Quick replacing and positioning device for tooling

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of automobile part stamping, in particular to a tooling quick replacing and positioning device which comprises a mechanical arm, a positioning mechanism, a positioning mechanism and a positioning mechanism. The mounting rack is connected with at least one placing block, and a vertically arranged sliding guide groove is formed in the placing block; one end of the tooling body is connected with the manipulator through an automatic quick-change disc, a plurality of positioning pins are connected to the tooling body, and the positioning pins can extend into the sliding guide grooves; the tooling has the advantages that the degree of freedom of the tooling body in the initial state can be limited by matching the positioning pin with the sliding guide groove, manual intervention is not needed for connection and disconnection between the manipulator and the tooling body at the moment, the influence of the manual proficiency degree and human efficiency occupancy are reduced, and the replacement efficiency of the tooling is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automotive parts stamping technology, and in particular to a quick-change positioning device for end effectors. Background Technology

[0002] An end effector is a general term for a device that is installed on an industrial robot or robotic arm and uses a vacuum suction cup or clamp to contact the object being grasped and move it from one position to a designated position. According to its use, it can be divided into depalletizing end effectors, loading end effectors and unloading end effectors.

[0003] A manual quick-change end effector is disclosed in the prior art, comprising a main aluminum alloy tube, a horizontal aluminum alloy tube, and a cross mounting block. The horizontal aluminum alloy tube is installed through a slot in the cross mounting block, and one end of the main aluminum alloy tube is fixed in a through hole in the cross mounting block. A knob screw is provided on the cross mounting block, which controls the size of the slot and the through hole respectively. A suction cup connection assembly is connected to the horizontal aluminum alloy tube. The suction cup connection assembly is connected to the horizontal aluminum alloy tube via a support aluminum alloy tube, one end of which is fixed to the horizontal aluminum alloy tube by a bushing, and the other end of which is connected to the suction cup connection assembly.

[0004] Regarding the aforementioned technologies, in the automotive industry, the production of stamped parts requires reducing the changeover speed between different parts, which in turn requires rapid end effector switching. While manual end effector replacement increases the changeover speed using a quick-change structure, it consumes manpower and is also affected by the operator's skill level, resulting in low end effector switching efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to reduce the impact of human skill level and labor costs and improve the replacement efficiency of end effectors, this application provides a quick end effector replacement positioning device.

[0006] The end effector quick-change positioning device provided in this application adopts the following technical solution: A quick-change positioning device for an end effector includes: A robotic arm that performs three-dimensional movements in space; At least one mounting bracket, on which at least one placement block is connected, and a vertically arranged sliding guide groove is formed in the placement block; The end effector body is connected to the robot arm at one end via an automatic quick-change disc, and multiple positioning pins are connected to the end effector body, which can extend into the sliding guide groove.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the robotic arm performs three-dimensional movement in space according to a predetermined programmed path until the automatic quick-change disc on the robotic arm moves to the vicinity of the automatic quick-change disc on the end effector body. Then, the position of the robotic arm is further adjusted so that the automatic quick-change disc on the robotic arm and the automatic quick-change disc on the end effector body are in a coaxial state. At this time, the robotic arm moves towards the end effector body until the automatic quick-change disc on the robotic arm and the automatic quick-change disc on the end effector body are connected and tightened. Then, the robotic arm rises vertically. As the robotic arm rises, it drives the end effector body to move through the automatic quick-change disc. As the end effector body moves, it drives the positioning pin to move until the positioning pin disengages from the sliding guide groove. When the end effector body needs to be replaced after use, first place the end effector body on the robotic arm back to its original position, and then move it to the end effector body that needs to be replaced for replacement. The designed end effector quick replacement positioning device, through the robotic arm and automatic quick-change tray, can achieve alignment, gripping and release with the end effector body. The mounting bracket can serve as the mounting base for the placement block, and the end effector body can achieve connection with the parts. The positioning pin and sliding guide groove can restrict the degree of freedom of the end effector body in the initial state. At this time, the connection and disconnection between the robotic arm and the end effector body do not require manual intervention, reducing the impact of human skill level and labor consumption and improving the replacement efficiency of the end effector.

[0008] In one specific implementation, the outer diameter of the plurality of positioning pins located in the same sliding guide groove gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the groove width of the sliding guide groove gradually decreases from top to bottom.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, the positioning pin, which is designed to be located in the same sliding guide groove and whose outer diameter gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the sliding guide groove whose groove width gradually decreases from top to bottom, can reduce the friction between the positioning pin and the placement block during initial placement. It also avoids the situation where the positioning pin is easily stuck due to the long sliding guide groove and poor adjustment of the robot's position. With this design, the alignment accuracy between the robot and the sliding guide groove on the placement block can be reduced, and the possibility of inaccurate positioning accuracy caused by long-term friction between the positioning pin and the sliding guide groove and wear of the sliding guide groove and positioning pin can be avoided.

[0010] In one specific implementation, a trumpet-shaped positioning guide groove is formed at the top of the sliding guide groove, which communicates with the sliding guide groove.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, the alignment accuracy between the robot and the sliding guide groove on the placement block can be further reduced.

[0012] In one specific implementation, the placement block is slidably connected to the mounting bracket, and the sliding direction of the placement block is consistent with the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, the designed placement block that is slidably connected to the mounting frame and whose sliding direction is consistent with the axis of the automatic quick-change disc can facilitate the docking between the end effector body and the robot arm.

[0014] In one specific implementation, the mounting bracket has two placement blocks, with a clearance area formed between the two placement blocks for the robotic arm to extend into.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, two placement blocks are designed to form a clearance area, which enables the robot arm to quickly switch between the two end effector bodies within a short movement stroke, further improving the switching speed of the end effector bodies.

[0016] In one specific implementation, the two placement blocks on the same mounting bracket are staggered in the vertical direction.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the two placement blocks designed along the height direction can avoid the two end effector bodies on both sides of the robot being in the changing position at the same time, thereby avoiding the placement friction of the positioning pin on one end effector body affecting the docking accuracy of the automatic quick-change disc on the other end effector body.

[0018] In one specific implementation, the number of mounting brackets is at least two, and the at least two mounting brackets are distributed along a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane containing the axis of the automatic quick-change disc.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, a mounting frame with at least two units can be designed to load multiple placement blocks at once, thereby providing the robot arm with more replaceable end effector bodies.

[0020] In one specific implementation, the mounting bracket is connected to two drive cylinders, the piston rods of the drive cylinders are arranged parallel to the axis of the automatic quick-change disc, and the piston rods of the drive cylinders are connected to the placement block.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the designed drive cylinder can drive the placement block to move along the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc, thereby achieving proximity to the automatic quick-change disc on the robotic arm.

[0022] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: The designed end effector quick-change positioning device uses a robotic arm in conjunction with an automatic quick-change tray to align, grasp, and release the end effector body. The mounting bracket serves as the mounting base for the placement block, and the end effector body enables connection to other components. The positioning pins and sliding guide grooves restrict the degree of freedom of the end effector body in its initial state. At this point, the connection and disconnection between the robotic arm and the end effector body do not require manual intervention, reducing the impact of human skill level and labor costs, and improving the end effector replacement efficiency.

[0023] The designed end effector quick-change positioning device uses a positioning pin with an outer diameter that gradually decreases from top to bottom within the same sliding guide groove. This, combined with the sliding guide groove whose width gradually decreases from top to bottom, reduces friction between the positioning pin and the placement block during initial placement. It also avoids situations where the positioning pin easily gets stuck due to poor robot arm positioning caused by a long sliding guide groove. This design reduces the alignment accuracy between the robot arm and the sliding guide groove on the placement block, and also avoids the possibility of inaccurate positioning due to wear of the sliding guide groove and positioning pin caused by long-term friction.

[0024] The designed end effector quick-change positioning device, through two placement blocks along the height direction, can prevent the two end effector bodies on both sides of the robot arm from being in the changing position at the same time. This avoids the placement friction of the positioning pin on one end effector body affecting the docking accuracy of the automatic quick-change disc on the other end effector body. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the end effector quick-change positioning device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The front view.

[0027] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the mid-range pickup body, the automatic quick-change disc, and the positioning pin.

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A partial structural diagram.

[0029] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The sectional view in the image.

[0030] Figure 6 Is Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure after one of the end effectors is hidden.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Robotic arm; 2. Mounting frame; 3. Placement block; 31. Sliding guide groove; 32. Positioning guide groove; 4. End effector body; 5. Automatic quick-change disc; 6. Positioning pin; 7. Drive cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-6 This application will be described in further detail.

[0033] This application discloses a quick-change positioning device for an end effector.

[0034] Reference Figure 1 An end effector quick-change positioning device includes a robotic arm 1, a mounting frame 2, and an end effector body 4. The robotic arm 1 has a multi-axis structure and can perform three-dimensional movement in the X, Y, and Z directions in space. The number of mounting frames 2 is at least one. In this application, the number of mounting frames 2 can be one, two, or other numbers. At least one placement block 3 is connected to the mounting frame 2. In this application, the number of placement blocks 3 can be one, two, or other numbers. A vertically arranged sliding guide groove 31 with an open top is formed in the placement block 3.

[0035] Reference Figure 1 The number of mounting brackets 2 is at least two, and the at least two mounting brackets 2 are distributed along the vertical plane perpendicular to the axis of the automatic quick-change disc 5. With at least two mounting brackets 2, multiple placement blocks 3 can be loaded at one time, thereby providing more replaceable end effector bodies 4 for the robot arm 1.

[0036] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The end effector body 4 has multiple vacuum suction cups for picking up automotive parts. One end of the end effector body 4 is bolted to a tool-side automatic quick-change disc 5, and the robot arm 1 is bolted to a moving-side automatic quick-change disc 5. The end effector body 4 and the robot arm 1 are connected through the cooperation of the tool-side automatic quick-change disc 5 and the moving-side automatic quick-change disc 5.

[0037] Reference Figure 3 Multiple positioning pins 6 are inserted into the end effector body 4. Each positioning pin 6 includes a thin rod and an anti-detachment part. The thin rod and the anti-detachment part are coaxially arranged, and the outer diameter of the thin rod is smaller than the outer diameter of the anti-detachment part. The positioning pin 6 can extend into the sliding guide groove 31. A through groove is provided on the placement block 3. The thin rod passes through the through groove, and the anti-detachment part slides in the sliding guide groove 31.

[0038] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5The outer diameter of multiple positioning pins 6 located in the same sliding guide groove 31 gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the width of the sliding guide groove 31 also gradually decreases from top to bottom. In this application, the number of positioning pins 6 located in the same sliding guide groove 31 can be two, three, or other numbers, as long as it can accommodate the end effector body 4 to rotate relative to the placement block 3 around the axis of the positioning pin 6. In this embodiment, the number of positioning pins 6 located in the same sliding guide groove 31 is two. By using positioning pins 6 located in the same sliding guide groove 31 with an outer diameter that gradually decreases from top to bottom, and in conjunction with the sliding guide groove 31 with a width that gradually decreases from top to bottom, the friction between the positioning pins 6 and the placement block 3 can be reduced during initial placement. It also avoids the situation where the sliding guide groove 31 is relatively long, and the positioning pins 6 are easily stuck due to improper adjustment of the position of the robot arm 1. With this design, the alignment accuracy between the robot arm 1 and the sliding guide groove 31 on the placement block 3 can be reduced, and the possibility of inaccurate positioning accuracy caused by long-term friction between the positioning pins 6 and the sliding guide groove 31 leading to wear of the sliding guide groove 31 and the positioning pins 6 can be avoided.

[0039] Reference Figure 5 A positioning guide groove 32 is formed on the top of the sliding guide groove 31. The positioning guide groove 32 is funnel-shaped and is connected to the sliding guide groove 31, thereby further reducing the alignment accuracy between the robot arm 1 and the sliding guide groove 31 on the placement block 3.

[0040] The robotic arm 1 moves in three dimensions within space according to a predetermined programmed path until the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the robotic arm 1 moves to the vicinity of the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the end effector body 4. Then, the position of the robotic arm 1 is further adjusted so that the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the robotic arm 1 and the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the end effector body 4 are in a coaxial state. At this time, the robotic arm 1 moves towards the end effector body 4 until the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the robotic arm 1 and the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the end effector body 4 are connected and tightened. Then, the robotic arm 1 is raised vertically. As the robotic arm 1 rises, it drives the end effector body 4 to move through the automatic quick-change disc 5. As the end effector body 4 moves, it drives the positioning pin 6 to move until the positioning pin 6 disengages from the sliding guide groove 31. When the current end effector body 4 is used up and needs to be replaced, the end effector body 4 on the robotic arm 1 is first placed back to its original position, and then moved to the end effector body 4 that needs to be replaced for replacement.

[0041] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6The placement block 3 is slidably connected to the mounting frame 2, and the sliding direction of the placement block 3 is consistent with the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc 5. The placement block 3, which is slidably connected to the mounting frame 2 and whose sliding direction is consistent with the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc 5, can facilitate the docking between the end effector body 4 and the robot arm 1. In this application, the sliding of the placement block 3 can be driven by a cylinder, a linear motor, or a motor in conjunction with a screw. In this embodiment, two drive cylinders 7 are bolted to the mounting frame 2. The axial direction of the piston rod of the drive cylinder 7 is parallel to the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc 5, and the piston rod of the drive cylinder 7 is connected to the placement block 3, thereby driving the placement block 3 to slide relative to the mounting frame 2.

[0042] Reference Figure 6 Furthermore, there are two placement blocks 3 on the mounting frame 2, and a clearance area is formed between the two placement blocks 3 for the robot arm 1 to extend into. That is, when the robot arm 1 is in the clearance area, there is a placement block 3 on each of the opposite sides of the robot arm 1. By having two placement blocks 3 that form a clearance area, the robot arm 1 can quickly switch between the two end effector bodies 4 within a short movement stroke, further improving the switching speed of the end effector bodies 4.

[0043] Reference Figure 6 The two placement blocks 3 on the same mounting frame 2 are staggered in the vertical direction, that is, the two placement blocks 3 on the same mounting frame 2 are at different horizontal heights. By using the two placement blocks 3 respectively in the height direction, the two end effector bodies 4 on both sides of the robot arm 1 can be prevented from being in the replacement position at the same time, thereby preventing the placement friction of the positioning pin 6 on one side of the end effector body 4 from affecting the docking accuracy of the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the other side of the end effector body 4.

[0044] The implementation principle of the end effector quick-change positioning device in this application embodiment is as follows: The robotic arm 1 performs three-dimensional movement in space according to a predetermined programmed path until the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the robotic arm 1 moves to the vicinity of the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the end effector body 4. Then, the position of the robotic arm 1 is further adjusted so that the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the robotic arm 1 and the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the end effector body 4 are coaxial. At this time, the robotic arm 1 moves towards the end effector body 4 until the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the robotic arm 1 and the automatic quick-change disc 5 on the end effector body 4 are connected and tightened. Then, the robotic arm 1 rises vertically. While rising, the robotic arm 1 drives the end effector body 4 to move via the automatic quick-change disc 5. Simultaneously, the movement of the end effector body 4 drives the positioning pin 6 to move until... The positioning pin 6 disengages from the sliding guide groove 31. When the current end effector body 4 is no longer in use and needs to be replaced, the end effector body 4 on the robot arm 1 is first placed back in its original position, and then moved to the end effector body 4 that needs to be replaced for replacement. The robot arm 1 can work with the automatic quick-change disc 5 to align, grasp, and release the end effector body 4. The mounting bracket 2 can serve as the mounting base for the placement block 3. The end effector body 4 can be connected to the parts. The positioning pin 6, in conjunction with the sliding guide groove 31, can restrict the degree of freedom of the end effector body 4 in its initial state. At this time, the connection and disconnection between the robot arm 1 and the end effector body 4 do not require manual intervention, reducing the impact of human skill level and human labor occupation, and improving the replacement efficiency of the end effector.

[0045] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A quick-change positioning device for an end effector, characterized in that: include: A robotic arm (1) that performs three-dimensional motion in space; At least one mounting bracket (2) is connected to at least one placement block (3), and a vertically arranged sliding guide groove (31) is formed in the placement block (3); The end effector body (4) is connected to the robot arm (1) at one end via an automatic quick-change disc (5), and the end effector body (4) is connected with a plurality of positioning pins (6), which can extend into the sliding guide groove (31).

2. The end effector quick change positioning device of claim 1, wherein: The outer diameter of the plurality of positioning pins (6) located in the same sliding guide groove (31) gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the groove width of the sliding guide groove (31) gradually decreases from top to bottom.

3. The end effector quick change positioning device of claim 2, wherein: The top of the sliding guide groove (31) is formed with a trumpet-shaped positioning guide groove (32) that communicates with the sliding guide groove (31).

4. The quick-change positioning device for the end effector according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The placement block (3) is slidably connected to the mounting bracket (2), and the sliding direction of the placement block (3) is consistent with the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc (5).

5. The end effector quick-change positioning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (2) has two placement blocks (3), and a clearance area is formed between the two placement blocks (3) for the robot arm (1) to extend into.

6. The end effector quick-change positioning device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The two placement blocks (3) on the same mounting bracket (2) are staggered in the vertical direction.

7. The quick-change positioning device for the end effector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of mounting brackets (2) is at least two, and at least two mounting brackets (2) are distributed along a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane containing the axis of the automatic quick-change disc (5).

8. The end effector quick-change positioning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Two drive cylinders (7) are connected to the mounting bracket (2). The axial direction of the piston rod of the drive cylinder (7) is parallel to the axial direction of the automatic quick-change disc (5), and the piston rod of the drive cylinder (7) is connected to the placement block (3).

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