A multi-plate material centering system and a plate material centering method

Abstract

The application provides a multi-plate centering system and a plate centering method, and relates to the field of plate centering. The scheme comprises a chassis, three adjusting units arranged in a line on the chassis, and the adjusting unit comprises a supporting seat arranged on the chassis, an X-direction adjusting assembly, an X-direction adjusting plate of the X-direction adjusting assembly, the X-direction adjusting plate being movably arranged on the corresponding supporting seat in the direction of the flow, a rotating assembly, a rotating seat of the rotating assembly, the rotating seat being arranged on the corresponding X-direction adjusting plate and being rotatable in a horizontal plane, a Y-direction adjusting assembly, a Y-direction adjusting plate of the Y-direction adjusting assembly, the Y-direction adjusting plate being movably arranged on the corresponding rotating seat in the Y-direction, and a conveying assembly arranged on the corresponding Y-direction adjusting plate. The application can simultaneously center and adjust three plates.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sheet metal alignment, and more particularly to a multi-sheet metal alignment system and a sheet metal alignment method. Background Technology

[0002] In the automotive, home appliance, and other manufacturing industries, high-speed sheet metal stamping production lines are increasingly widely used. To improve the stamping efficiency of these lines, dies are often designed for "one die, two materials" (i.e., one die stamps two sheets simultaneously) or "two dies, two materials" (i.e., two dies stamp two sheets simultaneously). To ensure that the sheet metal is accurately placed within the die of the stamping equipment, its position must be aligned and adjusted.

[0003] In the prior art, Chinese invention patent application CN 115041602A provides a laser line scanning sheet metal centering belt conveyor, including a bottom support, an overall rotating unit, a translation unit, an independent rotating unit, a sheet metal conveying unit A, and a sheet metal conveying unit B. The slewing bearing a in the bottom support is connected to the slewing bearing seat a in the overall rotating unit by screws. The translation frame in the translation unit is connected to the slider of the guide rail pair in the overall rotating unit by bolts. The slewing bearing seat b in the independent rotating unit is connected to the slewing bearing b in the translation unit by bolts. The mounting brackets in the sheet metal conveying units A and B are connected to the independent rotating frame in the independent rotating unit by bolts. This technical solution has a compact structure and reduces the space size in the height direction.

[0004] However, when using the above technical solution, since only two sets of symmetrical sheet material conveying units and matching adjustment mechanisms are set up, the dual-unit structure has no additional adjustment units available when facing three sheet material conditions. It is impossible to accurately correct the translation and rotation of the three sheet materials separately, resulting in serious deficiencies in versatility and production line adaptability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problem that the existing alignment system cannot perform alignment adjustment on three boards, this invention provides a multi-board alignment system and board alignment method that can perform alignment adjustment on three boards simultaneously.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-plate alignment system to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, including a base frame with three adjustment units arranged in a row on the base frame. Each adjustment unit includes: a support base disposed on the base frame; an X-axis adjustment assembly including an X-axis adjustment plate movable along the material flow direction on a corresponding support base; a rotation assembly including a rotation seat disposed on a corresponding X-axis adjustment plate and capable of rotating in a horizontal plane; a Y-axis adjustment assembly including a Y-axis adjustment plate movable along the Y direction on a corresponding rotation seat; and a conveying assembly disposed on a corresponding Y-axis adjustment plate.

[0007] This invention, by arranging three independent adjustment units in a row on the base frame, with each unit integrating an X-axis adjustment component, a rotation component, a Y-axis adjustment component, and a conveying component, enables the system to simultaneously perform independent and precise translation and rotational alignment correction on three sheets of material. This effectively overcomes the bottleneck of insufficient adjustment units in existing technologies when dealing with three-sheet material conditions, significantly improving the system's versatility and adaptability in complex sheet material processing production lines. It achieves efficient and flexible coverage from two-sheet material to multi-sheet material (especially three-sheet material) conditions, enhancing the overall layout flexibility and operational efficiency of the production line.

[0008] Furthermore, both the X-axis adjustment assembly and the Y-axis adjustment assembly include a drive motor, the drive motor being connected to a corresponding lead screw, and the lead screw being connected to the corresponding X-axis adjustment plate or the Y-axis adjustment plate via a lead screw nut.

[0009] Furthermore, the rotating assembly also includes a rotating motor, which is vertically mounted on the X-axis adjustment plate. The rotating motor is connected to a rotating disk, which is connected to the rotating base. The X-axis adjustment plate is also provided with a plurality of supporting balls, which can generate rolling friction with the rotating base.

[0010] This invention uses supporting balls to support the sheet material at a certain height, preventing scratches between the sheet material and the conveyor belt when aligning the sheet material to be conveyed. At the same time, the adsorption component causes the sheet material to undergo controllable elastic deformation and adhere tightly to the conveyor belt, enhancing the adhesion between the sheet material and the conveyor belt and ensuring reliable conveying of the sheet material by the conveyor belt.

[0011] Furthermore, the conveying assembly includes a mounting frame disposed on the Y-axis adjustment plate. At least three conveyor belts are disposed on the mounting frame, and support wheels are disposed on the mounting frame between two adjacent conveyor belts. The support wheels can generate rolling friction with the material to be conveyed. The mounting frame is also provided with an adsorption component, which can cause the material to be conveyed to elastically deform and adhere tightly to the conveyor belt.

[0012] Furthermore, the adsorption element is an electromagnet.

[0013] This invention uses an electromagnet to control the adsorption effect of the adsorption component, ensuring that the sheet material is not adsorbed and maintains a certain distance from the conveyor belt during alignment and adjustment. At the same time, the adsorption effect is restored during conveying, ensuring reliable conveying.

[0014] Secondly, the present invention also provides a sheet metal alignment method, employing the above-mentioned multi-sheet metal alignment system, comprising the following steps: S01: The vision system acquires image information of the sheet materials to be transported on the multi-sheet alignment system, and identifies the number of sheet materials, the outline size of each sheet material, the current pose of each sheet material, and the coverage relationship between each sheet material and each adjustment unit. S02: Determine the current working condition based on the preset working condition types, and determine the adjustment units involved in the adjustment and the corresponding roles of the adjustment units based on the determination results; S03: Control the corresponding adjustment unit to rotate and / or translate; S04: During the adjustment process, the actual position and posture of the sheet material to be conveyed are monitored in real time by the vision system, compared with the target position and posture, and the motion deviation is corrected until the sheet material reaches the target position and posture. S05: The corresponding adjustment unit conveys the plate to be conveyed.

[0015] This invention automatically identifies the quantity, size, and coverage of sheet metal through a vision system. It determines the current production scenario based on preset working conditions and assigns roles to each adjustment unit, achieving full-condition adaptive adjustment from single sheet to three sheets and from independent adjustment to collaborative adjustment. Simultaneously, during the adjustment process, the actual pose is monitored in real time by vision and compared with the target pose to dynamically correct motion deviations. This overcomes the impact of mechanical clearance and sheet metal slippage on accuracy, forming a complete automated closed loop of identification, adjustment, and conveying. It is superior to existing technologies in terms of versatility, adjustment accuracy, and production cycle time.

[0016] Furthermore, in S02, the preset working conditions and corresponding role divisions include: In the case where a single sheet of material to be conveyed covers only one of the aforementioned adjustment units, only the covered adjustment unit independently participates in centering adjustment and independent conveying. In the case of a single large sheet of material to be conveyed simultaneously covering multiple adjustment units, when the sheet of material to be conveyed covers two adjacent adjustment units, only the two covered adjustment units cooperate in centering adjustment and cooperative conveying. When the sheet of material to be conveyed covers three adjustment units, only the middle covered adjustment unit independently participates in centering adjustment, and the two adjustment units on both sides are used for cooperative conveying of the adjusted sheet of material. When two sheets to be conveyed cover the adjustment units on the left and right sides respectively, and there is no sheet in the middle adjustment unit, only the adjustment units on the left and right sides independently participate in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the corresponding sheets. In a working condition where a smaller sheet material to be conveyed covers one of the adjustment units and another larger sheet material to be conveyed simultaneously covers two adjustment units on the other side, the adjustment unit on one side independently participates in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the smaller sheet material, while the adjustment units on the other two sides cooperate in the centering adjustment and cooperative conveying of the larger sheet material. The three sheets to be conveyed respectively cover the working conditions of the three adjustment units on the left, middle and right, and the three adjustment units independently participate in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the corresponding sheets.

[0017] This invention achieves precise resource and task matching by matching the optimal combination of adjustment units under five typical working conditions. Only one unit is used for a single small sheet, avoiding energy waste from simultaneous movement of two units. When two sheets are located on opposite sides, the left and right units adjust independently and in parallel without interference. In mixed production of large and small sheets, the small sheet is adjusted independently while the large sheet is adjusted in parallel with the two units, eliminating the need for machine downtime. For three sheets, all three units adjust independently and in parallel, solving the problem of existing technologies being unable to handle three sheets. When a large sheet covers all three units, only the units on both sides are used in coordination, avoiding redundant actions. This method achieves minimum energy consumption configuration driven on demand and maximizes the cycle time of parallel adjustment, improving versatility, energy efficiency, and overall efficiency.

[0018] Furthermore, S03 includes the following steps: When any of the adjustment units participates in the centering adjustment independently, the adjustment unit uses a three-degree-of-freedom coupled control method to perform the sheet metal pose adjustment. The three-degree-of-freedom coupled control method includes the following steps: S031: Obtain the target pose of the sheet material to be conveyed, wherein the target pose includes the target X-axis position, the target Y-axis position, and the target angle of the center position of the sheet material; S032: The current pose of the sheet material to be conveyed is acquired through the vision system. The current pose includes the current X-axis position, the current Y-axis position, and the current angle of the center position of the sheet material to be conveyed. S033: Based on the difference between the target pose and the current pose, plan the motion trajectory of the sheet material so that the center of the sheet material moves at a constant speed along a straight line to the target position, while the angle of the sheet material changes at a constant speed to the target angle. The movement of the center of the sheet material and the change of the angle of the sheet material start and end synchronously. S034: Based on the planned movement trajectory of the sheet metal, calculate the motion parameters that the adjustment unit needs to execute, including X-direction displacement, Y-direction displacement and rotation angle, wherein the X-direction displacement and the Y-direction displacement are superimposed by the translational motion of the sheet metal center and the additional displacement caused by the rotation of the sheet metal. S035: The adjustment unit synchronously performs X-axis translation, Y-axis translation and rotation movements to drive the sheet material to be conveyed along the planned motion trajectory.

[0019] This invention uses a three-degree-of-freedom coupled control method to couple the linear motion and angular changes of the sheet metal center. This method avoids the problems of path detours, long adjustment time, and large cumulative positioning accuracy errors caused by step-by-step adjustment (translation before rotation or rotation before translation). It can complete the composite correction of the sheet metal posture in a single continuous action. By driving the adjustment unit to synchronously link the three axes, the sheet metal can smoothly and efficiently reach the target posture along the preset optimal path, which significantly shortens the centering adjustment time and improves the efficiency and accuracy of centering operations for a single sheet metal.

[0020] Furthermore, when the two adjustment units cooperate in centering adjustment, the following steps are included: S031: The two adjustment units perform the same translational motion to move the sheet material to be conveyed, so that the center of the sheet material to be conveyed coincides with the center position between the two adjustment units, and the angle of the sheet material remains unchanged during this process; S032: Detect the deviation between the current angle and the target angle of the conveyor belt sheet using a vision system; S033: Make the conveyor belts of the two adjustment units rotate at different speeds. The speeds of the conveyor belts on both sides should be set to be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, so that the sheet material to be conveyed rotates around its own center. S034: The angle change of the sheet material is monitored in real time by the vision system. When the current angle of the sheet material to be conveyed reaches the target angle, the conveyor belt is stopped from rotating.

[0021] In S05, the two coordinated adjustment units convey the adjusted sheet material at the same conveying speed.

[0022] This invention eliminates the need for an independent rotating mechanism in the unit configuration, achieving angle adjustment solely through the existing conveyor belt differential speed. It features a simple structure and low cost. Furthermore, the strategy of centering before rotating ensures that the center position of the sheet material remains unchanged during rotation, and combined with a visual closed-loop system, it achieves high-precision adjustment.

[0023] Furthermore, in S031, the center position between the two adjustment units is the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers of the two adjustment units.

[0024] This invention uses the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers as a reference, ensuring that after the large plate is translated, its center of mass precisely coincides with the system symmetry center formed by the rotation axes of the two units, which greatly improves the plate center drift or additional translation caused by the imbalance of force couples during rotation.

[0025] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following advantages: This invention provides a multi-sheet alignment system and method. By arranging three independent adjustment units in a row on the base frame, each unit integrates an X-axis adjustment component, a rotation component, a Y-axis adjustment component, and a conveying component. This allows the system to simultaneously perform independent and precise translational and rotational alignment correction on three sheets of sheet metal. This effectively overcomes the bottleneck of insufficient adjustment units in existing technologies when handling three sheets of sheet metal, significantly improving the system's versatility and adaptability in complex sheet metal processing production lines. It achieves efficient and flexible coverage from two-sheet to multi-sheet (especially three-sheet) conditions, enhancing the overall layout flexibility and operational efficiency of the production line. The inclusion of support rollers allows the sheet metal to be supported to a certain height during alignment. During the alignment and adjustment of the conveyor sheets, scratches between the sheets and the conveyor belt are avoided. Simultaneously, the suction components induce controllable elastic deformation of the sheets, ensuring they adhere tightly to the conveyor belt and enhancing adhesion, thus guaranteeing reliable conveying. Electromagnets control the suction effect of the components, preventing the sheets from being sucked up during alignment and maintaining a certain distance from the conveyor belt. During transport, the suction effect is restored, ensuring reliable delivery. A vision system automatically identifies the quantity, size, and coverage of the sheets, determines the current production scenario based on preset conditions, and assigns roles to each adjustment unit. This achieves full-condition adaptive operation, from single-sheet to three-sheet adjustments, and from independent to collaborative adjustments. Furthermore, real-time visual monitoring is implemented during the adjustment process. The system measures the actual pose and compares it with the target pose, dynamically correcting motion deviations and overcoming the impact of mechanical backlash and sheet slippage on accuracy. This forms a complete automated closed loop of identification, adjustment, and conveying, outperforming existing technologies in versatility, adjustment accuracy, and production cycle time. By matching the optimal adjustment unit combination to five typical working conditions, precise resource and task adaptation is achieved. Only one unit is used for a single small sheet, avoiding energy waste from simultaneous movement of two units. When two sheets are located on opposite sides, the left and right units adjust independently and in parallel without interference. When producing a mix of large and small sheets, the small sheet is adjusted independently while the two units for the large sheet work in parallel without stopping the machine. For three sheets, the three units adjust independently and in parallel, solving the problem of existing technologies being unable to handle three sheets. When a large sheet covers three units, only the two side units are used in coordination to avoid redundant actions. This method achieves minimum energy consumption configuration for on-demand drive and maximizes the cycle time for parallel adjustment, improving versatility, energy efficiency and efficiency. Through a three-degree-of-freedom coupled control method, the linear motion and angular change of the sheet center are coupled. This method avoids the problems of path detours, long adjustment time and large cumulative positioning accuracy errors caused by step adjustment (translation before rotation or rotation before translation). It can complete the composite correction of sheet pose in a single continuous action. By driving the three-axis synchronous linkage of the adjustment unit, the sheet can smoothly and efficiently reach the target pose along the preset optimal path, which significantly shortens the centering adjustment time and improves the efficiency and accuracy of single sheet centering operation.Using the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers as a reference, this ensures that after the large sheet material completes its translation, its center of mass precisely coincides with the system's center of symmetry formed by the rotation axes of the two units. This significantly improves the problem of sheet material center drift or additional translation caused by force couple imbalance during rotation. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0028] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0029] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of a specific embodiment of the present invention (with the two sets of conveying components removed).

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the working conditions in a specific embodiment two of the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the working conditions in a specific embodiment two of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the working conditions in a specific embodiment two of the present invention. Figure 3 .

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the working conditions in a specific embodiment two of the present invention. Figure 4 .

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the working conditions in a specific embodiment two of the present invention. Figure 5 .

[0035] In the diagram, 1. Base frame; 2. Adjustment unit; 3. Support base; 4. X-axis drive motor; 5. X-axis lead screw; 6. X-axis adjustment plate; 7. Support ball bearings; 8. Rotary motor; 9. Rotary disk; 10. Rotary base; 11. Y-axis lead screw; 12. Conveyor belt; 13. Support wheel; 14. Conveying assembly; 15. Y-axis adjustment plate; 16. Y-axis drive motor. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] Example 1 like Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, this specific embodiment provides a multi-sheet alignment system, including a base frame 1 and three adjustment units 2. The base frame 1 is made of profile welding or casting, and has good rigidity and stability. The three adjustment units 2 are arranged in a row on the base frame 1, corresponding to the left, middle and right work positions respectively. Each adjustment unit 2 has an identical structure and can independently complete the position adjustment of the sheet. Each adjustment unit 2 includes a support base 3, an X-axis adjustment component, a rotation component, a Y-axis adjustment component and a conveying component 14. The support base 3 is fixedly mounted on the base frame 1, providing the mounting foundation for the entire adjustment unit 2. In this embodiment, the X-axis is consistent with the conveying direction of the conveying assembly 14, and the Y-axis is the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in the horizontal plane. The X-axis adjustment assembly includes an X-axis adjustment plate 6, which is slidably mounted on the support base 3 via a guide rail slider pair and can move along the conveying direction to adjust the position of the sheet material in the conveying direction. The rotation assembly includes a rotating base 10, which is mounted on the X-axis adjustment plate 6 and can rotate in the horizontal plane to adjust the angle of the sheet material. The Y-axis adjustment assembly includes a Y-axis adjustment plate 15, which is slidably mounted on the rotating base 10 via a guide rail slider pair and can move along the Y-axis perpendicular to the conveying direction to adjust the position of the sheet material in the vertical conveying direction. The conveying assembly 14 is fixedly mounted on the Y-axis adjustment plate 15 for conveying the sheet material. With the above structure, the three adjustment units 2 can work independently or collaboratively. When the production line uses a three-piece mold, the three units can receive three sheets of material and independently complete their respective position adjustments, solving the problem that the existing technology cannot handle three sheets of material. When producing a single sheet of material, only the unit containing the sheet is activated, while the other units remain stationary, reducing energy consumption. When producing two sheets of material, one large and one small, independent adjustment and collaborative adjustment can be carried out in parallel, significantly improving the versatility and operational efficiency of the production line.

[0038] This embodiment arranges three independent adjustment units 2 in a row on the base frame 1. Each adjustment unit 2 integrates an X-axis adjustment component, a rotation component, a Y-axis adjustment component, and a conveying component 14. This enables the system to perform independent and precise translation and rotation alignment correction on three sheets simultaneously. This effectively overcomes the bottleneck of insufficient adjustment units 2 in the prior art when dealing with three sheets. It significantly improves the versatility and adaptability of the system in complex sheet processing production lines, and achieves efficient and flexible coverage from two sheets to multiple sheets (especially three sheets), enhancing the overall layout flexibility of the production line.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in this embodiment, both the X-axis adjustment assembly and the Y-axis adjustment assembly further include a drive motor. The drive motor is connected to a corresponding lead screw, and the lead screw is connected to the corresponding X-axis adjustment plate 6 or Y-axis adjustment plate 15 via a lead screw nut. Specifically, the X-axis adjustment assembly includes an X-axis drive motor 4, which is fixedly mounted on a support base 3. The output shaft of the X-axis drive motor 4 is connected to an X-axis lead screw 5 via a coupling. The X-axis lead screw 5 is supported on the support base 3 via a bearing seat. The bottom of the X-axis adjustment plate 6 is fixedly connected to an X-axis lead screw 5 nut, which is threadedly engaged with the X-axis lead screw 5. When the X-axis drive motor 4 rotates, it drives the X-axis lead screw 5 to rotate. Through the transmission of the lead screw and nut pair, the rotational motion is converted into the linear motion of the X-axis adjustment plate 6. Similarly, the Y-axis adjustment assembly includes a Y-axis drive motor 16, which is fixedly mounted on the rotary seat 10. The motor's output shaft is connected to a Y-axis lead screw 11. A nut for the Y-axis lead screw 11 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the Y-axis adjustment plate 15. The nut for the Y-axis lead screw 11 is threadedly engaged with the Y-axis lead screw 11, enabling linear movement of the Y-axis adjustment plate 15. The lead screw drive method offers advantages such as high transmission accuracy, strong load-bearing capacity, and good self-locking, ensuring the positioning accuracy of the sheet metal during adjustment. In practical applications, a servo motor can be used to achieve precise speed and position control. Other types of motors can also be selected according to actual needs; this embodiment does not limit this choice.

[0040] To achieve precise adjustment of the sheet metal angle, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, in this embodiment, the rotating assembly further includes a rotary motor 8, which is vertically mounted on the X-axis adjustment plate 6. The rotary motor 8 is connected to a rotating disk 9, which is connected to the rotating seat 10. The X-axis adjustment plate 6 is also provided with multiple support balls 7, and the support wheels 13 can generate rolling friction with the rotating seat 10. Specifically, the output axis of the rotary motor 8 extends upward and connects to a rotating disk 9. The rotating seat 10 is bolted to the X-axis adjustment plate 6, and the rotating seat 10 is fixedly connected to the rotating disk 9. When the rotary motor 8 rotates, the rotating disk 9 drives the rotating seat 10 to rotate in the horizontal plane, thereby adjusting the angle of the sheet metal. Furthermore, multiple support balls are evenly arranged around the rotating seat 10, with their tops contacting the bottom surface of the rotating seat 10 and generating rolling friction. The function of the support balls 7 is to provide auxiliary support to the rotating seat 10 during rotation, reducing the contact area and friction between the rotating seat 10 and the X-axis adjustment plate 6, making the rotation smoother and more stable.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, in this embodiment, the conveying assembly 14 is used to convey the sheet material forward to the next process after adjustment. In this embodiment, the conveying assembly 14 includes a mounting frame, which is fixedly mounted on the Y-axis adjustment plate 15. At least three conveyor belts 12 are provided on the mounting frame. These conveyor belts 12 are arranged parallel to each other along the material flow direction and are driven to rotate synchronously by a conveyor motor. Multiple support wheels 13 are provided on the mounting frame between two adjacent conveyor belts 12. The top of the support wheel 13 is 1mm to 2mm above the upper surface of the conveyor belt 12. The top of the support wheel 13 contacts the bottom surface of the sheet material, which can support the sheet material at a certain height above the conveyor belt 12. During the adjustment process, the support wheel 13 supports the sheet material at a certain height, so that a gap is maintained between the sheet material and the conveyor belt 12, avoiding unnecessary friction interference between the conveyor belt 12 and the sheet material during the adjustment process. An adsorption component is also provided on the mounting frame. This adsorption component can generate an adsorption force during the conveying stage, causing the sheet material to undergo elastic deformation and stick tightly to the conveyor belt 12, overcoming the supporting effect of the support wheel 13, thereby enhancing the adhesion between the sheet material and the conveyor belt 12, ensuring reliable conveying of the sheet material by the conveyor belt 12, and preventing the sheet material from sliding or deviating during the conveying process. Specifically, the adsorption component can be of different types depending on the material of the sheet. In this embodiment, for sheets made of ferromagnetic material, an electromagnet is used as the adsorption component. The adsorption component is set on the mounting frame and located below the corresponding conveyor belt 12. When the electromagnet is energized, it generates magnetic force to adsorb the sheet onto the conveyor belt 12 for conveying. The adsorption force of the adsorption component should be set only to be sufficient to overcome the supporting force of the support wheel 13 on the sheet, so that the sheet undergoes slight elastic deformation and adheres to the surface of the conveyor belt 12. However, it should not be too large to avoid a significant increase in the normal pressure between the sheet and the conveyor belt 12. By controlling the magnitude of the adsorption force, the maximum static friction between the sheet and the conveyor belt 12 is greater than the maximum driving force required for the conveying acceleration, thereby avoiding slippage. During the adjustment phase, the electromagnet is de-energized, and the sheet maintains a gap with the conveyor belt 12 under the support of the support wheel 13 to avoid frictional interference during the adjustment process. By controlling the on and off of the electromagnet, precise switching between the adjustment and conveying states can be achieved, ensuring both adjustment accuracy and conveying reliability.For non-ferromagnetic sheet materials, other adsorption methods such as vacuum suction cups can be used as adsorption components. Multiple through holes are evenly opened on the surface of the conveyor belt 12. Vacuum suction cup units are set at corresponding positions on the inner side of the conveyor belt 12 and fixed on the mounting frame. Multiple vacuum suction cup units are arranged side by side, covering the effective width of the conveyor belt 12. The vacuum suction cup unit includes a suction cup body that is close to the inner side of the conveyor belt, a soft sealing gasket for sealing, and a vacuum interface connected to the vacuum generator. During the adjustment stage, the vacuum system does not work, and the sheet material is supported by the support wheel 13 and maintains a gap with the conveyor belt 12 to avoid frictional interference. During the conveying stage, the control module opens the vacuum solenoid valve, and the sheet material is gently adsorbed onto the surface of the conveyor belt through the through holes on the conveyor belt 12. The adsorption force is set to only need to overcome the maximum static friction force required to overcome the conveying acceleration, thereby ensuring reliable conveying and avoiding excessive adsorption that could lead to slippage or difficulty in release.

[0042] Example 2 This embodiment provides a sheet metal alignment method, which uses the multi-sheet metal alignment system of Embodiment 1, and includes the following steps: S01: The vision system acquires image information of the sheet metal to be transported on the multi-sheet alignment system, and identifies the number of sheet metals, the outline size of each sheet metal, the current pose of each sheet metal, and the coverage relationship between each sheet metal and each adjustment unit 2. S02: Determine the current working condition based on the preset working condition types, and determine the adjustment unit 2 that participates in the adjustment and the corresponding role division of the adjustment unit 2 according to the determination result; S03: Control the corresponding adjustment unit 2 to rotate and / or translate; S04: During the adjustment process, the actual position and posture of the sheet material to be conveyed are monitored in real time by the vision system, compared with the target position and posture, and the motion deviation is corrected until the sheet material reaches the target position and posture. S05: The corresponding adjustment unit 2 conveys the plate to be conveyed.

[0043] This embodiment automatically identifies the quantity, size, and coverage relationship of sheet metal through a vision system. It determines the current production scenario based on preset working conditions and assigns roles to each adjustment unit 2. This achieves full-condition adaptive adjustment from single sheet to three sheets and from independent adjustment to collaborative adjustment. At the same time, during the adjustment process, the actual pose is monitored in real time by vision and compared with the target pose to dynamically correct motion deviations. This overcomes the impact of mechanical clearance and sheet metal slippage on accuracy and forms a complete automated closed loop of identification, adjustment, and conveying. It is superior to existing technologies in terms of versatility, adjustment accuracy, and production cycle time.

[0044] In the specific implementation of working condition determination and role division, this method divides the production scenario into five typical working conditions based on visual recognition results and matches the optimal combination of adjustment units 2 for each working condition. For example... Figures 4 to 8As shown, in this embodiment, when the identification result is that a sheet of material to be conveyed covers only one adjustment unit 2, it is determined to be a single small sheet condition. In this case, only the covered adjustment unit 2 independently participates in centering adjustment and independent conveying. When the identification result is that a sheet of material to be conveyed covers two or three adjustment units 2, it is determined to be a single large sheet condition. This is further divided into two conditions: when a sheet of material to be conveyed covers two adjacent adjustment units 2 at the same time, the two covered adjustment units 2 cooperate in centering adjustment and cooperative conveying; when a sheet of material to be conveyed covers three adjustment units 2 at the same time, only the middle covered adjustment unit 2 independently participates in centering adjustment, while the two adjustment units 2 on both sides... Used for coordinated conveying of adjusted sheet metal; when two sheet metals to be conveyed cover the left and right adjustment units 2 respectively and the middle adjustment unit 2 is empty, the left and right adjustment units 2 independently participate in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the corresponding sheet metals; when a smaller sheet metal covers one adjustment unit 2 and another larger sheet metal simultaneously covers the two adjustment units 2 on the other side, the one adjustment unit 2 independently participates in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the smaller sheet metal, and the other two adjustment units 2 cooperate in the centering adjustment and coordinated conveying of the larger sheet metal; when three sheet metals to be conveyed cover the left, middle and right adjustment units 2 respectively, the three adjustment units 2 independently participate in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the corresponding sheet metals. This working condition division and role allocation strategy achieves precise matching of resources and tasks. Only one unit is used for a single small sheet, avoiding the energy waste of synchronous movement of two units. When two sheets are located on the sides, the left and right units adjust independently and in parallel without interfering with each other. When a large and a small sheet are mixed in production, the small sheet is adjusted independently and the two units of the large sheet work together in parallel without stopping the machine. When there are three sheets, the three units adjust independently and in parallel, solving the problem that the existing technology cannot handle three sheets. When a large sheet covers three units, only the middle unit is used for independent adjustment, avoiding redundant actions caused by the participation of the units on both sides. This achieves the minimum energy consumption configuration driven on demand and the maximum cycle time of parallel adjustment.

[0045] When any adjustment unit 2 independently participates in the centering adjustment, this method uses a three-degree-of-freedom coupled control method to perform sheet metal pose adjustment. S03 includes the following steps: S031: Obtain the target pose of the sheet material to be conveyed, wherein the target pose includes the target X-axis position, the target Y-axis position, and the target angle of the center position of the sheet material; S032: The current pose of the sheet material to be conveyed is acquired through the vision system. The current pose includes the current X-axis position, the current Y-axis position, and the current angle of the center position of the sheet material to be conveyed. S033: Based on the difference between the target pose and the current pose, plan the motion trajectory of the sheet material so that the center of the sheet material moves at a constant speed along a straight line to the target position, while the angle of the sheet material changes at a constant speed to the target angle. The movement of the center of the sheet material and the change of the angle of the sheet material start and end synchronously. S034: Based on the planned sheet metal movement trajectory, calculate the motion parameters that the adjustment unit 2 needs to execute, including X-direction displacement, Y-direction displacement and rotation angle, wherein the X-direction displacement and the Y-direction displacement are superimposed by the translational motion of the sheet metal center and the additional displacement caused by the rotation of the sheet metal. S035: The adjustment unit 2 synchronously performs X-axis translation, Y-axis translation and rotation movements to drive the sheet material to be conveyed to move along the planned motion trajectory.

[0046] In S034, the additional displacement caused by the rotation of the sheet metal is calculated as follows: Let R be the distance from the center of the sheet metal to the rotation center of the adjustment unit 2, and θ be the current angle. Then the additional displacement in the X direction caused by the rotation is:

[0047] The additional displacement in the Y direction caused by rotation is:

[0048] in From the current perspective, The angle to be rotated.

[0049] This method couples the linear motion of the sheet metal center with angular changes, avoiding problems such as detours, long adjustment times, and large cumulative positioning accuracy errors caused by step-by-step adjustments (translation followed by rotation or rotation followed by translation). It can complete the composite correction of the sheet metal posture in a single continuous action. By driving the adjustment unit 2 to synchronously link the three axes, the sheet metal can smoothly and efficiently reach the target posture along the preset optimal path, significantly shortening the centering adjustment time and improving the efficiency and accuracy of single sheet metal centering operations.

[0050] When the two adjustment units 2 cooperate in centering adjustment, S03 includes the following steps: S031: The two adjustment units 2 perform the same translational motion to move the sheet material to be conveyed, so that the center of the sheet material to be conveyed coincides with the center position between the two adjustment units 2, and the angle of the sheet material remains unchanged during this process; S032: Detect the deviation between the current angle and the target angle of the conveyor belt sheet using a vision system; S033: Determine the speed difference between the two adjustment units 2 and conveyor belts 12 based on the deviation amount; the larger the deviation amount, the larger the speed difference. S034: Make the conveyor belts 12 of the two adjustment units 2 rotate at different speeds. The speeds of the conveyor belts 12 on both sides should be set to be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, so that the sheet material to be conveyed rotates around its own center. S035: The angle change of the sheet material is monitored in real time by the vision system. When the current angle of the sheet material to be conveyed reaches the target angle, the conveyor belt 12 is stopped from rotating.

[0051] The above method eliminates the need for an independent rotating mechanism in adjustment unit 2, achieving angle adjustment solely through the existing differential speed of conveyor belt 12. This method is simple in structure and low in cost. Furthermore, the strategy of centering before rotating ensures the plate's center position remains constant during rotation. Combined with a vision-based closed-loop system, this achieves high-precision adjustment. After adjustment, the two coordinating adjustment units 2 synchronously convey the adjusted plate at the same speed. Furthermore, in S041, the center position between the two adjustment units 2 is the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers of the two adjustment units 2.

[0052] This embodiment uses the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers as a reference, ensuring that after the large plate completes the translation, its center of mass precisely coincides with the system symmetry center formed by the rotation axes of the two units, greatly improving the plate center drift or additional translation caused by force couple imbalance during rotation.

[0053] In S05, the two coordinated adjustment units 2 convey the adjusted sheet material at the same conveying speed.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the conveyor belt 12 is working (in S05 conveying the sheet material and S034 adjusting the sheet material angle), the adsorption component is energized to adsorb the sheet material, so that the sheet material is tightly attached to the conveyor belt 12 to avoid slippage.

[0055] As can be seen from the above specific embodiments, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. By arranging three independent adjustment units 2 in a row on the base frame 1, each adjustment unit 2 integrates an X-axis adjustment component, a rotation component, a Y-axis adjustment component, and a conveying component 14, the system can simultaneously perform independent and precise translation and rotation centering correction on three sheets of board material. This effectively overcomes the bottleneck of insufficient number of adjustment units 2 in the existing technology when dealing with three sheets of board material, significantly improves the versatility and adaptability of the system in complex board material processing production lines, and achieves efficient and flexible coverage from two sheets of board material to multiple sheets of board material (especially three sheets of board material), enhancing the overall layout flexibility and operational efficiency of the production line. 2. By setting the support wheel 13, the plate can be supported to a certain height, which avoids scratches between the plate and the conveyor belt 12 when the plate to be conveyed is centered and adjusted. At the same time, the adsorption component makes the plate undergo controllable elastic deformation and stick tightly to the conveyor belt 12, which enhances the adhesion between the plate and the conveyor belt 12 and ensures reliable conveying of the plate by the conveyor belt 12. 3. By using an electromagnet, the adsorption effect of the adsorption component can be controlled, ensuring that the sheet material is not adsorbed and maintains a certain distance from the conveyor belt 12 during centering and adjustment. At the same time, the adsorption effect is restored during conveying to ensure reliable conveying. 4. The vision system automatically identifies the quantity, size, and coverage of the sheet metal, and determines the current production scenario based on preset working conditions and assigns roles to each adjustment unit 2. This achieves full-condition adaptive adjustment from single sheet to three sheets and from independent adjustment to collaborative adjustment. At the same time, during the adjustment process, the vision system monitors the actual pose in real time and compares it with the target pose to dynamically correct motion deviations. This overcomes the impact of mechanical clearance and sheet metal slippage on accuracy and forms a complete automated closed loop of identification, adjustment, and conveying. It is superior to existing technologies in terms of versatility, adjustment accuracy, and production cycle time. 5. By matching the optimal combination of adjustment units 2 under five typical working conditions, precise adaptation of resources and tasks is achieved. Only one unit is used for a single small sheet, avoiding energy waste from the synchronous movement of two units. When two sheets are located on opposite sides, the left and right units adjust independently and in parallel without interfering with each other. When a large and a small sheet are produced together, the small sheet is adjusted independently and the two units of the large sheet work together in parallel without stopping the machine. When there are three sheets, the three units adjust independently and in parallel, solving the problem that existing technologies cannot handle three sheets. When a large sheet covers three units, only the two side units are used in coordination to avoid redundant actions. This method achieves the minimum energy consumption configuration driven on demand and the maximum cycle time of parallel adjustment, improving versatility, energy efficiency and efficiency. 6. By using a three-degree-of-freedom coupling control method, the linear motion and angular change of the sheet metal center are coupled. This method avoids the problems of path detours, long adjustment time, and large cumulative positioning accuracy errors caused by step-by-step adjustment (translation before rotation or rotation before translation). It can complete the composite correction of the sheet metal posture in a single continuous action. By driving the three-axis synchronous linkage of the adjustment unit 2, the sheet metal can smoothly and efficiently reach the target posture along the preset optimal path, which significantly shortens the centering adjustment time and improves the efficiency and accuracy of single sheet metal centering operation. 7. Using the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers as a reference, it ensures that after the large plate is translated, its center of mass is precisely coincident with the system symmetry center formed by the rotation axes of the two units, which greatly improves the plate center drift or additional translation caused by the imbalance of force couples during the rotation process.

[0056] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for centering sheet metal, characterized in that, A multi-plate alignment system is adopted, including a base frame (1), on which three adjustment units (2) are arranged in a row, the adjustment unit (2) including: Support base (3), the support base (3) is mounted on the base frame (1); X-axis adjustment assembly, the X-axis adjustment assembly including X-axis adjustment plate (6), the X-axis adjustment plate (6) being movably disposed on the corresponding support base (3) along the logistics direction; A rotating assembly, the rotating assembly including a rotating seat (10), the rotating seat (10) being disposed on the corresponding X-axis adjustment plate (6), the rotating seat (10) being capable of rotating in a horizontal plane; Y-axis adjustment assembly, the Y-axis adjustment assembly including Y-axis adjustment plate (15), the Y-axis adjustment plate (15) being movably disposed on the corresponding rotating seat (10) in the Y direction; A conveying assembly (14) is disposed on the corresponding Y-axis adjustment plate (15); Includes the following steps: S01: Collect image information of the sheet materials to be transported on the multi-sheet alignment system through the vision system, and identify the number of sheet materials, the outline size of each sheet material, the current pose of each sheet material, and the coverage relationship between each sheet material and each adjustment unit (2). S02: Determine the current working condition based on the preset working condition types, and determine the adjustment unit (2) participating in the adjustment and the corresponding role division of the adjustment unit (2) according to the determination result; S03: Control the corresponding adjustment unit (2) to rotate and / or translate; S04: During the adjustment process, the actual position and posture of the sheet material to be conveyed are monitored in real time by the vision system, compared with the target position and posture, and the motion deviation is corrected until the sheet material reaches the target position and posture. S05: The corresponding adjustment unit (2) conveys the plate to be conveyed; In step S02, the preset working conditions and corresponding role divisions include: In the case where a single sheet of material to be conveyed covers only one of the adjustment units (2), only the covered adjustment unit (2) independently participates in centering adjustment and independent conveying. In the case where a sheet material to be conveyed covers multiple adjustment units (2) at the same time, when the sheet material to be conveyed covers two adjacent adjustment units (2), only the two covered adjustment units (2) cooperate in centering adjustment and cooperative conveying. When the sheet material to be conveyed covers three adjustment units (2), only the middle covered adjustment unit (2) independently participates in centering adjustment, and the two adjustment units (2) on both sides are used for cooperative conveying of the adjusted sheet material. When two sheets to be conveyed cover the adjustment units (2) on the left and right sides respectively and there is no sheet in the middle adjustment unit (2), only the adjustment units (2) on the left and right sides independently participate in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the corresponding sheets; In the case where a smaller sheet to be conveyed covers one of the adjustment units (2) and another larger sheet to be conveyed simultaneously covers the two adjustment units (2) on the other side, the adjustment unit (2) on one side independently participates in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the smaller sheet, while the adjustment units (2) on the other two sides cooperate in the centering adjustment and cooperative conveying of the larger sheet. The three plates to be conveyed respectively cover the working conditions of the three adjustment units (2) on the left, middle and right, and the three adjustment units (2) independently participate in the centering adjustment and independent conveying of the corresponding plates; S03 includes the following steps. When the two adjustment units (2) cooperate in centering adjustment, the following steps are included: S031: The two adjustment units (2) perform the same translational motion to move the sheet material to be conveyed, so that the center of the sheet material to be conveyed coincides with the center position between the two adjustment units (2), and the angle of the sheet material remains unchanged during this process; S032: Detect the deviation between the current angle and the target angle of the conveyor belt sheet using a vision system; S033: Make the conveyor belts (12) of the two adjustment units (2) rotate at different speeds. The speeds of the conveyor belts (12) on both sides should be set to be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, so that the sheet material to be conveyed rotates around its own center. S034: The angle change of the sheet material is monitored in real time by the vision system. When the current angle of the sheet material to be conveyed reaches the target angle, the conveyor belt (12) is stopped from rotating. When any of the adjustment units (2) participates in the centering adjustment independently, the adjustment unit (2) uses a three-degree-of-freedom coupling control method to perform the sheet metal pose adjustment. The three-degree-of-freedom coupling control method includes the following steps: S031: Obtain the target pose of the sheet material to be conveyed, wherein the target pose includes the target X-axis position, the target Y-axis position, and the target angle of the center position of the sheet material; S032: The current pose of the sheet material to be conveyed is acquired through the vision system. The current pose includes the current X-axis position, the current Y-axis position, and the current angle of the center position of the sheet material to be conveyed. S033: Based on the difference between the target pose and the current pose, plan the motion trajectory of the sheet material so that the center of the sheet material moves at a constant speed along a straight line to the target position, while the angle of the sheet material changes at a constant speed to the target angle. The movement of the center of the sheet material and the change of the angle of the sheet material start and end synchronously. S034: Based on the planned movement trajectory of the sheet metal, calculate the motion parameters that the adjustment unit (2) needs to execute, including X-direction displacement, Y-direction displacement and rotation angle, wherein the X-direction displacement and the Y-direction displacement are superimposed by the translational movement of the sheet metal center and the additional displacement caused by the rotation of the sheet metal. S035: The adjustment unit (2) synchronously performs X-axis translation, Y-axis translation and rotation movements, driving the sheet material to be conveyed to move along the planned motion trajectory. In S05, the two adjustment units (2) working together convey the adjusted sheet at the same conveying speed.

2. The sheet metal alignment method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the X-axis adjustment assembly and the Y-axis adjustment assembly include a drive motor, the drive motor is connected to a corresponding lead screw, and the lead screw is connected to the corresponding X-axis adjustment plate (6) or Y-axis adjustment plate (15) through a lead screw nut.

3. The sheet metal alignment method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating assembly also includes a rotating motor (8), which is vertically mounted on the X-axis adjustment plate (6). The rotating motor (8) is connected to a rotating disk (9), which is connected to the rotating seat (10). The X-axis adjustment plate (6) is also provided with a plurality of supporting balls (7), which can generate rolling friction with the rotating seat (10).

4. The sheet metal alignment method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The conveying assembly (14) includes a mounting frame, which is mounted on the Y-axis adjustment plate (15). At least three conveyor belts (12) are provided on the mounting frame. Support wheels (13) are provided on the mounting frame between two adjacent conveyor belts (12). The support wheels (13) can generate rolling friction with the material to be conveyed. The mounting frame is also provided with an adsorption element, which can cause the material to be conveyed to undergo elastic deformation and stick tightly to the conveyor belt (12).

5. The sheet metal alignment method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The adsorption element is an electromagnet.

6. The sheet metal alignment method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the two adjustment units (2) cooperate in centering adjustment, in the corresponding S031, the center position between the two adjustment units (2) is the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation centers of the two adjustment units (2).

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