A welding apparatus based on a robot

Abstract

This invention discloses a welding device based on a robotic arm, relating to the field of welding technology. To address the issue of flexible connection, the device specifically includes a fixed base and a motion table connected to the fixed base via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm. A welding torch is connected to the other side of the motion table via a flexible connection mechanism. The flexible connection mechanism includes a mounting base and a housing. The housing is bolted to the outer wall of the motion table, and the inner wall of the housing is fixed with multiple limiting brackets for limiting the position of the mounting base. This invention achieves a flexible connection between the welding torch and the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm by using an elastic body between the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm and the welding torch. This elastic body has two deformation thin-walled regions, namely, a first deformation thin-walled region and a second deformation thin-walled region. This achieves a buffering effect, reducing the calibration pressure before welding and preventing the welding torch from getting stuck or detaching from the weld.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding technology, and more particularly to a welding device based on a robotic arm. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of industrial automation, robotic arms and welding torches have been combined to create welding robots, achieving the goal of automated welding. This not only improves production efficiency but also enhances production quality.

[0003] A search revealed a Chinese patent publication number CN219746745U, which discloses a welding robot for intelligent welding. The robot includes a base frame, a cylinder, and a large arm. A small arm is rotatably connected to the end of the large arm via a shaft. A first fixing block is mounted on one side of the large arm, and an electric hydraulic push rod is rotatably connected to the first fixing block via a shaft. A second fixing block is mounted at the bottom of the small arm. A U-shaped plate is mounted at the end of the small arm, and a rotatable support rod is installed inside the U-shaped plate. A welding head is mounted at one end of the support rod. A drive motor is mounted on the inner bottom wall of the cylinder, and a drive gear with the same center as the output shaft of the drive motor is mounted on the output end of the drive motor. A rotatable rod is mounted on the inner bottom wall of the cylinder, and a driven gear is mounted on the outer surface of the rod.

[0004] The above-mentioned patent has the following shortcomings: its welding torch is directly installed at the end of the robotic arm and the connection method is a rigid connection without flexible buffer function. This method requires extremely high motion accuracy of the robotic arm and extremely high pre-welding calibration of the robotic arm. At the same time, if the workpiece being welded has manufacturing or installation errors or is deformed by heat, there is a risk that the welding torch may be stuck or detached from the weld.

[0005] Therefore, this invention proposes a welding device based on a robotic arm. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by proposing a welding device based on a robotic arm.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A welding device based on a robotic arm includes a fixed base and a motion table connected to the fixed base via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm. A welding torch is connected to the other side of the motion table via a flexible connection mechanism. The flexible connection mechanism includes a mounting base and a housing. The housing is fixed to the outer wall of the motion table by bolts. The inner wall of the housing is fixed with a plurality of limit frames for limiting the position of the mounting base. There is a gap between the mounting base and the limit frames that allows the mounting base to move along the X, Y, and Z axes. The welding torch is disposed on the side wall of the mounting base.

[0009] Preferably, the size of the gap is smaller than the welding process error.

[0010] Furthermore: the outer wall of the mounting base is fixed with multiple connectors, the side wall of the connectors is fixed with an elastic body, the other end of the elastic body is fixed to the inner wall of the housing, and the side wall of the elastic body is provided with a first deformation thin-wall region and a second deformation thin-wall region, the first deformation thin-wall region and the second deformation thin-wall region are perpendicular to each other.

[0011] Based on the aforementioned scheme: the flexible connection mechanism further includes multiple magnetorheological dampers, one end of which is connected to the side wall of the connector via a universal joint, and the other end of which is connected to the inner wall of the housing via another set of universal joints.

[0012] A better embodiment of the aforementioned scheme is that the welding torch is connected to the mounting base via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist, which consists of multiple telescopic rods arranged in a circular array. One end of each telescopic rod is rotatably connected to the side wall of the mounting base via a hinge seat, and the other end of each telescopic rod is connected to the side wall of the welding torch via a universal ball joint.

[0013] As a further aspect of the present invention: the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm includes a fixed shell and multiple circular arrays of movable arms one and two. The fixed shell is fixed to the side wall of the fixed base by bolts. One end of movable arm one is rotatably connected to the side wall of the fixed shell through a hinge shaft one. The other end of movable arm one is rotatably connected to one end of movable arm two through a hinge shaft two. The other end of movable arm two is rotatably connected to the side wall of the motion table through a hinge shaft three.

[0014] Meanwhile, multiple motors are fixed to the inner wall of the fixed shell by bolts, and the output shaft of the motor is driven to the boom one through a transmission assembly.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastomer is aerospace aluminum or spring steel.

[0016] Meanwhile, a cover plate is fixed to the opening of the housing by bolts, and a pleated sleeve is provided between the cover plate and the welding gun.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention: the universal ball joint one and the universal ball joint two have the same structure, both of which are composed of a ball sleeve and a ball head that are movably connected to each other, and the outer wall of the ball head and / or the ball sleeve is fixed with a connecting post.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0019] 1. The present invention connects the welding torch and the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm with an elastic body, wherein the elastic body has a first deformation thin-wall region and a second deformation thin-wall region, thereby achieving a flexible connection between the welding torch and the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm, achieving the purpose of jamming and buffering, thereby reducing the calibration pressure before welding and preventing the welding torch from jamming or detaching from the weld.

[0020] 2. The present invention, by flexibly connecting the welding torch and the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm, sets up multiple limiting frames that together limit the mounting base, while providing gaps to achieve dynamic limiting of the mounting base, thereby preventing welding accuracy problems caused by the flexible connection.

[0021] 3. In this invention, by setting a magnetorheological damper, the damping magnitude of the magnetorheological damper is related to the current. When the current is large enough to reach its peak value, the rigidity of the magnetorheological damper can be used to achieve a rigid connection between the mounting base and the housing. Thus, for different processing scenarios, the flexible and rigid modes of the welding torch and the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm can be switched.

[0022] 4. This invention, by setting up a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm and a multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist, is equivalent to realizing dual control of the welding torch by the arm and the wrist. The arm controls the displacement requirements of large angles, while the wrist controls the adjustment of small angles in narrow spaces. This ensures both the displacement efficiency of large-span welding and the flexibility of welding angle adjustment in small spaces. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a welding device based on a robotic arm proposed in this invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This invention presents a schematic diagram of a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm structure for a welding device based on a robotic arm. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 3 This invention presents a schematic diagram of a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm structure for a welding device based on a robotic arm. Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the elastic body structure of a welding device based on a robotic arm proposed in this invention;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the matching structure of the limiting frame and mounting base of a welding equipment based on a robotic arm proposed in this invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist structure for a welding device based on a robotic arm, as proposed in this invention.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm structure for a welding device based on a robotic arm, as proposed in this invention.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the universal ball joint one and universal ball joint two of a welding device based on a robotic arm proposed in this invention.

[0031] In the diagram: 1. Fixed base; 2. Multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm; 3. Motion table; 4. Welding torch; 5. Flexible connection mechanism; 6. Pleated sleeve; 7. Magnetorheological damper; 8. Universal ball joint one; 9. Elastomer; 10. Limiting frame; 11. Mounting base; 12. Housing; 13. Multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist; 14. Cover plate; 15. Connector; 16. Clearance; 17. Hinge seat; 18. Telescopic rod; 19. Universal ball joint two; 20. Motor; 21. Fixed shell; 22. Transmission assembly; 23. Hinge shaft one; 24. Motion arm one; 25. Hinge shaft two; 26. Motion arm two; 27. Hinge shaft three; 28. Ball sleeve; 29. ​​Ball head; 30. Connecting column; 31. Deformation thin-walled region one; 32. Deformation thin-walled region two. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0034] Example 1: A welding device based on a robotic arm, such as Figures 1-8 As shown, it includes a fixed base 1 and a motion table 3 connected to the fixed base 1 via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2. The other side of the motion table 3 is connected to a welding torch 4 via a flexible connection mechanism 5.

[0035] The flexible connection mechanism 5 includes a mounting base 11 and a housing 12. The housing 12 is fixed to the outer wall of the motion table 3 by bolts. The inner wall of the housing 12 is fixed with a plurality of limiting frames 10 for limiting the mounting base 11. There is a gap 16 between the mounting base 11 and the limiting frames 10 to allow the mounting base 11 to move along the X, Y, and Z axes. The welding torch 4 is disposed on the side wall of the mounting base 11.

[0036] The size of the gap 16 is smaller than the welding process error.

[0037] Multiple connectors 15 are fixed to the outer wall of the mounting base 11. An elastic body 9 is fixed to the side wall of the connector 15. The other end of the elastic body 9 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 12. The side wall of the elastic body 9 is provided with a first deformation thin-wall region 31 and a second deformation thin-wall region 32. The directions of the first deformation thin-wall region 31 and the second deformation thin-wall region 32 are perpendicular to each other.

[0038] The elastomer 9 is made of aerospace aluminum or spring steel.

[0039] The flexible connection mechanism 5 also includes multiple magnetorheological dampers 7. One end of each magnetorheological damper 7 is connected to the side wall of the connector 15 via a universal joint 8, and the other end of the magnetorheological damper 7 is connected to the inner wall of the housing 12 via another set of universal joints 8.

[0040] When in use, the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2 can drive the motion table 3 and the welding torch 4 to move in multiple degrees of freedom relative to the fixed base 1, thereby using the welding torch 4 to perform welding. During the welding process, since the mounting base 11 and the housing 12 are elastically connected by the elastic body 9 and limited by the limiting frame 10, the mounting base 11 can move relative to the housing 12 within the range of motion to achieve buffering. During the buffering process, the softness and hardness of the buffer are affected by the strength of the elastic body 9 and the current intensity of the magnetorheological damper 7. By adjusting the current intensity of the magnetorheological damper 7, the flexible connection mode and the rigid connection mode can be switched.

[0041] This device connects the welding torch 4 and the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2 with an elastic body 9, which has a first deformation thin-wall region 31 and a second deformation thin-wall region 32. This achieves a flexible connection between the welding torch 4 and the moving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2, thus achieving the purpose of jamming and buffering. This reduces the calibration pressure before welding and prevents the welding torch 4 from getting stuck or detaching from the weld.

[0042] In addition, this device, by flexibly connecting the welding torch 4 and the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2, sets up multiple limiting frames 10, which together limit the mounting base 11, and at the same time provides a gap 16 to achieve dynamic limiting of the mounting base 11, thereby preventing welding accuracy problems caused by the flexible connection.

[0043] Furthermore, by setting a magnetorheological damper 7, the damping magnitude of the magnetorheological damper 7 is related to the current. When the current is large enough to reach its peak value, the rigidity of the magnetorheological damper 7 can be used to achieve a rigid connection between the mounting base 11 and the housing 12. Thus, the flexible and rigid modes of the welding torch 4 and the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2 can be switched for different processing scenarios.

[0044] To address the issue of flexibility; such as Figure 6As shown, the welding torch 4 is connected to the mounting base 11 via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist 13. The multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist 13 is composed of multiple telescopic rods 18 arranged in a circular array. One end of the telescopic rod 18 is rotatably connected to the side wall of the mounting base 11 via a hinge seat 17, and the other end of the telescopic rod 18 is connected to the side wall of the welding torch 4 via a universal ball joint 19.

[0045] When changing the angle of the welding torch 4 in a confined space, it can be controlled by extending and retracting multiple telescopic rods 18.

[0046] This device, by setting up a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2 and a multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist 13, is equivalent to realizing dual control of the welding torch 4 by the arm and the wrist. The arm controls the displacement requirements of large angles, while the wrist controls the adjustment of small angles in narrow spaces. This ensures both the displacement efficiency of large-span welding and the flexibility of welding angle adjustment in small spaces.

[0047] To solve the motion control problem; such as Figure 7 As shown, the multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm 2 includes a fixed shell 21 and multiple circular arrays of movable arms 24 and 26. The fixed shell 21 is fixed to the side wall of the fixed base 1 by bolts. One end of the movable arm 24 is rotatably connected to the side wall of the fixed shell 21 by a hinge shaft 23. The other end of the movable arm 24 is rotatably connected to one end of the movable arm 26 by a hinge shaft 25. The other end of the movable arm 26 is rotatably connected to the side wall of the motion table 3 by a hinge shaft 27.

[0048] Furthermore, multiple motors 20 are fixed to the inner wall of the fixed shell 21 by bolts, and the output shaft of the motor 20 is driven and coupled to the boom 24 through the transmission assembly 22.

[0049] In this embodiment, the specific type of the transmission component 22 is not limited; it can be any one of belt drive, chain drive, or gear drive, wherein:

[0050] Belt drives are quiet, but have a relatively small load; chain drives are noisier, but have higher precision; gear drives have the highest precision, but also have higher noise. Since the above technologies are all existing technologies and are conventional methods for those skilled in the art, users can choose according to their own needs and usage scenarios. This embodiment has not made any creative efforts on them, so they will not be described in detail.

[0051] When the motor 20 starts, it can drive the boom 24 to rotate through the transmission assembly 22, thereby realizing the multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the motion table 3 relative to the fixed shell 21 through the linkage structure composed of boom 24 and boom 26.

[0052] To solve the dust prevention problem; such as Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, a cover plate 14 is fixed to the opening of the housing 12 by bolts, and a pleated sleeve 6 is provided between the cover plate 14 and the welding torch 4; the pleated sleeve 6 can be used to prevent dust.

[0053] In this embodiment, when the motor 20 starts, it can drive the boom 24 to rotate through the transmission assembly 22. Thus, the linkage structure composed of boom 24 and boom 26 enables the motion table 3 to move relative to the fixed shell 21 with multiple degrees of freedom, thereby enabling welding with the welding torch 4. During the welding process, the mounting base 11 and the shell 12 are elastically connected by the elastic body 9 and limited by the limiting frame 10, allowing the mounting base 11 to move relative to the shell 12 within the range of motion, achieving buffering. During the buffering process, the softness and hardness of the buffer are affected by the strength of the elastic body 9 and the energizing intensity of the magnetorheological damper 7. The switching between flexible connection mode and rigid connection mode can be achieved by controlling the energizing intensity of the magnetorheological damper 7. Furthermore, when changing the angle of the welding torch 4 in a confined space, it can be controlled by controlling the extension and retraction of multiple telescopic rods 18.

[0054] Example 2: A welding device based on a robotic arm, designed to solve the problem of universal joint connections; this example makes the following improvements based on Example 1: such as... Figure 8 As shown, the universal ball joint 8 and the universal ball joint 19 have the same structure. They are both composed of a ball sleeve 28 and a ball head 29 that are movably connected to each other, and the outer wall of the ball head 29 and / or the ball sleeve 28 is fixed with a connecting post 30.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A welding device based on a robotic arm, comprising a fixed base (1) and a motion table (3) connected to the fixed base (1) via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm (2), wherein a welding torch (4) is connected to the other side of the motion table (3) via a flexible connection mechanism (5), characterized in that, The flexible connection mechanism (5) includes a mounting base (11) and a housing (12). The housing (12) is fixed to the outer wall of the motion table (3) by bolts. The inner wall of the housing (12) is fixed with a plurality of limiting frames (10) for limiting the mounting base (11). There is a gap (16) between the mounting base (11) and the limiting frame (10) that allows the mounting base (11) to move along the X, Y, and Z axes. The welding torch (4) is disposed on the side wall of the mounting base (11). The outer wall of the mounting base (11) is fixed with a plurality of connectors (15), and the side wall of the connector (15) is fixed with an elastic body (9). The other end of the elastic body (9) is fixed to the inner wall of the housing (12), and the side wall of the elastic body (9) is provided with a first deformation thin wall region (31) and a second deformation thin wall region (32). The first deformation thin wall region (31) and the second deformation thin wall region (32) are perpendicular to each other.

2. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size of the gap (16) is smaller than the error of the welding process.

3. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible connection mechanism (5) also includes multiple magnetorheological dampers (7), one end of which is connected to the side wall of the connector (15) via a universal joint (8), and the other end of which is connected to the inner wall of the housing (12) via another set of universal joints (8).

4. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The welding torch (4) is connected to the mounting base (11) via a multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist (13). The multi-degree-of-freedom motion wrist (13) consists of multiple telescopic rods (18) arranged in a circular array. One end of the telescopic rod (18) is rotatably connected to the side wall of the mounting base (11) via a hinge seat (17), and the other end of the telescopic rod (18) is connected to the side wall of the welding torch (4) via a universal ball joint (19).

5. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-degree-of-freedom motion arm (2) includes a fixed shell (21) and multiple circular arrays of movable arms one (24) and movable arms two (26). The fixed shell (21) is fixed to the side wall of the fixed seat (1) by bolts. One end of the movable arm one (24) is rotatably connected to the side wall of the fixed shell (21) through a hinge shaft one (23). The other end of the movable arm one (24) is rotatably connected to one end of the movable arm two (26) through a hinge shaft two (25). The other end of the movable arm two (26) is rotatably connected to the side wall of the motion table (3) through a hinge shaft three (27).

6. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner wall of the fixed shell (21) is fixed with multiple motors (20) by bolts, and the output shaft of the motor (20) is driven by the transmission assembly (22) to the boom (24).

7. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 3, characterized in that, The elastomer (9) is made of aerospace aluminum or spring steel.

8. The welding equipment based on a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening of the housing (12) is fixed with a cover plate (14) by bolts, and a pleated sleeve (6) is provided between the cover plate (14) and the welding gun (4).

9. A welding device based on a robotic arm according to claim 3, characterized in that, The universal ball joint one (8) and universal ball joint two (19) have the same structure. They are both composed of a ball sleeve (28) and a ball head (29) that are movably connected to each other, and the outer wall of the ball head (29) and / or the ball sleeve (28) is fixed with a connecting post (30).

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