Gantry welding apparatus and method of use thereof

By adding an auxiliary positioning component to the gantry-type automatic welding machine, and using the positioning groove and positioning belt components for precise positioning, the deviation problem of the components to be welded during the transfer and placement process is solved, achieving high-precision welding and reducing the number of defective products.

CN120644847BActive Publication Date: 2026-01-27JINXIN PRECISION COMPONENTS KUNSHAN CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202511131508.X
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-08-13
Publication Date
2026-01-27
Estimated Expiration
2045-08-13

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing gantry-type automatic welding machines are prone to deviations during the transfer and placement of components to be welded, affecting positional accuracy and welding precision, resulting in poor product quality.

Method used

An auxiliary positioning component, including a support vertical rod and a sliding positioning body, is added to the gantry automatic welding machine. The component to be welded is precisely positioned by constructing a container on the support platform. The positioning groove and positioning belt assembly guide the placement of the component. Combined with infrared signal verification and load detection technology, accurate positioning is ensured.

Benefits of technology

It improves the positioning and welding accuracy of the gantry-type automatic welding machine, reduces the production of defective products, and has greater applicability, making it suitable for processing different products.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The application discloses a gantry welding device and a use method thereof, relates to the technical field of welding devices, and adds an auxiliary positioning assembly on the gantry automatic welding machine in the prior art, and a container for accommodating and positioning a to-be-welded component is constructed on the top of a base component by using the auxiliary positioning assembly before the to-be-welded component is placed; when the to-be-welded component is placed, the to-be-welded component is gradually placed in the constructed container, the to-be-welded component is guided to be placed by using the constructed container, and accurate positioning is realized; and the technical effect that the position precision and the welding precision of a product manufactured by the gantry automatic welding machine are high and defective products are not prone to occur is realized.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding equipment technology, and in particular to a gantry welding machine and its method of use. Background Technology

[0002] A gantry-type automatic welding machine is a large industrial equipment that can efficiently complete the automatic welding of large steel or structural components.

[0003] In the prior art, a gantry automatic welding machine generally includes a support platform 100, a gantry frame 200, a welding robotic arm 210 and a material transfer robotic arm 220 positioned on the gantry frame 200, and a feeding assembly. During operation, the feeding assembly transports the base component to the bottom of the gantry frame 200, the material transfer robotic arm 220 clamps the component to be welded onto the base component and moves it onto the base component and positions it, and finally the welding robotic arm 210 welds the component to be welded onto the base component.

[0004] While the above solution can automatically and efficiently complete the loading and welding of components, the loading of components to be welded relies on the gripping of a robotic arm. Due to the gripping angle and position, as well as the center of gravity of the components to be welded, skewness can easily occur during the process from gripping to placement. This can lead to deviations in the placement of the components to be welded, which in turn affects the positional accuracy and welding accuracy of the components, seriously affecting the quality of the finished product. Once a problem occurs in the welding of components, rework is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a gantry-type automatic welding equipment that produces products with high positioning and welding accuracy and is less prone to defects. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a gantry welding device and its usage method, which solves the technical problem in the prior art where deviations easily occur during the transfer and placement of components to be welded in gantry automatic welding machines, thus affecting the positional accuracy and welding accuracy of the components to be welded; it achieves the technical effect that the products manufactured by the gantry automatic welding machine have high positional accuracy and welding accuracy and are less prone to defects.

[0007] This application provides a gantry welding equipment, including a support platform, a gantry frame, a feeding assembly, and a component conveying assembly; the gantry frame is positioned on top of the support platform; a welding robotic arm and a material transfer robotic arm are slidably positioned on the gantry frame; the material transfer robotic arm is used to grip the component to be welded conveyed by the component conveying assembly, and move and place the component to be welded on a base component under the gantry frame; the feeding assembly is used to move the base component to be welded to be directly below the gantry frame, and transport the welded product away; it also includes an auxiliary positioning assembly;

[0008] The top surface of the support platform is provided with multiple through slots;

[0009] The auxiliary positioning component includes a support vertical rod and a sliding positioning body;

[0010] The number of the supporting vertical rods is two, which are respectively set near the two ends of the gantry and protrude from the through groove of the supporting platform;

[0011] The sliding positioning body is a rectangular plate structure or a rectangular frame structure, arranged horizontally, and has a positioning groove that matches the bottom contour of the component to be welded; the positioning groove is a through groove with a larger opening at the top and a smaller opening at the bottom.

[0012] Furthermore, the feeding assembly includes a conveying roller assembly and a clamping and shifting assembly;

[0013] The conveying roller assembly includes a support frame and multiple roller groups positioned on the support frame, which are set close to the bearing platform and at least five centimeters above it. The roller group is a row of horizontally arranged cylindrical rollers that are rotatably connected to the support frame. Some or all of the rollers rotate under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component, which serves to move the basic components laterally to the top of the bearing platform.

[0014] The main structure of the clamping and shifting component is a clamp positioned on the guide rail, which is controlled by the control unit to clamp the base component as needed and drive the base component to move under the gantry.

[0015] Furthermore, the sliding positioning body includes end frames, connecting rods, and positioning frames; the end frames are two horizontally arranged rigid rods, which slide along two supporting vertical rods under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component; the connecting rods are two rigid straight rods, with both ends fixed near the ends of the two end frames; the combination of the end frames and the two connecting rods forms a U-shape; the positioning frames are rigid plates, horizontally arranged, fixed to the connecting rods, and arranged in a row on the connecting rods; the positioning grooves are located on the positioning frames.

[0016] Preferably, the sliding positioning body includes a first positioning belt assembly and a second positioning belt assembly;

[0017] The first positioning belt assembly includes a horizontal frame, a first roll, a second roll, and a positioning belt;

[0018] There are two horizontal frames, which slide along two supporting vertical bars respectively;

[0019] Both the first and second rolls are horizontally arranged roll structures, respectively positioned on two horizontally arranged frames;

[0020] The positioning strip is a strip-shaped sheet, with its two ends respectively wound and positioned on the first and second rolls and always kept taut.

[0021] The positioning strip is provided with a row of positioning grooves, and the edge of the positioning groove is fixed with a groove combination ring;

[0022] The grooved combination ring is an annular strip of soft magnet or Velcro;

[0023] The second positioning belt assembly has the same structure as the first positioning belt assembly and is located below the first positioning belt assembly.

[0024] Preferably, the positioning strip is provided with a row of U-shaped through slots for placing replacement pieces;

[0025] The replacement piece can be detachably fixed to these U-shaped through slots to close them;

[0026] The replacement piece is a piece made of the same material as the positioning strip and can be detachably fixed to the positioning strip;

[0027] Different replacement pieces have the same or different positioning grooves;

[0028] When replacing a new product, if the positioning strip does not have a positioning groove that matches the component to be welded, one or more replacement strips can be directly replaced.

[0029] Preferably, the positioning strip is composed of multiple detachable strips or pieces, and the segments of the positioning strip furthest from the end are all replacement pieces.

[0030] The positioning grooves on different replacement pieces may be the same or different; when replacing with a new product, if the positioning strip does not have a positioning groove that matches the component to be welded, one or more replacement pieces can be directly replaced.

[0031] Preferably, the positioning strip is further provided with a row of verification holes;

[0032] One or more positioning slots correspond to one verification hole;

[0033] The verification hole is a through hole with a diameter of less than 1 cm;

[0034] The auxiliary positioning component also includes a position verification component connected to the control unit. The basic structure of the position verification component is an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. The position of the positioning slot is indirectly known by the time the infrared receiver receives the infrared signal transmitted through the verification hole.

[0035] Preferably, matching edge strips are fixed to both sides of the positioning strip;

[0036] The matching edge strip and the positioning strip are of equal length and are made of metal or non-metal flexible strips;

[0037] Two limiting guide rods are fixed near the end of the horizontal frame; the limiting guide rods are rigid straight rods, and the combination of the two horizontal frames forms a U-shape;

[0038] The longitudinal section of the limiting guide rod is C-shaped, and the matching edge strip passes through it; the C-shaped structure of the limiting guide rod prevents the matching edge strip from directly detaching from one side of the limiting guide rod.

[0039] Preferably, the sliding positioning body further includes a third positioning belt assembly;

[0040] The third positioning belt assembly is located above the first positioning belt assembly and has a structure that is basically the same as the first positioning belt assembly. The difference is that the positioning groove of the third positioning belt assembly is adapted to the top contour of the component to be welded. The positioning belt of the third positioning belt assembly is made of metal. The motor that drives the first and second drums of the third positioning belt assembly to rotate has a real-time load detection function.

[0041] A straight guide rail is also provided on the ground for the supporting vertical rod to slide along the length direction perpendicular to the gantry frame. The supporting vertical rod moves along the straight guide rail under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component.

[0042] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0043] By adding an auxiliary positioning component to the existing gantry-type automatic welding machine, a container for accommodating and positioning the component to be welded is constructed on top of the base component before the component is placed. During the placement of the component, it is gradually placed into the constructed container, which guides the component and achieves precise positioning. This effectively solves the technical problem in the existing gantry-type automatic welding machine that deviations easily occur during the transfer and placement of the component, thus affecting the positional accuracy and welding precision of the component. As a result, the gantry-type automatic welding machine produces products with high positional accuracy and welding precision, and is less prone to defects. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the gantry welding equipment of this application;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of the various components of the gantry welding equipment in this application;

[0046] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the auxiliary positioning component;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the limit component.

[0048] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping and shifting component;

[0049] Figure 6 A simplified diagram of the overall structure of the gantry welding equipment;

[0050] Figure 7 A simplified diagram showing the positional relationships between the components of a gantry welding machine;

[0051] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the clamping and shifting components and the support platform;

[0052] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the first positioning band assembly and the second positioning band assembly;

[0053] Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the grooved combination ring and the positioning groove;

[0054] Figure 11 Here is a simplified diagram of the positioning strip structure;

[0055] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram showing the layout of the replacement pieces;

[0056] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the replacement pieces;

[0057] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the limit guide rod, the horizontal frame, and the positioning belt.

[0058] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the limiting guide rod;

[0059] Figure 16 A schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the matching edge strip, the limiting guide rail, and the positioning strip;

[0060] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the third positioning belt assembly and the second positioning belt assembly.

[0061] In the picture:

[0062] The components include: a support platform 100, a limiting component 110, a sliding guide rail 111, a carrier frame 112, a rotating column 113, a gantry frame 200, a welding robotic arm 210, a material transfer robotic arm 220, a conveying roller assembly 300, a component conveying assembly 400, a clamping and shifting assembly 500, a transverse guide rail 510, a transverse guide rail 520, a sliding clamp 530, a support vertical rod 610, a sliding positioning body 620, an end carrier frame 621, a connecting rod 622, a positioning frame 623, a first positioning belt assembly 630, a transverse frame 631, a first drum 632, a second drum 633, a positioning belt 634, a positioning groove 635, a groove combination ring 636, a replacement piece 637, a verification hole 638, a matching edge strip 639, a limiting guide rail rod 640, a second positioning belt assembly 650, a position verification assembly 660, and a third positioning belt assembly 670. Detailed Implementation

[0063] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description of this application will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the present invention.

[0064] It should be noted that the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "up," "down," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this article are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0065] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains; the terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention; the term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0066] Example 1

[0067] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the gantry welding equipment of this application includes a support platform 100, a gantry frame 200, a feeding assembly, a component conveying assembly 400, an auxiliary positioning assembly, a power assembly, and a control unit.

[0068] The main body of the bearing platform 100 is a horizontally arranged rigid plate, which is positioned on the ground with the support of columns or frame structures.

[0069] The gantry 200 is a U-shaped rigid frame with an opening facing downwards, positioned on top of the support platform 100, used to support the welding robotic arm 210 and the material transfer robotic arm 220 and to guide their movement.

[0070] The welding robotic arm 210 is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm that is slidably positioned on the gantry 200. The arm head is a welding head, which is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. The welding robotic arm 210 slides along the length direction of the gantry 200 under the coordinated control of the power component and the control unit.

[0071] The material transfer robotic arm 220 is used to grip the component to be welded conveyed by the component conveying assembly 400, and move and place the component to be welded on the base component under the gantry 200. It is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm with a clamp at the arm head, which is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. The material transfer robotic arm 220 slides along the length of the gantry 200 under the coordinated control of the power assembly and the control unit.

[0072] Preferably, the number of welding robotic arms 210 is multiple.

[0073] The feeding assembly is used to move the base component of the component to be welded to be directly below the gantry 200 and transport the welded product away.

[0074] The feeding assembly includes a conveying roller assembly 300 and a clamping and shifting assembly 500;

[0075] The conveying roller assembly 300 includes a support frame and multiple roller groups positioned on the support frame. The roller groups are located close to the support platform 100 and are more than five centimeters higher than the support platform 100. The roller groups are a row of horizontally arranged cylindrical rollers that are rotatably connected to the support frame. Some or all of the rollers rotate under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component, which serves to move the basic components laterally to the top of the support platform 100. This is the prior art.

[0076] The main structure of the clamping and shifting component 500 is a clamp positioned on the guide rail, which is controlled by the control unit to clamp the base component as needed and drive the base component to move under the gantry 200.

[0077] The clamping and shifting assembly 500 is positioned on the ground, and the supporting platform 100 has multiple through slots through which the clamping and shifting assembly 500 can extend.

[0078] The clamping and shifting assembly 500 includes a transverse guide rail 510, a transverse guide rail 520, and a sliding clamp 530. The transverse guide rail 510 is positioned on the ground and is a straight guide rail with its length direction being the same as the length direction of the gantry 200. The transverse guide rail 520 is a straight guide rail and is controlled by the control unit to slide along the transverse guide rail 510. The length direction of the transverse guide rail 520 is perpendicular to the length direction of the transverse guide rail 510. The sliding clamp 530 is slidably positioned on the transverse guide rail 520 and is an electric or pneumatic clamp that extends from a through slot on the bearing platform 100. It is controlled by the control unit to clamp and move the base component in a timely manner.

[0079] A limiting component 110 is provided at the top of the bearing platform 100 near the conveyor roller assembly 300. The limiting component 110 is used to guide the movement direction of the base component to ensure processing accuracy. The limiting component 110 includes a sliding guide rail 111, a carrier frame 112, and a rotating column 113. The sliding guide rail 111 is a horizontally arranged straight guide rail, and its length direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the gantry frame 200. The carrier frame 112 is a rigid frame that slides along the sliding guide rail 111 under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component. The rotating column 113 is a cylinder made of rubber or plastic and is rotatably connected to the carrier frame 112. There are two rotating columns 113 on one carrier frame 112, one vertically arranged and the other horizontally arranged. In use, the horizontally arranged rotating column 113 is located at the top of the base component, and the vertically arranged rotating column 113 abuts against the side of the base component.

[0080] The component conveying assembly 400 is used to deliver the component to be welded to the material handling robot arm 220 for it to grip. It is positioned on the top of the support platform 100 near the gantry 200 or on the ground near the support platform 100. The component conveying assembly 400 is a conveyor belt structure, a clip feeding mechanism, or a combination of a robot arm and a shelf. It is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0081] The auxiliary positioning component is used to assist in the placement and alignment of the component to be welded held by the material handling robot arm 220. It is set on the side near the gantry 200 and includes a bearing vertical rod 610 and a sliding positioning body 620.

[0082] The supporting vertical rod 610 is a rigid rod or plate set vertically. There are two of them, which are set near the two ends of the gantry frame 200 respectively. The bottom is fixed to the ground and protrudes from the through groove of the supporting platform 100, which serves to guide the movement of the sliding positioning body 620.

[0083] The sliding positioning body 620 is a rectangular plate structure or a rectangular frame structure, arranged horizontally, and has a positioning groove 635 that matches the bottom contour of the component to be welded; the sliding positioning body 620 is always located on the top of the bearing platform 100 and on the side close to the gantry 200; the positioning groove 635 is a through groove with a larger opening at the top and a smaller opening at the bottom (in a trumpet shape), and the bottom opening of the positioning groove 635 is exactly adapted to the bottom contour of the component to be welded, so that the position of the component to be welded is completely restricted by the positioning groove 635 when it contacts the base component.

[0084] When it is necessary to change the product being processed, the sliding positioning body 620 also needs to be replaced so that the positioning groove 635 on it matches the new product.

[0085] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the sliding positioning body 620 includes an end frame 621, a connecting rod 622, and a positioning frame 623. The end frame 621 is a horizontally arranged rigid rod, of which there are two, which slide along two supporting vertical rods 610 under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power assembly. The connecting rod 622 is a rigid straight rod, with both ends fixed near the ends of the two end frames 621, of which there are two. The combination of the end frames 621 and the two connecting rods 622 forms a U-shape. The positioning frame 623 is a rigid plate, horizontally arranged, fixed to the connecting rod 622, and arranged in a row on the connecting rod 622. The positioning groove 635 is located on the positioning frame 623. When it is necessary to change the product being processed, the layout of the positioning frame 623 can be changed or the positioning frame 623 can be replaced as needed.

[0086] The power assembly is used to provide power for the operation of each component of the gantry welding equipment of this application, and the control unit plays the role of controlling the coordinated operation of each component of the gantry welding equipment. Both are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0087] Preferably, the control unit is a combination of a programmable logic controller and control buttons.

[0088] When using the gantry-type automatic welding equipment of this application embodiment, it is necessary to weld the component to be welded (the base component is a large plate-shaped material, and the component to be welded is a relatively small component that needs to be welded onto the base component) on a plate-shaped base component. The steps are as follows:

[0089] 1. First, adjust the posture of the limiting component 110 and the clamping and shifting component 500 according to the size of the basic component;

[0090] 2. The base components on the conveyor roller assembly 300 move toward the bearing platform 100 under the drive of the conveyor roller assembly 300, and move to the clamping range of the clamping and shifting assembly 500;

[0091] 3. Control the clamping and shifting assembly 500 to clamp the base component and move it below the gantry 200;

[0092] 4. Control the sliding positioning body 620 to move downward in a timely manner so that it abuts against the top surface of the base component, thereby forming a container to accommodate the component to be welded;

[0093] 5. Subsequently, the material handling robotic arm 220 is controlled to clamp the component to be welded from the component conveying assembly 400 and fill it into the positioning groove 635, thereby achieving the positioning of the component to be welded;

[0094] 6. Lift the sliding positioning body 620, move the base component and weld it (if a collision sound is heard when lifting the sliding positioning body 620, pay close attention, as the component to be welded may be in a misaligned state).

[0095] 7. After welding is completed, the welded product is transported away using the clamping and shifting assembly 500 and the conveying roller assembly 300.

[0096] The technical solutions described in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0097] This invention solves the technical problem in existing gantry-type automatic welding machines where deviations easily occur during the transfer and placement of components to be welded, thus affecting the positional accuracy and welding precision of the components. It achieves the technical effect of producing products with high positional accuracy and welding precision and reducing the likelihood of defective products manufactured by gantry-type automatic welding equipment.

[0098] Example 2

[0099] While the solutions disclosed in the above embodiments can improve the welding accuracy of the components to be welded, their applicability is poor due to the limited structure of the sliding positioning body 620. Changing the processed product requires disassembling and / or replacing the sliding positioning body 620, a relatively cumbersome process that is not conducive to small-batch production. To address these issues, this application optimizes and improves the structure of the sliding positioning body 620 based on the above embodiments. The positioning groove 635 is set on a retractable and movable strip, thereby achieving a low-cost, efficient, and quick change of the position and shape of the positioning groove 635 on the sliding positioning body 620, greatly improving the applicability of the gantry welding equipment of this application. Specifically:

[0100] like Figures 9 to 11 As shown, the sliding positioning body 620 includes a first positioning belt assembly 630 and a second positioning belt assembly 650;

[0101] The first positioning belt assembly 630 includes a horizontal frame 631, a first drum 632, a second drum 633, and a positioning belt 634;

[0102] The horizontal frame 631 is a rigid rod or plate arranged horizontally, and there are two of them. Under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component, they slide along the two supporting vertical rods 610 respectively.

[0103] The first drum 632 and the second drum 633 are both horizontally arranged drum structures, respectively positioned on two horizontally placed frames 631. Their length direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the gantry 200. Under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component, they rotate to wind up or release the positioning belt 634.

[0104] The positioning strip 634 is a strip-shaped sheet, with its two ends respectively wrapped around and positioned on the first roll 632 and the second roll 633 and always in a taut state.

[0105] The positioning band 634 is provided with a row of positioning grooves 635, and a groove combination ring 636 is fixed to the edge of the positioning groove 635.

[0106] The groove combination ring 636 is an annular strip of soft magnet or Velcro, which is set close to the edge of the positioning groove 635 and is used to combine and fix it together with other groove combination rings 636 (groove combination rings 636 of the second positioning band assembly 650).

[0107] The structure of the second positioning belt assembly 650 is basically the same as that of the first positioning belt assembly 630. It is located below the first positioning belt assembly 630 and moves up and down under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power assembly. The distance between the positioning belt 634 exposed on the second positioning belt assembly 650 and the positioning belt 634 exposed on the first positioning belt assembly 630 is always less than 1 cm.

[0108] The difference between the second positioning belt assembly 650 and the first positioning belt assembly 630 is that the positioning belt 634 of the first positioning belt assembly 630 is softer than the positioning belt 634 of the second positioning belt assembly 650; the positioning belt 634 of the first positioning belt assembly 630 is made of rubber or elastic cloth; and the positioning belt 634 of the second positioning belt assembly 650 is preferably made of metal.

[0109] Preferably, the positioning strip 634 of the first positioning strip assembly 630 and the positioning strip 634 of the second positioning strip assembly 650 are made of different materials and / or have different thicknesses.

[0110] When a product needs to be changed, after the base component is moved below the gantry 200, the first positioning belt assembly 630 and the second positioning belt assembly 650 are first controlled to move downwards, so that the second positioning belt assembly 650 abuts against the top surface of the base component. Then, according to the product to be changed, the first positioning belt assembly 630 and the second positioning belt assembly 650 are controlled to move synchronously, exposing the matching positioning groove 635 and moving it to the target position. The groove combination ring 636 of the first positioning belt assembly 630 and the groove combination ring 636 of the second positioning belt assembly 650 are attracted or combined together during the movement, so that the two positioning grooves 635 are combined into one. After that, the first positioning belt assembly 630 is controlled to move upwards by a few centimeters. Due to the influence of tension and the restriction of the groove combination ring 636, the positioning belt 634 of the first positioning belt assembly 630 forms an inclined surface near the positioning groove 635. These inclined surfaces can play a certain role in guiding the placement of the component to be welded.

[0111] Preferably, in order to further improve the applicability of this application, such as Figure 12 As shown, the positioning band 634 has a row of U-shaped through slots for accommodating replacement pieces 637; the replacement pieces 637 are detachably fixed to these U-shaped through slots to close them; the replacement pieces 637 are made of the same material as the positioning band 634 and are detachably fixed to the positioning band 634 by means of zippers and buckles; different replacement pieces 637 have the same or different positioning grooves 635; when replacing a new product, if the positioning band 634 does not have a positioning groove 635 that matches the component to be welded, one or more replacement pieces 637 can be directly replaced.

[0112] Preferred, such as Figure 13 As shown, in order to further improve the applicability of this application, the positioning strip 634 is composed of multiple strips or pieces that can be detachably spliced ​​together. The segments of the positioning strip 634 far from the end are all replacement pieces 637. The positioning grooves 635 on different replacement pieces 637 may be the same or different. When replacing a new product, if there is no positioning groove 635 on the positioning strip 634 that matches the component to be welded, one or more replacement pieces 637 can be directly replaced.

[0113] Preferred, such as Figure 9 As shown, in order to ensure the movement accuracy of the positioning slots 635 on the positioning belt 634, a row of verification holes 638 is also provided on the positioning belt 634; one or more positioning slots 635 correspond to one verification hole 638; the verification hole 638 is a through hole with a diameter of less than 1 cm; the auxiliary positioning component also includes a position verification component 660 connected to the control unit signal. The basic structure of the position verification component 660 is an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. The position of the positioning slot 635 is indirectly known by the time the infrared receiver receives the infrared signal transmitted through the verification hole 638.

[0114] Preferred, such as Figures 14 to 16 As shown, to further ensure the guiding effect of the positioning band 634 and its positioning groove 635 on the component to be welded, matching edge strips 639 are fixed on both sides of the positioning band 634; the matching edge strips 639 are of the same length as the positioning band 634 and are made of metal or non-metal flexible strips; two limiting guide rods 640 are fixed near the end of the horizontal frame 631; the limiting guide rods 640 are rigid straight rods, and their combination with the two horizontal frames 631 forms a U-shape; the longitudinal section of the limiting guide rods 640 is C-shaped, and the matching edge strips 639 pass through it; the C-shaped structure of the limiting guide rods 640 prevents the matching edge strips 639 from directly detaching from one side of the limiting guide rods 640.

[0115] Example 3

[0116] Considering that in actual operations, some components to be welded are vertical rods, a material transfer robot arm 220 is generally required to clamp the vertical rod-shaped component for welding. However, in this state, the material transfer robot arm 220 may experience a small probability of clamping misalignment, leading to the component being welded off-center. Furthermore, there is no effective solution in the existing technology to verify whether the vertical rod-shaped component is clamped off-center before welding. To address the above problems, this application embodiment further optimizes and improves the structure of the sliding positioning body 620 based on the above embodiment, specifically as follows:

[0117] like Figure 17 As shown, the sliding positioning body 620 also includes a third positioning belt assembly 670;

[0118] The third positioning belt assembly 670 is located above the first positioning belt assembly 630, and its structure is basically the same as that of the first positioning belt assembly 630. The difference is that the positioning groove 635 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 is adapted to the top contour of the component to be welded; the positioning belt 634 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 is made of metal; the motor that drives the first drum 632 and the second drum 633 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 to rotate has a real-time load detection function.

[0119] A straight guide rail is also provided on the ground for the support vertical rod 610 to slide along the length direction perpendicular to the gantry frame 200. The support vertical rod 610 moves along the straight guide rail under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component.

[0120] Preferably, the gantry 200 is slidably positioned on the bearing platform 100 along its own width direction and slides under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component.

[0121] When the component to be welded is a vertical rod, the following steps are performed:

[0122] 1. First, arrange the first positioning belt assembly 630 and the second positioning belt assembly 650 on the base component, and control the positioning groove 635 on the third positioning belt assembly 670 to be in place according to the top contour of the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded.

[0123] 2. Then, the transfer robot arm 220, with the help of the first positioning belt assembly 630 and the second positioning belt assembly 650, places the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded onto the base component;

[0124] 3. Subsequently, the third positioning belt assembly 670 is controlled to move downward. The load change of the motor that drives the first drum 632 and the second drum 633 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 is used to detect whether the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded passes through the positioning groove 635 of the third positioning belt assembly 670. If it does not pass through, it indicates that there is an unqualified tilt, and the control unit issues an alarm.

[0125] 4. If the inspection is passed, the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded is moved up and then down by the transfer robot arm 220, during which the sliding positioning body 620 is controlled to detach from the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded;

[0126] 5. Welding operations will then be carried out.

[0127] Preferably, the material handling robotic arm 220 is equipped with a weighing sensor. The data measured by the load sensor can be used to indirectly determine whether the bottom of the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded is in contact with the object.

[0128] Preferably, after step 3, if the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded fails to pass through the positioning groove 635 of the third positioning belt assembly 670, the third positioning belt assembly 670 is controlled to move laterally and downward along the length and width directions of the gantry frame 200 multiple times, and then reset, to test whether the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded passes through the positioning groove 635 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 at any time; if it is found to pass through, the clamp of the transfer robot arm 220 is loosened while the positioning groove 635 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 is fitted on the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded, and then the positioning groove 635 of the third positioning belt assembly 670 is moved to the initial position (to straighten the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded), and finally the transfer robot arm 220 is used to clamp the vertical rod-shaped component to be welded again.

[0129] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gantry welding device, comprising a support platform (100), a gantry frame (200), a feeding assembly, and a component conveying assembly (400); the gantry frame (200) is positioned on top of the support platform (100); a welding robotic arm (210) and a material transfer robotic arm (220) are slidably positioned on the gantry frame (200); the material transfer robotic arm (220) is used to pick up the component to be welded conveyed by the component conveying assembly (400), and move and place the component to be welded on the base component under the gantry frame (200); The feeding assembly is used to move the base component to be welded to a position directly below the gantry (200) and transport the welded product away; its features are: It also includes auxiliary positioning components; The top surface of the support platform (100) is provided with multiple through slots; The auxiliary positioning component includes a support vertical rod (610) and a sliding positioning body (620); There are two supporting vertical rods (610), which are respectively set near the two ends of the gantry (200) and protrude from the through slot of the supporting platform (100); The sliding positioning body (620) is a rectangular plate structure or a rectangular frame structure, arranged horizontally, and has a positioning groove (635) that matches the bottom contour of the component to be welded; the positioning groove (635) is a through groove with a larger opening at the top and a smaller opening at the bottom; The sliding positioning body (620) includes a first positioning belt assembly (630) and a second positioning belt assembly (650); The first positioning belt assembly (630) includes a horizontal frame (631), a first drum (632), a second drum (633), and a positioning belt (634); There are two horizontal frames (631), which slide along the two supporting vertical bars (610) respectively; The first roll (632) and the second roll (633) are both horizontally arranged roll structures, respectively positioned on two horizontally arranged frames (631); The positioning strip (634) is a strip-shaped sheet, with both ends wound and positioned on the first roll (632) and the second roll (633) respectively, and always in a taut state; The positioning band (634) is provided with a row of positioning grooves (635), and the edge of the positioning groove (635) is fixed with a groove combination ring (636); The grooved combination ring (636) is an annular strip of soft magnet or Velcro; The second positioning belt assembly (650) has the same structure as the first positioning belt assembly (630) and is located below the first positioning belt assembly (630); The positioning band (634) is provided with a row of U-shaped through slots for placing replacement pieces (637); Replacement piece (637) can be detachably fixed to these U-shaped through slots to close them; The replacement piece (637) is a piece of the same material as the positioning strip (634) and can be detachably fixed to the positioning strip (634); Different replacement pieces (637) are provided with the same or different positioning grooves (635); When replacing a new product, if the positioning strip (634) does not have a positioning groove (635) that matches the component to be welded, one or more replacement pieces (637) can be directly replaced.

2. The gantry welding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding assembly includes a conveying roller assembly (300) and a clamping and shifting assembly (500); The conveying roller assembly (300) includes a support frame and multiple roller groups positioned on the support frame. The roller groups are located close to the bearing platform (100) and are more than five centimeters higher than the bearing platform (100). The roller groups are a row of horizontally placed cylindrical rollers that are rotatably connected to the support frame. Some or all of the rollers rotate under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component, which serves to move the basic components laterally to the top of the bearing platform (100). The main structure of the clamping and shifting assembly (500) is a clamp positioned on the guide rail, which is controlled by the control unit to clamp the base component as needed and drive the base component to move under the gantry (200).

3. The gantry welding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning strip (634) is composed of multiple strips or pieces that can be detachably spliced ​​together, and the segments of the positioning strip (634) that are far from the end are all replacement pieces (637). The positioning grooves (635) on different replacement pieces (637) may be the same or different; when replacing a new product, if the positioning strip (634) does not have a positioning groove (635) that matches the component to be welded, one or more replacement pieces (637) can be directly replaced.

4. The gantry welding equipment as described in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The positioning band (634) is also provided with a row of verification holes (638); One or more positioning slots (635) correspond to one verification hole (638); The verification hole (638) is a through hole with a diameter of less than 1 cm; The auxiliary positioning component also includes a position verification component (660) connected to the control unit. The basic structure of the position verification component (660) is an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. The position of the positioning slot (635) is indirectly known by the time the infrared receiver receives the infrared signal transmitted through the verification hole (638).

5. The gantry welding equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The positioning band (634) has matching edge strips (639) fixed on both sides of its edge; The matching edge strip (639) and the positioning strip (634) are of equal length and are made of metal or non-metal soft strips; Two limiting guide rods (640) are fixed near the end of the horizontal frame (631); the limiting guide rods (640) are rigid straight rods, and the combination of the two horizontal frames (631) forms a square shape; The longitudinal section of the limiting guide rod (640) is C-shaped, and the matching edge strip (639) passes through it; the C-shaped structure of the limiting guide rod (640) makes it impossible for the matching edge strip (639) to directly detach from one side of the limiting guide rod (640).

6. The gantry welding equipment as described in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The sliding positioning body (620) also includes a third positioning belt assembly (670); The third positioning belt assembly (670) is located above the first positioning belt assembly (630) and has a structure that is basically the same as that of the first positioning belt assembly (630). The difference is that the positioning groove (635) of the third positioning belt assembly (670) is adapted to the top contour of the component to be welded; the positioning belt (634) of the third positioning belt assembly (670) is made of metal; the motor that drives the first drum (632) and the second drum (633) of the third positioning belt assembly (670) to rotate has a real-time load detection function. A straight guide rail is also provided on the ground for the support vertical rod (610) to slide along the length direction perpendicular to the gantry frame (200). The support vertical rod (610) moves along the straight guide rail under the coordinated control of the control unit and the power component.

7. A method of using a gantry welding machine, characterized in that: The equipment is equipped with the gantry welding equipment as described in claim 2; the steps are as follows: Step 1: The base components on the conveyor roller assembly (300) move toward the bearing platform (100) under the drive of the conveyor roller assembly (300) and move to the clamping range of the clamping and shifting assembly (500); Step 2: Control the clamping and shifting assembly (500) to clamp the base component and move it below the gantry (200); Step 3: Control the sliding positioning body (620) to move down in a timely manner so that it abuts the top surface of the base component, thereby forming a container to accommodate the component to be welded; Step 4: Subsequently, the transfer robot arm (220) is controlled to clamp the component to be welded from the component conveying assembly (400) and fill it into the positioning groove (635) to achieve the positioning of the component to be welded; Step 5: Lift the sliding positioning body (620), move the base components and weld them; Step 6: After welding is completed, use the clamping and shifting assembly (500) and the conveying roller assembly (300) to transport the welded product away.

Citation Information

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