Control method, system and equipment of feeding equipment and medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method, system and equipment of feeding equipment and a medium. The visual acquisition assembly integrated with the feeding control unit is used for obtaining the original image of the material and obtaining the material taking datum point, feature extraction is carried out on the original image to determine the spatial position parameter and the structural feature of the to-be-fed material, and the gap adjustment instruction is generated based on the obtained structural feature; and the self-adaptive conveying assembly is controlled to execute gap adjusting operation to be matched with material specifications, a material taking instruction is generated based on the spatial position parameters, the material taking instruction is executed through the material taking assembly, and material picking is completed, so that the self-adaptive feeding device can adapt to various different types of materials, meanwhile, intelligent feeding of the materials is achieved, and the production efficiency is improved. The method has the advantages of high efficiency, high universality and good flexible production adaptability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of industrial automation technology, specifically to a control method, system, equipment, and medium for a feeding device. Background Technology

[0002] PCB terminals are essential basic components in the electronics industry, playing an extremely important role.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream PCB terminal feeding methods in the industry are mainly divided into two categories: manual insertion and insertion machine-assisted feeding. Manual insertion involves production line operators manually inserting terminals, which is only suitable for terminal components with complex structures that cannot be adapted to automated equipment. Insertion machine-assisted feeding includes two sub-solutions: one is side belt type large disc feeding, which requires pre-programming the terminal components into a side belt form before conveying; the other is one-to-one dedicated feeding machine feeding, which uses belt-type linear or disc vibratory feeders to customize dedicated feeding equipment for a single type of terminal.

[0004] The aforementioned mainstream feeding methods all have obvious technical defects: the one-to-one dedicated feeding machine equipment is highly specialized. When enterprises produce multiple types of terminals, they need to configure a large number of dedicated equipment, which greatly increases the cost of equipment procurement and maintenance. At the same time, it occupies a large amount of production space, and the material changeover and debugging cycle is long, making it unsuitable for flexible production scenarios with small batches and multiple varieties.

[0005] In related technologies, some solutions improve the feeding pain points by optimizing the mechanical structure of the insertion machine and improving the manual operation process. However, the solution of optimizing the mechanical structure can only increase the feeding speed of specific terminal models and cannot solve the core problem of poor equipment versatility. Although the solution of improving the manual process can slightly improve the efficiency of manual insertion, it cannot get rid of the dependence on manual labor and it is difficult to achieve the automation upgrade of the production line.

[0006] Based on the above reasons, we propose control methods, systems, equipment, and media for material feeding equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a control method, system, device, and medium for a feeding device, aiming to solve the technical problems of poor versatility of feeding devices and the need to readjust the process when changing materials of different models in the prior art.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a control method for a feeding device, which is applied to the feeding device. The feeding device includes a feeding control unit disposed at the upper end of the device, a vision acquisition component integrated into the feeding control unit, a feeding component disposed below the vision acquisition component, a picking component disposed on one side of the feeding component, and an adaptive conveying component disposed on one side of the picking component. The method includes: The feeding component is controlled to import materials, the original image of the materials is acquired through the vision acquisition component, and the material picking reference point is determined based on the original image. Feature extraction is performed on the original image to obtain the spatial location parameters and structural features of the material; Based on the material picking reference point and the spatial position parameters, a material picking target point and corresponding material picking instruction are generated, and a gap adjustment instruction is generated based on the structural features; Based on the gap adjustment command, the adaptive conveying component is driven to adjust the gap of the conveying channel to adapt to the material specifications; After the gap adjustment is complete, the material picking component is controlled to move to the material picking target point to pick up the material based on the material picking command, and the material is transferred to the adaptive conveying component. The material is conveyed to the next process step via the adaptive conveying component.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the process of acquiring an original image of the material through the vision acquisition component and determining the material sampling reference point based on the original image includes: The industrial camera equipped with the vision acquisition component is activated to capture images of the materials in the tray. The images are preprocessed and calculated using a preset image processing algorithm, and the material picking reference point is output. The corresponding image processing algorithm is converted into a computer programming language algorithm, integrated into a suitable development framework, and the vision function is developed and deployed to realize the logical execution of image processing and material picking reference point acquisition.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes a backlight-coordinated control process before capturing the material image: The backlight is turned on by sending a command to the flexible vibrating disc controller via a communication protocol. After the backlight stabilizes, the industrial camera is triggered to perform image capture. After the capture is completed, the backlight is turned off by sending a command via the communication protocol.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the process of executing gap adjustment commands through an adaptive delivery component includes: The material transverse width parameter is extracted from the structural features as an adjustment benchmark. The current material channel width is obtained through the sensing and detection components and fed back to the material supply control unit. The material channel width is adjusted based on the set value until the difference from the set value is less than the standard tolerance value. The pushing stroke of the adaptive conveying component is adjusted based on the material length parameter.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the control system of the material handling component adopts a spider hand control system or a multi-axis module combined control system.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes: The visual acquisition component counts the amount of material in the flexible vibrating feeder. When the amount is lower than a set threshold, the linear feeder replenishes the material. The adaptive conveying component is driven to feed material. After the material is detected by the sensing component to reach the picking position, the machine stops and enters the next conveying cycle after the material is picked up.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the method further includes: After all the materials with the correct posture have been collected, the feeding control unit controls the flexible vibrating plate to perform posture adjustment of the remaining materials. By calling the pre-stored material-adaptive vibration parameters, the flexible vibratory plate is driven to vibrate based on the vibration parameters, thereby adjusting the posture of the remaining material.

[0015] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a control system for a feeding device. It includes a material feeding control unit, a hopper vibration control module, a flexible vibratory feeder control module, a material handling component control module, and an adaptive conveying component control module. The collaborative working logic of each module is as follows: The material supply control unit integrates vision acquisition components and control logic. It establishes bidirectional communication links with other modules through communication protocols. It is responsible for material image acquisition, feature analysis, generation of material picking reference points and material picking target points, as well as issuing various control commands and receiving and processing feedback signals from each module. The hopper vibration control module receives the replenishment trigger signal from the feeding control unit, drives the linear feeder to vibrate and replenish material, and sends a replenishment completion signal back to the feeding control unit. The flexible vibratory feeder control module receives backlight control commands and adaptive vibration commands from the material feeding control unit, executes backlight start / stop coordinated control actions and vibration parameter adjustment actions adapted to material properties, and sends an action completion signal back to the material feeding control unit after completion. The adaptive conveying component control module receives the material structural feature parameters obtained by the material supply control unit, extracts the material transverse width parameter from the structural features, adjusts the material channel gap to the point where the difference from the set value is less than the standard tolerance value, adjusts the pushing stroke based on the material length parameter, and feeds back the gap adjustment ready signal to the material supply control unit. After receiving the pushing command from the feeding control unit, it drives the material conveying. After the sensing and detection components detect that the material has reached the picking position, it controls the machine to stop. After the material is picked up, it sends a conveying completion signal back to the feeding control unit. The material handling component control module receives the material handling target position from the material supply control unit and the ready signal from the adaptive conveying component control module, selects a spider hand control system or a multi-axis module joint control system to complete the material handling, and feeds back the handling completion signal to the material supply control unit.

[0016] Thirdly, a computer device includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the method.

[0017] Fourthly, a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, can implement the method.

[0018] This application utilizes a vision acquisition component integrated into the material feeding control unit to acquire the original image of the material and obtain the picking reference point. Feature extraction is performed on the original image to determine the spatial position parameters and structural features of the material to be fed. Based on the acquired structural features, a gap adjustment command is generated, and the adaptive conveying component is controlled to perform gap adjustment to match the material specifications. Based on the spatial position parameters, a picking command is generated, and the picking component executes the picking command to complete the material pickup. Compared to traditional feeding solutions, this solution requires no customized special equipment or manual adjustment of the mechanical structure. It can quickly adapt to various material models, achieving intelligent material feeding throughout the entire process. It boasts advantages such as high feeding efficiency, strong equipment versatility, and excellent adaptability to flexible production. Simultaneously, it reduces material pre-processing costs and equipment maintenance costs, adapting to the small-batch, multi-variety production needs of the electronics industry. Attached Figure Description The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0021] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the control method for the feeding equipment provided in this application embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the process of acquiring material pick-up reference points using a vision acquisition component provided in this embodiment.

[0023] Figure 3A flowchart illustrating the execution of gap adjustment instructions by the adaptive conveying component provided in this application embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 .

[0025] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 .

[0026] The attached figures are labeled as follows: 100. Material feeding control unit; 200. Vision acquisition component; 201. Industrial camera; 300. Feeding component; 301. Linear feeder; 302. Flexible vibrating disc; 400. Material picking component; 500. Adaptive conveying component; 501. Sensing and detection component. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, 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, 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.

[0028] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or examples for implementing various structures of this application. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in different examples. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements discussed.

[0029] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0030] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0031] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0032] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0033] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 This application proposes a feeding device whose overall structure is built on a high-rigidity equipment support frame. A feeding control unit 100 is fixedly installed at the upper end of the equipment support frame using high-strength bolt assemblies. This feeding control unit 100 serves as the logic processing and motion control center of the entire device, and integrates a high-performance industrial processor, a storage module, and multiple communication interfaces. Below the material feeding control unit 100, a vision acquisition component 200 is integrated and mounted via a suspension bracket. The core component of the vision acquisition component 200 is an industrial camera 201, whose lens axis points vertically downwards toward the working plane below. A feeding component 300 is provided directly below the vision acquisition component 200. The feeding component 300 consists of a linear feeder 301 and a flexible vibrating plate 302, which are physically connected by a metal material channel. The linear feeder 301 is installed at the beginning of the material channel and is responsible for pushing the bulk PCB terminal material into the material channel in an orderly manner by vibration. The flexible vibrating disc 302 is located at the end of the material channel. Its disc surface is made of a polymer material with a certain coefficient of friction and good light transmittance, and is used to receive and disperse materials. On one side of the feeding assembly 300, the picking assembly 400 is installed via a precision slide rail mechanism, which ensures that the picking assembly 400 can make high-precision displacement in the horizontal and vertical directions. Depending on different production needs, the end effector of the material handling component 400 can be equipped with a parallel spider hand control system or a multi-axis module joint control system consisting of X-axis linear guides, Y-axis linear guides and Z-axis linear guides. On the other side of the material handling assembly 400, an adaptive conveying assembly 500 is provided via a flange connection.

[0034] The internal structure of the adaptive conveying assembly 500 embodies a high degree of mechanical flexibility. It includes a horizontally set conveying base on which a main drive shaft and a driven shaft are supported by bearing seats, and a conveyor belt is wound between the main and driven shafts. An adjustable material channel baffle is installed above the conveyor base. The bottom of the material channel baffle is connected to the slider, which is sleeved on a horizontally arranged guide rail. To achieve automatic adjustment of the material channel gap, the adaptive conveying assembly 500 integrates a servo motor. The output shaft of the servo motor is connected to a precision lead screw via a coupling. The lead screw passes through a lead screw nut that is fixed to the material channel baffle. When the servo motor rotates, it drives the lead screw to rotate, thereby driving the material channel baffle to move laterally and reciprocate along the guide rail, changing the physical distance between the two baffles. In addition, a sensing and detection component 501 is installed at the end and key positions of the adaptive conveying component 500. This component includes a displacement sensor for real-time monitoring of the baffle displacement and a photoelectric switch for detecting whether the material has reached the designated position.

[0035] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The control method for the feeding equipment provided by the present invention first starts the initialization program; The feeding control unit 100 sends reset commands to each subsystem via the communication bus and obtains the initial position signals of the linear feeder 301, the flexible vibrating disc 302, the material picking assembly 400, and the adaptive conveying assembly 500. After confirming that the equipment is in a safe initial state, the feeding control unit 100 drives the electromagnetic coil inside the linear feeder 301 to generate high-frequency vibration, which feeds the PCB terminal material in the hopper into the flexible vibrating plate 302 along the material channel. The material is randomly distributed on the surface of the flexible vibrating disc 302, at which point the vision acquisition component 200 starts working.

[0036] In order to eliminate the influence of ambient stray light on material edge recognition during the visual acquisition process, the feeding control unit 100 executes a backlight collaborative control process. Specifically, the feeding control unit 100 sends a high-level enable command to the backlight controller at the bottom of the flexible vibrating disc 302 via RS232 or Ethernet communication protocol; After the bottom backlight is turned on, the internal delay counter of the system starts timing. Once the backlight brightness stabilizes and reaches the preset lumen value, the shutter of the industrial camera 201 is triggered to capture the image. The industrial camera 201 uses its photosensitive element (such as CCD or CMOS) to convert light signals into electrical signals, acquiring a raw grayscale image of the material on the surface of the flexible vibrating feeder 302. The image data is transmitted to the memory buffer of the feeding control unit 100 via a high-speed data interface, and then a low-level command is sent to turn off the backlight to extend the life of the light source and reduce heat buildup.

[0037] The feeding control unit 100 performs multi-level image processing on the acquired raw images; The methods include: Step S110: Acquire the original image of the material using a vision acquisition component developed based on the Halcon operator, and calculate the material picking reference point. Apply Gaussian filtering or median filtering algorithms to denoise the image and remove electronic noise. Then, identify each material target in the image using a connected component analysis algorithm, and calculate the geometric center of each material using the image centroid operator, which serves as the initial material picking reference point. To achieve higher positioning accuracy, the system extracts pixel gradient features from the original image and uses the Sobel or Canny operator to locate the edge pixels of the material. The extracted edge features are compared with the pre-stored material CAD templates using a geometric matching algorithm developed in the OpenCV or Halcon development framework. Step S120: Feature extraction is performed on the original image to determine the spatial position parameters and structural features of the material to be supplied. The precise spatial position parameters of the material in the coordinate system of the flexible vibrating disc 302 are parsed, including the center coordinates (X, Y) and the rotation angle (Theta). At the same time, the shape and structural features of the material are extracted, such as the horizontal width pixel value and the vertical length pixel value of the material.

[0038] Step S130: Based on the structural features, generate a gap adjustment command for the adaptive conveying assembly of the displacement sensor and the extended shaft, and control the adaptive conveying assembly to perform a gap adjustment operation to match the material specifications.

[0039] After acquiring the geometric properties of the material, the feeding control unit 100 converts the lateral width pixel value of the material into a physical width parameter based on the scale obtained from camera calibration. This parameter is used as a reference value for adaptive adjustment. The feeding control unit 100 then generates a gap adjustment command and sends it to the control module of the adaptive conveying assembly 500; Upon receiving the instruction, the servo motor inside the adaptive conveyor assembly 500 starts, driving the lead screw to rotate and moving the material channel baffle. During the movement, the displacement sensor in the sensing and detection component 501 collects the current position of the baffle in real time and converts the analog signal into a digital signal to feed back to the feeding control unit 100. When the absolute value of the difference between the real-time width value and the set width value is less than the preset standard tolerance value, the servo motor stops rotating, thus completing the precise adaptation of the material channel gap. The standard tolerance value can be selected according to the size of the material, ranging from 0.01mm to 0.05mm.

[0040] At the same time, the feeding control unit 100, based on the material spatial position parameters obtained by analysis and combined with the pre-calibrated hand-eye conversion matrix, converts the point in the image coordinate system into spatial coordinates in the mechanical coordinate system to which the material picking component 400 belongs, and generates the material picking target point. After the adaptive conveying component 500 provides a feedback signal indicating that the gap adjustment is ready, the material feeding control unit 100 issues a material picking command. Step S140: Based on the spatial position parameters, control the spider hand control system or the multi-axis module joint control system of the positive motion control card to complete the precise picking of materials.

[0041] In the above process, it can be understood that the method by which the vision acquisition component obtains the material picking reference point is as follows: Step S210: Activate the industrial camera equipped with the vision acquisition component to capture images of the materials in the tray. Perform preprocessing and calculation on the images using a preset image processing algorithm, and output the material handling reference point. Step S220: The corresponding image processing algorithm is converted into a computer programming language algorithm, integrated into the appropriate development framework, and the vision function development and deployment are completed to realize the logical execution of image processing and material picking reference point acquisition.

[0042] In the above process, it can be understood that the method for adjusting the gap of the adaptive conveyor components is as follows: Step S310: Extract the material's transverse width parameter from the structural features as an adjustment benchmark; obtain the current material channel width through the sensing and detection component and feed it back to the material feeding control unit; adjust the material channel width based on the set value until the difference from the set value is less than the standard tolerance value. Step S320: Adjust the pushing stroke of the adaptive conveying component based on the material length parameter.

[0043] The end effector of the material handling component 400 (such as a vacuum nozzle or mechanical gripper) descends along a planned spatial trajectory under the drive of the spider-hand control system or multi-axis module joint control system. When the end effector reaches the target material handling point, it performs a closing or suction action to complete the material picking up. Subsequently, the material handling assembly 400 horizontally transfers the material to the starting end of the adaptive conveying assembly 500 and places it on the conveyor belt.

[0044] In the material conveying process, the adaptive conveying component 500 adjusts the pushing stroke step of the pushing cylinder or electric cylinder according to the material length parameters obtained by analysis, so as to ensure that the pushing action will not cause material overlap or jamming. Driven by a motor, the conveyor belt transports the material to the next process. When the end photoelectric switch in the sensing and detection component 501 detects that the material is blocking the infrared beam, it outputs a stop signal, the motor stops immediately, and the material is precisely positioned at the picking position of the next process. After the downstream robotic arm completes the material handling action, the photoelectric switch signal is reset, and the system automatically enters the next cycle.

[0045] The embodiments of this application also include closed-loop feeding and attitude adjustment control logic; In the visual acquisition stage, the material supply control unit 100 uses a template matching quantity statistics function to count in real time the number of materials in the flexible vibrating material plate 302 that are in a qualified posture (i.e. meet the picking angle requirements and are not overlapping). Once the count falls below the preset alarm threshold, the feeding control unit 100 immediately sends a drive signal to the linear feeder 301 to replenish the material through electromagnetic vibration. If there is remaining material in the tray but the posture is not up to standard, the feeding control unit 100 sends a posture reconfiguration command to the flexible vibrating tray 302. After receiving a drive signal based on PWM duty cycle adjustment, the piezoelectric ceramic or electromagnetic vibrator inside the flexible vibrating disc 302 performs multi-dimensional directional vibration. This vibration can cause the material on the disc surface to flip, shift, or separate, changing its physical tilt angle, until the vision system re-identifies the material that meets the picking conditions.

[0046] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The multi-component collaborative control system for the feeding equipment provided by this invention connects the feeding control unit 100, the hopper vibration control module, the flexible vibrating plate control module, the material picking component 400 control module, and the adaptive conveying component 500 control module into an organic whole through industrial fieldbuses such as EtherCAT or CANopen. The material supply control unit 100 acts as the master station, responsible for overall task scheduling and logical judgment; The silo vibration control module, acting as a slave station, is specifically responsible for controlling the excitation frequency and duration of the linear feeder 301. The flexible vibratory feeder control module is responsible for the backlight switch logic and the synthesis of complex vibration waveforms; The adaptive conveying component 500 control module integrates displacement closed-loop control algorithms and conveying logic. The material handling component 400 control module is responsible for high-dynamic performance trajectory interpolation and coordinate compensation; The modules communicate in real time through a well-defined data message format, ensuring a high degree of synchronization between mechanical actions, image acquisition, and logical processing on the timeline.

[0047] In the computer device embodiments of this application, the processor executes machine-readable instructions stored in the memory; These instructions cover all the image processing algorithms, coordinate transformation algorithms, PID control algorithms, and communication protocol stacks mentioned above; During equipment operation, the processor exchanges data with external sensors and actuators through a network interface to ensure that every step of the control method can be translated into specific physical actions. Non-volatile computer-readable media ensures that critical calibration parameters, material template data, and control logic can be correctly loaded after a system power failure or restart, guaranteeing the continuity of the production process.

[0048] In practical applications, such as the insertion process of PCB terminals, this equipment can handle terminals of various specifications. When the production line needs to switch material types, the operator only needs to select the corresponding material number on the human-machine interface of the material supply control unit 100. The system automatically retrieves parameters from memory, automatically measures the dimensions of new materials using a vision system, and drives the servo motor of the adaptive conveyor assembly 500 to automatically adjust the feed channel width. The entire changeover process requires no disassembly of any mechanical parts and no manual adjustment of the baffle position, greatly reducing downtime for debugging. Meanwhile, thanks to the combination of flexible vibrating disc 302 and vision-guided picking, materials do not need to undergo complex tape packaging and can be directly fed into the linear feeder 301 in bulk, effectively reducing material pretreatment costs and packaging material consumption.

[0049] In addition, the diverse configurations of the material handling components 400 give the equipment a strong spatial adaptability; In space-constrained automated units, a spider hand control system with a parallel structure can achieve an extremely high picking frequency; In scenarios with higher requirements for load capacity and stroke, a multi-axis module combined control system consisting of X, Y, and Z axis linear guides can provide more stable operating performance. The adaptive conveying component 500's dynamic adjustment function for pushing stroke, combined with the real-time monitoring of the sensing and detection component 501, forms a complete closed-loop control link, effectively preventing the stacking, flipping, or leakage of materials during the conveying process, and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of delivering materials to upstream processes. Through this design scheme that deeply integrates software and hardware, the implementation method of this application achieves high flexibility, high precision and high automation in the material feeding process.

[0050] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 Step 1, Material Orderly Introduction and Initial Distribution Stage: After the PCB terminal automated assembly line is started, the material supply control unit 100 first sends an excitation pulse signal to the linear feeder 301, and uses the alternating magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic coil to drive the spring plate group of the linear feeder 301 to generate high-frequency micro-amplitude vibration. Under the action of vibration, the bulk PCB terminals overcome friction and slide along the material channel to the front end, and finally fall onto the surface of the flexible vibrating material tray 302. The flexible vibrating disc 302 receives the pre-dispersion command issued by the feeding control unit 100. Its internal excitation mechanism adjusts the excitation frequency to generate multi-dimensional random fluctuations on the disc surface, causing the stacked terminals to achieve a single-layer discrete distribution on the disc surface, creating non-overlapping physical conditions for image capture by the subsequent vision acquisition component 200.

[0051] Step 2, Visual Feature Analysis and Physical Specification Recognition Stage: After the material is distributed on the flexible vibrating disc 302, the feeding control unit 100 triggers the industrial camera 201 to perform shutter exposure through the communication protocol. The raw images captured by the industrial camera 201 are uploaded in real time to the image processing module of the feeding control unit 100; At this point, the system uses the Sobel edge operator to extract the pixel gradient features of the terminal edge, calculates the pixel spacing between parallel edges, and combines the pre-stored camera calibration coefficients (i.e., the physical millimeter number corresponding to a single pixel) to dynamically calculate the actual physical width value of the PCB terminal in the current batch. The geometric center coordinates and deflection angle of each terminal in the coordinate system of the flexible vibrating plate 302 are determined by the image centroid operator. This data serves as the reference coordinates for the subsequent operation of the material picking component 400.

[0052] Step 3, the material channel gap adaptive adjustment stage, the material supply control unit 100 uses the physical width value parsed in step 2 as the target parameter and sends it to the adaptive conveying component 500; The servo motor inside the adaptive conveying component 500 receives a rotation command and drives the precision lead screw to rotate through the coupling. The rotation of the lead screw is converted into the linear motion of the lead screw nut, which in turn drives the material channel baffle fixed to it to move laterally along the guide rail. During the movement, the displacement sensor in the sensing and detection component 501 monitors the displacement increment of the baffle in real time and feeds it back to the feeding control unit 100. When the feedback displacement value is consistent with the target width value, the servo motor executes electromagnetic braking to stop rotating, thereby automatically adapting the material channel gap to the size and specifications of the current terminal to be processed without replacing any mechanical parts.

[0053] Step 4, Precision Picking and Coordinate Transformation Execution Stage: After the adaptive conveying component 500 completes the gap adjustment and feeds back the ready signal, the feeding control unit 100 starts the hand-eye calibration transformation matrix logic. This logic converts the coordinates of the terminal center point in the image coordinate system to the coordinates of the mechanical coordinate system to which the material handling assembly 400 belongs; Subsequently, the material handling component 400 drives the spider hand control system or the multi-axis module joint control system to perform spatial trajectory interpolation motion according to the instructions. Its execution end moves to directly above the target terminal and descends, using the negative pressure suction generated by the pneumatic vacuum generator or the mechanical clamping force of the air gripper to complete the material picking; Next, the material handling component 400 moves the terminal horizontally along the planned path to the starting end of the adaptive conveying component 500, which has completed the gap adjustment, and places it precisely between the two material channel baffles.

[0054] Step 5, Directional Conveying and Closed-Loop Feeding Control Stage: After the terminal enters the adaptive conveying component 500, the conveyor belt drives the terminal to move to the next station under the drive of the variable frequency motor. When the material reaches the end of the conveyor, the infrared beam emitted by the photoelectric switch in the sensing and detection component 501 is blocked by the terminal, generating a level transition signal and feeding it back to the feeding control unit 100, driving the conveyor motor to decelerate and stop, thus achieving precise positioning of the material. Meanwhile, the feeding control unit 100 continuously monitors the remaining material status in the flexible vibrating tray 302. If the number of qualified posture terminals resolved by the vision system is lower than the set threshold, the flexible vibrating tray 302 is automatically triggered to execute the flipping vibration logic based on PWM duty cycle adjustment. The terminals on the tray are physically flipped using a specific vibration waveform until a new material posture that meets the picking conditions is generated, thereby ensuring the continuity and automation closed loop of the feeding process.

[0055] This application's implementation utilizes a vision acquisition component integrated into the material feeding control unit to acquire the original image of the material and obtain the material picking reference point. Feature extraction is performed on the original image to determine the spatial position parameters and structural features of the material to be supplied. Based on the acquired structural features, a gap adjustment command is generated, and the adaptive conveying component is controlled to perform a gap adjustment operation to match the material specifications. Based on the spatial position parameters, a picking command is generated, and the picking command is executed by the picking component to complete the material picking. This approach can adapt to various types of materials and achieve intelligent material feeding.

[0056] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program may be stored in a storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium. The computer program is executed by at least one processor in the computer system to implement the process steps of the embodiments of the above methods.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0058] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of each unit is merely a logical functional division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0059] The steps in the methods of this application embodiment can be adjusted, merged, or deleted according to actual needs. The units in the apparatus of this application embodiment can be merged, divided, or deleted according to actual needs. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0060] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0062] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Since these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

[0063] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a feeding device, characterized in that, The feeding device includes a feeding control unit disposed at the upper end of the device, a vision acquisition component integrated into the feeding control unit, a feeding component disposed below the vision acquisition component, a picking component disposed on one side of the feeding component, and an adaptive conveying component disposed on one side of the picking component. The method includes: The feeding component is controlled to import materials, the original image of the materials is acquired through the vision acquisition component, and the material picking reference point is determined based on the original image. Feature extraction is performed on the original image to obtain the spatial location parameters and structural features of the material; Based on the material picking reference point and the spatial position parameters, a material picking target point and corresponding material picking instruction are generated, and a gap adjustment instruction is generated based on the structural features; Based on the gap adjustment command, the adaptive conveying component is driven to adjust the gap of the conveying channel to adapt to the material specifications; After the gap adjustment is complete, the material picking component is controlled to move to the material picking target point to pick up the material based on the material picking command, and the material is transferred to the adaptive conveying component. The material is conveyed to the next process step via the adaptive conveying component.

2. The control method for the feeding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The process of acquiring the original image of the material through the vision acquisition component and determining the material sampling reference point based on the original image includes: The industrial camera equipped with the vision acquisition component is activated to capture images of the materials in the tray. The images are preprocessed and calculated using a preset image processing algorithm, and the material picking reference point is output. The corresponding image processing algorithm is converted into a computer programming language algorithm, integrated into a suitable development framework, and the vision function is developed and deployed to realize the logical execution of image processing and material picking reference point acquisition.

3. The control method for the feeding equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Prior to capturing the material image, the method also includes a backlight-coordinated control process: The backlight is turned on by sending a command to the flexible vibrating disc controller via a communication protocol. After the backlight stabilizes, the industrial camera is triggered to perform image capture. After the capture is completed, the backlight is turned off by sending a command via the communication protocol.

4. The control method for the feeding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The process of executing gap adjustment instructions through the adaptive delivery component includes: The material transverse width parameter is extracted from the structural features as an adjustment benchmark. The current material channel width is obtained through the sensing and detection components and fed back to the material supply control unit. The material channel width is adjusted based on the set value until the difference from the set value is less than the standard tolerance value. The pushing stroke of the adaptive conveying component is adjusted based on the material length parameter.

5. The control method for the feeding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control system of the material handling component adopts a spider-hand control system or a multi-axis module combined control system.

6. The control method for the feeding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The visual acquisition component counts the amount of material in the flexible vibrating feeder. When the amount is lower than a set threshold, the linear feeder replenishes the material. The adaptive conveying component is driven to feed material. After the material is detected by the sensing component to reach the picking position, the machine stops and enters the next conveying cycle after the material is picked up.

7. The control method for the feeding equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: After all the materials with the correct posture have been collected, the feeding control unit controls the flexible vibrating plate to perform posture adjustment of the remaining materials. By calling the pre-stored material-adaptive vibration parameters, the flexible vibratory plate is driven to vibrate based on the vibration parameters, thereby adjusting the posture of the remaining material.

8. A control system for a feeding device, characterized in that, It includes a material feeding control unit, a hopper vibration control module, a flexible vibratory feeder control module, a material handling component control module, and an adaptive conveying component control module. The collaborative working logic of each module is as follows: The material supply control unit integrates vision acquisition components and control logic. It establishes bidirectional communication links with other modules through communication protocols. It is responsible for material image acquisition, feature analysis, generation of material picking reference points and material picking target points, as well as issuing various control commands and receiving and processing feedback signals from each module. The hopper vibration control module receives the replenishment trigger signal from the feeding control unit, drives the linear feeder to vibrate and replenish material, and sends a replenishment completion signal back to the feeding control unit. The flexible vibratory feeder control module receives backlight control commands and adaptive vibration commands from the material feeding control unit, executes backlight start / stop coordinated control actions and vibration parameter adjustment actions adapted to material properties, and sends an action completion signal back to the material feeding control unit after completion. The adaptive conveying component control module receives the material structural feature parameters obtained by the material supply control unit, extracts the material transverse width parameter from the structural features, adjusts the material channel gap to the point where the difference from the set value is less than the standard tolerance value, adjusts the pushing stroke based on the material length parameter, and feeds back the gap adjustment ready signal to the material supply control unit. After receiving the pushing command from the feeding control unit, it drives the material conveying. After the sensing and detection components detect that the material has reached the picking position, it controls the machine to stop. After the material is picked up, it sends a conveying completion signal back to the feeding control unit. The material handling component control module receives the material handling target position from the material supply control unit and the ready signal from the adaptive conveying component control module, selects a spider hand control system or a multi-axis module joint control system to complete material handling, and feeds back a handling completion signal to the material supply control unit. The system is used to perform the control method for the feeding equipment as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A computer device, characterized in that, The device includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the program to implement the control method for the feeding device as described in any one of claims 1-7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the control method for the feeding device as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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