An automatic feeding method and system for a cutting workstation

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of data processing, specifically to an automatic feeding method and system for a cutting workstation. The method includes: acquiring a feeding task; retrieving the board storage information of the cutting workstation to obtain candidate storage locations containing boards of the material and size corresponding to the feeding task; acquiring the current position of a robotic arm and selecting the storage location with the closest horizontal distance to the current position from the candidate storage locations as the target storage location; controlling the robotic arm to move to the target storage location via a guide rail and grab a first type of board; in response to the robotic arm grabbing the board, controlling the robotic arm to move to the target cutting station via the guide rail and placing the grabbed first type of board into the feeding area of ​​the target cutting station; and in response to the board being placed into the feeding area of ​​the target cutting station, notifying the cutting control center or the individual cutting machine to complete the board placement. The method of this invention can effectively improve the automation level and efficiency of feeding in a cutting workstation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of data processing technology. More specifically, this invention relates to an automatic feeding method and system for a cutting workstation. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional cutting workstations use manual loading. The overall production process is as follows: after technicians import the processing documents, they lift the plates to the loading area in sequence according to the document requirements. This method relies too heavily on manpower, and during mass production, loading efficiency is easily reduced due to staff fatigue.

[0003] To save manpower, gantry cranes are typically used for automated material loading. When using gantry cranes, they are usually placed near the cutting station. However, because the gantry crane's grippers have limited movement (only within the gantry area), and the sheet metal storage area is usually far from the gantry, manual labor is required using forklifts to move the sheets from the storage area to the designated storage area below the gantry. The grippers on the gantry can then move along the gantry to the sheet metal, grab it, and place it in the loading area of ​​the cutting station. Furthermore, when using gantry cranes for loading, sheets of the same material are usually stacked in the storage area below the gantry. If different materials need to be loaded, manual labor is required using forklifts to stack the different materials in the loading order to the storage area below the gantry. Therefore, gantry crane loading suffers from low automation and low loading efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the technical problems of low feeding efficiency and low automation in existing material feeding methods for cutting workstations, this invention provides solutions in the following aspects.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an automatic feeding method for a cutting workstation, comprising: acquiring a feeding task, wherein the feeding task is used to characterize the material information, size information and location information of the target cutting station of the required sheet material;

[0006] The board storage information of the cutting workstation is called to obtain the candidate storage locations for boards of the material and size corresponding to the loading task; the board storage information is used to characterize the material, size and quantity of boards stored in each storage location; the boards stored in the same storage location have the same material and size.

[0007] Obtain the current position of the robotic arm, and select the storage location with the closest horizontal distance to the current position of the robotic arm from the candidate storage locations as the target storage location;

[0008] The robotic arm is controlled to move along the guide rail to the target storage location and grab a sheet of Type I material;

[0009] In response to the robotic arm grabbing the sheet material, the robotic arm is controlled to move to the target cutting station via the guide rail, and the first type of sheet material grabbed is placed in the loading area of ​​the target cutting station;

[0010] In response to the material being placed in the loading area of ​​the target cutting station, the cutting control center or the cutting machine is notified to complete the material placement.

[0011] Preferably, the gripping plate includes:

[0012] Move the gripper of the robotic arm to the gripping coordinates; when the robotic arm grabs the board from the target storage location for the first time that day, the gripping coordinates are the initial coordinates, which are the optimal gripping positions corresponding to the target storage location being full of boards;

[0013] In response to the gripper moving to the gripping plate coordinate, the gripper is controlled to move downward to grip the first type of board material;

[0014] In response to the gripper grabbing the first type of board, the current coordinates of the gripper are recorded and used as the gripping coordinates for the next loading task of the target storage location.

[0015] Preferably, it further includes: in response to the gripper gripping the first type of board, updating the board storage information, including: reducing the inventory quantity of the target storage location by one to obtain the new inventory quantity of the target storage location.

[0016] Preferably, the gripper includes an array of suction cups for adsorbing the board material, and controlling the gripper to perform the board-grabbing action includes:

[0017] Calculate the area of ​​the first type of board based on the size of the board in the target storage location, and determine whether the area of ​​the first type of board is greater than the preset area threshold.

[0018] If the area of ​​the first type of board is greater than the preset area threshold, then all the suction cups in the suction cup array are used to break the vacuum of the first type of board located on the top layer of the target storage location in a left-to-right manner; if the area of ​​the first type of board is less than or equal to the preset area threshold, then the suction cups on the outer side of the suction cup array are used to break the vacuum of the first type of board located on the top layer of the target storage location in a two-end-tilting manner.

[0019] In response to the completion of the vacuum breaking operation, the first type of board material on the top layer of the target storage location is attracted by all the suction cups of the suction cup array.

[0020] Preferably, the moving speed of the robotic arm is set before it moves to the cutting station. The calculation expression is:

[0021] ;

[0022] In the formula, For speed reference value, This indicates the area of ​​the sheet material grasped by the robotic arm. This indicates the area of ​​the largest board in the board warehouse.

[0023] Preferably, the loading area for placing the sheet metal into the cutting station includes:

[0024] Generate an initial range for placing the board with the coordinates of the cutting station as the center, and compare the heights of each obstacle within the initial range for placing the board;

[0025] The minimum initial height for placing the board is obtained based on the height of the highest obstacle. Starting from the minimum initial height for placing the board, the initial range of the board that can be placed is horizontally cut off every first length downwards, thereby cutting off multiple first horizontal plane ranges.

[0026] For each first horizontal plane range, the range excluding the horizontal occupancy range of the obstacle and the horizontal safe avoidance range within each first horizontal plane range is taken as the range where the board can be placed. The proposed occupancy range of the board closest to the robotic arm is determined from the range where the board can be placed, and then the first center point of the proposed occupancy range of the board is obtained.

[0027] The first board placement path is fitted using the first center point corresponding to each first horizontal plane range. The better board placement path is selected from the first board placement path and the historical storage path as the optimal board placement path. The robotic arm is controlled to place the board into the loading area of ​​the cutting station according to the optimal board placement path. The historical storage path refers to the preferred board placement path generated based on the optimal board placement path of the last time the first type of board was placed.

[0028] Preferably, the method further includes correcting the first plate placement path, including:

[0029] Calculate the horizontal distance between any two adjacent first center points on the first board placement path, and extract the first curve segment from the first board placement path where the horizontal distance between any two adjacent first center points is greater than the distance threshold;

[0030] Obtain the first height of the first horizontal plane range corresponding to the first center point at the beginning of the cut first curve segment, and the second height of the first horizontal plane range corresponding to the first center point at the end of the cut first curve segment;

[0031] For the region between the first and second heights of the initial range of the deployable board, starting from the first height, the initial range of the deployable board is horizontally cut off every second length downwards, thereby cutting off multiple second horizontal plane ranges; the second length is less than the first length.

[0032] For each second horizontal plane range, obtain the corresponding second center point;

[0033] Each second center point is fitted to obtain a second curve segment, and the first curve segment in the first plate-laying path is replaced with the second curve segment to obtain the corrected first plate-laying path.

[0034] Preferably, selecting a better board placement path from the first board placement path and the historical storage path includes:

[0035] Compare the minimum initial height of the first board placement path and the historical storage path, set the initial height score of the board placement path with the smaller minimum initial height to 1, and set the initial height score of the other board placement path to 0.

[0036] The robot arm extension distance scores for the first board placement path and the historical storage path are calculated respectively. For a certain board placement path, the robot arm extension distance score calculation method includes: calculating the mean of the distance between each first center point of the board placement path and the fixed end of the robot arm, and normalizing it to obtain the normalized mean. The deviation between the normalized mean and 1 is used as the robot arm extension distance score for the board placement path.

[0037] Calculate the smoothness of the first board placement path and use it as the smoothness score of the first board placement path; calculate the smoothness of the historical storage path and use it as the smoothness score of the historical storage path.

[0038] The initial height score, robotic arm extension distance score, and smoothness score of the first placement path and the historical storage path are weighted and summed respectively to obtain the superiority score of the first placement path and the historical storage path.

[0039] The placement path with the higher superiority score between the two is considered the superior placement path.

[0040] Preferably, it further includes: if the first board placement path is superior to the historical storage path, then updating the historical storage path, including:

[0041] Starting from the beginning of the board placement path, the coordinates of the first board placement path and the historical storage path are intercepted at preset height intervals to obtain multiple first reference points of the first board placement path and multiple second reference points of the historical storage path.

[0042] Move the second reference point horizontally toward the corresponding first reference point by a distance that is 0.5 to 0.7 times the distance between the two.

[0043] The second reference point after the movement is fitted to obtain the new historical storage path.

[0044] In a second aspect, the present invention also discloses an automatic feeding system for a cutting workstation, comprising:

[0045] The board warehouse includes multiple storage locations for storing boards of different materials and sizes;

[0046] A robotic arm is used to pick up sheet metal from the storage location and place it into the loading area of ​​the cutting station;

[0047] The guide rail is connected to the transmission of the robotic arm. Its corresponding movement trajectory passes through each storage location and each cutting station, which is used to drive the robotic arm to move to each storage location and each cutting station.

[0048] A controller is connected to the robotic arm and guide rails to execute the automatic feeding method for the cutting workstation of the present invention.

[0049] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: When loading materials into the cutting workstation, this invention no longer uses gantry crane loading or manual plate lifting, but instead uses a robotic arm in conjunction with guide rails for loading. The robotic arm can flexibly and automatically grab plates of the corresponding material and size from various storage locations. During loading, the material storage information is automatically matched to select candidate storage locations, and the candidate storage location closest to the current position of the robotic arm is selected as the target storage location. After the robotic arm moves to the target storage location to grab the plate, it moves to the target cutting station to place the plate. The entire loading process is completed automatically without human intervention, and the loading efficiency of the cutting workstation is high. Attached Figure Description

[0050] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, and like or corresponding reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts, wherein:

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating an automatic feeding method for a cutting workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a first center point determination method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the first plate path fitting process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an automatic feeding system for a cutting workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the controller structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0057] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] Example of an automatic feeding method for a cutting workstation:

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, the automatic feeding method for a cutting workstation of the present invention includes:

[0060] S101. Obtain the loading task, specifically: obtain the loading task, wherein the loading task is used to characterize the material information, size information and location information of the target cutting station of the required board.

[0061] S102. Obtain candidate storage locations, specifically: call the board storage information of the cutting workstation to obtain candidate storage locations that store boards of the material and size corresponding to the loading task; the board storage information is used to characterize the material, size and quantity of boards stored in each storage location; the materials and sizes of boards stored in the same storage location are the same.

[0062] S103. Obtain the target storage location, specifically: obtain the current position of the robotic arm, and select the storage location with the closest horizontal distance to the current position of the robotic arm from the candidate storage locations as the target storage location;

[0063] In this embodiment, if the storage location with the closest horizontal distance to the current position of the robotic arm includes storage locations at different levels, then the storage location at the lowest level is selected as the target storage location.

[0064] S104. Control the robotic arm to move to the target storage location and grab a first type of board;

[0065] S105, Placing the board material, specifically: in response to the robotic arm grabbing the board material, controlling the robotic arm to move to the position of the target cutting station, and placing the grabbed first type of board material into the loading area of ​​the target cutting station;

[0066] S106. In response to the board being placed in the loading area of ​​the target cutting station, notify the cutting control center or the cutting machine to complete the board placement.

[0067] When loading materials into the cutting workstation, this invention no longer uses gantry cranes or manual lifting of plates. Instead, it uses a robotic arm in conjunction with guide rails for loading. The robotic arm can flexibly and automatically grab plates of the corresponding material and size from various storage locations. During loading, the system automatically matches candidate storage locations by calling the plate storage information and selects the candidate storage location closest to the current position of the robotic arm as the target storage location. After the robotic arm moves to the target storage location to grab the plate, it moves to the target cutting station to place the plate. The entire loading process is completed automatically without human intervention, and the loading efficiency of the cutting workstation is high, avoiding the problem of reduced cutting efficiency caused by workers lifting plates for a long time.

[0068] In one embodiment, the gripping plate includes:

[0069] S201. Move the gripper of the robotic arm to the gripping coordinates; when the robotic arm grabs the board of the target storage location for the first time on the same day, the gripping coordinates are the initial coordinates, which are the optimal gripping positions corresponding to the target storage location when it is full of boards.

[0070] S202. In response to the gripper moving to the gripping plate coordinate, control the gripper to move downward to grip the first type of plate;

[0071] S203. In response to the gripper grabbing the first type of board, record the current coordinates of the gripper and use them as the gripping coordinates for the next loading task of the target storage location.

[0072] Each time the robotic arm grabs a board, it moves downwards from the board-grabbing coordinates to pick up the board. During the grabbing process, the board-grabbing coordinates must be above the board to be grabbed. By using the coordinates of the gripper when it grabs the first type of board as the target board-grabbing coordinates for the next loading task, the downward movement distance of the robotic arm's gripper can be reduced while ensuring that the gripper can successfully grab the board in the next grabbing. This improves the grabbing efficiency of the next grabbing and thus improves the loading efficiency of the cutting workstation.

[0073] In one embodiment, the method further includes: updating the board storage information in response to the gripper gripping the first type of board, including: reducing the inventory quantity of the target storage location by one to obtain the new inventory quantity of the target storage location.

[0074] By updating the board storage information, the accuracy of the selected storage locations can be ensured, avoiding situations where storage locations with no inventory are selected as target storage locations, thereby ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of automatic material feeding at the cutting workstation.

[0075] In one embodiment, the gripper includes an array of suction cups for adsorbing the board material, and controlling the gripper to perform the board-grabbing action includes:

[0076] S301. Calculate the area of ​​the first type of board based on the size of the board in the target storage location, and determine whether the area of ​​the first type of board is greater than the preset area threshold.

[0077] S302. If the area of ​​the first type of board is greater than the preset area threshold, then all the suction cups of the suction cup array are used to break the vacuum of the first type of board located on the top layer of the target storage location in a left-to-right manner; if the area of ​​the first type of board is less than or equal to the preset area threshold, then the suction cups located on the outer side of the suction cup array are used to break the vacuum of the first type of board located on the top layer of the target storage location in a two-end-tilting manner.

[0078] S303. In response to the completion of the vacuum breaking operation, the first type of board material on the top layer of the target storage location is attracted by all the suction cups of the suction cup array.

[0079] For smaller boards, vacuum breaking can be improved by using only the outer suction cups in the suction cup array and tilting them at both ends.

[0080] In one embodiment, before controlling the robotic arm to move to the cutting station position, the moving speed of the robotic arm is set. The calculation expression is:

[0081] ;

[0082] In the formula, For speed reference value, This indicates the area of ​​the sheet material grasped by the robotic arm. This indicates the area of ​​the largest board in the board warehouse.

[0083] The larger the area of ​​the sheet material, the more prone it is to wobbling during movement. Using the expression in this embodiment to calculate the robotic arm's movement speed ensures that for larger sheets, the robotic arm moves at a lower speed, and for smaller sheets, it moves at a higher speed. This improves the loading efficiency of the cutting workstation while preventing the sheet material from falling.

[0084] In one embodiment, placing the sheet metal into the loading area of ​​the cutting station includes:

[0085] S401. Generate an initial range for placing the board with the coordinates of the cutting station as the center, and compare the heights of each obstacle within the initial range for placing the board.

[0086] S402. Obtain the minimum initial height of the board based on the height of the highest obstacle. Starting from the minimum initial height of the board, horizontally cut off the initial range of the board that can be placed every first length downwards, thereby cutting off multiple first horizontal plane ranges.

[0087] In this embodiment, the method of obtaining the minimum initial height of the board based on the height of the highest obstacle can be: adding a fixed length to the height of the highest obstacle as the minimum initial height of the board; for example, if the height of the highest obstacle is 1 meter and the fixed length is 0.2 meters, then the minimum initial height of the board is 1.2 meters.

[0088] S403. For each first horizontal plane range, the range outside the horizontal occupancy range of the obstacle and the horizontal safety avoidance range within each first horizontal plane range is taken as the range where the board can be placed, and the proposed occupancy range of the board closest to the robotic arm is determined from the range where the board can be placed, and then the first center point of the proposed occupancy range of the board is obtained.

[0089] like Figure 2 As shown, if a certain first horizontal plane is a circle centered at point A, rhombus B within the circle represents the horizontal occupancy of obstacle B, the annular area surrounding rhombus B represents the safe horizontal avoidance range of obstacle B, and the area formed by the horizontal occupancy and safe horizontal avoidance range of obstacle B is rhombus M; square C represents the horizontal occupancy of obstacle C, the annular area surrounding square C represents the safe horizontal avoidance range of obstacle C, and the area formed by the horizontal occupancy and safe horizontal avoidance range of obstacle C is square N; then the area where the board can be placed is the area within the circle excluding rhombus M and square N. If the board is rectangular, and the robotic arm is directly to the left of point A, then rectangle D in the diagram represents the planned occupancy range of the board closest to the robotic arm, and the center of rectangle D is the first center point of the planned occupancy range of the board.

[0090] S404. Fit the first board placement path using the first center point corresponding to each first horizontal plane range, select the better board placement path from the first board placement path and the historical storage path as the optimal board placement path, and control the robotic arm to place the board into the loading area of ​​the cutting station according to the optimal board placement path; the historical storage path refers to the preferred board placement path generated based on the optimal board placement path of the last time the first type of board was placed.

[0091] like Figure 3 As shown, assuming there are six first center points, which are points E, F, G, H, I, and P in space from top to bottom, the fitted first board path is the path traversed by curve a.

[0092] When placing the sheet metal into the feeding area of ​​the cutting station, if there are obstacles (such as labeling machines, walls, etc.) in the feeding area, the sheet metal may collide and be damaged. The method in this embodiment takes into account the influence of obstacles within the initial feeding range on the movement of the sheet metal when generating the first feeding path. It also takes into account that the shape of the obstacles may be irregular, and the horizontal occupancy of the obstacles may be different at different heights. By uniformly selecting multiple height values, a center point of the intended occupancy range when the sheet metal reaches that height is determined. The robotic arm then feeds the sheet metal according to the trajectory fitted by these center points, thereby effectively improving the safety of the sheet metal feeding. In addition, when determining the intended occupancy range from the feeding range, the intended occupancy range is set to the intended occupancy range closest to the robotic arm, making it easier for the robotic arm to place the sheet metal in place.

[0093] In one embodiment, the method further includes modifying the first board placement path, including:

[0094] S501. Calculate the horizontal distance between any two adjacent first center points on the first plate-laying path, and extract the first curve segment from the first plate-laying path where the horizontal distance between any two adjacent first center points is greater than the distance threshold.

[0095] S502. Obtain the first height of the first horizontal plane range corresponding to the first center point of the first end of the cut first curve segment, and the second height of the first horizontal plane range corresponding to the first center point of the last end.

[0096] S503. For the area between the first height and the second height of the initial range of the deployable board, starting from the first height, the initial range of the deployable board is horizontally cut off every second length downwards, thereby cutting off multiple second horizontal plane ranges; the second length is less than the first length.

[0097] S504. For each second horizontal plane range, obtain the corresponding second center point;

[0098] The method for obtaining the second center point is the same as that for obtaining the first center point. That is, the area within each second horizontal plane, excluding the horizontally occupied area of ​​the obstacle and the horizontally safe avoidance area, is taken as the area where the board can be placed. From the area where the board can be placed, the estimated area occupied by the board closest to the robotic arm is determined, and the center point of the estimated area occupied by the board is taken as the second center point.

[0099] S505. Fit each second center point to obtain a second curve segment, and replace the first curve segment in the first plate-laying path with the second curve segment to obtain the corrected first plate-laying path.

[0100] Generally, when fitting a curve using coordinate points, the denser the coordinate points, the more accurate the fitted curve. In this embodiment, the vertical distance between any two adjacent center points is constant. If the horizontal distance between adjacent first center points is too large, it will result in an excessively large spatial distance between the two center points, leading to a large error in the fitted first placement path and a risk of collision during the placement process. By refitting the first curve segment with a large distance between adjacent center points and using more coordinate points during the refit, the accuracy of the fitted first placement path is effectively improved.

[0101] In one embodiment, selecting a preferred board placement path from the first board placement path and the historical storage path includes:

[0102] S601. Compare the minimum initial height of the first board placement path and the historical storage path, set the initial height score of the board placement path with the smaller minimum initial height to 1, and set the initial height score of the other board placement path to 0.

[0103] S602. Calculate the robot arm extension distance score for the first board placement path and the historical storage path respectively. For a certain board placement path, the robot arm extension distance score calculation method includes: calculating the mean of the distance between each center point of the board placement path and the fixed end of the robot arm, and normalizing it to obtain the normalized mean. The deviation between the normalized mean and 1 is used as the robot arm extension distance score for the board placement path.

[0104] S603. Calculate the smoothness of the first board placement path and use it as the smoothness score of the first board placement path; calculate the smoothness of the historical storage path and use it as the smoothness score of the historical storage path.

[0105] S604. The initial height score, robotic arm extension distance score, and smoothness score of the first placement path and the historical storage path are weighted and summed respectively to obtain the superiority score of the first placement path and the historical storage path.

[0106] The weight of the initial height score can be set to 0.1, the weight of the robotic arm extension distance score can range from 0.3 to 0.4, and the weight of the smoothness score can range from 0.5 to 0.6. The sum of the weights of the initial height score, the robotic arm extension distance score, and the smoothness score is 1.

[0107] S605. The placement path with the higher superiority score between the two is taken as the better placement path.

[0108] When using a robotic arm to place a board, the lower the initial minimum placement height, the faster the placement speed; the smaller the horizontal distance the robotic arm extends, the easier it is to place the board in place. Furthermore, if the board's trajectory changes abruptly during placement (e.g., sudden acceleration, abrupt stop, or sharp corners), it may sway or even slip due to inertia. A smoother trajectory ensures gradual changes in speed and acceleration, reducing mechanical vibration and improving handling stability. This embodiment's method repeatedly considers the impact of the minimum initial placement height, the horizontal distance the robotic arm extends, and the smoothness of the placement trajectory on the placement process when selecting an optimal placement path, thereby ensuring that the selected placement path is most conducive to the safety and efficiency of the board placement process.

[0109] In one embodiment, the method further includes: if the first board placement path is superior to the historical storage path, then updating the historical storage path, including:

[0110] S701. Starting from the beginning of the board placement path, the coordinate points of the first board placement path and the historical storage path are respectively intercepted at preset height intervals to obtain multiple first reference points of the first board placement path and multiple second reference points of the historical storage path.

[0111] S702. Move the second reference point horizontally toward the corresponding first reference point by a distance that is 0.5 to 0.7 times the distance between the two.

[0112] S703. Fit the moved second reference point to obtain the new historical storage path.

[0113] By adjusting the poor historical storage path to approximate the better first placement path, adaptive optimization of the placement path is achieved, improving placement accuracy, safety, and efficiency. Furthermore, this embodiment uses a correction ratio of 0.5–0.7 times to update the path when optimizing a poor placement path, rather than directly replacing it with a better one. This preserves the stability of the original path and avoids abrupt changes. Simultaneously, by incorporating new data, the path is gradually optimized. This "partial correction" method is more robust than complete replacement; if an anomaly occurs in a particular path (such as sensor misjudgment or board slippage), it will not have a devastating impact on the overall path.

[0114] In one embodiment, the method for obtaining the loading task includes:

[0115] S801. Establish a TCP connection with the cutting control center and receive task information issued by the cutting control center in real time. The task information includes the material and size information of the required board and the location information of the target cutting station.

[0116] S802. In response to receiving the task information, generate a feeding task based on the task information.

[0117] The above embodiments utilize the cutting control center to obtain the feeding task. In another embodiment, the feeding task can also be obtained using the cutting unit price. When obtaining the feeding task using the cutting unit price, the method for obtaining the feeding task includes:

[0118] S901. Receive the task list issued by the cutting machine in real time; the task list includes multiple processing tasks arranged in processing order, and each task includes a processing action, the material, size, processing status of the board material corresponding to the processing action, and the target cutting station.

[0119] S902. In response to receiving the task list, parse it to generate a loading task list; the loading task list includes multiple loading tasks arranged in processing order; the order of each loading task in the loading task list corresponds one-to-one with the order of each processing task in the task list.

[0120] Example of an automated feeding system for a cutting workstation:

[0121] like Figure 4 As shown, the present invention also provides an automatic feeding system for a cutting workstation. The automatic feeding system for the cutting workstation includes a sheet metal warehouse, comprising multiple storage locations 1, for storing sheets of different materials and sizes;

[0122] Robotic arm 2 is used to pick up boards from the storage location and place them into the loading area of ​​the cutting station;

[0123] Guide rail 3 is connected to the transmission of the robotic arm. Its corresponding movement trajectory passes through each storage location and each cutting station, and is used to drive the robotic arm to move to each storage location and each cutting station 4.

[0124] A controller (not shown in the figure) is connected to the robotic arm and the guide rail to execute the automatic feeding method for the cutting workstation described in the above embodiments.

[0125] like Figure 5 As shown, the controller includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the processor, implement the automatic feeding method for the cutting workstation described in the above embodiments.

[0126] The controller also includes other components well known to those skilled in the art, such as communication buses and communication interfaces, the settings and functions of which are known in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0127] In the description of this specification, "multiple" or "several" means at least two, such as two, three or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0128] While this specification has shown and described numerous embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Many modifications, alterations, and alternatives will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in the practice of this invention.

Claims

1. An automatic loading method for a cutting station, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a feeding task, the feeding task being used to represent material information, size information and position information of a target cutting station of a required plate; calling plate storage information of a cutting station to obtain a candidate storage location where a plate with the material and size corresponding to the feeding task is stored; the plate storage information is used to represent the material, size and quantity of the plates stored in each storage location; the plates stored in the same storage location have the same material and size; obtaining the current position of a mechanical arm and selecting a storage location closest to the current position of the mechanical arm from the candidate storage locations as a target storage location; controlling the mechanical arm to move to the target storage location through a guide rail and grasp a first type of plate; in response to the mechanical arm grasping the plate, controlling the mechanical arm to move to the position of the target cutting station through the guide rail and place the grasped first type of plate on a feeding area of the target cutting station; in response to the plate being placed on the feeding area of the target cutting station, informing a cutting control center or a cutting single machine that the plate placing is completed; the grasping of the plate comprises the following steps: moving a gripper of the mechanical arm to a plate grasping coordinate; when the mechanical arm grasps the plate of the target storage location for the first time on the same day, the plate grasping coordinate is an initial coordinate, and the initial coordinate is the best plate grasping position corresponding to the full-plate state of the target storage location; in response to the gripper moving to the plate grasping coordinate, controlling the gripper to move downward to grasp the first type of plate; in response to the gripper grasping the first type of plate, recording the current coordinate of the gripper and taking it as the plate grasping coordinate of the next feeding task of the target storage location; the placing of the plate on the feeding area of the cutting station comprises the following steps: generating an initial range of the plate placing area with the cutting station coordinate as the center and comparing the heights of various avoidance objects in the initial range of the plate placing area; obtaining a minimum plate placing initial height according to the height of the highest avoidance object, starting from the minimum plate placing initial height, and horizontally intercepting the initial range of the plate placing area every first length to obtain a plurality of first horizontal plane ranges; for each first horizontal plane range, taking the range in the first horizontal plane range except the horizontal direction occupation range and the horizontal direction safety avoidance range of the avoidance object as a plate placing range, determining a plate tentative occupation range closest to the mechanical arm from the plate placing range, and then obtaining a first center point of the plate tentative occupation range; 2. The automatic loading method for a cutting station as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, fitting a first plate placing path by using the first center points corresponding to the first horizontal plane ranges, selecting a better plate placing path from the first plate placing path and a historical storage path as a best plate placing path, and controlling the mechanical arm to place the plate on the feeding area of the cutting station according to the best plate placing path; the historical storage path refers to an optimal plate placing path generated according to the best plate placing path of the last time when the first type of plate is placed. The method further comprises the following steps:

3. The automatic loading method for a cutting station as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, in response to the gripper grasping the first type of plate, updating the plate storage information, including reducing the inventory quantity of the target storage location by one to obtain a new inventory quantity of the target storage location. The gripper comprises a suction disc array used to adsorb the plate, and the control of the gripper to perform the plate grasping action comprises the following steps: calculating the area of the first type of plate according to the size of the plate of the target storage location, and determining whether the area of the first type of plate is greater than a preset area threshold; If the area of the first type of plate is greater than the preset area threshold, all the suction cups of the suction cup array are used to perform vacuum breaking operation on the first type of plate located at the uppermost layer of the target storage location in a left-to-right manner; if the area of the first type of plate is less than or equal to the preset area threshold, the suction cups located at the outer side of the suction cup array are used to perform vacuum breaking operation on the first type of plate located at the uppermost layer of the target storage location in a two-end-up manner; In response to completion of the vacuum breaking operation, all the suction cups of the suction cup array are used to suck the first type of plate located at the uppermost layer of the target storage location.

4. The automatic loading method for a cutting station as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, Before the mechanical arm is controlled to move to the position of the cutting station, the moving speed of the mechanical arm is set, and the moving speed of the mechanical arm The calculation expression is as follows: ； In the formula, is a speed reference value, represents the area of the plate material grabbed by the robot, represents the area of the plate material with the largest size in the plate material warehouse.

5. The automatic loading method for a cutting station as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising modifying the first plate placing path, including: calculating the horizontal distance between every two adjacent first center points on the first plate placing path, and intercepting the first curve segment between every two adjacent first center points on the first plate placing path whose horizontal distance is greater than the distance threshold; obtaining the first height of the first horizontal plane range corresponding to the first center point at the beginning of the intercepted first curve segment, and the second height of the first horizontal plane range corresponding to the first center point at the end; for the area between the first height and the second height of the initial plate placing range, starting from the first height, the initial plate placing range is horizontally intercepted every second length downwards, thereby intercepting multiple second horizontal plane ranges; the second length is less than the first length; for each second center point, obtaining the corresponding second center point; fitting each second center point to obtain a second curve segment, replacing the first curve segment in the first plate placing path with the second curve segment, thereby obtaining the modified first plate placing path.

6. The automatic loading method for a cutting station as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, Selecting the better plate placing path from the first plate placing path and the historical storage path includes: comparing the minimum plate placing initial heights of the first plate placing path and the historical storage path, setting the plate placing initial height score of the plate placing path with the smaller minimum plate placing initial height as 1, and setting the plate placing initial height score of the other plate placing path as 0; respectively calculating the mechanical arm extension distance scores of the first plate placing path and the historical storage path, for a certain plate placing path, the mechanical arm extension distance score calculation method includes: calculating the average of the distances between each first center point of the plate placing path and the fixed end of the mechanical arm, and normalizing the average to obtain a normalized average, and the deviation between the normalized average and 1 is taken as the mechanical arm extension distance score of the plate placing path; calculating the smoothness of the first plate placing path and taking it as the smoothness score of the first plate placing path, and calculating the smoothness of the historical storage path and taking it as the smoothness score of the historical storage path; respectively weighting and summing the plate placing initial height scores, the mechanical arm extension distance scores and the smoothness scores of the first plate placing path and the historical storage path, thereby obtaining the superiority scores of the first plate placing path and the historical storage path; taking the plate placing path with the greater superiority score as the better plate placing path.

7. The automatic loading method for a cutting station as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising: if the first plate placing path is better than the historical storage path, updating the historical storage path, including: The coordinate points of the first plate placing path and the historical storage path are respectively intercepted at preset height intervals from the beginning of the first plate placing path, so as to obtain a plurality of first reference points of the first plate placing path and a plurality of second reference points of the historical storage path; The second reference points are moved in the horizontal direction to the corresponding first reference points, and the moving distance is 0.5-0.7 times the distance between them; The second reference points after moving are fitted, so as to obtain a new historical storage path.

8. An automatic loading system for a cutting station, characterized in that it comprises: The plate warehouse comprises a plurality of storage locations for different materials and different sizes of plates. The mechanical arm is used to grab the plates from the storage locations and to place the plates to the feeding area of the cutting station. The guide rail is in transmission connection with the mechanical arm, and the corresponding moving track passes through each storage location and each cutting station, and is used to drive the mechanical arm to move to each storage location and each cutting station. The controller is in control connection with the mechanical arm and the guide rail, so as to execute the automatic feeding method for the cutting station according to any one of claims 1-7. ​

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