Heavy-load flexible processing line and method based on stacker type

Abstract

The invention relates to a stacker-type-based heavy-load flexible processing line and method. The stacker-type-based heavy-load flexible processing line comprises an upper computer carrying an FMS flexible control system, and an electrical control cabinet, a stacker, a horizontal processing center and a loading station which are in data interaction with the FMS flexible control system; the upper computer interacts with the ground cabinet PLC to realize action execution and state feedback; the ground cabinet PLC is electrically connected with the horizontal machining center PMC program, the electric control cabinet and the stacking machine electric cabinet. The stacking machine walks between the horizontal machining center and the loading station. The device is reasonable in design, compact in structure and convenient to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heavy-load flexible processing line and method based on a stacker type. Background Art

[0002] With the intelligentization of manufacturing, how to reduce labor and improve automation is crucial. Flexible processing lines (equipment) are core work units, and their intelligence determines the degree of unmanned operation of the assembly line. Existing technologies are based solely on traditional thinking, solving technical problems on a case-by-case basis, without addressing and improving flexible processing lines from a holistic perspective, leveraging artificial intelligence.

[0003] In order to ensure that the processing line can meet the processing needs of different products, ensure the saturation of the processing line, and reduce the idle time of equipment, it has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0004] Currently, there are several configurations for flexible processing lines: 1. Robot flexible processing line: The flexible processing line transports small and lightweight workpieces. Due to space limitations, the robot cannot be too large, and the load that the robot can carry is limited, so heavy loads cannot be transported. Moreover, it is limited by the robot's arm span and can only be carried within the robot's limited working range. 2. RGV flexible processing line: The RGV flexible processing line adopts the form of rack and pinion and is controlled by a servo drive. It is expensive and has high maintenance costs. The cache storage location is generally 1 or 2 layers, and the height is limited. The height of the storage location cannot be increased, and it is difficult to expand the machine tool processing position. The flexible processing line is a production method designed to solve the difficulties in handling heavy-loaded workpieces in machine tool processing production lines. The handling is cumbersome and cannot achieve rapid process switching. It is an on-demand production method.

[0005] Existing flexible processing systems are limited by site and space, and require that the tools they carry be small and flexible, and able to carry heavy-loaded workpieces. However, due to the limitations of the robot's working range and load, they cannot carry heavy-loaded workpieces. The RGV handling system has high initial investment costs and high subsequent maintenance costs. In addition, the space for material storage is limited, and the storage space of the vertical warehouse cannot be increased or extended. If additional equipment is needed in the future, it will be very difficult to adjust the layout.

[0006] Flexible processing lines using stackers are not limited by workpiece weight or the number of machines. If additional machine tools are added later, the stacker's floor rails can be further extended, and the vertical warehouse's storage areas can be further heightened or expanded. These areas are easily connected and can be flexibly connected. A flexible processing line using stackers can place various products requiring processing on pallets, which are then stored and stored by the stacker. Then, based on the production order, the stacker removes the products from the warehouse and places them on the corresponding machining center (where one machine can complete the process) or sequentially delivers them to the corresponding machining center (where multiple machines are required). The machining center then automatically changes tools according to the specified processing sequence, completing the corresponding processing tasks in sequence. During this process, racks can be added later, as can machining centers. The stacker's rails can be extended, or simply made long enough from the beginning. This approach allows for the processing of additional products.

[0007] In the flexible machine tool processing line, the traditional machine tool processing production line has a single function and simple process. If there are product changes and production plan adjustments, it is impossible to process small-batch personalized orders from customers. The current machine tool processing technologies are as follows: 1. Fixed processing program: The machine tool processing program is a processing program that is manually called in advance. After the workpiece is loaded, it is processed according to the pre-set program. Only one product can be processed. If the product is changed, the processing flow needs to be changed again. 2. The process of turntable side A is the same as that of side B: The NC processing procedures of the existing machine tool turntable side A and side B are the same. Because it is impossible to determine which side the turntable is, it is impossible to realize multi-process processing of the A / B turntable, and it cannot go through complex process flows.

[0008] The existing double-sided horizontal machining program cannot realize multiple varieties and multiple processes, and the program cannot be switched flexibly. The machining processes of each machine tool cannot be cross-operated. When switching products, workers need to switch multiple machine tool programs, which takes a long time and is inefficient. If the program can be automatically retrieved, workers do not need to go back and forth. They only need to configure the process on the host computer, and the machine tool processing can realize multiple varieties and multiple process machine tool processes can be cross-operated. The host computer forwards the program number through the PLC, the process is complicated, debugging is inconvenient, and it is difficult to recover after the data is lost due to communication anomalies. The present invention can realize the processing technology of thousands of processes by processing the AB surface to determine the call of the macro program. There is no need for manual back and forth operation to realize the free switching of the machining program, which is convenient and simple.

[0009] As a supporting stacker, in the industrial production automation of flexible processing systems, three-dimensional warehouses are increasingly entering various factories. Stackers are the actuators of the three-dimensional warehouse transportation, involving motor movements in three directions: walking, lifting, forks or manipulators. The three-dimensional warehouse is compact in design and only relies on normal operating logic control. It is very easy to cause collisions in manual debugging, maintenance, automatic operation errors, etc., resulting in irreparable losses. The present invention requires a safety logic independent of the operating logic to limit the movement of the axis. The traditional three-dimensional warehouse setting position is based on the setting of rows, columns, and layers. When irregular storage locations appear in the warehouse, it is inconvenient to set up, thereby realizing the automation of workpieces between the processing center and the warehouse. However, the existing stacker position restrictions are mostly made in the operating logic, and the jump step execution is very prone to collisions; position protection is only done in the operating logic, the operating logic is cumbersome, debugging is inconvenient, and it occasionally stops in actual automatic operation and the cause is inconvenient to investigate; debugging and equipment maintenance rely entirely on manual judgment, the stacker has a compact structure, is inconvenient to observe, and is very prone to collisions;

[0010] At present, the common vision-guided destacking method for multi-station and multi-layer large stacks is: the robot is equipped with a wide-field 3D camera to identify the multi-station and multi-layer stacker. There are restrictions on the height of the stack and the size of the pallet. In addition, the common disadvantage of cameras with a large field of view is low recognition accuracy. During the destacking process, the robot claws and the workpieces are prone to collision, requiring the equipment to have high stability and high precision during operation. The existing vision-guided automatic destacking of stackers usually uses a wide-field 3D camera to identify and guide the stacks.

[0011] The existing measurement method requires high-precision analog sensors. Analog sensors are expensive, have a long debugging cycle, and the measurement data needs to be processed by the program before it can be used. At the same time, there are requirements for the surface finish of the workpiece, and it is easily affected by liquid and light. The measurement accuracy is affected by many factors.

[0012] The current common measurement method: the robot is equipped with a laser analog sensor to measure smooth surfaces. The surface smoothness of the object is required to be high, and the measurement accuracy and stability of rough surfaces are low.

[0013] Conventional discrete alarms in traditional machining center PLCs require adding alarm text and variables to the HMI (human-machine interface). The PLC then triggers the corresponding alarm variables, displaying the corresponding alarm text in the HMI. However, PLC programming is labor-intensive, and alarms must be summarized and categorized individually. ProDiag, a discrete alarm method, eliminates the need to add alarm text and trigger variables to the HMI and only requires programming in the PLC. However, this method requires hardware authorization for the PLC and HMI, and alarms must be summarized and categorized individually. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is generally to provide a heavy-duty flexible processing line and method based on a stacker type.

[0015] To address this technical problem, the system of the present invention includes an FMS flexible control system, an electrical control cabinet, a stacker, a horizontal machining center, a machine tool zero-point quick-change module, a cleaning machine, a human-machine interaction station, a workpiece buffer, a safety gate, and other equipment. The electrical control cabinet is configured around the stacker and collects machine tool information, while the FMS flexible control system issues tasks. This invention's application case primarily addresses the difficulty of workpiece handling in heavy-duty industries, achieving full automation of the entire production line and improving production efficiency.

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0017] A heavy-duty flexible processing line based on a stacker crane type, including a host computer equipped with an FMS flexible control system, an electrical control cabinet that interacts with the FMS flexible control system, a stacker crane, a horizontal machining center, and a loading station;

[0018] The host computer interacts with the ground cabinet PLC to realize execution of actions and feedback status; the ground cabinet PLC is electrically connected to the horizontal machining center PMC program, electrical control cabinet and stacker electrical cabinet;

[0019] The stacker crane travels between the horizontal machining center and the loading station.

[0020] As a further improvement of the above technical solution:

[0021] The horizontal machining center is equipped with a machine tool zero point module, a cleaning machine, a human-machine interaction station and / or a workpiece buffer storage space at the corresponding loading station;

[0022] Signal transmission FMS flexible control system, the horizontal machining center and the electrical control cabinet are connected via PROFINET, and the AP link between the electrical cabinet and the stacker cabinet uses TCP communication.

[0023] A heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane type, with the help of the above-mentioned processing line;

[0024] S1.1, first, at the loading station, the workpiece to be processed is fixed from the workpiece buffer location to the pallet sub-plate of the stacker;

[0025] S1.2, in the FMS flexible control system, preset the configuration and processing technology of the workpiece to be processed;

[0026] S1.3, the software control module of the FMS flexible control system, determines task generation based on the horizontal machining center's machine tool processing tasks and machine tool processing status;

[0027] S1.4: The software control module issues the task, and the stacker's manipulator begins executing the task.

[0028] S1.5, determine whether to place the workpiece in the workpiece cache or in the horizontal machining center;

[0029] S1.6, after the material is unloaded, the horizontal machining center exchanges the worktable according to the pre-configured process and automatically switches the machining program, including the tool calling program;

[0030] S1.7, after the machine tool processing is completed, the stacker crane performs unloading at the loading station according to the task issued by the FMS flexible control system;

[0031] S1.8, after placing the loading station, after unloading is completed by manual or robotic arm, continue to load new workpieces.

[0032] As a further improvement of the above technical solution:

[0033] The FMS flexible control system, the PMC program of the horizontal machining center, the electrical control cabinet, and the stacker cabinet all transmit signals to each other, collecting the real-time operating status of the stacker, horizontal machining center, and loading station, and determining the next action to be performed based on the current status;

[0034] The PMC program switches the machining process by calling the macro program;

[0035] The FMS flexible control system has an A-side rotary table and a B-side rotary table;

[0036] In step S1.6, when the horizontal machining center PMC controls the rotation of the A-side turntable and the B-side turntable, first, the turntable rotation is judged and selected; then, the A-side or B-side turntable is selected; secondly, whether to execute the loading and unloading request is executed; when idle, the loading request is executed, and when the processing is completed, the unloading request is executed and fed back to the ground cabinet PLC.

[0037] When the stacker crane is operating within the set safety range, perform the following steps:

[0038] The main program of the PMC program calls the macro program by judging the machining surface of the machine tool to rotate the rotary table;

[0039] S2.1, first, the horizontal axis X, vertical axis Z, and longitudinal axis Y return to the reference point; the horizontal axis X, vertical axis Z, and longitudinal axis Y return to the reference point; then, the macro program number of surface A is cleared; the macro program number of surface B is cleared; secondly, the auxiliary action preparation is completed; the workbench of surface A is detected, and the macro program for surface A processing is called; the workbench of surface B is detected, and the macro program for surface B processing is called; thirdly, the macro program number of surface A turntable is cleared; then, it is determined whether the macro program for surface A is written successfully. If the writing is unsuccessful, the system prompts that the program number is empty; otherwise, the macro program is called; the machine tool processing status is detected; thereafter, the M code is completed during the machine tool processing; it is determined whether the rotation state is allowed; if so, the state is rotated;

[0040] When it is determined that the program is empty, the system alarm is triggered and an alarm message is prompted that the program number is empty.

[0041] In step S1.1 or S1.8, the stacker's manipulator or fork moves and performs the following steps:

[0042] S3.1, establish independent coordinates based on each storage location;

[0043] S3.2, to solve the problem of independent coordinate setting of storage locations in S3.1, set row, column, and layer coordinates on the touch screen. When the points are updated, the coordinates are updated in batches to the corresponding point coordinates;

[0044] S3.3, click the corresponding storage location on the touch screen in S3.2 to display and maintain the specific storage location in the point coordinate setting;

[0045] S3.4, use multiplexing to associate variables in the PLC;

[0046] S3.5, after setting the point coordinates, pre-set the safe range of movement allowed for the horizontal axis X, longitudinal axis Y, and vertical axis Z relative to the point;

[0047] To perform specific actions, first, issue the task; then, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero and confirms that it has returned to zero through the longitudinal axis Y zero switch; secondly, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero, and the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z move; the horizontal axis X and / or vertical axis Z reach the target point and hit the deceleration switch, and the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z reduce their running speed; hit the limit switch, and the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z stop moving; thirdly, the horizontal axis X is within the preset safety threshold of the point position, and the vertical axis Z is within the preset safety threshold of the point position, and the longitudinal axis Y moves; after that, The longitudinal axis Y extends and hits the limit switch, stopping the movement of the longitudinal axis Y. The horizontal axis X and the vertical axis Z are within the preset safety thresholds, and the longitudinal axis Y can move. Then, the longitudinal axis Y is within the preset safety thresholds, the horizontal axis X is within the preset safety thresholds, and the vertical axis Z moves within the preset safety thresholds. After that, the vertical axis Z is loaded. The horizontal axis X and the vertical axis Z are within the preset safety thresholds, and the longitudinal axis Y moves. Then, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero.

[0048] S3.6, based on the storage location and safety range, the PLC reads the current encoder real-time coordinates of each axis, traverses all storage location coordinates, and compares the coordinates with the real-time coordinates;

[0049] S3.7, the comparison results are recorded as follows: when the walking coordinates are within the safe range, the inX mark of the point is True; when the lifting is within the safe range, the inY mark of the point is True; when the fork or manipulator coordinates of the stacker are within the safe range, the inZ mark of the point is True.

[0050] In step S3.7, the safety position limit logic within the safety range is as follows:

[0051] S3.7.1: When the fork or manipulator is in the neutral position, it can move and lift. When inX and inY are both True at any point, the fork or manipulator is allowed to move. When inZ is True at any point, lifting and loading operations are allowed.

[0052] S3.7.2, when the axis coordinates are outside the safe range and the conditions in S3.7.1 are not met, the axis is paused and no movement is allowed;

[0053] S3.7.3: When inX and inY of a point are True and the fork or manipulator moves toward that point, an interference signal is output. If the corresponding point is a loading station or a material channel, the action is prohibited.

[0054] In step S1.4, a high-precision 3D vision camera is set at the vertical axis Z end of the manipulator;

[0055] The robot moves the 3D camera to the highest photo-taking position, triggering a photo-taking command to the 3D camera; the 3D camera identifies the height of the material stack and transmits the data to the robot; the robot moves to the height identified by the 3D camera, moves to the photo-taking position above the set workstation, and triggers the photo-taking command; the 3D camera identifies the current workstation status; if there is no workpiece, the robot moves the 3D camera to the next workstation for photo-taking and identification; if there is no workpiece at all workstations, the robot moves the 3D camera to the photo-taking position for identifying the current layer of pallets, and performs pallet position identification and grasping; if there is a workpiece, the identified data is transmitted to the robot, and the robot combines the position data sent by the 3D camera with the current position data of the robot to obtain the final position of the workpiece and grasp it.

[0056] In steps S1.1 and S1.4, switch sensors are installed on the six axes of the manipulator;

[0057] After the robot moves to the reference point, it starts to move in the set direction. During the movement, the sensor status is detected in real time. After detecting the sensor signal, the robot stops moving and performs a three-dimensional position conversion between the current coordinates and the reference coordinates to calculate the final measurement data.

[0058] Performing data transmission in steps S1.1, S1.3, S1.4, S1.7 and / or S1.8, the data transmission including alarm data and / or coordinate data;

[0059] Set the alarm category to ALARM, WARNING, and MESSAGE; Alarm is a shutdown alarm, Warning is a non-shutdown fault, and Message is a prompt message;

[0060] The PLC alarm information is automatically summarized through the code, and the alarm data is transmitted to the human-machine interface (HMI) through the WString variable to display the interaction between the PLC and the human-machine interface (HMI).

[0061] The steps for alarm classification and push are as follows;

[0062] First, associate the alarm content arrays of the Input parameter interfaces i_AlarmStr, i_WarningStr, and i_MessageStr with the alarm trigger arrays of the Inout parameter interfaces io_Alarm, io_Warning, and io_Message;

[0063] Then, in the Output parameter interface, HMI_Alarm, HMI_Warning, and HMI_Message are the alarm trigger push interfaces of the HMI.

[0064] HMI_AlarmStr, HMI_WarningStr, and HMI_MessageStr are the alarm content push interfaces of the HMI;

[0065] Secondly, the alarm is judged through a for loop to see if the value of the variable corresponding to the trigger array subscript is TRUE; if it is TRUE, the corresponding subscript is recorded in the subscript record array, and the counting array variable is increased by 1;

[0066] Again, the corresponding alarm content in the subscript record array is pushed to the human-machine interface HMI through the for loop;

[0067] When i_ResetButton is TRUE, the alarm is reset; o_AlarmBit indicates whether the alarm is output, o_WarningBit indicates whether the warning is output, and o_MessageBit indicates whether the message is output.

[0068] This flexible processing line is designed to solve the problem of heavy workpieces being difficult to transport during processing. The lack of a buffering and transfer area makes workpiece storage difficult, and cross-loading between machine tools is impossible. This flexible processing line utilizes a stacker crane to transport heavy workpieces and perform machine loading and unloading. It is also equipped with double-layer vertical warehouse shelves for storing workpieces, enabling cross-operation between machine tools, breaking the traditional sequential processing process, achieving rapid production, and improving work efficiency.

[0069] The existing measurement method requires high-precision analog sensors. Analog sensors are expensive, have a long debugging cycle, and the measurement data needs to be processed by the program before it can be used. At the same time, there are requirements for the surface finish of the workpiece, and it is easily affected by liquid and light. The measurement accuracy is affected by many factors.

[0070] The purpose of the present invention is to establish a data measurement method that achieves high stability, high precision, high response, and convenient performance by adding a relatively inexpensive switch sensor to a manipulator. The present invention can use a macro program to determine whether the current processing surface is surface A or surface B through the machine tool processing side. The host computer automatically calls the NC processing program according to the process configuration. Different processing programs can also be called for surface A and surface B. The processes of six horizontal machining centers can be carried out in an interleaved manner. The present invention has a reasonable design, low cost, durability, safety and reliability, simple operation, time-saving and labor-saving, money-saving, compact structure, and is easy to use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall system architecture of the present invention.

[0072] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the stacker process configuration of the present invention.

[0073] Figure 3 It is a process flow chart of the double-sided horizontal machining center of the present invention.

[0074] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the FMS control system architecture of the present invention.

[0075] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the use of the double-sided horizontal machining center of the present invention.

[0076] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the turntable structure of the present invention.

[0077] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the stacker crane of the present invention.

[0078] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the sensor interface of the present invention.

[0079] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the robot control of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] like Figure 1-9 The present invention provides a control method and supporting equipment for an integrated processing line. Example 1, applied to a non-push box flexible processing line, comprises an FMS flexible control system, an electrical control cabinet, a stacker, a horizontal machining center, a machine tool zero-point module, a cleaning machine, a human-machine interaction station, and a workpiece buffer. Data exchange between devices is achieved via Ethernet links, and status acquisition is used to determine whether the stacker is loading or unloading material from the machine tool.

[0081] The workpieces produced by the non-push box flexible processing line are mainly gearbox bodies of large engineering vehicles such as large bulldozers and mining excavators. The workpieces are large in size and difficult to carry. In order to reduce the workload of workers, a stacker crane is used to load and unload the machine tools. It can adapt to multiple varieties, switch flexibly, be simple and fast, and improve production efficiency.

[0082] This control system is mainly suitable for heavy-duty processing lines with multiple machine tools, multiple products, and complex processes. The product diversification can flexibly call machine tool processing programs, automate mixed product production, and improve production efficiency. It can meet the needs of most machine tool processing production lines on the market.

[0083] The heavy-load flexible line in the form of a stacker crane can flexibly expand the equipment and the number of storage locations. Compared with the RGV form, the price is lower. The stacker crane's travel speed can reach 120m / min, which meets the redundant time of equipment processing.

[0084] Combine Figure 1S1.1 First, a human or robotic arm secures the workpiece to be processed to the pallet sub-plate at the loading station. S1.2 The processing process is preset in the FMS flexible control system. S1.3 In the FMS flexible control system (which can be Siemens, Mitsubishi, or Hitachi, etc.), the software control module in the FMS flexible control system determines the task generation based on the machine tool processing task and machine tool processing status. S1.4 The software control module issues the task, and the stacker robot begins task execution. S1.5 Determines whether to place the workpiece in the workpiece buffer or the machining center. S1.6 After the machine tool unloads the material, the machine tool exchanges the worktable according to the pre-configured process, and the processing program automatically switches, including tool call. S1.7 After the machine tool processing is completed, the FMS flexible control system issues a task, and the stacker executes the loading station unloading. S1.8 After the loading station is placed, the human or robotic arm completes the unloading and continues to load new workpieces. This reciprocating operation.

[0085] Among them, the configuration process is as follows: the FMS flexible control system can perform processing according to the configuration, disrupt the machine tool processing sequence according to the process, is not restricted by the placement of the machine tool, and can be flexibly called to meet the process requirements of different products and adapt to the market's small batch and multi-variety production requirements.

[0086] Data information is collected with the help of a supporting system; the supporting system includes a host computer equipped with an FMS flexible control system, which interacts with the PLC in the floor cabinet to implement execution and feedback status; the PLC in the floor cabinet is electrically connected to the PMC program of the horizontal machining center, the electrical control cabinet, and the stacker cabinet.

[0087] Signal transmission FMS flexible control system, the machining center and the electrical control cabinet are connected via PROFINET, and the AP link between the electrical cabinet and the stacker cabinet uses TCP communication;

[0088] Information collection is mainly carried out by the mutual transmission of signals between the FMS flexible control system, the horizontal machining center PMC program, the electrical control cabinet, and the stacker electrical cabinet, which collects the current operating status of the equipment in real time and determines the next action to be performed based on the current status.

[0089] Example 2, for the horizontal machining center of Example 1, the present invention relates to the field of machine tool processing, and is combined with host computer control, NC programming, machine tool PMC program, etc., mainly for changes such as the diversification of machine tool processing products, process adjustment, and production plan adjustment. Workers will frequently go to the machine tool's operation panel to call the program, use the host computer to call the machine tool macro program, and automatically switch the machine tool processing program, thereby reducing the time of operators running frequently and improving processing efficiency.

[0090] This invention is applied to flexible processing lines for non-push box bodies, and is practically implemented using a host computer, Siemens PLC, or FANUC numerical control system. Data exchange is achieved via an Ethernet link, and status acquisition is used to determine when the stacker is loading or unloading materials to the machine tool. The machine tool program has only one main processing framework, and macro programs are used to switch processing techniques.

[0091] Specific content; Main program format; The main program calls the macro program by judging the machining surface of the machine tool; Each axis returns to the reference point; G91G30X0Y0Z0; Each axis returns to the reference point; The macro program number of the A side is cleared; The macro program number of the B side is cleared; Auxiliary action preparation is completed; #801=10; The workbench of the A side is detected, and the macro program for the A side machining is called; #802=10; The workbench of the B side is detected, and the macro program for the B side machining is called; #820=1; N10; IF[#1021NE1]Goto 10; M60; N100; #820=1; IF[#1017EQ1]Goto101; IF[#1018EQ1]Goto 102; Goto 100; N101; The turntable of the A side clears the macro program number of the turntable of the B side; #802=10; IF[#801EQ 10]Goto 900;#820=4;G65P#801;#820=5;G4X2;M300;N30;IF[#1021NE1]Goto30;M60;GOTO 1000;Judge whether the macro program for side A is written successfully. If the writing is unsuccessful, the system will prompt that the program number is empty;Call macro program;Machine tool processing status;Complete M code during machine tool processing;Judge whether rotation is allowed;Status rotation;Similarly, the program for side B is the same as the program for side A;N900——When it is judged that the program is empty, the system will trigger an alarm and prompt an alarm message. The program number is empty. #3000=1(No calling program);N50;IF[#1021NE1]Goto 50;M60;GOTO 1000;N1000;#820=1;Goto 100;

[0092] M99; M30;

[0093] The horizontal machining center PMC has an A-side rotary table and a B-side rotary table;

[0094] Specific process: First, the turntable rotation is judged and selected; the A-side or B-side turntable is selected; whether to execute the loading and unloading request is executed. When it is idle, the loading request is executed. When the processing is completed, the unloading request is executed and feedback is given to the ground cabinet PLC;

[0095] Example 3: The purpose of this example is to limit the stacker to operate within a correct safety range to avoid collision and damage. As specific steps:

[0096] S3.1, in order to solve the problem of abnormal operation of the stacker crane, the safety logic of the present invention is based on the fact that each storage location has independent coordinates.

[0097] S3.2, to solve the problem of independent coordinate setting of storage locations in S3.1, traditional row, column, and layer coordinates can be set on the touch screen. The touch screen displays an 8*8 grid. Click the corresponding button to switch the arrangement layer; after the point is updated, the coordinates will be updated in batches to the corresponding point coordinates.

[0098] S3.3, click the corresponding storage location on the touch screen in S3.2, and the specific storage location can be displayed and maintained in the point coordinate setting screen.

[0099] S3.4, there are many storage locations in the three-dimensional warehouse, and the human-machine interface HMI uses multiplexing to associate the variables in the PLC.

[0100] S3.5, after setting the point coordinates, pre-set the safe range of movement allowed for each axis relative to the point.

[0101] First, the task is issued. Then, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero and is confirmed to have returned to zero by the longitudinal axis Y zero position switch. Second, after the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero, the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z can move. When the horizontal axis X and / or vertical axis Z reach the target point and, based on the sensor, hit the deceleration switch, the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z reduce their operating speed. When they hit the limit switch, the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z stop moving. Third, when the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z are within the preset safety threshold for the point, the longitudinal axis Y can move. Afterwards, the longitudinal axis Y extends and hits the limit switch, and the longitudinal axis Y stops moving. When the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z are within the preset safety threshold for the point, the longitudinal axis Y can move. When the longitudinal axis Y is within the preset safety threshold for the point, the horizontal axis X is within the preset safety threshold for the point, and the vertical axis Z can move within the preset safety threshold for the point. The vertical axis Z is loaded. When the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z are within the preset safety threshold for the point, the longitudinal axis Y can move. The longitudinal axis Y returns to zero.

[0102] S3.6, based on the storage location and safety range, the PLC reads the real-time coordinates of the current encoder of each axis, traverses all storage location coordinates, and compares the coordinates with the real-time coordinates.

[0103] S3.7, the comparison results are recorded as follows: when the walking coordinates are within the safe range, the inX mark of the point is True; when the lifting is within the safe range, the inY mark of the point is True; when the fork or manipulator coordinates are within the safe range, the inZ mark of the point is True.

[0104] The logic of the safety position restriction within the safety range is as follows.

[0105] S3.7.1 The fork or manipulator can move and lift when it is in the neutral position. When inX and inY are both True at any point, the fork or manipulator is allowed to move. When inZ is True at any point, lifting and loading operations are allowed.

[0106] S3.7.2, when the axis coordinates are outside the safe range and the conditions in S3.7.1 are not met, the axis is paused and no movement is allowed.

[0107] S3.7.3: When inX and inY of a point are True and the fork or robot moves toward that point, an interference signal is output. If the corresponding point is a loading station or material channel, the device is prohibited from moving.

[0108] The above safety logic is executed cyclically in the PLC, independent of the control program. When the control program conditions are met but the safety conditions are not met, the axis pauses. When both the automatic conditions and the safety conditions are met, the axis moves. When the interference signal is output, the corresponding device is not allowed to move.

[0109] The above safety logic uses point coordinates as a comparison basis to set a reasonable safety range. While ensuring the normal operation of the stacker crane, it achieves safety protection and avoids damage caused by abnormal operation of the stacker crane.

[0110] This embodiment uses point coordinate-based safety protection logic to limit the movement of the stacker's axes, independent of the operational logic. The coordinates of all storage points can be displayed and maintained on the touchscreen. This significantly reduces the possibility of equipment damage caused by abnormal operation without increasing hardware costs, effectively simplifies control logic, and improves alarm notifications to facilitate equipment maintenance.

[0111] Example 4, as a further improvement to the supporting manipulators of stackers and machining centers, the application field of manipulators and 3D vision involves technologies that combine automation, 3D vision, sensors, machine control, etc., and mainly aims at the problem that the large-field-of-view camera has insufficient accuracy and the high-precision camera has a small field of view and cannot automatically guide the grabbing of the entire stack during the visual guidance of the stacker. Through reasonable planning, a method of using manipulator calculation and 3D vision system recognition is designed and established. By installing a high-precision 3D vision camera at the front end of the manipulator, precise destacking is performed on multi-station and multi-layer stackers.

[0112] The existing stacker crane 3D recognition and destacking method uses a large-field-of-view camera, which is costly and cannot meet the requirements of high-precision grasping. Therefore, a multi-station and multi-layer guided precise grasping method is established through a robot arm and a high-precision 3D camera.

[0113] The present invention has high stability, high precision, high response, reduces cost, improves precision, and is easy to use.

[0114] The stacker includes a manipulator and / or a fork (preferably a FANUC six-axis manipulator); a high-precision 3D vision camera is set at the end of the vertical axis Z of the manipulator;

[0115] Advantages of six-axis manipulator: strong operability; multiple application scenarios; high-precision operation; strong programmability.

[0116] Strong editability is a crucial consideration. Six-axis industrial robots are controlled through programming, changing their trajectory and working process. Without flexibility and the ability to adjust programming at any time, all the advantages of a robot become mediocre. This is the operation that truly determines its ease of use.

[0117] This invention uses a high-precision 3D vision camera installed on all six axes of the manipulator to accurately identify and grasp workpieces. The high-precision 3D vision is installed on the wrist of the manipulator. The manipulator's flexible movements carry the high-precision 3D vision camera for image acquisition and data calculation. The workpiece's precise position is calculated using the position calculated by the 3D vision and the coordinate data of the manipulator.

[0118] As the working principle of the present invention, a high-precision 3D camera is installed on the six axes of the manipulator. The manipulator moves the 3D camera to the highest photo-taking position, triggering a photo-taking instruction to the 3D camera; the 3D camera identifies the height of the material stack and transmits the data to the manipulator; the manipulator is brought to the height identified by the 3D camera, runs to the photo-taking position above a certain workstation, and triggers a photo-taking instruction; the 3D camera identifies the current workstation status (with workpiece, without workpiece); if there is no workpiece, the manipulator will move the 3D camera to the next workstation for photo-taking and identification; if there is no workpiece at all workstations, the manipulator will move the 3D camera to the photo-taking position to identify the current layer of pallet, and perform pallet position identification and grasping; if there is a workpiece, the identified data will be transmitted to the manipulator, and the manipulator will use the position data sent by the 3D camera and the current position data of the manipulator to obtain the final precise position of the workpiece and grasp it.

[0119] The beneficial effects of the technical solution of the present invention are: precise destacking of large stacks of materials with multiple layers at multiple stations through a manipulator and a high-precision 3D camera; high precision, low cost, high efficiency, easy debugging, and high stability;

[0120] In Example 5, to reduce the cost of sensors such as high-precision 3D cameras, a switch sensor is used. A switch quantity refers to an on / off signal and is a passive signal. In circuits, switch quantities primarily refer to binary inputs and outputs, used to indicate binary states or the occurrence of an event. Switch signals are commonly used in proximity sensors, photoelectric sensors, and digital circuits, such as electronic switches and buttons. Switch quantities reflect status signals, such as the open or closed state of a switch.

[0121] The switch contacts the surface of the object to send a signal to the robot. After the robot recognizes the signal, it stops and records the coordinates, and continues to measure other points. This process is repeated and accurate measurement data is calculated through the robot coordinates.

[0122] The six axes of the robot are equipped with switch sensors. After the robot moves to the reference point, it starts to move slowly in the set direction. The sensor status is detected in real time during the movement. After the sensor signal is detected, the robot stops moving immediately, and performs three-dimensional position conversion through the current coordinates and the reference coordinates to calculate the final measurement data.

[0123] In Example 6, existing alarm information needs to be summarized item by item, which requires a high PLC programming workload. Conventional alarm information requires adding alarm text to the HMI or using the ProDiag function to transmit it to the HMI. The ProDiag function has certain requirements for PLC and HMI hardware; it can only be implemented using the S7-1500 and a sophisticated panel, and ProDiag requires a high licensing fee. Furthermore, the ProDiag function consumes a significant amount of PLC resources.

[0124] This invention is applicable to automated control systems composed of PLCs and human-machine interfaces (HMIs). Alarms are generally categorized into ALARM, WARNING, and MESSAGE. Alarms are shutdown alarms, Warnings are non-shutdown faults, and Messages are prompts. This invention solves the problem of classifying discrete alarms and adding text.

[0125] The purpose of the present invention is to automatically summarize PLC alarm information through code, and transmit the alarm text to the human-machine interface HMI for display through WString variables. It has no high hardware requirements for PLC and human-machine interface HMI, and the occupancy rate of PLC resources is relatively low.

[0126] The technical solution of this embodiment has the beneficial effects of reducing the programming workload for alarms and summarization compared to traditional discrete alarms and broadening its scope and cost compared to the ProDiag method. The alarm summary and HMI information push program implements the push of alarm information to the HMI via Wstring type variables.

[0127] The system of the present invention is composed of an alarm summary and a human-machine interface (HMI) information push program.

[0128] Alarm classification and push notification principles: Alarm content arrays (i_AlarmStr, i_WarningStr, and i_MessageStr) are associated with alarm trigger arrays (io_Alarm, io_Warning, and io_Message) in the input parameter interfaces. Output parameter interfaces (HMI_Alarm, HMI_Warning, and HMI_Message) serve as the HMI alarm trigger push interface, while HMI_AlarmStr, HMI_WarningStr, and HMI_MessageStr serve as the HMI alarm content push interface.

[0129] A for loop is used to determine whether the variable value corresponding to the alarm trigger array subscript is TRUE. If it is TRUE, the corresponding subscript is recorded in the subscript record array, and the counting array variable is increased by 1.

[0130] The corresponding alarm content in the subscript record array is pushed to the human-machine interface HMI through a for loop.

[0131] When i_ResetButton is TRUE, the alarm is reset.

[0132] o_AlarmBit indicates whether an alarm is output, o_WarningBit indicates whether a warning is output, and o_MessageBit indicates whether a message is output.

[0133] The present invention is fully described for a clearer disclosure, and the prior art is not listed one by one.

[0134] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may be modified or some of the technical features thereof may be replaced with equivalents. It is obvious for those skilled in the art to combine multiple technical solutions of the present invention. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention. Any technical content not fully described in this invention is well-known technology.

Claims

1. A heavy-load flexible processing line based on a stacker crane, characterized by: It includes a host computer equipped with an FMS flexible control system, an electrical control cabinet, a stacker crane, a horizontal machining center, and a loading station that interact with the FMS flexible control system. The host computer interacts with the ground cabinet PLC to realize execution of actions and feedback status; the ground cabinet PLC is electrically connected to the horizontal machining center PMC program, electrical control cabinet and stacker electrical cabinet; The stacker crane travels between the horizontal machining center and the loading station.

2. The heavy-load flexible processing line based on the stacker type according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The horizontal machining center is equipped with a machine tool zero point module, a cleaning machine, a human-machine interaction station and / or a workpiece buffer storage space at the corresponding loading station; Signal transmission FMS flexible control system, the horizontal machining center and the electrical control cabinet are connected via PROFINET, and the AP link between the electrical cabinet and the stacker cabinet uses TCP communication.

3. A heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane, characterized by: By means of the processing line according to claim 1; S1.1, first, at the loading station, the workpiece to be processed is fixed from the workpiece buffer location to the pallet sub-plate of the stacker; S1.2, in the FMS flexible control system, preset the configuration and processing technology of the workpiece to be processed; S1.3, the software control module of the FMS flexible control system, determines task generation based on the horizontal machining center's machine tool processing tasks and machine tool processing status; S1.4: The software control module issues the task, and the stacker's manipulator begins executing the task. S1.5, determine whether to place the workpiece in the workpiece cache or in the horizontal machining center; S1.6, after the material is unloaded, the horizontal machining center exchanges the worktable according to the pre-configured process and automatically switches the machining program, including the tool calling program; S1.7, after the machine tool processing is completed, the stacker crane performs unloading at the loading station according to the task issued by the FMS flexible control system; S1.8, after placing the loading station, after unloading is completed by manual or robotic arm, continue to load new workpieces.

4. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The FMS flexible control system, the PMC program of the horizontal machining center, the electrical control cabinet, and the stacker cabinet all transmit signals to each other, collecting the real-time operating status of the stacker, horizontal machining center, and loading station, and determining the next action to be performed based on the current status; The PMC program switches the machining process by calling the macro program; The FMS flexible control system has an A-side rotary table and a B-side rotary table; In step S1.6, when the horizontal machining center PMC controls the rotation of the A-side turntable and the B-side turntable, first, the turntable rotation is judged and selected; then, the A-side or B-side turntable is selected; secondly, whether to execute the loading and unloading request is executed; when idle, the loading request is executed, and when the processing is completed, the unloading request is executed and fed back to the ground cabinet PLC.

5. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the stacker crane is operating within the set safety range, perform the following steps: The main program of the PMC program calls the macro program by judging the machining surface of the machine tool to rotate the rotary table; S2.1, first, the horizontal axis X, vertical axis Z, and longitudinal axis Y return to the reference point; the horizontal axis X, vertical axis Z, and longitudinal axis Y return to the reference point; Then, the macro program number of side A is cleared; the macro program number of side B is cleared; secondly, the auxiliary action preparation is completed; when the workbench of side A is detected, the macro program for processing side A is called; when the workbench of side B is detected, the macro program for processing side B is called; Next, the A-side turntable clears the macro program number of the B-side turntable; thereafter, it is determined whether the A-side macro program is written successfully. If the writing is unsuccessful, the system prompts that the program number is empty; Otherwise, call the macro program; check the machine processing status; and then complete the M code during machine processing. Determine whether the rotation state is allowed; If yes, the state rotates; When it is determined that the program is empty, the system alarm is triggered and an alarm message is prompted that the program number is empty.

6. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step S1.1 or S1.8, the stacker's manipulator or fork moves and performs the following steps: S3.1, establish independent coordinates based on each storage location; S3.2, to solve the problem of independent coordinate setting of storage locations in S3.1, set row, column, and layer coordinates on the touch screen. When the points are updated, the coordinates are updated in batches to the corresponding point coordinates; S3.3, click the corresponding storage location on the touch screen in S3.2 to display and maintain the specific storage location in the point coordinate setting; S3.4, use multiplexing to associate variables in the PLC; S3.5, after setting the point coordinates, pre-set the safe range of movement allowed for the horizontal axis X, longitudinal axis Y, and vertical axis Z relative to the point; To execute a specific action, first, issue a task; then, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero point and confirms that it has returned to zero position through the longitudinal axis Y zero position switch; Secondly, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero, and the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z move; the horizontal axis X and / or vertical axis Z reach the target point and hit the deceleration switch, and the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z reduce their running speed; hit the limit switch, and the horizontal axis X and vertical axis Z stop moving; again, the horizontal axis X is within the preset safety threshold of the point, and the vertical axis Z is within the preset safety threshold of the point, and the longitudinal axis Y moves; then, the longitudinal axis Y extends, hits the limit switch, and the longitudinal axis Y stops moving; the horizontal axis X is within the preset safety threshold of the point, and the vertical axis Z is within the preset safety threshold of the point, and the longitudinal axis Y can move; then, the longitudinal axis Y is within the preset safety threshold of the point, and the horizontal axis X is within the preset safety threshold of the point, and the vertical axis Z moves within the preset safety threshold of the point; then, the vertical axis Z is loaded; The horizontal axis X is within the preset safety threshold of the point position, the vertical axis Z is within the preset safety threshold of the point position, and the longitudinal axis Y moves; then, the longitudinal axis Y returns to zero; S3.6, based on the storage location and safety range, the PLC reads the current encoder real-time coordinates of each axis, traverses all storage location coordinates, and compares the coordinates with the real-time coordinates; S3.7, the comparison results are recorded as follows: when the walking coordinates are within the safe range, the inX mark of the point is True; when the lifting is within the safe range, the inY mark of the point is True; when the fork or manipulator coordinates of the stacker are within the safe range, the inZ mark of the point is True.

7. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane according to claim 3 is characterized in that: In step S3.7, the safety position limit logic within the safety range is as follows: S3.7.1: When the fork or manipulator is in the neutral position, it can move and lift. When inX and inY are both True at any point, the fork or manipulator is allowed to move. When inZ is True at any point, lifting and loading operations are allowed. S3.7.2, when the axis coordinates are outside the safe range and the conditions in S3.7.1 are not met, the axis is paused and no movement is allowed; S3.7.3: When inX and inY of a point are True and the fork or manipulator moves toward that point, an interference signal is output. If the corresponding point is a loading station or a material channel, the action is prohibited. In step S1.4, a high-precision 3D vision camera is set at the vertical axis Z end of the manipulator; The robot moves the 3D camera to the highest shooting position, triggering a shooting command to the 3D camera; the 3D camera identifies the stack height and transmits the data to the robot; the robot moves to the height identified by the 3D camera, moves to the shooting position above the set workstation, and triggers the shooting command; the 3D camera identifies the current workstation status; If there is no workpiece, the robot moves the 3D camera to the next station for photo identification; if there is no workpiece at all stations, the robot moves the 3D camera to the position to identify the current layer of pallet for photo identification and grasping; If there is a workpiece, the identified data will be transmitted to the robot. The robot will combine the position data sent by the 3D camera with the current position data of the robot to determine the final position of the workpiece and grab it.

8. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane according to claim 7, characterized in that: In steps S1.1 and S1.4, switch sensors are installed on the six axes of the manipulator; After the robot moves to the reference point, it starts to move in the set direction. During the movement, the sensor status is detected in real time. After detecting the sensor signal, the robot stops moving and performs a three-dimensional position conversion between the current coordinates and the reference coordinates to calculate the final measurement data.

9. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: Performing data transmission in steps S1.1, S1.3, S1.4, S1.7 and / or S1.8, the data transmission including alarm data and / or coordinate data; Set the alarm category to ALARM, WARNING, and MESSAGE; Alarm is a shutdown alarm, Warning is a non-shutdown fault, and Message is a prompt message; The PLC alarm information is automatically summarized through the code, and the alarm data is transmitted to the human-machine interface (HMI) through the WString variable to display the interaction between the PLC and the human-machine interface (HMI).

10. The heavy-load flexible processing method based on a stacker crane according to claim 9, characterized in that: The steps for alarm classification and push are as follows; First, associate the alarm content arrays of the Input parameter interfaces i_AlarmStr, i_WarningStr, and i_MessageStr with the alarm trigger arrays of the Inout parameter interfaces io_Alarm, io_Warning, and io_Message; Then, in the Output parameter interface, HMI_Alarm, HMI_Warning, and HMI_Message are the alarm trigger push interfaces of the HMI. HMI_AlarmStr, HMI_WarningStr, and HMI_MessageStr are the alarm content push interfaces of the HMI; Secondly, the alarm is judged through the for loop to see whether the variable value corresponding to the trigger array subscript is TRUE; if it is TRUE, the corresponding subscript is recorded in the subscript record array, and the counting array variable is increased by 1; Again, the corresponding alarm content in the subscript record array is pushed to the human-machine interface HMI through the for loop; When i_ResetButton is TRUE, the alarm is reset; o_AlarmBit indicates whether the alarm is output, o_WarningBit indicates whether the warning is output, and o_MessageBit indicates whether the message is output.

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