An automated assembly apparatus and method

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of frame assembly, and provides an automatic assembly device and method.The automatic assembly device comprises a frame support structure, at least one longitudinal beam feeding device and at least one connecting plate feeding device are slidably arranged on the top of the frame support structure; the longitudinal beam feeding device is used for hoisting the conveyed longitudinal beam to an assembly table of a production line; a position detection mechanism is slidably arranged at one end of the bottom of the longitudinal beam feeding device and is used for detecting the position of the longitudinal beam; a gasket grabbing mechanism is slidably arranged at the other end of the longitudinal beam feeding device and is used for grabbing the gasket at the bottom of the longitudinal beam and moving the gasket to a gasket recycling device; and the connecting plate feeding device is used for hoisting the conveyed connecting plate above the corresponding longitudinal beam.The application solves the technical defects that the longitudinal beam assembly, large L-shaped connecting plates and other large parts cannot be simultaneously fed in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle frame assembly technology, and in particular to an automated assembly device and method. Background Technology

[0002] The chassis is the main load-bearing unit of a commercial vehicle, typically consisting of two longitudinal beam assemblies, a large L-shaped connecting plate, and several other crossbeams. In medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, the longitudinal beam assemblies are generally 6-12 meters long and weigh up to 1 ton, while some large L-shaped connecting plates are 2-3 meters long and weigh more than 50 kg.

[0003] Currently, on the vehicle frame assembly line, the longitudinal beam assembly and large L-shaped connecting plate are generally hoisted manually using electric hoists. The hoisting process is generally characterized by high labor intensity, low efficiency, and poor safety.

[0004] With the development of manufacturing technology, large components of vehicle frames are gradually adopting automation technology to replace manual hoisting methods for loading. For example, patent CN111438510A develops an automatic longitudinal beam assembly method and equipment. This method uses a main assembly unit to position the inner and outer beams of the longitudinal beam sequentially using the same pair of locating pins. A beam-assembly press then presses the inner beam into the outer beam, completing the assembly of the inner and outer beams. This automates the assembly of the inner and outer plates of the longitudinal beam. Another example is patent CN110560622 B, which develops equipment for longitudinal beams and reinforcing plates. This equipment includes an assembly workbench for loading, assembling, and unloading longitudinal beam components, loading / unloading trolleys, a positioning mechanism, a loading / unloading crane, and an automatic riveting clamp. This automates the assembly of the inner and outer beams, U-shaped reinforcing plates, and flat reinforcing plates of the longitudinal beam.

[0005] The aforementioned patent enables the assembly of longitudinal beam assemblies and the automated hoisting of some flat reinforcing plates, but it is mainly a standalone device and cannot be used in conjunction with other equipment on the vehicle frame assembly line. It is also not compatible with the automated feeding of L-shaped connecting plates.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automated assembly device and method that can be applied on the vehicle frame assembly line, which can simultaneously meet the feeding needs of large parts such as longitudinal beam assemblies and large L-shaped connecting plates, and can be connected with other equipment on the assembly line. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated assembly device and method, which solves the technical deficiency of existing technologies that prevent the simultaneous loading of large parts such as longitudinal beam assemblies and large L-shaped connecting plates. The specific solution is as follows:

[0008] An automated assembly apparatus, comprising:

[0009] The frame support structure has at least one longitudinal beam feeding device and at least one connecting plate feeding device slidably installed on the top.

[0010] The longitudinal beam feeding device is used to hoist the conveyed longitudinal beams onto the assembly table of the production line;

[0011] The position detection mechanism is slidably arranged at one end of the bottom of the longitudinal beam feeding device to detect the position of the longitudinal beam;

[0012] The pad strip gripping mechanism is slidably set at the other end of the longitudinal beam feeding device to grip the pad strip at the bottom of the longitudinal beam and move it to the pad strip recycling device.

[0013] The connecting plate loading device is used to hoist the conveyed connecting plate onto the corresponding longitudinal beam.

[0014] Furthermore, the frame support structure includes:

[0015] The base frame is equipped with a horizontal and a vertical sliding mechanism at its top.

[0016] The lateral moving mechanism is driven to the top of the longitudinal beam feeding device, which is used to drive the longitudinal beam feeding device to slide relative to the base frame.

[0017] The longitudinal moving mechanism is driven to the bottom of the connecting plate loading device, and is used to drive the connecting plate loading device to slide relative to the base frame.

[0018] Furthermore, the lateral movement mechanism includes:

[0019] The first linear rail is symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the top of the base frame, the first rack is installed on one side of the first linear rail, the slide is slidably connected to the first linear rail, and the first mounting base is arranged on the slide; wherein, the transverse moving mechanism is connected to the longitudinal beam feeding device through the first mounting base on both sides.

[0020] The longitudinal movement mechanism includes:

[0021] The base frame has a second linear track symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the top, a second rack mounted on one side of the second linear track, a slide table slidably connected to the second linear track, a second mounting base arranged on the slide table, and a first drive motor arranged on the upper part of the second mounting base; the first drive shaft of the first drive motor has a first gear that can be connected to the second rack at the end of the second mounting base.

[0022] The longitudinal moving mechanism is connected to the corresponding connecting plate loading device via the second mounting bases on both sides, and the connecting plate loading device is connected to the bottom of the second mounting base.

[0023] Furthermore, the longitudinal beam feeding device includes:

[0024] Support beams fixedly connected to the first mounting base on both sides at the bottom;

[0025] A walking drive structure fixed to the support beam and driven by the lateral movement mechanism;

[0026] A lifting structure fixed to a supporting crossbeam;

[0027] A longitudinal beam gripping structure that is slidably set at the bottom of the lifting structure;

[0028] The longitudinal beam gripping structure is configured to move up and down under the action of the lifting structure;

[0029] The lifting structure has a position detection mechanism slidably installed at the front end of the bottom, a pad gripping mechanism slidably installed at the rear end, and a barcode scanning unit installed in the middle for identifying the model of the longitudinal beam.

[0030] Furthermore, the walking drive structure includes:

[0031] A travel motor fixed to one side of the middle of the support beam;

[0032] The first drive shaft is connected to the output ends on both sides of the walking motor;

[0033] And the transmission gears disposed at the free end of each first transmission shaft;

[0034] The walking motor drives the first mounting base to move on the first linear track by meshing the transmission gears at the free ends of the first transmission shafts on both sides with the corresponding first racks.

[0035] The lifting structure includes:

[0036] A lifting motor fixed to one side of the middle of the support beam;

[0037] A second drive shaft connected to the output ends on both sides of the lifting motor;

[0038] Gearboxes are installed at the free end of each second drive shaft;

[0039] And the lifting rod that is driven by the corresponding gearbox;

[0040] The bottoms of the two lifting rods are connected to the longitudinal beam gripping structure via a hoisting crossbeam; and a third rack is provided on one side of the hoisting crossbeam.

[0041] The longitudinal beam gripping structure includes:

[0042] Several electromagnets are evenly distributed along the bottom of the hoisting beam; wherein the electromagnets release and attract their magnetism by turning on and off the power.

[0043] Furthermore, the position detection mechanism includes:

[0044] A servo motor is slidably connected to the hoisting beam via a first slide rail; the second gear at the output end of the servo motor meshes with a third rack on the hoisting beam.

[0045] The servo motor is also equipped with a position sensor for detecting the position of the longitudinal beam.

[0046] Furthermore, the pad gripping mechanism includes:

[0047] A power motor fixedly connected to the floating lifting slide, wherein the output end of the power motor is connected to the third rack on the hoisting beam via a third gear;

[0048] The bottom of the floating lifting slide is fixedly connected to a bracket;

[0049] The pneumatic suction cups, evenly distributed at the bottom of the bracket, are used to adhere the pad strips.

[0050] The bracket is also equipped with a sensor for the sensing pad and a guide roller that can contact the upper end of the longitudinal beam.

[0051] Furthermore, the connecting plate loading device includes:

[0052] A robot is fixedly connected to the top of the second mounting base; the robot uses a gripper to move the connecting plate on the connecting plate positioning device to the top of the corresponding longitudinal beam on the production line assembly table;

[0053] The gripper is equipped with a vision unit for capturing images of parts, and the gripping position of the parts is determined by identifying key features of the parts' positions.

[0054] The gripper is also equipped with magnets for attracting parts.

[0055] Furthermore, the connecting plate positioning device includes:

[0056] A movable appliance, wherein both sides of the top of the appliance are provided with V-shaped receiving parts for receiving the connecting plate;

[0057] An appliance positioning bracket is placed on one side of the appliance to position it.

[0058] A centering platform is set on the other side of the appliance; the top of the centering platform is provided with a V-shaped positioning plate for positioning the connecting plate;

[0059] In this process, a robot moves the coarsely positioned connecting plate on the equipment to the centering platform, and then moves the finely positioned connecting plate on the centering platform to the top of the corresponding longitudinal beam.

[0060] An automated assembly method includes the following steps:

[0061] When the AGV trolley moves the longitudinal beam and connecting plate to be assembled to the first preset position, the first instruction is generated based on the longitudinal beam drawing number information obtained on the AGV trolley.

[0062] Based on the first command, the longitudinal beam feeding device is controlled to move laterally to the first preset position, and the lifting structure is controlled to drive the longitudinal beam gripping structure to move down to the second preset position. After the longitudinal beam is adsorbed by the longitudinal beam gripping structure, it is moved to the barcode scanning unit.

[0063] The target drawing number information of the longitudinal beam is obtained through the barcode scanning unit;

[0064] When the target drawing number matches the longitudinal beam drawing number, a second instruction is generated;

[0065] Based on the second command, the longitudinal beam feeding device moves the longitudinal beam to the production line assembly table, and the corresponding connecting plate is moved to the upper end of the longitudinal beam by the connecting plate feeding device.

[0066] The above solution achieves the following beneficial technical effects:

[0067] This application provides an automated assembly device and method. By integrating a longitudinal beam feeding device, a connecting plate feeding device, a position detection mechanism, a barcode scanning unit, and a pad gripping mechanism on the frame support structure, multiple processes such as longitudinal beam hoisting, position detection, model identification, pad gripping and recycling, and connecting plate feeding and assembly can be completed sequentially. This simultaneously meets the automated feeding requirements of various large parts such as longitudinal beam assemblies and large L-shaped connecting plates, and can be integrated with other equipment on the assembly line for collaborative operation, effectively improving the automation level and production versatility of the chassis assembly. Furthermore, barcode scanning for longitudinal beam model identification prevents assembly errors, and the position detection mechanism ensures accurate and reliable assembly positioning, greatly improving the precision of assembling large chassis parts. Attached Figure Description

[0068] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automated assembly device.

[0069] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the frame support structure;

[0070] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of the longitudinal beam feeding device from different perspectives;

[0071] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the pad gripping mechanism;

[0072] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the position detection mechanism;

[0073] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the connecting plate loading device and the connecting plate positioning device.

[0074] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the connecting plate positioning device;

[0075] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the pad strip recycling device. Detailed Implementation

[0076] To make the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of this application clearer, the following will be described in conjunction with the appendix. Figures 1 to 9 This application will be described in further detail. It is obvious that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments described herein. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments described herein without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0077] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application. The singular forms “a,” “said,” and “the” used in the embodiments of this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, and “multiple” generally includes at least two unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0078] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0079] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in the embodiments of this application, these descriptions should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the descriptions. For example, first may also be referred to as second without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this application, and similarly, second may also be referred to as first.

[0080] Depending on the context, the words “if” or “suppose” as used here can be interpreted as “when” or “in response to determination” or “in response to detection.” Similarly, depending on the context, the phrases “if determination” or “if detection (of the stated condition or event)” can be interpreted as “when determination” or “in response to determination” or “when detection (of the stated condition or event)” or “in response to detection (of the stated condition or event).”

[0081] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an article or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or device that includes said element.

[0082] It should be noted that any symbols and / or numbers present in the specification that are not marked in the accompanying drawings are not reference numerals.

[0083] The optional embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0084] See Figures 1 to 9 As shown; 1 is the frame support structure, 10 is the base frame; 11 is the lateral moving mechanism, 110 is the first linear track; 111 is the first rack; 112 is the first mounting base;

[0085] 12 is a longitudinal moving mechanism, 120 is a second linear track, 121 is a second rack; 122 is a second mounting base; 123 is a first drive motor;

[0086] 2 is the longitudinal beam feeding device; 20 is the walking drive structure; 201 is the walking motor; 202 is the first drive shaft; 203 is the transmission gear; 21 is the lifting structure; 210 is the lifting motor; 211 is the second drive shaft; 212 is the gearbox; 213 is the lifting rod; 22 is the longitudinal beam gripping structure; 220 is the electromagnet; 23 is the position detection mechanism; 230 is the servo motor; 231 is the first slide rail; 232 is the third rack; 24 is the pad gripping mechanism; 240 is the power motor; 241 is the floating lifting slide; 242 is the bracket; 243 is the pneumatic suction cup; 244 is the position sensor.

[0087] 3 represents the scanning unit; 31 represents the barcode reader;

[0088] 4 is the connecting plate loading device; 41 is the robot; 42 is the gripper;

[0089] 5 is the connecting plate positioning device; 51 is the tool; 52 is the tool limiting frame; 53 is the centering platform;

[0090] 6 is the supporting beam; 7 is the production line assembly table; 8 is the hoisting beam; 9 is the control system;

[0091] 100 is the pad strip recycling device; 1001 is the pad strip driving cylinder; 1002 is the recycling box; 1003 is the limit mechanism;

[0092] 200 is a spacer strip; 300 is a connecting plate;

[0093] 400 is a sensing component.

[0094] according to Figure 1 An automated assembly apparatus, as shown, includes:

[0095] The frame support structure has a sliding longitudinal beam feeding device and a connecting plate feeding device at the top.

[0096] The longitudinal beam feeding device is used to hoist the conveyed longitudinal beams onto the assembly table of the production line;

[0097] The position detection mechanism is slidably arranged at one end of the bottom of the longitudinal beam feeding device to detect the position of the longitudinal beam;

[0098] The barcode scanning unit is connected to the bottom of the longitudinal beam feeding device and is used to identify the model of the longitudinal beam;

[0099] The pad strip gripping mechanism is slidably set at the other end of the longitudinal beam feeding device to grip the pad strip at the bottom of the longitudinal beam and move it to the pad strip recycling device.

[0100] The connecting plate loading device is used to hoist the conveyed connecting plate onto the corresponding longitudinal beam.

[0101] It should be noted that the assembly station on the production line consists of two synchronous trolleys, which can carry the longitudinal beams and large connecting plates and transfer them to the next workstation.

[0102] Specifically, this application integrates a longitudinal beam loading device, a connecting plate loading device, a position detection mechanism, a barcode scanning unit, and a pad gripping mechanism on the frame support structure. This allows for the sequential completion of multiple processes, including longitudinal beam hoisting, position detection, model identification, pad gripping and recycling, and connecting plate loading and assembly. It simultaneously meets the automated loading requirements for various large parts such as longitudinal beam assemblies and large L-shaped connecting plates, and can be integrated with other equipment on the assembly line for collaborative operation, effectively improving the automation level and production versatility of the chassis assembly. Furthermore, barcode scanning for longitudinal beam model identification prevents assembly errors, and the position detection mechanism ensures accurate and reliable assembly positioning, greatly improving the precision of assembling large chassis parts.

[0103] In one specific embodiment, the frame support structure includes:

[0104] The base frame is equipped with a horizontal and a vertical sliding mechanism at its top.

[0105] The lateral moving mechanism is driven to the top of the longitudinal beam feeding device, which is used to drive the longitudinal beam feeding device to slide relative to the base frame.

[0106] The longitudinal moving mechanism is driven to the bottom of the connecting plate loading device, and is used to drive the connecting plate loading device to slide relative to the base frame.

[0107] In one specific embodiment, the lateral movement mechanism includes:

[0108] The first linear rail is symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the top of the base frame, the first rack is installed on one side of the first linear rail, the slide is slidably connected to the first linear rail, and the first mounting base is arranged on the slide; wherein, the transverse moving mechanism is connected to the longitudinal beam feeding device through the first mounting base on both sides.

[0109] The longitudinal movement mechanism includes:

[0110] The base frame has a second linear track symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the top, a second rack mounted on one side of the second linear track, a slide table slidably connected to the second linear track, a second mounting base arranged on the slide table, and a first drive motor arranged on the upper part of the second mounting base; the first drive shaft of the first drive motor has a first gear that can be connected to the second rack at the end of the second mounting base.

[0111] The longitudinal moving mechanism is connected to the corresponding connecting plate loading device via the second mounting bases on both sides, and the connecting plate loading device is connected to the bottom of the second mounting base.

[0112] Specifically, this application uses a transverse moving mechanism and a longitudinal moving mechanism respectively set on the base frame, and adopts a linear track combined with rack and pinion transmission method to drive the longitudinal beam loading device and the connecting plate loading device to complete independent directional movement. The advantage of this design is that it can ensure the positioning accuracy and operational stability of the loading process. At the same time, the two moving mechanisms are independent of each other and do not interfere with each other, which can realize the separate loading of the longitudinal beam and the large L-shaped connecting plate, thereby meeting the production needs of the frame assembly line.

[0113] In one specific embodiment, the longitudinal beam feeding device includes:

[0114] Support beams fixedly connected to the first mounting base on both sides at the bottom;

[0115] A walking drive structure fixed to the support beam and driven by the lateral movement mechanism;

[0116] A lifting structure fixed to a supporting crossbeam;

[0117] A longitudinal beam gripping structure that is slidably set at the bottom of the lifting structure;

[0118] The longitudinal beam gripping structure is configured to move up and down under the action of the lifting structure;

[0119] The lifting structure has a position detection mechanism slidably installed at the front end of the bottom, a pad gripping mechanism slidably installed at the rear end, and a barcode scanning unit installed in the middle.

[0120] Specifically, this embodiment integrates the functions of conveying, lifting, gripping, position detection, model identification, and gripping and recycling of the longitudinal beam by arranging the walking drive structure, lifting structure, and longitudinal beam gripping structure on the supporting crossbeam, and arranging the position detection mechanism, pad gripping mechanism, and barcode scanning unit at the bottom of the lifting structure. The advantages of this design are: it effectively improves the automation level and positioning accuracy of the longitudinal beam feeding process, reduces the space occupied, and improves the stability of device operation and assembly efficiency.

[0121] In one specific embodiment, the walking drive structure includes:

[0122] A travel motor fixed to one side of the middle of the support beam;

[0123] The first drive shaft is connected to the output ends on both sides of the walking motor;

[0124] And the transmission gears disposed at the free end of each first transmission shaft;

[0125] The walking motor drives the first mounting base to move on the first linear track by meshing the transmission gears at the free ends of the first transmission shafts on both sides with the corresponding first racks.

[0126] The lifting structure includes:

[0127] A lifting motor fixed to one side of the middle of the support beam;

[0128] A second drive shaft connected to the output ends on both sides of the lifting motor;

[0129] Gearboxes are installed at the free end of each second drive shaft;

[0130] And the lifting rod that is driven by the corresponding gearbox;

[0131] The bottoms of the two lifting rods are connected to the longitudinal beam gripping structure via a hoisting crossbeam; and a third rack is provided on one side of the hoisting crossbeam.

[0132] The longitudinal beam gripping structure includes:

[0133] Several electromagnets are evenly distributed along the bottom of the hoisting beam; wherein the electromagnets release and attract their magnetism by turning on and off the power.

[0134] Specifically, this embodiment employs a dual-sided synchronous transmission walking drive structure and lifting structure. The walking motor, in conjunction with the first drive shaft, drive gear, and first rack, achieves smooth driving. The lifting motor drives the dual-sided lifting rods to rise and fall synchronously through the second drive shaft and gearbox, ensuring smooth lifting and even force distribution of the hoisting beam. The longitudinal beam gripping structure uses multiple sets of evenly arranged electrically controlled electromagnets, which flexibly control the magnetic release and attraction by switching the power on and off (i.e., the electromagnets are de-energized electromagnets, which eliminate magnetism by energizing and retain magnetism by de-energizing to achieve the attraction and release of the longitudinal beam), thus achieving stable and reliable adsorption and gripping of the longitudinal beam.

[0135] In one specific embodiment, the position detection mechanism includes:

[0136] A servo motor is slidably connected to the hoisting beam via a first slide rail; the second gear at the output end of the servo motor meshes with a third rack on the hoisting beam.

[0137] The servo motor is also equipped with a position sensor for detecting the position of the longitudinal beam.

[0138] The advantage of this design is that it uses a servo motor in conjunction with a gear rack and slide rail transmission structure, which can drive the position sensor to move flexibly along the hoisting beam, thereby achieving accurate detection and adaptive positioning adjustment of the longitudinal beam position.

[0139] In one specific embodiment, the pad gripping mechanism includes:

[0140] A power motor fixedly connected to the floating lifting slide, wherein the output end of the power motor is connected to the third rack on the hoisting beam via a third gear;

[0141] The bottom of the floating lifting slide is fixedly connected to a bracket;

[0142] The pneumatic suction cups, evenly distributed at the bottom of the bracket, are used to adhere the pad strips.

[0143] The bracket is also equipped with a sensor for the sensing pad and a guide roller that can contact the upper end of the longitudinal beam.

[0144] Specifically, in this embodiment, the entire structure can move along the hoisting beam through a power motor and gear rack transmission. A floating lifting slide, combined with pneumatic suction cups evenly distributed at the bottom, can adhere to the surface of the pad strip and achieve stable adsorption and gripping. Furthermore, the sensor arranged on the bracket can accurately identify the state of the pad strip, and the guide rollers that can contact the upper end of the longitudinal beam and the floating lifting slide can effectively prevent rigid collisions between the pad strip gripping mechanism and the longitudinal beam, and also ensure the stability and positioning accuracy of the gripping process.

[0145] In one specific embodiment, the connecting plate loading device includes:

[0146] A robot is fixedly connected to the top of the second mounting base; the robot uses a gripper to move the connecting plate on the connecting plate positioning device to the top of the corresponding longitudinal beam on the production line assembly table;

[0147] The gripper is equipped with a vision unit for capturing images of parts, and the gripping position of the parts is determined by identifying key features of the parts' positions.

[0148] The gripper is also equipped with magnets for attracting parts.

[0149] It is understood that the connecting plate loading device designed in this application, through the cooperation of a robot and a gripper, uses a vision unit to acquire images and identify positional features of the connecting plate, which can accurately determine the gripping point and effectively improve the accuracy and reliability of part gripping; the magnets set on the gripper can achieve stable adsorption of the connecting plate, and in combination with the robot's motion characteristics, the connecting plate can be accurately transferred to the assembly position above the longitudinal beam, improving the overall level of automation and intelligence, and meeting the needs of efficient and reliable automated loading and assembly of large connecting plates.

[0150] In one specific embodiment, the connecting plate positioning device is arranged on one side outside the base frame, and includes:

[0151] A movable appliance, wherein both sides of the top of the appliance are provided with V-shaped receiving parts for receiving the connecting plate;

[0152] An appliance positioning bracket is placed on one side of the appliance to position it.

[0153] A centering platform is set on the other side of the appliance; the top of the centering platform is provided with a V-shaped positioning plate for positioning the connecting plate;

[0154] In this process, a robot moves the coarsely positioned connecting plate on the equipment to the centering platform, and then moves the finely positioned connecting plate on the centering platform to the top of the corresponding longitudinal beam.

[0155] Specifically, the V-shaped receiving part of the device achieves initial coarse positioning of the connecting plate, and the device limit frame precisely limits the movement of the device to ensure the stability of the initial position of the loading. The V-shaped positioning plate of the middle platform achieves secondary fine positioning of the connecting plate, and the gravity and V-shaped structure are used to achieve automatic centering, thereby improving the positioning accuracy and consistency of the connecting plate. The whole device achieves reliable positioning of large connecting plates without complicated adjustments through the two-stage positioning of coarse and fine positioning. The structure is simple and the positioning is efficient.

[0156] It should be noted that the appliance limiting frame consists of a frame and a series of bearings, which guide the appliance to be accurately positioned by rolling.

[0157] On the other hand, this application provides an automated assembly method, including the following steps:

[0158] When the AGV trolley moves the longitudinal beam and connecting plate to be assembled to the first preset position, the first instruction is generated based on the longitudinal beam drawing number information obtained on the AGV trolley.

[0159] Based on the first command, the longitudinal beam feeding device is controlled to move laterally to the first preset position, and the lifting structure is controlled to drive the longitudinal beam gripping structure to move down to the second preset position. After the longitudinal beam is adsorbed by the longitudinal beam gripping structure, it is moved to the barcode scanning unit.

[0160] The target drawing number information of the longitudinal beam is obtained through the barcode scanning unit;

[0161] When the target drawing number matches the longitudinal beam drawing number, a second instruction is generated;

[0162] Based on the second command, the longitudinal beam feeding device moves the longitudinal beam to the production line assembly table, and the corresponding connecting plate is moved to the upper end of the longitudinal beam by the connecting plate feeding device.

[0163] During operation, a large AGV transports the equipment loaded with longitudinal beams to the bottom of the automated assembly unit, while simultaneously sending the material information of the longitudinal beams to the control system. Based on the characteristics of the longitudinal beam parameters, the control system controls the longitudinal beam loading device to move to the corresponding position on the lateral movement mechanism under the drive of the walking drive mechanism. At this time, the lifting motor drives the lifting rod to descend via the transmission shaft and gearbox, simultaneously lowering the lifting beam and all components on it. When the sensing component 400 located on the lifting beam contacts the longitudinal beam, the sensing component 400 sends a signal command to stop the entire lifting beam from descending and excites the electromagnet to firmly hold the longitudinal beam in place.

[0164] After the longitudinal beam is attracted, the lifting motor rotates in the opposite direction, causing the entire lifting beam to rise. Once the longitudinal beam is lifted, the position detection mechanism, driven by a servo motor and rack and pinion, moves along the slide rail from the front end of the lifting beam backward until the detection sensor senses the beam and stops. At this point, the position of the displacement detection mechanism is the position of the front end of the longitudinal beam. The control system analyzes the position of the front end of the longitudinal beam and combines it with the material properties of the longitudinal beam in the database to adjust the position of the production line assembly table and the movement position of the seven-axis robot connecting the loading device. The barcode scanner's drive cylinder pushes the barcode reader to move, scanning the QR code on the longitudinal beam's web surface and reading the longitudinal beam drawing number. The control system compares the longitudinal beam drawing number with the system's processing plan to confirm if it is the correct longitudinal beam. After confirmation, the longitudinal beam loading device, driven by the walking drive mechanism, moves to above the production line assembly table via a lateral movement mechanism. At this time, the lifting motor lowers the lifting rod via the drive shaft and gearbox, placing the longitudinal beam on the production line assembly table.

[0165] Next, the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) transports the equipment loaded with large connecting plates. With the assistance of the equipment's limit switches, it stops at the designated position. At the same time, the material data is transmitted to the control system, which retrieves the seven-axis robot's grasping program and the magnet settings in the gripper according to the material type.

[0166] The seven-axis robot uses a longitudinal movement mechanism to move the gripper to the top of the fixture. The vision system performs coarse positioning of the connecting plate and picks it up from the fixture, placing it on the centering platform. Gravity is then used to achieve fine positioning of the connecting plate.

[0167] After completing the precise positioning, the seven-axis robot once again uses the gripper to pick up the connecting plate. At this time, based on the longitudinal beam data information in the control system, it moves to the corresponding position on the longitudinal beam through the longitudinal moving mechanism and places the connecting plate on the longitudinal beam to complete the assembly of the connecting plate.

[0168] After the assembly of the first layer of longitudinal beams is completed, the hoisting beam drives the entire pad gripping mechanism to descend onto the longitudinal beam. During the descent, the pad gripping mechanism moves forward along the hoisting beam to the front end under the drive of the power motor. After descending to a certain position, with the cooperation of the floating lifting slide, the rollers on the support fall onto the upper side of the longitudinal beam. At this time, the entire pad gripping mechanism moves backward under the drive of the power motor. During the movement, the rollers on the support always roll on the upper side of the longitudinal beam. When they encounter a pad, the sensors on both sides of the rollers detect the pad, and the suction cups start to work to pick up the pad.

[0169] After the pad strip is picked up, the pad strip gripping mechanism moves to its rearmost position. As the gripping mechanism completes its gripping and moves to the rearmost position, the drive cylinder moves the recycling bin outwards. With the assistance of the limiting mechanism, the recycling bin reaches below the gripping mechanism. At this point, the suction cups stop working, and the pad strip falls into the recycling bin. The drive cylinder then moves the recycling bin inwards, returning it to its original position and avoiding the material flow path. This completes the pad strip recycling process.

[0170] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated assembly device, characterized in that, include: The frame support structure has at least one longitudinal beam feeding device and at least one connecting plate feeding device slidably installed on the top. The longitudinal beam feeding device is used to hoist the conveyed longitudinal beams onto the assembly table of the production line; The position detection mechanism is slidably arranged at one end of the bottom of the longitudinal beam feeding device to detect the position of the longitudinal beam; The pad strip grabbing mechanism is slidably set at the other end of the longitudinal beam feeding device, and is used to grab the pad strip at the bottom of the longitudinal beam and move it to the pad strip recycling device. The connecting plate loading device is used to hoist the conveyed connecting plate onto the corresponding longitudinal beam.

2. The automated assembly device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The framework support structure includes: The base frame is equipped with a horizontal and a vertical sliding mechanism at its top. The lateral moving mechanism is driven to the top of the longitudinal beam feeding device, which is used to drive the longitudinal beam feeding device to slide relative to the base frame. The longitudinal moving mechanism is driven to the bottom of the connecting plate loading device, and is used to drive the connecting plate loading device to slide relative to the base frame.

3. The automated assembly device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lateral movement mechanism includes: The first linear rail is symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the top of the base frame, the first rack is installed on one side of the first linear rail, the slide is slidably connected to the first linear rail, and the first mounting base is arranged on the slide; wherein, the transverse moving mechanism is connected to the longitudinal beam feeding device through the first mounting base on both sides. The longitudinal movement mechanism includes: The base frame has a second linear track symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the top, a second rack mounted on one side of the second linear track, a slide table slidably connected to the second linear track, a second mounting base arranged on the slide table, and a first drive motor arranged on the upper part of the second mounting base; the first drive shaft of the first drive motor has a first gear that can be connected to the second rack at the end of the second mounting base. The longitudinal moving mechanism is connected to the corresponding connecting plate loading device via the second mounting bases on both sides, and the connecting plate loading device is connected to the bottom of the second mounting base.

4. The automated assembly device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The longitudinal beam feeding device includes: Support beams fixedly connected to the first mounting base on both sides at the bottom; A walking drive structure fixed to the support beam and driven by the lateral movement mechanism; A lifting structure fixed to a supporting crossbeam; A longitudinal beam gripping structure that is slidably set at the bottom of the lifting structure; The longitudinal beam gripping structure is configured to move up and down under the action of the lifting structure; The lifting structure has a position detection mechanism slidably installed at the front end of the bottom, a pad gripping mechanism slidably installed at the rear end, and a barcode scanning unit installed in the middle; the barcode scanning unit is used to identify the model of the longitudinal beam.

5. The automated assembly device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The walking drive structure includes: A travel motor fixed to one side of the middle of the support beam; The first drive shaft is connected to the output ends on both sides of the walking motor; And the transmission gears disposed at the free end of each first transmission shaft; The walking motor drives the first mounting base to move on the first linear track by meshing the transmission gears at the free ends of the first transmission shafts on both sides with the corresponding first racks. The lifting structure includes: A lifting motor fixed to one side of the middle of the support beam; A second drive shaft connected to the output ends on both sides of the lifting motor; Gearboxes are installed at the free end of each second drive shaft; And the lifting rod that is driven by the corresponding gearbox; The bottoms of the two lifting rods are connected to the longitudinal beam gripping structure via a hoisting crossbeam; and a third rack is provided on one side of the hoisting crossbeam. The longitudinal beam gripping structure includes: Several electromagnets are evenly distributed along the bottom of the hoisting beam; wherein the electromagnets release and attract their magnetism by turning on and off the power.

6. The automated assembly device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The position detection mechanism includes: A servo motor is slidably connected to the hoisting beam via a first slide rail; the second gear at the output end of the servo motor meshes with a third rack on the hoisting beam. The servo motor is also equipped with a position sensor for detecting the position of the longitudinal beam.

7. The automated assembly device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pad gripping mechanism includes: A power motor fixedly connected to the floating lifting slide, wherein the output end of the power motor is connected to the third rack on the hoisting beam via a third gear; The bottom of the floating lifting slide is fixedly connected to a bracket; The pneumatic suction cups, evenly distributed at the bottom of the bracket, are used to adhere the pad strips. The bracket is also equipped with a sensor for the sensing pad and a guide roller that can contact the upper end of the longitudinal beam.

8. The automated assembly device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The connecting plate loading device includes: A robot is fixedly connected to the top of the second mounting base; the robot uses a gripper to move the connecting plate on the connecting plate positioning device to the top of the corresponding longitudinal beam on the production line assembly table; The gripper is equipped with a vision unit for capturing images of parts, and the gripping position of the parts is determined by identifying key features of the parts' positions. The gripper is also equipped with magnets for attracting parts.

9. The automated assembly device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The connecting plate positioning device includes: A movable appliance, wherein both sides of the top of the appliance are provided with V-shaped receiving parts for receiving the connecting plate; An appliance positioning bracket is placed on one side of the appliance to position it. A centering platform is set on the other side of the appliance; the top of the centering platform is provided with a V-shaped positioning plate for positioning the connecting plate; In this process, a robot moves the coarsely positioned connecting plate on the equipment to the centering platform, and then moves the finely positioned connecting plate on the centering platform to the top of the corresponding longitudinal beam.

10. An automated assembly method, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: When the AGV trolley moves the longitudinal beam and connecting plate to be assembled to the first preset position, the first instruction is generated based on the longitudinal beam drawing number information obtained on the AGV trolley. Based on the first command, the longitudinal beam feeding device is controlled to move laterally to the first preset position, and the lifting structure is controlled to drive the longitudinal beam gripping structure to move down to the second preset position. After the longitudinal beam is adsorbed by the longitudinal beam gripping structure, it is moved to the barcode scanning unit. The target drawing number information of the longitudinal beam is obtained through the barcode scanning unit; When the target drawing number matches the longitudinal beam drawing number, a second instruction is generated; Based on the second command, the longitudinal beam feeding device moves the longitudinal beam to the production line assembly table, and the corresponding connecting plate is moved to the upper end of the longitudinal beam by the connecting plate feeding device.

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