A discharging device and a discharging method for neodymium-iron-boron magnet production

Abstract

This invention provides a feeding device and method for neodymium iron boron magnet production. First, a top CCD camera photographs the vibrating plate to identify the material's specific position and horizontal plane state, determining the required angle of horizontal rotation. Then, a material handling mechanism grabs the material based on the top CCD camera's identification and rotates it horizontally until its length is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel. Next, the material is placed at the feeding end of the feeding channel, and a pushing mechanism pushes it to the discharge end. A side CCD camera photographs the side of the material at the discharge end to identify its vertical plane state and determine the required angle of circumferential rotation. Finally, the pushing mechanism pushes the material to a rotating conveyor. Based on the side CCD camera's identification, the rotating conveyor rotates the material circumferentially until its face is upward, then pushes it onto a positioning platform to complete the subsequent feeding operation. This application automates the feeding process by adjusting the material's positioning through two rotations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of magnet processing technology, and specifically relates to a feeding device and feeding method for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets. Background Technology

[0002] In the production process of neodymium iron boron magnets, especially in the feeding stage of non-magnetic magnetic components or single non-magnetic magnets, a vibratory feeder or flexible vibratory feeder is typically used to arrange the materials in the same direction before a feeding mechanism transports them to the production fixture. This method is suitable for scenarios where the materials have obvious shape characteristics in both directions or where there is no need to distinguish between directions. However, in actual production, some magnetic components lack obvious shape characteristics or have characteristics that are too small, making it difficult to effectively distinguish between the positive and negative directions using the screening mechanism on the vibratory feeder. For example... Figure 1 The magnetic component shown consists of a long strip of iron sheet 11 and multiple magnets 12. The iron sheet side is designated as the front, and the magnet side is designated as the back. During loading, it needs to be arranged so that the front side faces upward. However, since the area of ​​the iron sheet 11 and the combined area of ​​the magnets 12 are not much different, their vertical projection areas are basically the same. It is difficult to ensure that the magnetic components are arranged so that the front side faces upward by loading with a vibratory feeder alone. Even if the existing top CCD camera is used to take pictures, it is difficult to determine whether the iron sheet side of the magnetic component is facing up or down. It can only be determined manually. Therefore, the arrangement and loading of this type of magnetic component requires manual intervention, which is not only inefficient but also has a high error rate, seriously affecting the production yield and automation level.

[0003] Currently, there is no effective technical solution in the industry to automatically feed and discharge materials that cannot be distinguished by their shape. There is an urgent need for a discharge device that can intelligently identify, rotate and adjust, and accurately position the materials to improve the automation level and production efficiency of processes such as magnet assembly, magnetization, and testing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a feeding device and feeding method for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets, which automates the feeding process by adjusting the material position through two rotations.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the solution of the present invention is: to provide a material feeding method for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets, which is executed by a material feeding device, the material feeding device including a feeding unit, a material pushing and identification unit and an arrangement and positioning unit;

[0006] The feeding unit includes a vibratory feeder, a material handling mechanism, and a top CCD camera. The vibratory feeder is loaded with material to be positioned. The material handling mechanism and the top CCD camera are located above the vibratory feeder. The top CCD camera faces downwards to take pictures of the vibratory feeder. The material handling mechanism is used for horizontal rotation and material handling.

[0007] The material push recognition unit includes a feeding channel, a pushing mechanism, and a side CCD camera. The pushing mechanism is set at the feeding end of the feeding channel to push the material to the arrangement and positioning unit. The side CCD camera is set on one side of the feeding end of the feeding channel to take pictures of the side of the material.

[0008] The arrangement and positioning unit includes a rotating material channel and a positioning platform. The rotating material channel is used to drive the material to rotate circumferentially, and the two ends of the rotating material channel are respectively connected to the discharge end of the feeding channel and the positioning platform.

[0009] The material discharge method includes the following steps:

[0010] S1. Feeding and horizontal positioning: The top CCD camera takes pictures of the vibrating plate with its head down to identify the specific position and horizontal state of the material and determine the angle at which the material needs to be rotated horizontally; then the material handling mechanism grabs the material according to the identification result of the top CCD camera and rotates the material horizontally until the length direction of the material is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel, and then places the material at the feeding end of the feeding channel.

[0011] S2. Feeding and circumferential positioning: The pushing mechanism pushes the material to the discharge end of the feeding channel. The side CCD camera takes pictures of the side of the material at the discharge end of the feeding channel to identify the vertical state of the material and determine the angle at which the material needs to be rotated circumferentially.

[0012] S3, Circumferential Rotation Positioning: The pushing mechanism pushes the material from the feeding channel to the rotating material channel. The rotating material channel, based on the recognition result of the side CCD camera, drives the material to rotate circumferentially until the front is facing up. Then, the pushing mechanism pushes the material to the positioning platform, where the subsequent feeding operation is completed.

[0013] Furthermore, the material pushing and identification unit also includes a feeding plate, on which a feeding channel is provided and a pushing groove is opened below the feeding end of the feeding channel. The pushing mechanism includes a pushing head and a pushing cylinder. The pushing cylinder is located below the feeding plate, and the bottom end of the pushing head is located on the pushing cylinder. The top end of the pushing head passes through the pushing groove and extends into the feeding end to push against the material. The width of the pushing groove is smaller than the width and height of the material, and the width of the feeding channel is larger than the width and height of the material. Thus, in step S2, the material handling mechanism places multiple materials sequentially at the feeding end, and the pushing cylinder drives the pushing head to reciprocate within the pushing groove to push multiple materials to move sequentially to the discharge end, the rotating material channel, and the positioning platform.

[0014] Furthermore, in step S2, the feeding plate has a notch on the side of the discharge end facing the side CCD camera, so that the side of the material is exposed, and the side CCD camera takes a picture of the exposed material.

[0015] Furthermore, the material pushing and identification unit also includes a pushing buffer mechanism, which includes a buffer head, a first buffer spring, and a slide. The slide is mounted on the pushing cylinder, and the bottom end of the pushing head is slidably mounted on the slide. The buffer head is located on the side of the pushing head away from the feeding end, and the bottom end of the buffer head is fixed to the pushing cylinder. The buffer head and the pushing head are connected by the first buffer spring. Thus, in step S2, after the material handling mechanism places the material at the feeding end, the pushing cylinder drives the slide to move along the feeding direction, thereby driving the pushing head to move. As the pushing head begins to push against the material, the pushing head moves relative to the buffer head due to the buffering effect of the first buffer spring, thereby compensating for the tolerance in the length direction of the material and ensuring that adjacent materials are in contact end-to-end within the feeding channel.

[0016] Furthermore, the material pushing and identification unit also includes a pressing and buffering mechanism, which includes a slider, a pressure roller, a second buffer spring, and a fixed rod. The bottom end of the fixed rod is fixed to the upper plate, the slider slides up and down on the fixed rod, the second buffer spring is sleeved on the fixed rod and its two ends abut against the top protrusion of the fixed rod and the slider, respectively. The pressure roller has a rotating shaft at its center, which is rotatably connected to the slider, and the bottom end of the pressure roller extends into the feeding channel to abut against the material. Thus, in step S2, when the material moves in the feeding channel, the pressure roller always abuts against the material to provide damping when the material moves forward and prevent the material from moving in the opposite direction.

[0017] Furthermore, the positioning platform is provided with a mounting frame on the side near the feeding channel, and the mounting frame is provided with a pulley mechanism. The rotating material channel is fixedly located at the center of the driven wheel of the pulley mechanism, and the cross-section inside the rotating material channel has the same shape as the cross-section of the material. Thus, in step S3, after the material is pushed into the rotating material channel, the pulley mechanism drives the rotating material channel to rotate circumferentially along its own axis, thereby driving the material to rotate.

[0018] Furthermore, a positioning channel is provided above the positioning platform to connect with the rotating material channel. The inlet end of the positioning channel is set as a conical opening to facilitate material entry, while the width of the outlet end is the same as the width of the material to limit the size of the material. The positioning platform is provided with an adjusting block on the outlet end side of the positioning channel to abut and position the material. Multiple feeding channels, rotating material channels, positioning channels, and pushers are arranged side by side. The discharge device also includes a loading and conveying mechanism and an equipment flow line. Thus, in step S3, after the pushing mechanism pushes the material to the positioning channel, multiple materials abut against the adjusting blocks at the outlet ends of multiple positioning channels to arrange and position the multiple materials. Then, the loading and conveying mechanism transports all the materials on the positioning platform to the equipment flow line to complete the loading operation.

[0019] Furthermore, the material handling mechanism includes a multi-axis manipulator, a suction nozzle, and a rotary motor. The suction nozzle is provided at the free end of the multi-axis manipulator to drive the suction nozzle to move horizontally and vertically. The suction nozzle is equipped with a vacuum device inside to adsorb materials. The rotary motor is located above the suction nozzle and drives the suction nozzle. Thus, in step S1, the multi-axis manipulator drives the suction nozzle to move to grasp the material, and then the rotary motor drives the material to rotate horizontally until the length direction of the material is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel.

[0020] Furthermore, a connecting sleeve is provided between the suction nozzle and the rotary motor, the suction nozzle is telescopically disposed inside the connecting sleeve, and a compensating spring abuts against the connecting sleeve.

[0021] This application also provides a feeding device for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets, used to perform the above-mentioned feeding method, including a feeding unit, a material pushing and identification unit, and an arrangement and positioning unit;

[0022] The feeding unit includes a vibratory feeder, a material handling mechanism, and a top CCD camera. The vibratory feeder is loaded with material to be positioned. The material handling mechanism and the top CCD camera are located above the vibratory feeder. The top CCD camera faces downwards and takes pictures of the vibratory feeder to identify the specific position and horizontal state of the material and determine the angle at which the material needs to be rotated horizontally. The material handling mechanism grabs the material based on the identification result of the top CCD camera and rotates the material horizontally until the length direction of the material is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel. Then, the material is transported to the feeding end of the feeding channel.

[0023] The material pushing and recognition unit includes a feeding channel, a pushing mechanism, and a side CCD camera. The pushing mechanism is set at the feeding end of the feeding channel to push the material to the rotating material channel and the positioning platform. The side CCD camera is set on one side of the feeding end of the feeding channel to take pictures of the side of the material, thereby recognizing the vertical state of the material and determining the angle at which the material needs to be rotated circumferentially.

[0024] The arrangement and positioning unit includes a rotating material channel and a positioning platform. The two ends of the rotating material channel are respectively connected to the discharge end of the feeding channel and the positioning platform. After the material moves to the rotating material channel, the rotating material channel rotates the material circumferentially to face upwards according to the recognition result of the side CCD camera.

[0025] After adopting the above solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0026] 1. This application uses two CCD cameras to identify the horizontal and vertical states of the material, determining the required horizontal and circumferential rotation angles. Based on these identification results, the material can undergo two rotations for positioning via the material handling mechanism and rotating conveyor: horizontal rotation until the material's length direction is parallel to the feeding direction, and circumferential rotation until the front faces upwards, achieving correct material arrangement. In other words, this application overcomes the limitations of traditional vibratory feeders that rely on obvious three-dimensional shape features for selection by combining visual recognition with spatial posture adjustment strategies. For special materials such as non-magnetic components and irregularly shaped magnets with no obvious positive or negative features or very small features, it can achieve fully automatic, high-precision orientation recognition and arrangement, replacing the inefficient and error-prone manual identification and feeding process, fundamentally improving production efficiency and product yield.

[0027] 2. The material feeding device of this application adopts a modular design, integrating multiple functional units such as feeding, identification, pushing, and rotary positioning. Its core sorting logic does not depend on the fixed shape of a specific material, but rather adapts through programmable visual recognition and rotary actuators (material handling mechanism and rotary channel). For conventional materials that can be distinguished by their shape, the side CCD camera recognition and circumferential rotary positioning steps can be skipped; for complex materials, the full-function process is activated. This design allows the same device to meet the feeding needs of different shaped materials in various processes such as magnet assembly, magnetization, and detection, breaking through the rigid "dedicated machine for dedicated use" mode of traditional circular vibratory feeders and realizing the flexibility and universality of the feeding station.

[0028] 3. This application achieves linear material conveying through a pusher head and a pusher cylinder. Combined with a pusher buffer mechanism and a pressing buffer mechanism, it ensures the stability of the material during the conveying process, enabling the material to be stably conveyed to the swirl channel and positioning platform. This ensures the smooth, damage-free, and accurate rotation and positioning of the material, and improves the reliability of the discharge action. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the material discharge device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding unit of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the suction nozzle of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the material push and identification unit of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the feeding plate of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 For the present invention Figure 6 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0036] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding mechanism and the feeding buffer mechanism of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the material pressing and buffering mechanism of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement and positioning unit of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 11 For the present invention Figure 10 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle;

[0040] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning platform of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material pushing and identification unit and the arrangement and positioning unit of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 14 For the present invention Figure 13 A magnified view of a section at point C;

[0043] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material handling mechanism and equipment streamline coordination of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the material handling mechanism of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fixture of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 18 This is a flowchart of the material feeding method of the present invention.

[0047] Label Explanation:

[0048] 1. Material; 11. Iron sheet; 12. Magnet; 2. Feeding unit; 21. Feeding bin; 22. Vibratory feeder; 23. Material handling mechanism; 231. Multi-axis robot; 232. Rotary motor; 233. Suction nozzle; 234. Connecting sleeve; 235. Compensating spring; 236. Frame; 237. Mounting plate; 24. Top CCD camera; 3. Material pushing and recognition unit; 31. Feeding plate; 311. Pushing groove; 312. Notch groove; 313. Clearance groove; 32. Feeding channel; 33. Pushing mechanism; 331. Pushing head; 332. Pushing cylinder; 34. Side CCD camera; 35. Pushing buffer mechanism; 351. Buffer head; 3511. Buffer groove; 3512, Mounting slot; 352, First buffer spring; 353, Slide seat; 36, Material pressing and buffering mechanism; 361, Slider; 362, Pressure roller; 363, Second buffer spring; 364, Fixed rod; 4, Arrangement and positioning unit; 41, Rotary material channel; 42, Positioning platform; 421, Positioning material channel; 4211, Conical opening; 43, Mounting frame; 44, Pulley mechanism; 441, Driving wheel; 442, Driven wheel; 443, Belt; 444, Drive motor; 45, Round tube; 46, Adjusting block; 5, Material feeding and conveying mechanism; 51, Three-axis robotic arm; 52, Suction head; 6, Equipment flow line; 61, Fixture; 611, Material trough; 7, Gripper conveying mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0050] like Figures 1-17 As shown, this application provides a feeding device for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets, including a feeding unit 2, a material pushing and identification unit 3, and an arrangement and positioning unit 4.

[0051] Key references Figures 2-3The feeding unit 2 includes a feeding bin 21, a vibratory feeder 22, a material handling mechanism 23, and a top CCD camera 24. The vibratory feeder 22 holds the material 1 to be positioned. The outlet of the feeding bin 21 is located above the vibratory feeder 22, and the feeding bin 21 feeds the material 1 onto the vibratory feeder 22. The vibratory feeder 22 is preferably a flexible vibratory feeder. The material handling mechanism 23 and the top CCD camera 24 are located above the vibratory feeder 22. The top CCD camera 24 takes pictures of the vibratory feeder 22 from below to identify whether there is material 1 in the vibratory feeder 22. If there is no material 1, the feeding bin 21 is controlled to feed material. The amount of material fed can be adjusted by the size of the outlet of the feeding bin 21 and the feeding time. Furthermore, the top CCD camera 24 can also determine which materials 1 meet the grasping conditions and the specific location of the materials 1, and then guide the material handling mechanism 23 to grasp the materials 1 through a control algorithm. More importantly, the top CCD camera 24 can take pictures to identify the horizontal state of the material 1 and determine the angle at which the material 1 needs to be rotated horizontally. After grabbing the material 1, the material handling mechanism 23 rotates the material 1 horizontally according to the identification result of the top CCD camera 24 until the length direction of the material 1 is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel 32, thus completing the positioning of the material 1 on the horizontal plane.

[0052] Specifically, the material handling mechanism 23 includes a multi-axis robot 231, a rotary motor 232, and a suction nozzle 233. The free end of the multi-axis robot 231 is equipped with a suction nozzle 233 to drive the suction nozzle 233 to move horizontally and vertically. The suction nozzle 233 is equipped with a vacuum device inside to adsorb material 1. Through the cooperation of the suction nozzle 233 and the multi-axis robot 231, material 1 can be transported from the vibrating plate 22 to the loading end of the feeding channel 32. The rotary motor 232 is located above the suction nozzle 233 and drives the suction nozzle 233. After the multi-axis robot 231 drives the suction nozzle 233 to move to grasp material 1, the rotary motor 232 drives the material 1 to rotate until the length direction of the material 1 is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel 32. The multi-axis manipulator 231 can be a high-precision spider-man robot. The lower end of the spider-man robot's rotation axis is a free end, and a mounting plate 237 is provided on the free end. The suction nozzle 233 is fixed below the mounting plate 237, and the rotary motor 232 is located above the mounting plate 237 and connected to the suction nozzle 233. A frame 236 is provided above the vibrating plate 22, and both the spider-man robot and the top CCD camera 24 are mounted on the frame 236.

[0053] Key references Figure 4As a preferred embodiment, a connecting sleeve 234 is provided between the suction nozzle 233 and the rotary motor 232. The suction nozzle 233 is telescopically disposed within the connecting sleeve 234, and a compensating spring 235 abuts against the connecting sleeve 234. Since the distance at which the multi-axis manipulator 231 controls the suction nozzle 233 to move downward and grasp the material 1 is fixed, if the material 1 is stacked or the side of the material 1 is upright, causing the downward movement distance of the suction nozzle 233 to change, the compensating spring 235 can automatically extend and retract the suction nozzle 233 to compensate for the change in distance. The compensating spring also has a buffering effect to prevent the suction nozzle 233 from excessively impacting and damaging the material 1.

[0054] Key references Figure 5-9 The material push and identification unit 3 includes a feeding plate 31, a feeding channel 32, a pushing mechanism 33, and a side CCD camera 34. The feeding channel 32 is set on the feeding plate 31, and the pushing mechanism 33 is set at the feeding end of the feeding channel 32 to push the material 1 to the rotating material channel 41 and the positioning platform 42. Specifically, the pushing mechanism 33 includes a pushing head 331 and a pushing cylinder 332. The feeding plate 31 has a pushing groove 311 below the feeding end of the feeding channel 32. The pushing cylinder 332 is located below the feeding plate 31. The bottom end of the pushing head 331 is located on the pushing cylinder 332. The top end of the pushing head 331 passes through the pushing groove 311 and extends into the feeding end to push against the material 1. The width of the pushing groove 311 is less than the width and height of the material 1, and the length of the pushing groove 311 is greater than or equal to the length of the material 1. The width of the feeding channel 32 is greater than the width and height of the material 1, so that the material will not fall into the pushing groove at the feeding end of the feeding channel. When the material handling mechanism 23 places a material 1 on the feeding end, the pushing cylinder 332 drives the pushing head 331 to push out, pushing the material 1 along the feeding direction. After the pushing head 331 moves to the limit position at the end of the pushing groove 311, the pushing head 331 resets. The material handling mechanism 23 then places the next material 1 on the feeding end, and the pushing head 331 pushes the material 1 to move again. This process is repeated to keep multiple materials 1 in contact at the head and tail and push them in the feeding direction.

[0055] Key references Figure 7 and Figure 14, the side CCD camera 34 is arranged on one side of the discharging end of the feeding channel 32. After the material 1 moves to the discharging end of the feeding channel 32, the side CCD camera 34 takes a picture of the side of the material 1, and then identifies the state of the vertical surface of the material 1 to judge the angle that the material 1 needs to rotate circumferentially. Specifically, it can be judged by the combination position of the iron sheet 11 and the magnet 12, the mark (the mark engraved on the material 1), or the side edge position of the magnet 12 or the iron sheet 11. The feeding channel 32 is a U-shaped groove channel with side walls. To ensure that the side CCD camera 34 can capture the material 1, a notch groove 312 is opened on one side of the discharging end of the feeding plate 31 facing the side CCD camera 34, so that the side of the material 1 is exposed, and the side CCD camera 34 faces the notch groove 312 to take a picture of the exposed material 1.

[0056] Refer to with emphasis Figure 8 , the material pushing and identifying unit 3 further includes a pushing buffer mechanism 35. The pushing buffer mechanism 35 includes a buffer head 351, a first buffer spring 352 and a sliding seat 353. The sliding seat 353 is arranged on the pushing cylinder 332 and is driven by the pushing cylinder 332 to move. The bottom end of the pushing head 331 is slidably arranged on the sliding seat 353. The buffer head 351 is arranged on the side of the pushing head 331 far from the feeding end, and the buffer head 351 is located below the feeding plate 31. Its bottom end is fixed to the pushing cylinder 332. The buffer head 351 and the pushing head 331 are connected by a first buffer spring 352. After the material handling mechanism 23 places the material 1 at the feeding end, the pushing cylinder 332 drives the sliding seat 353 to move along the feeding direction, thereby带动 the pushing head 331 to move. At the same time when the pushing head 331 starts to push against the material 1, through the buffering of the first buffer spring 352, the pushing head 331 will move relative to the buffer head 351, and then compensate for the dimensional tolerance in the length direction of the material 1 to ensure that adjacent materials 1 are in head-to-tail contact in the feeding channel 32. The pushing head 331 is specifically a plate-shaped "convex" shape. A buffer groove 3511 matching the pushing head 331 and an installation groove 3512 for installing the first buffer spring 352 are provided on the side of the buffer head 351 facing the pushing head.

[0057] Refer to with emphasis Figure 5 and Figure 9The material pushing and identification unit 3 further includes a pressing and buffering mechanism 36, which includes a slider 361, a pressure roller 362, a second buffer spring 363, and a fixing rod 364. The bottom end of the fixing rod 364 is fixed to the feeding plate 31. The slider 361 slides up and down on the fixing rod 364. The second buffer spring 363 is sleeved on the fixing rod 364, and its two ends abut against the top protrusion of the fixing rod 364 and the slider 361, respectively. The fixing rod 364 can be a screw, and the second buffer spring 363 abuts against the head of the screw. The inside of the pressing block has a boss that abuts against the second buffer spring 363. The center of the pressure roller 362 has a rotating shaft, which is rotatably connected to the slider 361. The bottom end of the pressure roller 362 extends into the feeding channel 32 to abut against the material 1. When the material 1 moves in the feeding channel 32, the pressure roller 362 is pushed and rotates, thereby providing damping when the material 1 moves forward and preventing the material 1 from moving in the opposite direction. Material 1 may have its iron or magnetic side facing up, or its front side facing up, resulting in varying heights. Through the buffering action of the second buffer spring 363, the pressure roller 362 moves up and down to maintain constant contact with material 1. Furthermore, the pressure roller 362 is a polyurethane-coated bearing roller, which will not damage material 1.

[0058] like Figure 6 As shown, in order to avoid the situation where the depth of the feeding channel 32 is greater than the height of the material 1, making it impossible for the pressure roller 362 to contact the material 1, a relief groove 313 is opened on the feeding plate 31 so that the top surface of the material 1 is exposed and the pressure roller 362 can contact the top surface of the material 1 when placed in the relief groove 313.

[0059] Key references Figure 10 , Figure 13 and Figure 14 The arrangement and positioning unit 4 includes a rotating feed channel 41 and a positioning platform 42. The positioning platform 42 is equipped with a positioning feed channel 421. The two ends of the rotating feed channel 41 are respectively connected to the discharge end of the feeding channel 32 and the positioning feed channel 421. The feeding channel 32, the rotating feed channel 41, and the positioning feed channel 421 are all straight channels and are on the same straight line. By pushing the material head 331, the material 1 can move into the rotating feed channel 41 and the positioning feed channel 421. After the material 1 moves into the rotating feed channel 41, the rotating feed channel 41 can rotate the material 1 circumferentially to face upwards according to the recognition result of the side CCD camera 34, realizing the correct arrangement and placement of the material 1. This solves the problem that traditional feeding equipment cannot arrange and feed special materials 1 such as non-magnetic components and irregularly shaped magnets that have no obvious front and back features or have very small features.

[0060] Specifically, the positioning platform 42 has a mounting frame 43 on the side near the feeding channel 32. The mounting frame 43 has a pulley mechanism 44, which includes a driving wheel 441, a driven wheel 442, a belt 443, and a drive motor 444. The belt 443 cooperates with the driving wheel 441 and the driven wheel 442. The drive motor 444 is connected to the driving wheel 441 to drive it to rotate. The driving wheel 441 drives the driven wheel 442 to rotate via the belt 443. The rotating material channel 41 is fixedly located at the center of the driven wheel 442. Specifically, a circular tube 45 is set at the center of the driven wheel 442, rotating with it. The rotating material channel 41 is located inside the circular tube 45. The cross-section of the rotating material channel 41 is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the material 1, forming a contour channel for the material. The material 1 can rotate together with the rotating material channel 41. Once material 1 is pushed into the rotating feed channel 41, the belt pulley mechanism 44 drives the rotating feed channel 41 to rotate circumferentially along its own axis, thereby causing material 1 to rotate. In addition to the belt pulley mechanism 44, other mechanisms capable of driving the rotating feed channel 41 can also be used, but using the belt pulley mechanism 44 allows for clearance at both ends of the rotating feed channel 41, ensuring the connection between the rotating feed channel 41 and the feeding channel 32 and the positioning channel 421.

[0061] Key references Figure 12 The inlet of the positioning channel 421 is configured as a conical opening 4211 to facilitate the entry of material 1, while the width of the outlet of the positioning channel 421 is the same as the width of material 1, so as to limit the position of material 1 according to its size and achieve precise positioning of material 1. Figure 10 As shown, the positioning platform 42 is provided with an adjusting block 46 on the discharge end side of the positioning channel 421. The material 1 moves to the point of contact with the adjusting block 46 and stops moving, and is thus positioned at that position. Then, a feeding and conveying mechanism 5 transports the material 1 to the equipment flow line 6 to complete the feeding operation.

[0062] Preferably, multiple feeding channels 32, rotating channels 41, positioning channels 421, and push heads 331 can be provided and arranged in a front-to-back manner. After multiple materials 1 arranged in a front-to-back manner move to the discharge end of the positioning channel 421 and abut against the adjusting block 46, multiple materials 1 are positioned at the same time, and multiple materials 1 are aligned in a front-to-back manner. Then, the feeding and conveying mechanism 5 transports multiple materials 1 to the equipment flow line 6. The above design can greatly improve the feeding and discharging efficiency.

[0063] Key references Figures 15-17The feeding and conveying mechanism 5 consists of a three-axis robotic arm 51 and a suction head 52. The suction head 52 is mounted on the three-axis robotic arm 51 and driven by the three-axis robotic arm 51 to move along the X, Y, and Z axes. The suction head 52 can adsorb multiple materials 1 on the positioning platform 42, and then place the materials 1 on the fixture 61 of the equipment flow line 6. The fixture 61 has multiple material 1 slots arranged in a front-to-back pattern for placing the materials 1. Multiple equipment flow lines 6 can be set up, and a gripper conveying mechanism 7 can be set at the end of the equipment flow line 6 to move the fixture 61 from one equipment flow line 6 to another equipment flow line 6 to meet different feeding requirements. In addition, as Figure 12 The positioning platform 42 is stepped, and the discharge end of the positioning channel 421 is lower than the inlet end, so that the suction head 52 can directly adhere to the material 1 or the distance between the suction head 52 and the material 1 is very small when adsorbing the material 1, making it easy to adsorb the material 1.

[0064] like Figure 18 The present application also provides a feeding method for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets, which is implemented by the above-mentioned feeding device and includes the following steps:

[0065] S1. Feeding and Horizontal Positioning: Place the material 1 to be produced into the feeding bin 21, then start the equipment. The top CCD camera 24 faces downwards and takes a picture of the material 1 on the vibrating plate 22 to determine whether there is material 1 in the vibrating plate 22. If there is no material 1, control the feeding bin 21 to feed the material 1 onto the vibrating plate 22. Then the top CCD camera 24 takes another picture to identify the specific position and horizontal state of the material 1 and determine the angle at which the material 1 needs to be rotated horizontally. Then the material handling mechanism 23 grabs the material 1 according to the identification result of the top CCD camera 24 and rotates the material 1 horizontally until the length direction of the material 1 is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel 32. Then the material 1 is placed at the feeding end of the feeding channel 32. This cycle is repeated to place multiple materials 1 at the feeding end.

[0066] S2. Feeding and circumferential positioning: The pusher cylinder 332 drives the pusher head 331 to move repeatedly to push the material 1 from the feed end of the feeding channel 32 to the discharge end. The side CCD camera 34 takes pictures of the side of the material 1 exposed by the notch 312 at the discharge end to identify the vertical state of the material 1, that is, to identify whether the material 1 is facing up, facing down, or facing up, and to determine the angle of circumferential rotation required for the material 1. If the material 1 is facing up, no rotation is required. If the material 1 is facing down, a circumferential rotation of 180° is required. If the material 1 is facing up, a circumferential rotation of 90° or 270° is required.

[0067] S3, Circumferential Rotation Positioning: The pushing mechanism 33 pushes the material 1 from the feeding channel 32 to the rotating material channel 41. The belt pulley mechanism 44 drives the rotating material channel 41 to rotate circumferentially along the axis according to the recognition result of the side CCD camera 34, so that the material 1 rotates to face upward. Then, the pushing mechanism 33 pushes the material 1 to the positioning material channel 421 on the positioning platform 42 until it abuts against the adjusting block 46 at the discharge end of the positioning material channel 421, completing the positioning. Then, the loading and conveying mechanism 5 transports all the material 1 on the discharge end of the positioning material channel 421 to the equipment flow line 6, completing all loading operations.

[0068] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0069] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A feeding method for the production of neodymium iron boron magnets, characterized in that: The process is performed by a material feeding device, which includes a feeding unit, a material pushing and identification unit, and an arrangement and positioning unit. The feeding unit includes a vibratory feeder, a material handling mechanism, and a top CCD camera. The vibratory feeder is loaded with material to be positioned. The material handling mechanism and the top CCD camera are located above the vibratory feeder. The top CCD camera faces downwards to take pictures of the vibratory feeder. The material handling mechanism is used for horizontal rotation and material handling. The material push recognition unit includes a feeding channel, a pushing mechanism, and a side CCD camera. The pushing mechanism is set at the feeding end of the feeding channel to push the material to the arrangement and positioning unit. The side CCD camera is set on one side of the feeding end of the feeding channel to take pictures of the side of the material. The arrangement and positioning unit includes a rotating material channel and a positioning platform. The rotating material channel is used to drive the material to rotate circumferentially, and the two ends of the rotating material channel are respectively connected to the discharge end of the feeding channel and the positioning platform. The material discharge method includes the following steps: S1. Feeding and horizontal positioning: The top CCD camera takes pictures of the vibrating plate with its head down to identify the specific position and horizontal state of the material and determine the angle at which the material needs to be rotated horizontally; then the material handling mechanism grabs the material according to the identification result of the top CCD camera and rotates the material horizontally until the length direction of the material is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel, and then places the material at the feeding end of the feeding channel. S2. Feeding and circumferential positioning: The pushing mechanism pushes the material to the discharge end of the feeding channel. The side CCD camera takes pictures of the side of the material at the discharge end of the feeding channel to identify the vertical state of the material and determine the angle at which the material needs to be rotated circumferentially. S3, Circumferential Rotation Positioning: The pushing mechanism pushes the material from the feeding channel to the rotating material channel. The rotating material channel, based on the recognition result of the side CCD camera, drives the material to rotate circumferentially until the front is facing up. Then, the pushing mechanism pushes the material to the positioning platform, where the subsequent feeding operation is completed.

2. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The material pushing and identification unit also includes a feeding plate, on which a feeding channel is provided and a pushing groove is opened below the feeding end of the feeding channel. The pushing mechanism includes a pushing head and a pushing cylinder. The pushing cylinder is located below the feeding plate, and the bottom end of the pushing head is located on the pushing cylinder. The top end of the pushing head passes through the pushing groove and extends into the feeding end to push against the material. The width of the pushing groove is smaller than the width and height of the material, and the width of the feeding channel is larger than the width and height of the material. Thus, in step S2, the material handling mechanism places multiple materials sequentially at the feeding end, and the pushing cylinder drives the pushing head to reciprocate within the pushing groove to push multiple materials to move sequentially to the discharge end, the rotating material channel, and the positioning platform.

3. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 2, characterized in that: In step S2, the feeding plate has a notch on the side of the discharge end facing the side CCD camera, so that the side of the material is exposed, and the side CCD camera takes a picture of the exposed material.

4. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The material pushing and identification unit also includes a pushing buffer mechanism, which includes a buffer head, a first buffer spring, and a slide. The slide is mounted on the pushing cylinder, and the bottom end of the pushing head is slidably mounted on the slide. The buffer head is located on the side of the pushing head away from the feeding end, and the bottom end of the buffer head is fixed to the pushing cylinder. The buffer head and the pushing head are connected by the first buffer spring. Thus, in step S2, after the material handling mechanism places the material at the feeding end, the pushing cylinder drives the slide to move along the feeding direction, thereby driving the pushing head to move. As the pushing head begins to push against the material, the pushing head moves relative to the buffer head due to the buffering effect of the first buffer spring, thereby compensating for the tolerance in the length direction of the material and ensuring that adjacent materials are in contact end to end in the feeding channel.

5. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The material pushing and identification unit also includes a pressing and buffering mechanism, which includes a slider, a pressure roller, a second buffer spring, and a fixed rod. The bottom end of the fixed rod is fixed to the feeding plate. The slider slides up and down on the fixed rod. The second buffer spring is sleeved on the fixed rod, and its two ends abut against the top protrusion of the fixed rod and the slider, respectively. The pressure roller has a rotating shaft at its center, which is rotatably connected to the slider. The bottom end of the pressure roller extends into the feeding channel to abut against the material. Thus, in step S2, when the material moves in the feeding channel, the pressure roller always abuts against the material to provide damping when the material moves forward and prevent the material from moving in the opposite direction.

6. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning platform is provided with a mounting frame on the side near the feeding channel. The mounting frame is provided with a pulley mechanism. The rotating material channel is fixedly located at the center of the driven wheel of the pulley mechanism. The cross-section inside the rotating material channel has the same shape as the cross-section of the material. Thus, in step S3, after the material is pushed into the rotating material channel, the pulley mechanism drives the rotating material channel to rotate circumferentially along its own axis, thereby driving the material to rotate.

7. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Above the positioning platform is a positioning channel that connects to the rotating material channel. The inlet of the positioning channel is set as a cone-shaped opening to facilitate material entry, while the width of the outlet is the same as the width of the material to limit the size of the material. The positioning platform has an adjusting block on the outlet side of the positioning channel that abuts against the material for positioning. Multiple feeding channels, rotating material channels, positioning channels, and pushers are arranged side by side. The discharge device also includes a loading and conveying mechanism and an equipment flow line. Thus, in step S3, after the pushing mechanism pushes the material to the positioning channel, multiple materials abut against the adjusting blocks at the outlets of multiple positioning channels to arrange and position the multiple materials. Then, the loading and conveying mechanism transports all the materials on the positioning platform to the equipment flow line to complete the loading operation.

8. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The material handling mechanism includes a multi-axis manipulator, a suction nozzle, and a rotary motor. The suction nozzle is located at the free end of the multi-axis manipulator to drive the suction nozzle to move horizontally and vertically. The suction nozzle is equipped with a vacuum device inside to adsorb materials. The rotary motor is located above the suction nozzle and drives the suction nozzle. Thus, in step S1, the multi-axis manipulator drives the suction nozzle to move to grasp the material, and then the rotary motor drives the material to rotate horizontally until the length direction of the material is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel.

9. The feeding method for producing neodymium iron boron magnets as described in claim 8, characterized in that: A connecting sleeve is provided between the suction nozzle and the rotary motor. The suction nozzle is telescopically disposed inside the connecting sleeve and is abutted against the connecting sleeve by a compensating spring.

10. A feeding device for the production of NdFeB magnets, used to execute the feeding method for the production of NdFeB magnets as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: It includes a feeding unit, a material pushing and identification unit, and an arrangement and positioning unit; The feeding unit includes a vibratory feeder, a material handling mechanism, and a top CCD camera. The vibratory feeder is loaded with material to be positioned. The material handling mechanism and the top CCD camera are located above the vibratory feeder. The top CCD camera faces downwards and takes pictures of the vibratory feeder to identify the specific position and horizontal state of the material and determine the angle at which the material needs to be rotated horizontally. The material handling mechanism grabs the material based on the identification result of the top CCD camera and rotates the material horizontally until the length direction of the material is parallel to the feeding direction of the feeding channel. Then, the material is transported to the feeding end of the feeding channel. The material pushing and recognition unit includes a feeding channel, a pushing mechanism, and a side CCD camera. The pushing mechanism is set at the feeding end of the feeding channel to push the material to the rotating material channel and the positioning platform. The side CCD camera is set on one side of the feeding end of the feeding channel to take pictures of the side of the material, thereby recognizing the vertical state of the material and determining the angle at which the material needs to be rotated circumferentially. The arrangement and positioning unit includes a rotating material channel and a positioning platform. The two ends of the rotating material channel are respectively connected to the discharge end of the feeding channel and the positioning platform. After the material moves to the rotating material channel, the rotating material channel rotates the material circumferentially to face upwards according to the recognition result of the side CCD camera.

Images