Automatic leveling clamp and control method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of workpiece clamping, in particular to an automatic leveling clamp and a control method.The automatic leveling clamp comprises a base, a leveling mechanism, a fixing mechanism and a control unit, and a supporting assembly used for supporting a workpiece is installed on the surface of the base; the leveling mechanism comprises a leveling base mounted on the base and a leveling plate, the middle of the leveling plate is rotationally connected with the leveling base, the indicating assembly comprises an indicating block, a pointer and a first sensing part, and the fixing mechanism comprises a locking assembly and a clamping assembly; the control unit is in communication connection with the first sensing part, the locking assembly and the clamping assembly and used for receiving a signal of the first sensing part, controlling the locking assembly to lock the leveling plate according to the received signal and controlling the clamping assembly to clamp a workpiece on the locked leveling plate. Automatic leveling, clamping and fixing of the workpiece are accurately achieved, and meanwhile the surface of the workpiece is not damaged in the automatic leveling process.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of workpiece clamping, in particular to an automatic leveling clamp and a control method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In precision machining, the clamping state of the workpiece directly determines the final machining precision. The existing automatic or semi-automatic clamps usually use rigid and ideal planar clamping reference surfaces to position the workpiece. When the workpiece to be machined itself has a surface that is not flat, for example, the black surface of a casting or a forged piece, or a slightly warped plate, these rigid clamps will forcibly flatten the workpiece to make it fit the ideal reference surface of the clamp.

[0003] The above method introduces uncertain clamping stress and elastic deformation in the workpiece. The workpiece is machined in this stress state, and the machined surface seems to meet the precision requirements. However, once the machining is completed, the internal stress that was previously suppressed will also be released when the clamping force is released, causing the workpiece to deform "spring back" or "warp". This deformation can seriously damage the flatness or parallelism of the machined surface, resulting in a loss of final machining precision, causing the part to be scrapped, especially in the machining of high-precision or thin-walled parts, this problem is particularly prominent. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to overcome the above technical problems, and provide an automatic leveling clamp.

[0005] An automatic leveling clamp, comprising: a base having a support assembly mounted on the surface thereof for supporting a workpiece; a leveling mechanism including a leveling base mounted on the base, a leveling plate rotatably connected to the leveling base, and an indicating assembly including an indicating block fixed to one side of the leveling base and provided with a scale line, a pointer connected to the leveling plate, and a first sensing member for detecting the position of the pointer and generating a leveling signal, the leveling plate rotating to drive the pointer to swing relative to the scale line; a fixing mechanism including a locking assembly for locking the leveling plate according to instructions and a clamping assembly for clamping and fixing the workpiece after attitude leveling; a control unit in communication connection with the first sensing member, the locking assembly and the clamping assembly, respectively, for receiving the first sensing member signal and controlling the locking assembly to lock the leveling plate and the clamping assembly to clamp the workpiece on the locked leveling plate according to the received signal.

[0006] By adopting the above scheme, if the workpiece deviates, the leveling plate will also deviate under the driving of the workpiece, the leveling plate drives the pointer to swing relative to the scale line, when the pointer points to the preset scale line, the control unit receives the signal of the first sensing element, thereby controlling the fixing mechanism to lock the leveling plate, thereby locking the workpiece, preventing the workpiece from continuing to tilt, in the process of adjusting the angle of the workpiece, the leveling plate swings with the workpiece, avoiding that the pressing force of the limiting block is too large, and avoiding damaging the surface of the workpiece.

[0007] In one of the embodiments, the tail of the pointer is provided with a plug hole and a slot-shaped notch, the indicating block is provided with a first plug pin penetrating the plug hole, and the leveling plate is provided with a second plug pin penetrating the slot-shaped notch.

[0008] By adopting the above scheme, when the inclination angle of the leveling plate is small, the movement track of the two sides is difficult to be observed, through the setting of the plug hole and the slot-shaped notch, the pointer rotates around the axis of the plug hole, the distance from the plug hole to the tip of the pointer is much larger than the distance from the plug hole to the slot-shaped notch, and the small displacement of the second plug pin can be enlarged to a larger swing at the tip of the pointer, thereby improving the reading accuracy.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the leveling base is provided with a containing groove, the leveling plate is located in the containing groove, and the locking assembly comprises a driving piece, a driving wedge driven to move by the driving piece, and an abutting block penetrating the side wall surface of the containing groove, the abutting block comprises an abutting surface parallel to the wedge surface of the driving wedge, and a plurality of rolling shafts are arranged between the wedge surface of the driving wedge and the abutting surface.

[0010] By adopting the above scheme, when it is necessary to fix the leveling plate, the driving piece pushes the wedge to move, the wedge surface of the wedge slides relative to the abutting surface, so that the abutting block slides, the abutting block abuts against the leveling plate, and the fixation of the leveling plate is realized.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the leveling mechanism further comprises an auxiliary leveling assembly installed between the leveling base and the supporting assembly, the auxiliary leveling assembly comprises a jacking piece and a carrying plate rotationally connected with the jacking piece, the length direction of the carrying plate is perpendicular to the length direction of the leveling plate, and the carrying plate is provided with a bubble level extending along the length direction thereof.

[0012] By adopting the above scheme, when the workpiece is carried on the carrying plate, if the workpiece tilts, the carrying plate will tilt together with the workpiece, so that whether the carrying plate keeps horizontal in the direction perpendicular to the leveling plate can be measured, and the jacking piece can adjust the carrying plate to the height suitable for the leveling plate.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the indicating component further comprises a second sensing member for sensing whether the bubble in the bubble level stays at a second preset position, and the second sensing member is in communication connection with the control unit.

[0014] By using the above scheme, when the workpiece is in a horizontal state, the second sensing member can transmit the measured signal to the control unit, and the control unit can feed back the signal to the fixing mechanism, so as to realize the fixation of the state of the workpiece.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the base is provided with a "U"-shaped communication cavity, the supporting component comprises two supporting members, the connecting line between the two supporting members is parallel to the length direction of the leveling plate, the supporting member comprises a sliding sleeve, a floating plate matched with the inner wall surface of the sliding sleeve, a top rod fixed to the side of the floating plate away from the base, the two sliding sleeves are respectively in communication with the two ends of the communication cavity, and the communication cavity and the sliding sleeve are both filled with leveling liquid.

[0016] By using the above scheme, when the leveling plate is inclined to one end, the top rod on the inclined side of the leveling plate is driven by the pressure of the workpiece to move the corresponding floating plate downward, and according to the principle of the communication device, the floating plate on the other side rises to drive the top rod on the other side to rise, so as to adapt to the swing of the leveling plate.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, each sliding sleeve is provided with a locking valve controlled to be opened and closed by the control unit, the base is further provided with an adjusting cavity in communication with the communication cavity, and a pushing member matched with the inner wall surface of the adjusting cavity and controlled to be extended and retracted by the control unit.

[0018] By using the above scheme, when the control unit opens the locking valve, the two ends of the communication cavity are in communication, at this time, the top rod can float up and down to adapt to the swing of the leveling plate, when the control unit controls the locking valve to be closed, the locking valve separates the leveling liquid in the communication cavity from the leveling liquid in the sliding sleeve, so that the leveling liquid in the sliding sleeve cannot be compressed, thereby converting the top rod into a rigid state. When the bottom surface shape of the workpiece is complex and cannot be in the same plane as the leveling plate, the pushing member can push the leveling liquid in the adjusting cavity into or out of the communication cavity, so as to change the floating range of the top rod, so that the top rod can cooperate with the jacking member to complete the leveling.

[0019] In one of the embodiments, the clamping assembly comprises four limit blocks controlled by the control unit to move up and down, which are arranged at the four vertices of the base, the limit blocks close to the leveling plate are located directly above the leveling plate, and the limit blocks away from the leveling plate are located directly above the two top rods respectively, each of the limit blocks is provided with a pressure sensor in communication connection with the control unit, and the leveling plate comprises a leveling surface and a plurality of bearing pieces arranged on the leveling surface and used for bearing the workpiece, and the lengths of the plurality of bearing pieces are adjustable.

[0020] By adopting the above scheme, the four limit blocks are pressed down to clamp the workpiece, the pressing blocks located on one side of the leveling plate are pressed down, and the leveling plate is offset to the side, so that the inclination angle of the workpiece is adjusted.

[0021] The application also provides a control method of the automatic leveling clamp, which is used for controlling the automatic leveling clamp and comprises the following steps: S1: the control unit controls the driving piece to place the leveling plate in a fixed state, and then controls the two limit blocks close to the leveling plate to press down to complete parallelism calibration; after the workpiece is placed, the two limit blocks are controlled to press down and the lengths of the bearing pieces are adjusted to complete the preliminary positioning of the workpiece; S2: all the limit blocks are controlled to apply an initial pressing force, and the locking valve is kept open, so that the two top rods of the supporting assembly are adaptively attached to the bottom surface of the workpiece; S3: the control unit controls the pressing force of the limit blocks close to the leveling plate according to the signal of the first sensing piece, until the pointer reaches a first preset position; S4: the control unit controls the pressing force of the limit blocks away from the leveling plate again according to the signal of the second sensing piece, and controls the pushing piece to push the liquid in the adjusting cavity to change the liquid amount in the communication cavity, until the bubble of the bubble level reaches a second preset position; S5: the control unit controls the fixing mechanism to lock the leveling plate, controls the locking valve to close, and controls the limit blocks to increase the pressing force to finally clamp the workpiece.

[0022] By adopting the above scheme, the sensor closed-loop feedback and differential pressure control realize active and accurate automatic leveling.

[0023] The S1 initial positioning step comprises: S11: the two limit blocks close to the leveling plate are controlled to press down until the pressure sensors of the two limit blocks each sense a pressure reading in contact with the leveling surface to complete parallelism calibration; S12: Adjust the length of the bearing member and control all the limit blocks to press down synchronously with the two calibrated limit blocks as a reference until their respective pressure sensors sense the workpiece pressure, so as to complete the initial positioning of the workpiece.

[0024] By adopting the above scheme, the parallelism of the limiting block is calibrated by using the plate itself as a reference surface when the plate is fixed.

[0025] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. After the workpiece is supported on the leveling plate, if the workpiece shifts, the leveling plate will also shift under the influence of the workpiece. The leveling plate will cause the pointer to swing relative to the scale line. When the pointer points to the preset scale line, the control unit receives a signal from the first sensor, thereby controlling the fixing mechanism to lock the workpiece and prevent the workpiece from continuing to tilt. During the adjustment of the workpiece angle, the leveling plate swings in coordination with the workpiece to avoid excessive downward pressure on the limit block and to avoid damage to the workpiece surface.

[0026] 2. When the tilt angle of the plate is small, the movement trajectory on both sides is difficult to observe. By setting the socket and the slot notch, the pointer rotates around the axis of the socket. The distance from the socket to the tip of the pointer is much greater than the distance from the socket to the slot notch. The small displacement at the second pin can be amplified into a large swing at the tip of the pointer, thus improving the reading accuracy.

[0027] 3. When the control unit opens the locking valve, the two ends of the connecting cavity are connected. At this time, the push rod can float up and down to adapt to the swing of the leveling plate. When the control unit closes the locking valve, the locking valve separates the leveling fluid in the connecting cavity from the leveling fluid in the sliding sleeve, thus making the leveling fluid in the sliding sleeve incompressible and converting the push rod into a rigid state. When the bottom surface of the workpiece has a complex shape and cannot be aligned with the leveling plate, the pushing component can push the leveling fluid in the adjusting cavity into or out of the connecting cavity, thereby changing the floating range of the push rod and enabling the push rod to cooperate with the lifting component to complete the leveling. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic leveling fixture carrying a workpiece according to the first embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic leveling fixture provided in the first embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of an automatic leveling fixture provided in the first embodiment of this application; Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of region A; Figure 5 yes Figure 3is an enlarged view of the B region of Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the locking assembly; Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of an automatic leveling clamp provided by the second embodiment of the present application; Figure 8 is a sectional view of the communication cavity of the second embodiment of the present application; Figure 9 is Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the C region of Reference signs: 1, base; 11, support assembly; 111, support piece; 1111, sliding sleeve; 1112, floating plate; 1113, top rod; 1114, locking valve; 1115, metal sleeve; 1116, metal rod; 12, communication cavity; 121, adjusting cavity; 13, pushing piece; 2, leveling mechanism; 21, leveling base; 211, containing groove; 22, leveling plate; 221, second bolt; 222, leveling surface; 223, bearing piece; 23, indicating assembly; 231, indicating block; 2311, scale line; 2312, first bolt; 232, pointer; 2321, insertion hole; 2322, slot-shaped notch; 233, first sensing piece; 234, second sensing piece; 24, auxiliary leveling assembly; 241, jacking piece; 242, bearing plate; 2421, bubble level; 3, fixing mechanism; 31, locking assembly; 311, driving piece; 312, driving wedge; 313, abutting block; 3131, abutting surface; 314, roller; 32, clamping assembly; 321, limiting block; 4, control unit; 5, workpiece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present application provides an automatic leveling clamp and a control method which do not damage the surface of the workpiece 5 in the leveling process.

[0030] Embodiment 1 Please refer to Figures 1-3 , Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a state of bearing a workpiece of an automatic leveling clamp provided by the first embodiment of the present application, the automatic leveling clamp provided by the first embodiment of the present application comprises a base 1, a leveling mechanism 2, a fixing mechanism 3 and a control unit 4, wherein the base 1 is provided with a support assembly 11 for supporting a workpiece 5, the leveling mechanism 2 is installed on the base 1 and can realize leveling and indicating functions, and comprises a leveling plate 22 and a first sensing piece 233 capable of detecting the inclination state of the leveling plate 22, the fixing mechanism 3 can lock the leveling plate 22 and clamp the workpiece 5, the control unit 4 is in communication connection with the first sensing piece 233 and the fixing mechanism 3, receives signals and controls the locking assembly 31 to lock the leveling plate 22, so as to prevent the leveling plate 22 from continuing to swing, and then controls the clamping assembly 32 to clamp the workpiece 5, thereby realizing the fixation of the workpiece 5.

[0031] The base 1 is provided with a support assembly 11 for supporting the workpiece 5. The base 1 is a flat plate, which is usually made of a metal material with certain strength and stability, such as steel. The base 1 is horizontally arranged to provide a stable foundation for the whole fixture. A bubble level 2421 can be arranged on the base 1 to ensure that the base 1 is placed in a horizontal state. The support assembly 11 includes two support members 111, and the connecting line between the two support members 111 is parallel to the length direction of the leveling plate 22.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 4-5 , Figure 4 is Figure 1 the enlarged view of the A area of FIG. 1. The leveling mechanism 2 includes a leveling base 21 arranged on the base 1, a leveling plate 22 rotationally connected to the middle part of the leveling base 21, and an indicating assembly 23. The leveling base 21 is generally a block-shaped metal structure with a flat surface, which is used to mount the leveling plate 22 and the indicating assembly 23. The leveling plate 22 is usually a rectangular metal plate, which is rotationally connected to the middle part of the leveling base 21 through a rotating shaft and can rotate under the driving of the workpiece 5. The indicating assembly 23 includes an indicating block 231 fixed to one side of the leveling base 21 and provided with a scale line 2311, a pointer 232 connected to the leveling plate 22, and a first sensing member 233 for detecting the position of the pointer 232 and generating a leveling signal.

[0033] The indicating block 231 can be a cuboid made of metal, and the surface thereof is provided with clear scale lines 2311 for indicating the position of the pointer 232. The tail part of the pointer 232 is provided with a insertion hole 2321 and a slot-shaped notch 2322, the indicating block 231 is provided with a first insertion pin 2312 penetrating the insertion hole 2321, and the leveling plate 22 is provided with a second insertion pin 221 penetrating the slot-shaped notch 2322. When the inclination angle of the leveling plate 22 is small, the movement tracks on both sides thereof are difficult to be observed. Through the arrangement of the insertion hole 2321 and the slot-shaped notch 2322, the pointer 232 rotates around the axis of the insertion hole 2321, the distance from the insertion hole 2321 to the tip of the pointer 232 is much larger than the distance from the insertion hole 2321 to the slot-shaped notch 2322, and the small displacement of the second insertion pin 221 at the slot-shaped notch 2322 can be amplified to a larger swing at the tip of the pointer 232, thereby improving the reading accuracy. In some cases, the pointer 232 can also be made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber, which reduces the influence on the rotation of the leveling plate 22. The first sensing member 233 can be a photoelectric sensor or a Hall sensor, which can accurately detect the position of the pointer 232.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6is a structural diagram of the locking assembly, the fixing mechanism 3 comprises a locking assembly 31 for locking the leveling plate 22 according to the instruction and a clamping assembly 32 for clamping and fixing the workpiece 5 after the posture is leveled. The leveling base 21 is provided with a containing groove 211, the leveling plate 22 is located in the containing groove 211, the locking assembly 31 comprises a driving piece 311, a driving wedge 312 driven and moved by the driving piece 311, an abutting block 313 penetrating the side wall surface of the containing groove 211, the abutting block 313 comprises an abutting surface 3131 parallel to the wedge surface of the driving wedge 312, and a plurality of rolling shafts 314 are arranged between the wedge surface of the driving wedge 312 and the abutting surface 3131. The driving piece 311 can be a gas cylinder or an electric push rod, etc., which can push the driving wedge 312 to move. The driving wedge 312 is generally a wedge-shaped metal block, and the wedge surface thereof is smooth, facilitating cooperation with the abutting block 313. The abutting block 313 is also a metal block, the abutting surface 3131 thereof is parallel to the wedge surface of the driving wedge 312, and the rolling shaft 314 can reduce the friction force, so that the relative sliding between the driving wedge 312 and the abutting block 313 is more smooth.

[0035] When it is needed to fix the leveling plate 22, the driving piece 311 pushes the wedge to move, the wedge surface of the wedge block slides relative to the abutting surface 3131, so that the abutting block 313 slides, the abutting block 313 abuts against the leveling plate 22, thereby realizing the fixation of the leveling plate 22. The clamping assembly 32 comprises four limiting blocks 321 arranged at four vertexes of the base 1 and controlled by the control unit 4 to move up and down, the limiting block 321 close to the leveling plate 22 is located directly above the leveling plate 22, and the limiting block 321 away from the leveling plate 22 is located directly above the two top rods 1113 respectively. Each limiting block 321 is provided with a pressure sensor in communication connection with the control unit 4, the pressure sensor can feed back a signal to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 adjusts the pressing degree of the limiting block 321 according to the feedback signal.

[0036] The limiting block 321 is generally a block-shaped metal structure, the surface thereof is flat, and the limiting block 321 can uniformly apply pressure to the workpiece 5. The limiting block 321 is connected with a telescopic column through a bolt, the contact part between the limiting block 321 and the workpiece 5 is triangular, the tightness of the connection between the limiting block 321 and the telescopic column can be adjusted through the bolt, the telescopic column penetrates the limiting block 321 and cooperates with the bolt, so that the limiting block 321 can rotate around the axis of the telescopic column, thereby the contact point with the workpiece 5 can be changed. The pressure sensor can be a strain pressure sensor, which can accurately detect the pressure applied by the limiting block 321 to the workpiece 5. The bearing 223 can be an electric telescopic rod, and the length thereof can be adjusted to adapt to workpieces 5 of different shapes and sizes.

[0037] The control unit 4 is in communication connection with the first sensing member 233 and the fixing mechanism 3 respectively, for receiving the signal of the first sensing member 233 and controlling the locking assembly 31 and the clamping assembly 32 to clamp. The control unit 4 is generally a microprocessor or programmable logic controller, which has strong computing and control ability. It can send instructions in time to control the locking assembly 31 to lock the leveling plate 22 according to the position signal of the pointer 232 detected by the first sensing member 233, and at the same time control the clamping assembly 32 to clamp and fix the workpiece 5.

[0038] The implementation principle of the embodiment is that if the workpiece 5 is offset, the leveling plate 22 will also be offset under the driving of the workpiece 5, and the leveling plate 22 drives the pointer 232 to swing relative to the scale line 2311. When the pointer 232 points to the preset scale line 2311, the control unit 4 receives the signal of the first sensing member 233, so as to control the fixing mechanism 3 to lock the workpiece 5 and the workpiece 5, prevent the workpiece 5 from continuing to tilt, and clamp the workpiece 5 after the posture of the workpiece 5 is determined, so as to avoid damaging the surface of the workpiece 5 in the leveling process.

[0039] Embodiment 2 Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of an automatic leveling clamp provided by the second embodiment of the application. The structure of the embodiment is basically the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, and the difference lies in that the leveling plate 22 comprises a leveling surface 222 and a plurality of bearing members 223 arranged on the leveling surface 222 and used for bearing the workpiece 5. The lengths of the plurality of bearing members 223 are adjustable. The bearing member 223 can adopt a height-adjustable bolt or a pad, or directly adopt an electric push rod provided with a pressure sensor.

[0040] The leveling mechanism 2 further comprises an auxiliary leveling assembly 24 installed between the leveling base 21 and the supporting assembly 11. The auxiliary leveling assembly 24 comprises a jacking member 241 and a bearing plate 242 rotationally connected with the jacking member 241. The length direction of the bearing plate 242 is perpendicular to the length direction of the leveling plate 22, and the bearing plate 242 is provided with a bubble level 2421 extending along the length direction thereof. The jacking member 241 can be an electric push rod, which can adjust the bearing plate 242 to a suitable height. The bearing plate 242 is generally a rectangular metal plate, which has a flat surface and is used for bearing the workpiece 5. A plurality of electric push rods provided with pressure sensors are arranged on the bearing plate 242.

[0041] In the embodiment, the jacking member 241 is rotatably connected with the bearing plate 242 through a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft has threads at both ends, and nuts matched with the threads are arranged at the ends of the rotating shaft, and the tightness of the connection between the jacking member 241 and the bearing plate 242 is adjusted by screwing the nuts. The rotating shaft is fixed with the jacking member 241, a reference line perpendicular to the upper surface of the base 1 is arranged on the rotating shaft, and a positioning line is arranged on the side surface of the bearing plate 242, the positioning line is perpendicular to the surface of the bearing plate 242 facing the workpiece 5, and when the positioning line is adjusted to be collinear with the reference line on the rotating shaft, the upper surface of the bearing plate 242 is parallel to the upper surface of the base 1.

[0042] The bearing plate 242 is generally a rectangular metal plate, and the surface of the bearing plate 242 is flat and used for bearing the workpiece 5. The bubble level 2421 can directly show the level state of the bearing plate 242. When the workpiece 5 is borne on the bearing plate 242, if the workpiece 5 is inclined, the bearing plate 242 will be inclined together, so that whether the bearing plate 242 keeps horizontal in the direction perpendicular to the leveling plate 22 can be measured, and the jacking member 241 can adjust the bearing plate 242 to the height suitable for the leveling plate 22.

[0043] The indicating assembly 23 further comprises a second sensing member 234 for sensing whether the bubble in the bubble level stays at the second preset position, and the second sensing member 234 is in communication connection with the control unit 4. The second sensing member 234 can be an optical sensor, which can accurately detect the position of the bubble. When the workpiece 5 is in the horizontal state, the second sensing member 234 can transmit the measured signal to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 feeds back the signal to the fixing mechanism 3, so that the state of the workpiece 5 is fixed.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 is a sectional view of the communication cavity of the second embodiment of the application, the support member 111 comprises a sliding sleeve 1111, a floating plate 1112 matched with the inner wall surface of the sliding sleeve 1111, and a top rod 1113 fixed to the side of the floating plate 1112 away from the base 1. The sliding sleeve 1111 is generally a cylindrical metal cylinder, the inside of which is smooth to ensure smooth sliding of the floating plate 1112. The floating plate 1112 is generally a circular metal plate, the diameter of which is suitable for the inner diameter of the sliding sleeve 1111 and can tightly fit the inner wall of the sliding sleeve 1111. A locking valve 1114 controlled to be opened and closed by the control unit 4 is arranged on the pipeline of each sliding sleeve 1111. When the top rod 1113 is self-adapted to the position, the control unit 4 only needs to close the locking valve 1114, and the height of the two top rods 1113 will be locked instantaneously.

[0045] The top rod 1113 is fixed at one end of the floating plate 1112 and used to support the workpiece 5. In some special cases, the sliding sleeve 1111 can also be made of high-strength engineering plastic to reduce the overall weight; the floating plate 1112 can also be designed to have a structure with a sealing rubber ring to enhance the sealing performance. The base 1 is provided with a "U"-shaped communication cavity 12, and the two sliding sleeves 1111 are respectively communicated with two ends of the communication cavity 12, and the communication cavity 12 and the sliding sleeve 1111 are both filled with leveling liquid.

[0046] An adjusting cavity 121 communicated with the U-shaped communication cavity 12 is additionally arranged on the base 1. A pushing member 13 is arranged on the side surface of the base 1, and the tail end of the pushing member 13 extends into the adjusting cavity 121, and the extension and retraction of the pushing member 13 is accurately controlled by the control unit 4. The pushing member 13 can be an electric push rod with a plug arranged at the tail end and provided with a pressure sensor, and the control unit 4 can actively increase or decrease the total amount of liquid in the entire hydraulic system by controlling the extension and retraction of the pushing member 13, so as to realize active synchronous jacking or lowering of the two top rods 1113, and enable the top rod 1113 to adapt to different types of workpiece 5 bottom surfaces.

[0047] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 is Figure 8 the enlarged view of the C area of the top rod 1113, which includes a metal sleeve 1115 penetrating the floating plate 1112 and communicated with the communication cavity 12, and a metal rod 1116 provided with a hollow chamber at the bottom. A screw hole is arranged on the side wall surface of the metal sleeve 1115, and the metal rod 1116 can be fixed with the metal sleeve 1115 by cooperation of the screw hole and a bolt.

[0048] The working principle of the embodiment is as follows: when the leveling plate 22 is inclined to one end, the top rod 1113 located on the inclined side of the leveling plate 22 is driven to move downward by the pressure of the workpiece 5, and the floating plate 1112 on the other side is lifted according to the principle of the communicating vessel, thereby driving the top rod 1113 on the other side to rise to adapt to the swing of the leveling plate 22. When the bottom of the workpiece 5 to be carried is a flat surface, the bolt abutting against the metal rod 1116 is loosened, so that the two metal rods 1116 can freely float, and the connecting line at the top of the two metal rods 1116 is a horizontal line. After the metal rod 1116 is stabilized, the bolt is tightened to fix the metal rod 1116, and the workpiece 5 can be directly carried on the metal rod 1116 without additional leveling by the leveling plate 22.

[0049] Embodiment 3 The control method of the automatic leveling clamp provided by the embodiment is used to control the clamp to complete automatic leveling and clamping, and includes the following steps. S1: The control unit 4 controls the driving member 311 to place the leveling plate 22 in a fixed state. The face of the leveling plate 22 in the fixed state is parallel to the upper surface of the base 1. At the same time, the control unit 4 adjusts the carrier plate 242 to align the alignment line with the reference line on the rotating shaft. Then, the control unit 4 controls the two limit blocks 321 close to the leveling plate 22 to press down to complete the parallelism calibration. After placing the workpiece 5, the control unit 4 controls the two limit blocks 321 to press down and adjusts the length of the carrier member 223 to complete the preliminary positioning of the workpiece 5.

[0050] S11: In the empty state, first, the control unit 4 commands the driving member 311 to lock the leveling plate 22, which becomes a fixed reference plane. Then, the control unit 4 commands the two limit blocks 321 close to the leveling plate 22 to slowly press down until their respective pressure sensors sense a small pressure in contact with the leveling plane 222. At this time, the control unit 4 records the coordinate positions of the two limit blocks 321, which define a reference line absolutely parallel to the leveling plane 222.

[0051] S12: The operator places the workpiece 5 on the clamp. At this time, the length of the carrier member 223 can be manually adjusted to roughly level the workpiece 5. Subsequently, the control unit 4 commands all limit blocks 321 to move synchronously to the plane defined by the reference line calibrated in S11, and then press down together until their respective pressure sensors sense the initial pressure in contact with the workpiece 5. This "co-planar pressing down" action ensures that the workpiece 5 will not be accidentally tilted when initially contacted. In this process, the multiple electric push rods provided with pressure sensors on the carrier plate 242 are adjusted. When the pressure sensor on the electric push rod detects pressure, it means that the multiple electric push rods have completed the cooperation with the bottom surface of the workpiece 5, and the electric push rod remains in this cooperation state.

[0052] S2: The control unit 4 commands all limit blocks 321 to apply a small initial pressing force to gently press the workpiece 5. At the same time, the control unit 4 issues an instruction to keep the lock valve 1114 of the hydraulic system open. Under the action of the initial pressing force, the workpiece 5 is pressed against the two rear top rods 1113. Since the lock valve 1114 is open, the two top rods 1113 are in a hydraulic floating state, and they will automatically adjust the height according to the actual shape of the bottom surface of the workpiece 5 until they completely fit, completing the self-adaptive support process.

[0053] S3: The control unit 4 controls the down pressure of the two limit blocks 321 near the leveling plate 22 according to the signal of the first sensor 233, which reflects the roll angle of the leveling plate 22 in real time. If the first sensor 233 detects that the left side of the workpiece 5 is lower than the right side, the control unit 4 will increase the down pressure of the left limit block 321 and decrease the down pressure of the right limit block 321. This unbalanced pressure combination will generate a torque to force the workpiece 5 and the leveling plate 22 below it to rotate to the left high and right low direction until the pointer 232 reaches the first preset position.

[0054] S4: The control unit 4 controls the down pressure of the two limit blocks 321 far from the leveling plate 22 according to the signal of the second sensor 234, which reflects the state of the bubble level 2421, i.e. the pitch angle of the workpiece 5. If the front of the workpiece 5 is lower than the back, the control unit 4 will increase the down pressure of the two limit blocks 321 on the front side and decrease the down pressure of the two limit blocks 321 on the back side. At the same time, the control unit 4 controls the pusher 13 to push the liquid in the adjusting cavity 121 to change the amount of liquid in the communication cavity 12 until the bubble of the bubble level 2421 reaches the second preset position.

[0055] S5: After the roll and pitch directions are leveled, the workpiece 5 is in the ideal horizontal state. At this time, the control unit 4 executes the final locking program: first, it commands the locking assembly 31 to act to rigidly lock the posture of the leveling plate 22; then it commands the locking valve 1114 to immediately close to rigidly lock the height of the two jacks 1113; finally, it commands all the limit blocks 321 to synchronously increase the down pressure to the final set clamping force. This force firmly and uniformly clamps the workpiece 5, preparing for subsequent cutting.

[0056] The working principle of the embodiment is: in the fixed state of the leveling plate 22, the parallelism of the limit blocks 321 is calibrated by using the leveling plate 22 itself as a reference surface. In the case that the bottom surface of the workpiece 5 is not flat, through sensor closed-loop feedback and differential pressure control, active and accurate automatic leveling is achieved.

[0057] The above are preferred embodiments of the present application, which do not limit the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, any equivalent changes made on the basis of the structure, shape, and principle of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An automatic leveling clamp, characterized in that, include: The base (1) has a support assembly (11) for supporting the workpiece (5) mounted on its surface; The leveling mechanism (2) includes a leveling base (21) installed on the base (1), a leveling plate (22) rotatably connected to the leveling base (21) in the middle, and an indicator component (23). The indicator component (23) includes an indicator block (231) fixed to one side of the leveling base (21) and having a scale line (2311), a pointer (232) connected to the leveling plate (22), and a first sensor (233) for detecting the position of the pointer (232) and generating the leveling signal. When the leveling plate (22) rotates, it causes the pointer (232) to swing relative to the scale line (2311). The fixing mechanism (3) includes a locking component (31) for locking the leveling plate (22) according to instructions and a clamping component (32) for clamping and fixing the workpiece (5) after the posture is leveled. The control unit (4) is communicatively connected to the first sensor (233), the locking assembly (31) and the clamping assembly (32) respectively. It is used to receive the signal from the first sensor (233) and, according to the received signal, control the locking assembly (31) to lock the search plate (22) and control the clamping assembly (32) to clamp the workpiece (5) on the locked search plate (22).

2. The automatic leveling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pointer (232) has a socket (2321) and a slotted notch (2322) at its tail. The indicator block (231) has a first pin (2312) that passes through the socket (2321). The finding plate (22) has a second pin (221) that passes through the slotted notch (2322).

3. The automatic leveling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The leveling base (21) is provided with a receiving groove (211), the leveling plate (22) is located in the receiving groove (211), the locking assembly (31) includes a driving member (311), a driving wedge (312) driven by the driving member (311) to move, and an abutment block (313) passing through the side wall of the receiving groove (211). The abutment block (313) includes an abutment surface (3131) parallel to the wedge surface of the driving wedge (312). A plurality of rollers (314) are provided between the wedge surface of the driving wedge (312) and the abutment surface (3131).

4. The automatic leveling fixture according to claim 3, characterized in that: The leveling mechanism (2) further includes an auxiliary leveling component (24) installed between the leveling base (21) and the support component (11). The auxiliary leveling component (24) includes a lifting member (241) and a bearing plate (242) rotatably connected to the lifting member (241). The length direction of the bearing plate (242) is perpendicular to the length direction of the leveling plate (22), and the bearing plate (242) is provided with a bubble level (2421) extending along its length direction.

5. An automatic leveling fixture according to claim 4, characterized in that: The indicating component (23) further includes a second sensor (234) for sensing whether the bubble in the bubble level (2421) is stationary at a second preset position, and the second sensor (234) is communicatively connected to the control unit (4).

6. An automatic leveling fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that: The base (1) has a U-shaped connecting cavity (12). The support assembly (11) includes two support members (111). The line connecting the two support members (111) is parallel to the length direction of the leveling plate (22). The support member (111) includes a sliding sleeve (1111), a floating plate (1112) that mates with the inner wall of the sliding sleeve (1111), and a top rod (1113) fixed to the side of the floating plate (1112) away from the base (1). The two sliding sleeves (1111) are respectively connected to the two ends of the connecting cavity (12). Leveling liquid is injected into both the connecting cavity (12) and the sliding sleeves (1111).

7. An automatic leveling fixture according to claim 6, characterized in that: Each of the sliding sleeves (1111) is provided with a locking valve (1114) controlled to open and close by the control unit (4). The base (1) is also provided with an adjustment cavity (121) communicating with the communication cavity (12), and a pusher (13) whose push end cooperates with the inner wall of the adjustment cavity (121) and whose extension and retraction are controlled by the control unit (4).

8. An automatic leveling fixture according to claim 7, characterized in that: The clamping assembly (32) includes four limiting blocks (321) located at the four vertices of the base (1) and controlled to move up and down by the control unit (4). The limiting block (321) closer to the finding plate (22) is located directly above the finding plate (22), and the limiting block (321) farther away from the finding plate (22) is located directly above the two top rods (1113). Each limiting block (321) is equipped with a pressure sensor that is communicatively connected to the control unit (4). The finding plate (22) includes a finding plane (222) and multiple carriers (223) located on the finding plane (222) and used to carry the workpiece (5). The length of the multiple carriers (223) is adjustable.

9. A control method for an automatic leveling fixture, characterized in that: The control method for controlling the automatic leveling fixture as described in claim 8 includes the following steps: S1: The control unit (4) controls the drive component (311) to place the finding plate (22) in a fixed state, and then controls the two limiting blocks (321) near the finding plate (22) to press down to complete the parallelism calibration; after the workpiece (5) is placed, the two limiting blocks (321) are controlled to press down and the length of the bearing component (223) is adjusted to complete the initial positioning of the workpiece (5); S2: Control all the limit blocks (321) to apply initial downward pressure and keep the locking valve (1114) open so that the two push rods (1113) of the support assembly (11) adaptively fit the bottom surface of the workpiece (5); S3: The control unit (4) controls the downward pressure of the limiting block (321) close to the finding plate (22) according to the signal of the first sensor (233) until the pointer (232) reaches the first preset position; S4: The control unit (4) controls the downward pressure of the limiting block (321) that is far away from the finding plate (22) again according to the signal of the second sensor (234), and controls the pusher (13) to push the liquid in the adjustment cavity (121) to change the amount of liquid in the connecting cavity (12) until the bubble of the bubble level (2421) reaches the second preset position. S5: Control the fixing mechanism (3) to lock the finding plate (22), control the locking valve (1114) to close, and control the limiting block (321) to increase the downward pressure to finally clamp the workpiece (5).

10. The control method for an automatic leveling fixture according to claim 9, characterized in that, The initial positioning step S1 includes: S11: Control the two limiting blocks (321) close to the finding plate (22) to press down until their respective pressure sensors sense the pressure reading in contact with the finding plate (222) to complete the parallelism calibration; S12: Adjust the length of the bearing (223) and control all the limit blocks (321) to press down synchronously with the two calibrated limit blocks (321) as a reference until their respective pressure sensors sense the pressure of the workpiece (5) to complete the initial positioning of the workpiece (5).

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