.

[0196] S203. After the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 adsorbs to the top wall or the bottom wall of the heat exchange plate 200, drive the rolling conveyor member 26 to rotate, and at the same time drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to move in the rear edge direction of the heat exchange plate 200 until the supporting surface 28 fits the rear side of the heat exchange plate 200;

[0197] In this step, the adsorption degree between the supporting surface 28 and the heat exchange plate 200 can be detected in real time. The detection method can be a method of motor current feedback or a machine vision measurement method, or a combination of the two. It can also determine the adsorption between the supporting surface 28 and the heat exchange plate 200 through the structure, motor movement, and stability of release and adsorption. After detecting that the supporting surface 28 of the picking and placing mechanism 20 adsorbs to the top wall or the bottom wall of the heat exchange plate 200, drive the rolling conveyor member 26 to rotate, and at the same time drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to move in the rear edge direction of the heat exchange plate to gradually increase the contact area between the heat exchange plate 200 and the supporting surface 28 until the supporting surface 28 fits the rear side of the heat exchange plate 200. Through the rolling of the rolling conveyor member 26, the friction between the supporting surface 28 and the heat exchange plate 200 can be reduced while ensuring the adsorption force, making the process actions more stable and controllable.

[0198] In another example, while driving the drive belt to rotate, the pick-and-place member 24 is driven to extend forward or the moving base 10 is driven to move forward, so that the rear edge of the hot plate 200 always abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, maintaining the stability of the hot plate 200.

[0199] In step S310, after the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 is driven to rotate to form a linear contact with the hot plate 200, and the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed, so that the specific steps of the hot plate 200 being adsorbed on the hot bed are as follows:

[0200] S311. After the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed, and at the same time, the rolling conveyor 26 is driven to rotate until the rolling conveyor 26 disengages from the hot plate 200, so that the hot plate 200 is adsorbed on the hot bed.

[0201] In this step, the position where the hot plate 200 fits on the hot bed can be detected in real time. The detection method can be the method of motor current feedback or the machine vision measurement method, or a combination of both. It is also possible to determine the fit between the hot plate 200 and the hot bed through the structure, motor movement, and the stability of disengagement and adsorption. After the hot plate 200 abuts against the rear edge of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed to gradually reduce the contact area between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200, and at the same time, the rolling conveyor 26 is driven to rotate to reduce the friction force between the supporting surface 28 and the hot plate 200. In this way, the stability of the hot plate 200 can be ensured.

[0202] In this embodiment, by arranging the supporting surface 28 on the outer wall surface of the rolling conveyor 26 and utilizing the characteristics of the rolling conveyor 26, the operation of automatically replacing the hot plate 200 is realized, making the overall pick-and-place process stable, reliable, and highly compatible.

[0203] In one embodiment, in step S100, before the step of the control system sending a plate-taking instruction or a plate-placing instruction, the following steps are further included:

[0204] S10. Receive the instruction to open the printer cabin door, determine the position of the printer cabin door, drive the moving base 10 to move to the front of the printer, and detect the position of the cabin door handle;

[0205] Specifically, when the system receives the instruction to open the cabin door from the upper control system or the operating user, the controller identifies the position of the target printer through the preset position coordinates or image recognition method, and controls the automatic hot plate 200 robot 100 to move along the guide rail so that its base is located in front of the target printer. Subsequently, the accurate position of the cabin door handle is obtained by using visual recognition or sensor detection.

[0206] S20. After detecting the position of the cabin door handle, drive the pick-and-place arm assembly near the cabin door handle to adsorb the cabin door handle; drive the moving seat near the cabin door handle to move towards the other moving seat, and at the same time drive the moving base 10 or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward until the cabin door handle moves to a predetermined position corresponding to the other moving seat; drive the rolling conveyor 26 to rotate so that the pick-and-place arm assembly releases the cabin door handle.

[0207] Specifically, the printer cabin door is usually a hinged door. After the robot determines the corresponding position of the cabin door handle, it controls the pick-and-place arm assembly on the corresponding side to act, so that its supporting surface 28 adsorbs the cabin door handle, and the adsorption method can adopt the magnetic adsorption method. Subsequently, control the moving seat on the side close to the cabin door handle to move closer to the other moving seat in the left-right direction, and at the same time drive the moving base 10 or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward, so that the cabin door moves along the opening direction. When the cabin door moves to a predetermined position corresponding to the other moving seat, drive the rolling conveyor 26 to rotate so that the pick-and-place arm assembly releases the cabin door handle. The predetermined position corresponding to the other moving seat means that the projection of the cabin door handle in the front-back direction is located within the projection of the other moving seat.

[0208] S30. Detect the position of the cabin door handle in real time.

[0209] Utilize the motor current feedback mechanism or the vision recognition device to continuously detect the motion state and position change of the cabin door handle to ensure that the cabin door has been fully opened. Then, the system enters the judgment logic:

[0210] S31. If the cabin door handle is in the fully opened position, complete the operation of opening the cabin door.

[0211] At this time, the cabin door has been opened to the end of the stroke, and the system judges that the opening action is completed.

[0212] S32. If the cabin door handle is not in the fully opened position, drive another pick-and-place arm assembly near the cabin door handle to adsorb the cabin door handle; drive the moving seat near the cabin door handle to move away from the other moving seat, and at the same time drive the moving base 10 or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward until the cabin door is fully opened.

[0213] When the system detects that the cabin door is not in the fully opened position, the controller will drive another pick-and-place arm near the cabin door handle to adsorb the cabin door handle again, and control the moving seat on this side to move away from the other moving seat in the left-right direction, and at the same time drive the moving base 10 or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward to continue pushing the cabin door to open until it is detected that the cabin door is fully opened.

[0214] In this embodiment, the robot has the ability to automatically open the cabin door, so that the automatic replacement of the hot plate 200 can be realized even in the unattended state, further improving the full automation of the robot. Secondly, the robot can flexibly cope with narrow spaces, such as a small house site or operating on a mobile lifting platform.

[0215] Refer to Figure 14 , in one embodiment, after the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move to pull the hot plate 200 out of the hot bed after detecting that the plate surface of the hot plate 200 is in contact with the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20, the following steps are further included:

[0216] S401. After the hot plate 200 is pulled out of the hot bed, cool the hot plate 200;

[0217] Specifically, after the hot plate 200 is successfully separated from the hot bed, the system starts the cooling module to cool the hot plate 200. The cooling method can include one or a combination of active air cooling, liquid cooling, semiconductor cooling, natural heat dissipation and other methods. This step aims to quickly reduce the temperature of the hot plate 200 to reduce the adhesion of the workpiece on the hot plate 200, so as to facilitate subsequent safe unloading or transfer.

[0218] S402. Drive the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to drive the hot plate 200 to rotate until the hot plate 200 is in an inclined state; at the same time, drive the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to vibrate within the target range until the workpiece is separated from the hot plate 200.

[0219] Specifically, the controller drives the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to perform a discharging operation on the hot plate 200. The discharging method is to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to rotate around its axis until the hot plate 200 is in an inclined state, and drive the hot plate 200 to vibrate within the target range to loosen the printed workpiece on the surface of the hot plate 200 until the printed workpiece is completely separated from the hot plate 200.

[0220] Through the above operations, the detachment of the printed workpiece can be realized efficiently and safely, avoiding the difficulty of plate detachment and workpiece damage caused by strong adhesion due to high temperature. It is applicable to printed workpieces with a large mass. When the printed workpieces with a small mass and those with a large mass use the same jitter speed, the workpieces with a large mass are subjected to greater force and are more likely to be separated from the hot plate 200. Secondly, by shaking the workpiece off the hot plate 200, a blank hot plate 200 can be obtained after shaking off, and then a plate placing instruction can be issued to place the blank hot plate 200 back on the hot bed of the printer, improving the printing efficiency and shortening the plate changing cycle.

[0221] Refer to Figure 15 , in one embodiment, a convex column protrudes from the top wall of the spacing adjusting member 13 of the automatic hot plate 200 replacing robot 100, and the convex column is located below the picking and placing member 24; in step S310, after the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move to pull the hot plate 200 out of the hot bed after detecting that the plate surface of the hot plate 200 is in contact with the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20, the following steps are further included:

[0222] S404. After the hot plate 200 is pulled out from the hot bed, drive the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to move the hot plate 200 until the hot plate 200 is located at the middle position of the moving base 10 in the front-back direction;

[0223] Specifically, after the pick-and-place mechanism 20 completes the action of removing the hot plate 200 from the hot bed, the pick-and-place member 24 retracts in the front-back direction, so that the hot plate 200 moves from a position close to the hot bed to the center position of the moving base 10 in the front-back direction. This middle position is a preset unloading operation area of the system, which can achieve stable support for the hot plate 200 and accurate unloading of the workpiece.

[0224] S405. After the hot plate 200 is located at the middle position of the moving base 10 in the front-back direction, drive the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to drive the hot plate 200 to descend or drive the convex column of the moving base 10 to rise until the convex column arches the middle of the hot plate 200, so that the workpiece is separated from the hot plate 200.

[0225] Specifically, when the hot plate 200 reaches the preset unloading area (i.e., the middle of the moving base 10 in the front-back direction), the system performs one of the following operations according to the current position of the hot plate 200 and the state of the pick-and-place mechanism 20. One is to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 20 to drive the hot plate 200 to descend, so that the convex column arches the middle of the hot plate 200; the other is to drive the convex column on the base to rise, and the convex column slowly jacks up the middle position of the hot plate 200, causing the hot plate 200 to bend or deform slightly;

[0226] By arching the middle of the hot plate 200 with the convex column, the adhesion or negative pressure adsorption state between the printed workpiece and the hot plate 200 can be broken, so that the printed workpiece naturally separates from the surface of the hot plate 200 due to uneven force. This method is milder and more reliable than direct vibration or extraction, especially suitable for large-area or easily deformed printed workpieces to avoid damage. Secondly, after the workpiece is separated from the hot plate 200, a blank hot plate 200 can be obtained, and then a plate placing instruction can be issued to place the blank hot plate 200 back on the hot bed of the printer, improving the printing efficiency and shortening the plate changing cycle.

[0227] Refer to Figure 16 , in an embodiment, after the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism 20 or the moving base 10 to move to pull the hot plate 200 out of the hot bed after the plate surface of the hot plate 200 is attached to the supporting surface 28 of the pick-and-place mechanism 20, it further includes:

[0228] S406. After the hot plate 200 is pulled out from the hot bed, determine the position of the scraper, and drive the moving base 10 to move to the predetermined unloading area where the scraper is provided;

[0229] Specifically, after the hot plate 200 is completely pulled out from the hot bed, the system determines the spatial position of the blade through image recognition by the camera 26, and drives the moving base 10 to move until the picking and placing mechanism 20 drives the hot plate 200 to move to the predetermined unloading area where the blade is provided, so as to prepare the space for the subsequent workpiece detachment operation.

[0230] S407. Drive the picking and placing mechanism 20 to drive the hot plate 200 and the workpiece to move, so that the hot plate 200 and the workpiece move relative to the blade until the workpiece is shoveled out of the hot plate 200 by the blade.

[0231] Specifically, after the hot plate 200 is near the blade, the picking and placing mechanism 20 can drive the hot plate 200 to move slowly, so that the hot plate 200 and the printed workpiece attached thereto gradually approach the front end of the blade. Through the sliding contact between the blade and the bottom of the workpiece, the workpiece is gradually shoveled off the surface of the hot plate 200. The blade can be made of metal, and the cutting edge is slightly arc-shaped to improve the insertion and shoveling efficiency. In one example, the supporting surface 28 may include a limiting device or an adsorption device. When the workpiece is subjected to the external force of the blade, the hot plate 200 is limited or adsorbed and fixed on the supporting surface 28, while the workpiece is shoveled off the hot plate 200.

[0232] In this embodiment, mechanical peeling is realized through the blade, which is applicable to thin and light workpieces to prevent the hot plate 200 from detaching from the supporting surface 28 during the shoveling process. Secondly, by shoveling the workpiece off the hot plate 200, a blank hot plate 200 can be obtained after shoveling, and then a plate placing instruction can be issued to place the blank hot plate 200 back on the hot bed of the printer, improving the printing efficiency and shortening the plate changing cycle.

[0233] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and are not intended to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An automatic heat exchange plate robot for a 3D printer, characterized in that: It includes a mobile base, a pick-and-place mechanism and a control system, wherein: The movable base comprises a left movable base, a right movable base and a spacing adjustment member, wherein the left movable base is connected to the right movable base through the spacing adjustment member so that the spacing between the left and right movable bases can be adjusted; The pick-and-place mechanism comprises a left pick-and-place arm assembly and a right pick-and-place arm assembly, wherein the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly both have a supporting surface for picking up and placing the hot plate, the left pick-and-place arm assembly is connected to the left movable seat by rotation around a horizontal axis, and the right pick-and-place arm assembly is connected to the right movable seat by rotation around the horizontal axis; The control system is used to drive the left movable seat and the right movable seat to move synchronously or move relative to each other in the left and right directions to adjust the distance between the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly; and the control system is also used to drive the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly to rotate so as to pick up and place the hot plate onto the supporting surface.

2. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly extend in the front-to-back direction, and the rotation axes of the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly extend in the left-to-right direction; The supporting surface extends along the front-rear direction.

3. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system includes a main control board, a left drive motor and a right drive motor respectively electrically connected to the main control board, the left pick-and-place arm assembly is connected to the left drive motor, the right pick-and-place arm assembly is connected to the right drive motor, and the main control board controls the left drive motor and the right drive motor to drive respectively.

4. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly both include a pick-and-place member and a rolling conveyor member extending forward and backward, wherein the rolling conveyor member is wound around the bottom of the pick-and-place member from the top of the pick-and-place member, and the supporting surface is arranged on the outer wall surface of the rolling conveyor member; The control system comprises a rolling motor, and the rolling motor is used to drive the rolling conveying member to rotate around the picking and placing member to pick up and place the hot plate.

5. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The supporting surface is provided with magnetic parts for taking and placing the hot plate along the front-to-back direction, or, The supporting surface is provided with a plurality of magnetic members at intervals along the front-to-back direction, and the magnetic members are used for taking in and releasing the heat plate.

6. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The ends of the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly are both provided with adsorption surfaces for adsorbing the printer door, and the control system drives the left movable seat and the right movable seat to move synchronously or relatively in the left and right directions to open or close the printer door.

7. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The tops of the left movable seat and the right movable seat are both convexly provided with a first linear motion pair and a positioning portion spaced apart from each other in the front and rear directions; The first linear motion pair comprises a first rotating part and a first moving part which are rotatably connected, and the first rotating part rotates to drive the first moving part to move up and down; The left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly both include a connecting member and a pick-and-place member extending in the front-to-back direction, and the supporting surface is provided on the pick-and-place member; The connecting member comprises a first section, a second section and a third section which are connected to each other, the second section is rotatably connected to the first section and the third section at two opposite ends in the front-to-back direction, and the placing and taking member is fixedly connected to the second section; The first section is fixedly connected to the first moving part, and the third section is connected to the positioning part; The control system includes a first motor, and the first motor controls the first rotating part to rotate so that the first section moves in an up-down direction to drive the pick-and-place member to rotate.

8. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The positioning part is a second linear motion pair, the second linear motion pair includes a second rotating part and a second moving part that are rotatably connected, the third section is fixedly connected to the second moving part, and the second rotating part rotates to drive the second moving part to move up and down; The control system further includes a second motor, and the second motor controls the second rotating part to rotate so that the third section moves in the up-down direction to drive the pick-and-place member to rotate.

9. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly further include a telescopic mechanism; The telescopic mechanism comprises a telescopic motor, a third rotating part and a third moving part which are rotatably connected to each other, the third rotating part and the telescopic motor are fixedly connected to the second section, the third rotating part rotates to drive the third moving part to move forward and backward, and the pick-and-place member is fixedly connected to the third moving part; The telescopic motor drives the third rotating part to rotate, so that the third moving part drives the picking and placing member to move along the front-back direction until the picking and placing member extends out of the first section.

10. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: A convex column is convexly provided on the top wall of the spacing adjustment member, and the convex column is located below the pick-and-place member; When the control system drives the pick-and-place arm to bring the hot plate to the middle of the automatic heat exchange plate robot in the front-to-back direction, the boss rises or the pick-and-place member descends to lift the middle of the hot plate to allow the workpiece on the hot plate to detach from the hot plate.

11. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The pick-and-place mechanism comprises two telescopic mechanisms corresponding to the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly respectively, and the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly can be telescoped in the front-to-back direction through the telescopic mechanisms; or, The pick-and-place mechanism comprises two lifting mechanisms corresponding to the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly respectively. Both the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly can be lifted and lowered in the up-and-down direction by the lifting mechanisms.

12. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The left movable seat and the right movable seat each comprise a base and a Mecanum wheel connected to each other, and the left pick-and-place arm assembly and the right pick-and-place arm assembly are respectively connected to the base; The spacing adjustment member is a telescopic bracket, and the left movable seat and the right movable seat are respectively provided with slide grooves on the base, and the slide grooves extend along the front-back direction. The opposite ends of the telescopic bracket in the left-right direction are respectively slidably accommodated in the slide grooves.

13. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: An air supply device is also provided on the top of the movable base, the air outlet of the air supply device faces upward and is located below the pick-and-place mechanism, and the air supply device is used to cool the hot plate so that the workpiece on the hot plate is separated from the hot plate.

14. The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The position of the pick-and-place mechanism away from the supporting surface is also provided with a camera with a lens facing forward, and the camera is used to obtain environmental information.

15. A robot kit, characterized in that: It comprises a mobile lift and the automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the mobile lift comprises a mobile platform and a lifting structure, and the mobile platform is slidably connected to the lifting structure in an up-and-down direction; The control system of the automatic heat exchange plate robot drives the mobile base to move to the mobile platform, so that the automatic heat exchange plate robot is lifted and lowered along with the lifting structure.

16. An automatic heat exchange plate method, characterized in that: The heat exchange plate is replaced by an automatic heat exchange plate robot, the automatic heat exchange plate robot comprises a movable base and a pick-and-place mechanism connected to each other, the pick-and-place mechanism has a supporting surface for picking up and placing the heat plate; the automatic heat exchange plate method comprises the following steps: The control system transmits a board taking instruction or a board placing instruction; When receiving a plate-taking instruction, the position of the hot bed is determined, and the mobile base is driven to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; the position information of the hot plate is determined, and the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and the pick-and-place mechanism or the mobile base is driven to move further forward until the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate; After the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate, the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base is driven to move so as to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed; When receiving a plate placing instruction, the position of the hot bed is determined, and the mobile base is driven to drive the hot plate to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; the pick-up and place mechanism is driven to rotate so that the rear edge of the hot plate contacts the hot bed, and the mobile base or the pick-up and place mechanism is driven to drive the hot plate to move further forward until the rear edge of the hot plate contacts the rear stop of the hot bed; After the hot plate abuts against the rear stop of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed to gradually reduce the contact area between the pick-and-place mechanism and the hot plate so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed.

17. An automatic heat exchange plate method, characterized in that: The hot plate is replaced by the automatic heat exchange plate robot according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the method for automatically exchanging heat plates comprises the following steps: The control system transmits a board taking instruction or a board placing instruction; When receiving a plate-taking instruction, the position of the hot bed is determined, and the mobile base is driven to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; the position information of the hot plate is determined, and the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and the pick-and-place mechanism or the mobile base is driven to move further forward until the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate; After the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate, the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base is driven to move so as to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed; When receiving a plate placing instruction, the position of the hot bed is determined, and the mobile base is driven to drive the hot plate to move to a predetermined operation area where the hot bed is located; the pick-up and place mechanism is driven to rotate so that the rear edge of the hot plate contacts the hot bed, and the mobile base or the pick-up and place mechanism is driven to drive the hot plate to move further forward until the rear edge of the hot plate contacts the rear stop of the hot bed; After the hot plate abuts against the rear stop of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed to gradually reduce the contact area between the pick-and-place mechanism and the hot plate so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed.

18. The method for automatic heat exchange plate according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: The steps of determining the position information of the hot plate, driving the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base to move further forward until the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate are specifically as follows: Determine the position information of the hot plate, drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the hot plate, and drive the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base to move forward further until the supporting surface is in contact with the rear side of the hot plate; After the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the hot plate, the steps of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base to move so as to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed are specifically as follows: After the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is attached to the rear side of the hot plate, the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to rotate to lift the hot plate until it is separated from the adsorption of the hot bed; After the hot plate is separated from the adsorption of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed.

19. The method for automatic heat exchange plate according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: In the automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 9, the steps of determining the position information of the heat plate, driving the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or rotate to lift one side of the heat plate, and driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the mobile base to move further forward until the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism is in contact with the plate surface of the heat plate are specifically as follows: Determine the position information of the hot plate, and drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rotate so that the supporting surface is adsorbed on the top wall or the bottom wall of the hot plate; After the pick-and-place mechanism is adsorbed on the top wall or the bottom wall of the hot plate, the rolling conveyor is driven to rotate, and at the same time, the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to move toward the rear edge of the hot plate until the supporting surface is attached to the rear side of the hot plate; After the hot plate abuts against the rear stop of the hot bed, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base to move in a direction away from the hot bed to gradually reduce the contact area between the pick-and-place mechanism and the hot plate so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed is specifically: After the hot plate abuts against the rear stop of the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base is driven to move in a direction away from the hot bed, and the rolling conveyor is driven to rotate until the rolling conveyor is separated from the hot plate, so that the hot plate is adsorbed on the hot bed.

20. The method for automatically exchanging heat plates according to claim 19, characterized in that: The steps before the control system issues a take-board instruction or a put-board instruction also include: Receiving an instruction to open a printer door, determining a position of the printer door, driving the mobile base to move to the front of the printer, and detecting a position of a door handle; After detecting the position of the door handle, the pick-and-place arm assembly near the door handle is driven to absorb the door handle; the moving seat near the door handle is driven to move toward another moving seat, and the moving base or the pick-and-place arm assembly is driven to move backward until the door handle moves to a predetermined position corresponding to the other moving seat; the rolling conveyor is driven to rotate so that the pick-and-place arm assembly releases the door handle; Real-time detection of door handle position; If the door handle is in the fully open position, the door opening operation is completed; If the door handle is not in the fully open position, drive another pick-and-place arm assembly close to the door handle to adsorb the door handle; drive the moving seat close to the door handle to move away from the other moving seat in the left and right direction, and at the same time drive the moving base or the pick-and-place arm assembly to move backward until the door is fully opened.

21. The method for automatic heat exchange plate according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: After the plate surface of the hot plate is in contact with the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed also includes: After the hot plate is pulled out from the hot bed, cool the hot plate; The pick-and-place mechanism is driven to rotate the hot plate until the hot plate is in an inclined state; and the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to vibrate within a target range until the workpiece is separated from the hot plate.

22. The method for automatic heat exchange plate according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: The automatic heat exchange plate robot according to claim 7 is applied, and after the plate surface of the hot plate is attached to the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the mobile base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed also includes: After the hot plate is pulled out from the hot bed, the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to move the hot plate until the hot plate is located in the middle of the movable base in the front-to-back direction; After the hot plate is located in the middle of the movable base in the front-rear direction, the pick-and-place mechanism is driven to drive the hot plate down or the boss of the movable base is driven to rise until the boss arches the middle of the hot plate to allow the workpiece to leave the hot plate.

23. The method for automatic heat exchange plate according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: After the plate surface of the hot plate is in contact with the supporting surface of the pick-and-place mechanism, the step of driving the pick-and-place mechanism or the movable base to move to pull the hot plate out of the hot bed also includes: After the hot plate is pulled out from the hot bed, the position of the scraper is determined, and the movable base is driven to move to a predetermined unloading area where the scraper is provided; The pick-and-place mechanism is driven to move the hot plate and the workpiece, so that the hot plate and the workpiece move relative to the scraper until the workpiece is scraped off the hot plate by the scraper.

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