Multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece posture adjustment and using method of multi-suction-cup end effector

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece posture adjustment and a using method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of industrial automatic assembly.The multi-suction-cup end effector comprises a multi-suction-nozzle type suction cup, a vacuum negative pressure device, a pressure reducing valve, a fixing body and the like; the multi-suction-nozzle type suction cup is connected with the interior of the vacuum negative pressure device and adheres to the outer side of the fixing body. The vacuum negative pressure device is connected with the pressure reducing valve, the vacuum negative pressure device is used for outputting pressure gas into the pressure reducing valve or extracting gas, and the pressure reducing valve is used for reducing the pressure of the received pressure gas; the pressure reducing valve is further connected with a multi-suction-nozzle type suction cup. The device has the following advantages that the structural design is compact, the operation method is simple, the negative pressure value is changed by controlling the specified vacuum negative pressure device and the pressure reducing valve, so that the deformation section of the specified suction cup deforms to achieve the purpose of adjusting the posture of a workpiece, and the device has real-time performance; and efficient and reliable technical support is provided for industrial application such as automatic sorting and assembly positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of industrial automation assembly, and specifically relates to a multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment and its usage method. Background Technique

[0002] With the development of modern industry and electronic technology, precision assembly technology is widely applied in fields such as aerospace and automation; in many application scenarios, the comprehensive performance requirements for assembly technology are getting higher and higher. Workpiece installation and adjustment is one of the most important links in component production and manufacturing. The suction-cup end effector is used to grasp workpieces for assembly. At present, the traditional suction-cup actuator can only grasp the target workpiece and cannot adjust the attitude of the target workpiece. It is very difficult to solve the problem that the actual axis direction of the grasped target workpiece deviates from the axis direction of the to-be-assembled body during the assembly process.

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes to design a multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment, which changes the negative pressure value by controlling the specified vacuum negative pressure device and pressure reducing valve, so as to change the deformation amount of the specified suction cup to achieve the purpose of adjusting the workpiece attitude. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment to solve the problem that the current traditional suction-cup actuator can only grasp the target workpiece and cannot adjust the attitude of the target workpiece as proposed in the above background technique.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: including a group of multi-nozzle suction cups, a group of vacuum negative pressure devices, a group of pressure reducing valves and a fixed main body;

[0006] A group of the vacuum negative pressure devices are respectively and independently connected to a group of the pressure reducing valves. The vacuum negative pressure device is used to output pressurized gas or evacuate air to the pressure reducing valve, and the pressure reducing valve is used to reduce the air pressure of the received pressurized gas;

[0007] A group of the pressure reducing valves are connected to a group of the multi-nozzle suction cups. The pressure reducing valve is used to output pressurized gas or evacuate air to the multi-nozzle suction cup, and the multi-nozzle suction cup is used to grasp the workpiece.

[0008] As a further preference of this technical solution: a group of the multi-nozzle suction cups include: at least three independent suction cups, at least one common suction cup, at least three external connecting pipes and at least three internal connecting pipes;

[0009] One end of at least three of the external connecting pipes are respectively connected to at least three of the pressure reducing valves;

[0010] At least three of the independent suction cups are connected to the other ends of at least three of the external connecting pipes, and at least three of the independent suction cups are also connected to one ends of at least three of the internal connecting pipes;

[0011] At least one of the common suction cups is connected to the other ends of at least three of the internal connecting pipes.

[0012] As a further preference of this technical solution: One of the common suction cups includes: a suction cup body and a three-separated baffle;

[0013] The three-separated baffle is located inside the suction cup body, and the three-separated baffle divides the internal space of the suction cup body into three separate spaces;

[0014] The three separate spaces inside the common suction cup are respectively in internal communication with the three independent suction cups.

[0015] As a further preference of this technical solution: At least three of the independent suction cups respectively include: at least one ventilation section and at least one deformation section;

[0016] At least one of the ventilation sections is connected to the internal connecting pipe and the external connecting pipe;

[0017] At least one of the deformation sections contacts the target workpiece and is used to grasp the target workpiece, and the position of the target workpiece is adjusted by changing the deformation amount of the suction cup deformation section.

[0018] As a further preference of this technical solution: One set of the pressure reducing valves includes: at least three pressure reducing valves.

[0019] As a further preference of this technical solution: At least three of the pressure reducing valves are normally open valves.

[0020] As a further preference of this technical solution: At least three of the pressure reducing valves respectively include: a vacuum input port, a pressure reducing valve body and a vacuum exhaust port;

[0021] One end of the vacuum input port is connected to the vacuum negative pressure device, and the other end of the vacuum input port is connected to the pressure reducing valve body;

[0022] One end of the vacuum exhaust port is connected to the pressure reducing valve body, and the other end of the vacuum exhaust port is connected to one of the multi-nozzle suction cups.

[0023] As a further preference of this technical solution: One set of the vacuum negative pressure devices includes: at least three vacuum negative pressure devices.

[0024] As a further preference of this technical solution: At least three of the vacuum negative pressure devices respectively include: an interface and a gas source device;

[0025] One end of the interface is connected to the gas source device, and the other end of the interface is connected to the pressure reducing valve.

[0026] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for using a multi-suction cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment to solve the problems presented in the above background technology.

[0027] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solution: According to the known workpiece attitude offset direction and offset amount, calculate the additional negative pressure values of the vacuum negative pressure device under the action of the pressure reducing valve through a function formula, and then change the deformation amount of the independent suction cup, and finally make the target workpiece attitude return to normal;

[0028] The function formulas for adjustment include:

[0029] If Then do not change the negative pressure value of the i-th suction cup; otherwise, change the negative pressure value of the i-th suction cup;

[0030] Among them, N is the number of independent suction cups, and i is the center point number of the independent suction cup;

[0031] Known workpiece attitude offset vector According to the vector formula Among them, k is the suction cup number that needs to change the negative pressure value, calculate the proportion of the negative pressure value corresponding to the adjustment of the independent suction cup, and gradually change the negative pressure value corresponding to the pressure reducing valve, and finally make the target workpiece attitude slowly return to normal.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0033] First, the present invention includes a multi-nozzle suction cup, a vacuum negative pressure device, a pressure reducing valve, a fixed main body, etc. The structure design is compact and the operation method is simple. By controlling the specified vacuum negative pressure device and the pressure reducing valve to change the negative pressure value, the deformation section of the specified suction cup is deformed to achieve the purpose of adjusting the workpiece attitude, which has real-time performance and provides efficient and reliable technical support for industrial applications such as automatic sorting and assembly positioning.

[0034] Second, the combined design of the independent suction cup and the common suction cup in the present invention takes into account the flexibility of local adjustment and the overall adsorption stability. Each independent suction cup individually controls the negative pressure value through a pressure reducing valve, and can adjust the adsorption force in real time according to the actual offset amount of the workpiece. The three-separated baffle of the common suction cup divides the internal space into three independent regions, ensuring that the overall adsorption force distribution is uniform during local adjustment and avoiding deformation or slippage of the workpiece due to uneven single-point force. Description of the Drawings

[0035] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of a multi-suction cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the style structure of a multi-suction cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the test structure of a multi-suction cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 A multi-suction cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to the present invention Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the sectional structure of part A-A in it;

[0039] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the principle of a multi-suction cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to the present invention and its usage method.

[0040] Legend: 1. Multi-nozzle suction cup; 11. Independent suction cup; 111. Deformation section; 112. Ventilation section; 12. Shared suction cup; 121. Suction cup body; 122. Three-separated baffle; 13. Internal connecting pipe; 14. External connecting pipe; 2. Pressure reducing valve; 21. Pressure reducing valve body; 22. Vacuum exhaust port; 23. Vacuum input port; 3. Vacuum negative pressure device; 31. Air source device; 32. Interface; 4. Fixed main body; 5. Workpiece. Specific embodiments

[0041] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0042] Embodiment 1:

[0043] Please refer to Figures 1 - 4 As shown, the present invention provides a multi-suction cup end effector: including a group of multi-nozzle suction cups 1, a group of vacuum negative pressure devices 3, a group of pressure reducing valves 2 and its fixed main body 4;

[0044] A group of vacuum negative pressure devices 3 are respectively connected to a group of pressure reducing valves 2. The vacuum negative pressure device 3 is used to output pressure gas or pump air into the pressure reducing valve 2, and the pressure reducing valve 2 is used to reduce the air pressure of the received pressure gas;

[0045] A group of pressure reducing valves 2 are connected to a group of multi-nozzle suction cups 1. The pressure reducing valve 2 is used to output pressure gas or pump air into the multi-nozzle suction cup 1, and the multi-nozzle suction cup 1 is used to grasp the workpiece 5.

[0046] In this embodiment, it should be noted that: An end effector is a tool for managing network terminal devices. It can help administrators uniformly manage the terminal devices in the network and implement functions such as monitoring, identification, classification, and policy management, thereby improving the network security of enterprises. In the field of industrial automation, an end effector is a set of mechanisms for object grasping and handling. It can be installed on a robot or automation equipment to perform object grasping and handling. The multi-suction-cup end effector is installed at the end of the robot, and at least three gas source devices 31 are used to control the multi-nozzle suction cup 1. The multiple gas source devices 31 improve the adsorption capacity, avoid the problem of re-grasping required due to grasping failure, and greatly improve the working efficiency of grasping the workpiece 5.

[0047] In this embodiment, specifically: The gas source device 31 includes an air inflation pump and an air extraction pump. The air inflation pump is used to blow air into the multi-nozzle suction cup 1, and the air extraction pump is used to extract air from the multi-nozzle suction cup 1.

[0048] In this embodiment, specifically: A group of multi-nozzle suction cups 1 includes: at least three independent suction cups 11, at least one common suction cup 12, at least three external connecting pipes 14, and at least three internal connecting pipes 13;

[0049] One ends of at least three external connecting pipes 14 are respectively connected to at least three pressure reducing valves 2;

[0050] At least three independent suction cups 11 are connected to the other ends of at least three external connecting pipes 14, and at least three independent suction cups 11 are also connected to one ends of at least three internal connecting pipes 13;

[0051] The common suction cup 12 is connected to the other ends of at least three internal connecting pipes 13. The multi-suction cups work together to form a redundant adsorption structure. Even if a single suction cup fails due to surface defects of the workpiece 5, the other suction cups can still maintain the rated grasping force.

[0052] In this embodiment, it should be noted that: The independent suction cup 11 and the common suction cup 12 are a type of vacuum device actuator. It utilizes the compressibility and liquefaction of air to generate negative pressure to adsorb on the surface of an object. When the vacuum suction cup contacts the object to be adsorbed, a temporary sealed space will be formed. By pumping out or rarefying the air in this sealed space, a large pressure difference can be generated between the inside and outside, thereby firmly adsorbing the workpiece 5; There are various types and materials of vacuum suction cups to adapt to different working environments and requirements; for example, suction cups made of rubber can be operated at high temperatures, suction cups made of silicone rubber are particularly suitable for grasping products with rough surfaces, and suction cups made of polyurethane have high durability. In practical applications, if the suction cup needs to have oil resistance, materials such as polyurethane, nitrile rubber, or polymers containing vinyl can be selected for manufacturing.

[0053] In this embodiment, specifically: A common suction cup 12 includes: A suction cup body 121 and a three-separated baffle 122;

[0054] The three-separated baffle 122 is located inside the suction cup body 121, and the three-separated baffle 122 divides the internal space of the suction cup body 121 into three separate spaces;

[0055] At least three independent suction cups 11 include: At least one ventilation section 112 and at least one deformation section 111;

[0056] At least one ventilation section 112 is connected to the internal connecting pipe 13 and the external connecting pipe 14;

[0057] At least one deformation section 111 contacts the target workpiece 5 for grasping the target workpiece 5, and the position of the target workpiece 5 is adjusted by changing the deformation amount of the suction cup deformation section 111;

[0058] A group of pressure reducing valves 2 includes: At least three pressure reducing valves 2.

[0059] In this embodiment, specifically: At least three pressure reducing valves 2 are normally open valves.

[0060] In this embodiment, specifically: The three pressure reducing valves 2 respectively include: A vacuum input port 23, a pressure reducing valve body 21, and a vacuum exhaust port 22;

[0061] One end of the vacuum input port 23 is connected to the vacuum negative pressure device 3, and the other end of the vacuum input port 23 is connected to the pressure reducing valve body 21;

[0062] One end of the vacuum exhaust port 22 is connected to the pressure reducing valve body 21, and the other end of the vacuum exhaust port 22 is connected to a multi-nozzle suction cup 1.

[0063] In this embodiment, specifically: The three vacuum negative pressure devices 3 respectively include: An interface 32 and a gas source device 31;

[0064] One end of the interface 32 is connected to the gas source device 31, and the other end of the interface 32 is connected to the pressure reducing valve 2.

[0065] In this embodiment, it should be noted that: When the gas source device 31 pumps air, the air in the suction cup channel and inside the suction cup will be pumped away through the interface 32, making the inside of the suction cup in a vacuum state. At this time, the air pressure inside the suction cup is lower than the external atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the object is sucked up under the action of the external pressure. The higher the vacuum degree inside the suction cup, the closer the suction cup is attached to the object, and the greater the adsorption force. The gas source device 31 includes a parallel inflator pump, and the working mode is switched through a solenoid valve. Moreover, the gas source device 31 is connected to the pressure reducing valve 2 by a quick plug-in connector to ensure the modular replacement efficiency.

[0066] In the present embodiment, specifically: the three separate spaces inside the common suction cup 12 are connected to the inside of the three independent suction cups 11 respectively; after the multi-nozzle suction cup 1 grabs the workpiece 5, the axis of the workpiece 5 is offset due to the inaccuracy of the grabbing position or other reasons, and continued assembly will cause problems such as collision of the workpiece 5 or assembly failure. The multi-nozzle suction cup 1 is composed of three independent suction cups 11 and one common suction cup 12. The three independent suction cups 11 can be individually controlled by three pressure reducing valves 2. According to the actual deviation of the workpiece 5, the corresponding pressure reducing valve 2 is adjusted to make the deformation section 111 of the corresponding independent suction cup 11 change its deformation amount, thereby achieving the adjustment of the axis of the workpiece 5 to return to the center. The pressure reducing valve 2 adopts a diaphragm pressure reducing structure and a built-in pressure sensor, which can feed back the output pressure to the control system in real time, so as to facilitate real-time observation by the staff.

[0067] Embodiment 2:

[0068] See also Figure 5 As shown, the present invention provides a method for using a multi-suction cup end effector for adjusting the posture of a workpiece 5: according to the known offset direction and offset amount of the posture of the workpiece 5, a function formula is used to calculate the additional negative pressure value of a group of vacuum negative pressure devices 3 under the action of the pressure reducing valve 2, thereby changing the deformation amount of the independent suction cup 11, and finally returning the posture of the workpiece 5 to the normal state.

[0069] In the above scheme, the function formulas referred to in the adjustment include:

[0070] like If the negative pressure value of the i suction cup is not changed, the negative pressure value of the i suction cup will be changed.

[0071] Wherein, N is the number of independent suction cups 11, and i is the center point number of the independent suction cup 11;

[0072] Known workpiece 5 posture offset vector According to the vector formula Wherein k is the number of the suction cup whose negative pressure value needs to be changed, the negative pressure value ratio of the independent suction cup 11 corresponding to the adjustment is calculated, and the corresponding pressure reducing valve 2 gradually changes the negative pressure value, so that the posture of the target workpiece 5 is finally slowly restored to the normal state; by controlling the specified vacuum negative pressure device 3 and the pressure reducing valve 2 to change the negative pressure value, the deformation of the specified suction cup is changed to achieve the purpose of adjusting the posture of the workpiece 5, and the real-time correction and adjustment of the posture of the workpiece 5 are realized. In the attached figure, a, b, and c are the centers of the bottom surfaces of the three independent suction cups 11, o is the center of the bottom surface of the common suction cup 12, p is the vertex of the workpiece 5, and d is the vertical point of a on the reverse extension line of op.

[0073] Working principle or structural principle: The vacuum negative pressure device 3 outputs pressurized gas or extracts air to the pressure reducing valve 2 through the air source device 31. After the pressure reducing valve 2 reduces the air pressure to a safe range, it conveys air flow to the multi-nozzle suction cup 1. When extracting air, the air inside the multi-nozzle suction cup 1 is extracted to form a negative pressure, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside makes the suction cup tightly adsorb the workpiece 5. When inflating, the multi-nozzle suction cup 1 is separated from the workpiece 5; during use, the vacuum negative pressure device 3 is started, and by adjusting the output pressure of the pressure reducing valve 2, the equivalent stiffness of the independent suction cup 11 can be changed to use workpieces 5 with different stiffnesses. After the multi-nozzle suction cup 1 grasps the workpiece 5, due to inaccurate grasping positions or other reasons, the axis of the workpiece 5 is offset. If assembly continues, problems such as collision of the workpiece 5 or assembly failure may occur. The multi-nozzle suction cup 1 is composed of three independent suction cups 11 and a common suction cup 12. The three independent suction cups 11 can be individually controlled through three pressure reducing valves 2. According to the actual deviation of the workpiece 5, the corresponding pressure reducing valve 2 is adjusted to make the deformation section 111 of the corresponding independent suction cup 11 change its deformation amount, thereby realizing the adjustment of the axis of the workpiece 5 to return to normal.

[0074] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, for those of ordinary skill in the art, it can be understood that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment, characterized in that: It includes a group of multi-nozzle suction cups (1), a group of vacuum negative pressure devices (3), a group of pressure reducing valves (2), and a fixed main body (4); A group of the vacuum negative pressure devices (3) are respectively and independently connected to a group of the pressure reducing valves (2). The vacuum negative pressure device (3) is used to output pressurized gas or evacuate air to the pressure reducing valve (2), and the pressure reducing valve (2) is used to reduce the air pressure of the received pressurized gas; A group of the pressure reducing valves (2) are connected to a group of the multi-nozzle suction cups (1). The pressure reducing valve (2) is used to output pressurized gas or evacuate air to the multi-nozzle suction cup (1), and the multi-nozzle suction cup (1) is used to grasp the workpiece (5).

2. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A group of the multi-nozzle suction cups (1) includes: at least three independent suction cups (11), at least one common suction cup (12), at least three external connecting pipes (14), and at least three internal connecting pipes (13); One end of at least three of the external connecting pipes (14) are respectively connected to at least three of the pressure reducing valves (2); At least three of the independent suction cups (11) are connected to the other ends of at least three of the external connecting pipes (14), and at least three of the independent suction cups (11) are also connected to one end of at least three of the internal connecting pipes (13); At least one of the common suction cups (12) is connected to the other ends of at least three of the internal connecting pipes (13).

3. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 2, characterized in that: One of the common suction cups (12) includes: a suction cup body (121) and a three-separated baffle (122); The three-separated baffle (122) is located inside the suction cup body (121), and the three-separated baffle (122) divides the internal space of the suction cup body (121) into three separate spaces; The three separate spaces inside the common suction cup (12) are respectively in communication with the interiors of the three independent suction cups (11).

4. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 3, characterized in that: As a further preference of this technical solution: at least three of the independent suction cups (11) respectively include: at least one ventilation section (112) and at least one deformation section (111); At least one of the ventilation sections (112) is connected to the internal connecting pipe (13) and the external connecting pipe (14); At least one of the deformation sections (111) contacts the target workpiece (5) and is used to grasp the target workpiece (5), and the position of the target workpiece (5) is adjusted by changing the deformation amount of the suction cup deformation section (111).

5. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 4, characterized in that: A group of the pressure reducing valves (2) includes: at least three pressure reducing valves (2).

6. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 5, characterized in that: At least three of the pressure reducing valves (2) are normally open valves.

7. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 6, characterized in that: At least three of the pressure reducing valves (2) respectively include: a vacuum input port (23), a pressure reducing valve body (21), and a vacuum exhaust port (22); One end of the vacuum input port (23) is connected to the vacuum negative pressure device (3), and the other end of the vacuum input port (23) is connected to the pressure reducing valve body (21); One end of the vacuum exhaust port (22) is connected to the pressure reducing valve body (21), and the other end of the vacuum exhaust port (22) is connected to one of the multi-nozzle suction cups (1).

8. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 7, characterized in that: A group of the vacuum negative pressure devices (3) includes: at least three vacuum negative pressure devices (3).

9. The multi-suction-cup end effector for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claim 8, wherein: At least three of the vacuum negative pressure devices (3) respectively include: an interface (32) and a gas source device (31); One end of the interface (32) is connected to the gas source device (31), and the other end of the interface (32) is connected to the pressure reducing valve (2).

10. The method of using any one of the multi-suction-cup end effectors for workpiece attitude adjustment according to claims 1-9, characterized in that: According to the known attitude offset direction and offset amount of the workpiece (5), the additional negative pressure values of the vacuum negative pressure devices (3) under the action of the pressure reducing valve (2) are calculated through a function formula, and then the deformation amount of the independent suction cup (11) is changed, and finally the attitude of the target workpiece (5) is corrected; The adjusted function formula includes: If, then the negative pressure value of the i-th suction cup is not changed; otherwise, the negative pressure value of the i-th suction cup is changed; Wherein, N is the number of independent suction cups (11), and i is the center point number of the independent suction cup (11); For the known attitude offset vector of the workpiece (5), according to the vector formula, where k is the number of the suction cup whose negative pressure value needs to be changed, the proportion of the negative pressure value corresponding to the adjustment of the independent suction cup (11) is calculated, and the negative pressure value is gradually changed corresponding to the pressure reducing valve (2), and finally the attitude of the target workpiece (5) is slowly corrected.

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