Fully automatic flow water distribution line device and distribution method

Abstract

This invention relates to a fully automated conveyor distribution line device and method, belonging to the field of automated production line conveying and distribution technology. The invention provides a fully automated conveyor distribution line device, including a feeding conveyor component, a workstation conveyor component, workstation components, multiple sensors, and a control module. The control module has a built-in shift register, which is configured with physical storage bits corresponding to each sensor, workstation storage bits corresponding to each workstation component, and virtual intermediate storage bits arranged between adjacent physical storage bits. Relying on the shift register, the control module drives product attribute information to be temporarily stored in physical storage bits, then transferred and shifted step-by-step through virtual intermediate storage bits, synchronously flowing with the product conveying process and matching its position in real time. This eliminates information misalignment, resists human interference, adaptively adjusts the conveying cycle time, avoids material accumulation, and allows for the storage and traceability of processing information, significantly improving distribution accuracy and the level of production line automation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated production line conveying and distribution technology, and in particular to a fully automated assembly line distribution device and distribution method. Background Technology

[0002] On automated production lines, products conveyed upstream typically need to be distributed to multiple downstream workstations according to specifications, models, or processing requirements. Traditional distribution methods often employ manual sorting or complex mechanical push-rod mechanisms, which are inefficient, error-prone, and difficult to adapt to the flexible production demands of multi-variety, rapid changeover. With the development of industrial automation technology, automatic distribution devices based on sensor detection and control modules have emerged. These devices generally include conveyor belts, multiple workstations, sensors, and control modules. Sensors detect product positions, and the control module determines and controls the actuators to complete the distribution action. However, existing automatic distribution devices have the following drawbacks:

[0003] Product attribute information is completely separated from the physical product. The system relies solely on sensor triggers for judgment, lacking a synchronous binding and tracking mechanism between information and the physical product. This easily leads to misalignment between the physical product's location and the attribute information recorded by the system. When a product is manually removed or moved during transport, the system cannot track its actual location and status in real time, resulting in information loss and causing missed or duplicate processing in subsequent stages. Secondly, the buffer area lacks effective flow control and cycle time management mechanisms. When the transport rhythms of upstream and downstream workstations are mismatched, product accumulation and congestion can easily occur, causing production line delays. During product processing at the workstation, its attribute information cannot be effectively stored and continuously tracked. After processing, information is difficult to seamlessly return to the production line system, easily resulting in the loss of processing status information, affecting subsequent flow and control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a fully automated assembly line distribution device and its distribution method to address the technical problems existing in the distribution devices of the current automated production line, such as misalignment of product information and physical objects, easy accumulation of workstations, and easy loss of processing information.

[0005] The first aspect of this invention discloses a fully automatic assembly line device, comprising: a feeding conveyor assembly, the feeding conveyor assembly including a first drive motor and a feeding belt, the feeding belt being driveably connected to the first drive motor, the first drive motor being used to drive the feeding belt to move; a station conveyor assembly, the station conveyor assembly being connected to the end of the feeding belt; a station assembly, the station assembly being in the conveying direction of the station conveyor assembly, the station assembly being used to process the products conveyed by the station conveyor assembly; a plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors being arranged sequentially along the conveying direction; and a control module, the control module being respectively connected to the feeding conveyor assembly. The conveying component, the workstation conveying component, the workstation component, and the multiple sensors are electrically connected. The control module has a built-in shift register, which has multiple physical storage bits, a workstation storage bit, and multiple virtual intermediate storage bits. The multiple virtual intermediate storage bits are located between adjacent physical storage bits. The multiple physical storage bits correspond one-to-one with the multiple sensors, and the workstation storage bits correspond to the workstation component. The control module is configured to drive product attribute information to shift between the physical storage bits, virtual intermediate storage bits, and workstation storage bits as the real-time position of the product changes, thereby achieving real-time matching between product attribute information and the physical position of the product.

[0006] The aforementioned fully automated production line seamlessly connects its feeding conveyor components with the workstation conveyor components. Driven by a first drive motor, the feeding belt operates stably, enabling fully automated continuous product feeding and orderly transfer between workstations. No manual intervention is required for transport scheduling, significantly reducing labor intensity and effectively improving the smoothness and efficiency of product transport throughout the production line. Utilizing the physical storage bits configured in the control module's built-in shift register and the virtual intermediate storage bits between adjacent physical storage bits, combined with multiple sensors sequentially deployed along the conveying direction, the system can drive product attribute information to shift synchronously and progressively with the product's physical position. This ensures precise real-time matching of information and physical position, fundamentally eliminating distribution errors and redundant processing caused by information misalignment. When products on the production line are manually picked up or moved, the hierarchical transition caching logic formed by physical storage locations and virtual intermediate storage locations can completely retain product attribute information and maintain positional association, avoiding system perception failures and information loss, and effectively preventing the risk of missed processing and duplicate processing caused by human intervention. At the same time, based on the real-time status of each storage location, the start-up, shutdown, and operating rhythm of the feeding conveyor components, workstation conveyor components, and workstation components can be linked and controlled to rationally guide material flow, prevent product accumulation and congestion in the buffer area, and achieve precise coordination of the upstream and downstream conveying rhythm of multiple workstations. During the processing of products in the workstation components, attribute information can be stored in the workstation storage location to achieve full traceability and tracking. After processing, the information can be seamlessly returned and synchronized to the production line flow logic, significantly improving the operational stability, allocation accuracy, and automation level of the production line.

[0007] In one embodiment, the workstation conveying assembly consists of multiple workstation conveying units connected end-to-end. Adjacent workstation conveying units operate independently. The starting end of the first workstation conveying unit is adjacent to the end of the feed belt. There are multiple workstation assemblies, each corresponding to one of the multiple workstation conveying units, located at the ends of each unit. There are also multiple workstation storage positions, each corresponding to one of the workstation assemblies. The sequentially connected workstation conveying units constitute the workstation conveying assembly. Each workstation conveying unit operates independently, ensuring continuous and uninterrupted product transport along the entire production line while allowing for individual control and non-interference of each transport segment, resulting in more flexible scheduling. The first workstation conveying unit's proximity to the end of the feed belt enables seamless connection between feeding and workstation conveying, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted product flow. Multiple workstation components correspond one-to-one with multiple workstation conveying units and are respectively located at the end of each workstation conveying unit. At the same time, multiple workstation storage positions are matched one-to-one with workstation components, and each workstation can be configured with an independent information storage link. This enables precise binding and synchronous flow tracking of product processing and attribute information at a single workstation, supports parallel and independent operation of multiple workstations, and ensures that information between workstations does not interfere with each other. This significantly improves the accuracy of product allocation, the orderliness of workstation operations, and the overall adaptability and expandability of the equipment.

[0008] In one embodiment, each of the workstation conveying units includes a second drive motor, a workstation belt, a blocking mechanism, and a lifting mechanism. A portion of the workstation belt is open and connected to the second drive motor. The control module is electrically connected to the second drive motor to control the start and stop of the workstation belt. The blocking mechanism and the lifting mechanism are both located below the workstation belt and correspond to the open portion of the belt. The blocking mechanism is located on one side of the starting end of the workstation belt, and the lifting mechanism is located on one side of the ending end of the belt and adjacent to each workstation component. The control module is electrically connected to both the blocking mechanism and the lifting mechanism to control the lifting and lowering actions of the blocking mechanism and the lifting mechanism. The blocking mechanism and the lifting mechanism are arranged below the open area of ​​the workstation belt, corresponding to the starting and ending ends of the belt, respectively. The open structure of the workstation belt provides clearance for the lifting and lowering actions of the two mechanisms, resulting in a compact and orderly overall layout where the operation of each mechanism does not interfere with the others. By centrally controlling the lifting and lowering actions of the blocking and lifting mechanisms through the control module, product flow restriction and buffering can be completed at the front end of the conveyor, and precise lifting and positioning of materials can be achieved at the end of the conveyor. The conveying cycle of a single station can be independently adjusted, realizing fully automatic linkage and coordination of blocking, feeding and lifting, effectively avoiding product accumulation and congestion between stations and position misalignment, and significantly improving the conveying stability and positioning accuracy of the entire production line.

[0009] In one embodiment, the plurality of sensors are a feed sensor, a plurality of buffer sensors, and a plurality of position sensors. The feed sensor is disposed below the feed belt on the side near the end of the feed belt. The plurality of buffer sensors and the plurality of position sensors correspond one-to-one with the plurality of station conveying units. Each station conveying unit is provided with a set of buffer sensors and a set of position sensors. The buffer sensors are disposed on the side of the starting end of the station conveying unit, and the position sensors are disposed on the side of the ending end of the station conveying unit. The feed sensor is positioned near the end of the feed belt to accurately sense the product's feeding status. The buffer sensor and the position sensor are matched one-to-one with each conveyor unit at each station, and are respectively deployed at the beginning and end of the conveyor unit. This enables a full-process point detection layout along the entire production line, from feeding, station buffering, to station position. The sensor collects product position signals in real time in layers and segments, providing accurate sensing basis for information shifting and cycle control of the control module and shift register. This allows for full-process monitoring of product position and real-time feedback of flow status, facilitating precise control of feeding rhythm, station buffer release, and station position determination, ensuring orderly flow and precise allocation of the production line.

[0010] In one embodiment, the plurality of physical storage positions are feeding storage positions, multiple buffer storage positions, and multiple position storage positions. The feeding storage positions correspond to the feeding sensors, the multiple buffer storage positions correspond one-to-one with the multiple buffer sensors, and the multiple position storage positions correspond one-to-one with the multiple position sensors. The virtual intermediate storage position is a logical buffer position used to realize data transition transmission between adjacent storage positions. The plurality of physical storage positions are divided into feeding storage positions, buffer storage positions, and position storage positions, and are respectively matched one-to-one with the feeding sensors, buffer sensors, and position sensors, realizing precise binding between detection points and storage positions, and enabling real-time association of product position and corresponding attribute information. The virtual intermediate storage position, as a logical buffer position, undertakes the role of data transition and relay transmission between adjacent storage positions, enabling seamless shifting and connection of product attribute information level by level as the product flows, avoiding information transmission interruption or disorder, ensuring that the information of the entire production line flows synchronously and orderly with the product position, and improving the continuity, completeness, and accuracy of information matching and allocation control.

[0011] In one embodiment, the feeding conveyor assembly, the multiple station conveyor units, and the multiple station components are used to transfer products. The product attribute information corresponding to the product can be transferred between the virtual intermediate storage location, the cache storage location, the virtual intermediate storage location, the arrival storage location, and the station storage location. The feeding conveyor assembly, the multiple station conveyor units, and the multiple station components constitute a complete product transfer path. The product attribute information can be transferred sequentially and orderly between the virtual intermediate storage location, the cache storage location, the virtual intermediate storage location, the arrival storage location, and the station storage location, realizing synchronous tracking and full-process linkage matching of product entity transfer and attribute information. This ensures seamless and continuous transmission of information along each node of the production line, without any gaps or loss, providing reliable data support for accurate product allocation, orderly processing at workstations, and real-time control of the transfer status.

[0012] The second aspect of this invention discloses a fully automated flow distribution line distribution method, applied to the aforementioned fully automated flow distribution line device, comprising the following steps: S1. The control module starts and initializes the shift register, clears the data of each storage bit, and debugs and calibrates the feeding conveyor component, station conveyor component, station component and sensor to ensure that the equipment is in standby mode; S2. Place the product on the feeding conveyor assembly. The first drive motor drives the feeding belt to transport the product. When the product reaches the feeding sensor, the control module generates product attribute information with the target station number and stores it in the feeding storage position. After the product leaves the feeding sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the first virtual intermediate storage position through the shift register. S3. When the product is conveyed to the corresponding workstation conveyor unit and the corresponding buffer sensor is triggered, the attribute information is transferred to the corresponding buffer storage position. The control module controls the blocking mechanism and the workstation belt to move according to the real-time status of the storage position. After the product leaves the buffer sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the next virtual intermediate storage position. S4. When the product triggers the positioning sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the corresponding positioning storage position and then to the workstation storage position. The workstation component picks up the material to complete the product processing. After processing is completed, the attribute information in the workstation storage position is transferred back to the positioning storage position. S5. After the product leaves the position sensor, the attribute information in the position storage location is transferred to the next virtual intermediate storage location and carried to the next work station along with the product; S6. Subsequent products will cycle through steps S2 to S5 to achieve continuous and automatic allocation of multiple products and workstations.

[0013] The aforementioned fully automated assembly line allocation method completes the initialization and zeroing of the control module and shift register, as well as the overall machine debugging and calibration, through step S1, laying the foundation for subsequent stable operation. From S2 to S5, following the sequence of product feeding, buffering, placement, processing, and downstream transfer, the shift register enables the orderly, step-by-step transfer of product attribute information between each physical storage location and the virtual intermediate storage location. This completely synchronizes and binds the product's physical transport trajectory with the attribute information flow trajectory. Based on the real-time status of the placement storage location, the blocking mechanism and the station belt movement can be intelligently adjusted to precisely control the station's feeding rhythm. After processing, the attribute information can be returned to its original position and continue to be transferred to the next station along with the product. Through the S6 cyclic operation mode, uninterrupted, fully automated allocation and transfer of multiple products and multiple stations can be achieved without manual intervention for information entry and position matching. This effectively avoids problems such as information misalignment, congestion, missed processing, and duplicate processing, significantly improving the assembly line allocation accuracy, operational continuity, and overall automation efficiency.

[0014] In one embodiment, in step S2, when the control module generates the target workstation number, it uses a workstation cyclic allocation method from back to front. Starting from the last workstation, it sequentially queries backwards, skipping currently processing workstations and assigning the product to the first available workstation, while simultaneously recording the starting position of the next product's allocation. This setting enables balanced workstation load distribution, avoiding over-congestion at some workstations and idle workstations at others, maximizing the utilization of each workstation's processing capacity. Simultaneously, it eliminates the need for manual intervention in workstation allocation, reducing human scheduling errors and ensuring orderly allocation during continuous multi-product flow, further improving the overall processing efficiency and operational rationality of the production line.

[0015] In one embodiment, step S3 specifically includes: S31. When it is determined that there is product attribute information in the storage position, the control module controls the blocking mechanism to rise and the feeding belt to stop. S32. When it is determined that there is no product attribute information in the storage position, the blocking mechanism continues to descend.

[0016] By using the information status of the storage position as the basis for judgment, and in conjunction with the branch control logic of steps S31 and S32, the release rhythm can be intelligently matched according to the real-time occupancy status of each workstation, and the flow of upstream and downstream workstations can be automatically adaptively adjusted, effectively avoiding product accumulation and congestion at workstations and ensuring smooth and orderly conveyor flow of the production line.

[0017] In one embodiment, step S4 specifically includes: S41. When the product triggers the positioning sensor, the control module compares the target station with the current station in the attribute information; S42. When the current target workstation is determined, the lifting mechanism is controlled to lift the product to complete the material picking, and the attribute information in the position storage position is transferred to the workstation storage position. After processing is completed, the product flows back to the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism is reset, the product attribute information flows back to the position storage position, and the blocking mechanism and the feeding belt are reset. S43. When the product is determined to be not the current target workstation, the lifting mechanism does not move, and the product continues to be conveyed forward; S44. After the product leaves the positioning sensor, the attribute information of the positioning storage location is transferred to the next-level virtual intermediate storage location and synchronously transmitted to the subsequent workstations.

[0018] Based on the hierarchical logic judgment and mechanism linkage control in steps S41 to S44, the intelligent comparison and identification between the target workstation and the current workstation can be accurately completed, realizing the precise matching and docking of the product with the corresponding target workstation. This eliminates the occurrence of workstation mismatch processing from the root, while allowing products from non-target workstations to flow forward smoothly without hindrance. It effectively balances the processing accuracy of individual products with the continuous flow efficiency of the entire production line, further improving the automation level and intelligent scheduling level of the overall equipment operation. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a fully automated automated distribution line device; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a dual-station structure for a fully automated assembly line distribution device; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure and information flow for the multi-station expansion of a fully automated assembly line distribution device; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the storage locations and information flow within the control module.

[0020] The correspondence between the reference numerals and the component names is as follows: 1. Feeding and conveying assembly; 2-station conveyor assembly, 21-station conveyor unit, 211-station belt, 212-blocking mechanism, 213-lifting mechanism; 3-station components; 4 sensors, 41 feed sensor, 42 buffer sensor, 43 position sensor; 5. Control module. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0022] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and therefore the scope of protection of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0023] The fully automatic automated distribution line device of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment discloses a fully automatic assembly line device, including: a feeding conveyor assembly 1, which includes a first drive motor and a feeding belt, the feeding belt being driven by the first drive motor; a station conveyor assembly 2, which is connected to the end of the feeding belt; a station assembly 3, which is located in the conveying direction of the station conveyor assembly 2 and is used to process the products conveyed by the station conveyor assembly 2; multiple sensors 4, which are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction; and a control module 5, which is connected to the feeding conveyor assembly 2. The conveyor component 1, the workstation conveyor component 2, the workstation component 3, and multiple sensors 4 are electrically connected. The control module 5 has a built-in shift register, which has multiple physical storage bits, workstation storage bits, and multiple virtual intermediate storage bits. The multiple virtual intermediate storage bits are located between adjacent physical storage bits. The multiple physical storage bits correspond one-to-one with the multiple sensors 4, and the workstation storage bits correspond to the workstation component 3. The control module 5 is configured to drive the product attribute information to shift between the physical storage bits, virtual intermediate storage bits, and workstation storage bits as the real-time position of the product changes, so as to achieve real-time matching between the product attribute information and the physical position of the product.

[0026] The feeding conveyor component 1 and the workstation conveyor component 2 of the aforementioned fully automated production line are seamlessly connected. The feeding belt is driven by the first drive motor to run stably, enabling fully automated continuous feeding of products and orderly flow between workstations. No manual intervention is required for transfer scheduling, which significantly reduces the intensity of manual labor and effectively improves the smoothness and efficiency of product conveying throughout the production line. Relying on the physical storage bits configured in the shift register built into the control module 5 and the virtual intermediate storage bits between adjacent physical storage bits, combined with multiple sensors 4 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction, the product attribute information can be driven to shift synchronously and step by step with the physical position of the product, accurately achieving real-time matching between information and physical position, fundamentally eliminating the problems of allocation disorder and duplicate processing caused by information misalignment. When products on the production line are manually picked up or moved, the hierarchical transition caching logic formed by physical storage locations and virtual intermediate storage locations can completely retain product attribute information and maintain positional association, avoiding system perception failures and information loss, and effectively preventing the risk of missed processing and duplicate processing caused by human intervention. At the same time, based on the real-time status of each storage location, the start-up, shutdown, and operating rhythm of feeding conveyor component 1, station conveyor component 2, and station component 3 can be linked and controlled to rationally guide material flow, prevent product accumulation and congestion in the buffer area, and achieve precise coordination of upstream and downstream conveying rhythms across multiple stations. During product processing in station component 3, attribute information can be stored in the station storage location to achieve full traceability and tracking. After processing, the information can be seamlessly returned and synchronized to the production line flow logic, significantly improving the operational stability, allocation accuracy, and automation level of the production line.

[0027] like Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, in addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines the workstation conveying assembly 2 as consisting of multiple workstation conveying units 21 connected end-to-end. Adjacent workstation conveying units 21 operate independently. The starting end of the first workstation conveying unit 21 is adjacent to the end of the feed belt. There are multiple workstation components 3, each corresponding to one of the multiple workstation conveying units 21, and each workstation component 3 is located at the end of one of the multiple workstation conveying units 21. There are also multiple workstation storage positions, each corresponding to one of the workstation components 3. The workstation conveying units 21 connected end-to-end constitute the workstation conveying assembly 2. Each workstation conveying unit 21 operates independently, ensuring continuous and uninterrupted product transport along the entire production line, while also allowing for individual control and non-interference of each section of the transport process, resulting in more flexible scheduling. The first workstation conveying unit 21 is adjacent to the end of the feed belt, achieving seamless connection between feeding and workstation conveying, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted product flow. Multiple workstation components 3 correspond one-to-one with multiple workstation conveying units 21 and are respectively located at the end of each workstation conveying unit 21. At the same time, multiple workstation storage positions are matched one-to-one with workstation components 3, and each workstation can be configured with an independent information storage link. This enables precise binding and synchronous flow tracking of product processing and attribute information at a single workstation, supports parallel and independent operation of multiple workstations, and ensures that information between workstations does not interfere with each other. This significantly improves the accuracy of product allocation, the orderliness of workstation operations, and the overall adaptability and expandability of the equipment.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, in addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines each workstation conveying unit 21 as including a second drive motor, a workstation belt 211, a blocking mechanism 212, and a lifting mechanism 213. Part of the workstation belt 211 is hollowed out and is connected to the second drive motor for transmission. The control module 5 is electrically connected to the second drive motor to control the start and stop of the workstation belt 211. The blocking mechanism 212 and the lifting mechanism 213 are both located below the workstation belt 211 and correspond to the hollowed-out part of the workstation belt 211. The blocking mechanism 212 is located on one side of the starting end of the workstation belt 211, and the lifting mechanism 213 is located on one side of the end of the workstation belt 211 and is adjacent to each workstation component 3. The control module 5 is electrically connected to the blocking mechanism 212 and the lifting mechanism 213 respectively, and is used to control the lifting and lowering blocking action of the blocking mechanism 212 and the lifting and lowering action of the lifting mechanism 213. The blocking mechanism 212 and the lifting mechanism 213 are arranged below the hollow area of ​​the workstation belt 211, corresponding to the beginning and end of the workstation belt 211, respectively. The hollow structure of the workstation belt 211 provides clearance for the lifting and lowering actions of the two mechanisms. The overall layout is compact and orderly, and the operation of each mechanism does not interfere with each other. The lifting and lowering actions of the blocking mechanism 212 and the lifting mechanism 213 are centrally controlled by the control module 5. Product flow restriction and buffering can be completed at the front end of the conveyor, and precise lifting and positioning of materials can be achieved at the end of the conveyor. The conveying cycle of a single workstation can be independently controlled, realizing fully automatic linkage and coordination of material blocking, feeding, and lifting. This effectively avoids product accumulation and congestion between workstations and position misalignment problems, significantly improving the conveying stability and workstation positioning accuracy of the entire production line.

[0029] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines the blocking mechanism 212 as including a blocking cylinder and a blocking plate, wherein the blocking cylinder is electrically connected to the control module 5.

[0030] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines the lifting mechanism 213 as including a lifting cylinder and a lifting plate, wherein the lifting cylinder is electrically connected to the control module 5.

[0031] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that the control module 5 is a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a microcontroller.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, in addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines multiple sensors 4 as a feed sensor 41, multiple buffer sensors 42, and multiple position sensors 43. The feed sensor 41 is located below the feed belt on the side near the end of the feed belt. The multiple buffer sensors 42 and multiple position sensors 43 correspond one-to-one with multiple station conveying units 21. Each station conveying unit 21 is respectively equipped with a set of buffer sensors 42 and position sensors 43. The buffer sensors 42 are located on the side of the starting end of the station conveying unit 21, and the position sensors 43 are located on the side of the ending end of the station conveying unit 21. The feed sensor 41 is located near the end of the feed belt to accurately sense the product's feeding status. The buffer sensor 42 and the position sensor 43 are matched one-to-one with each station conveyor unit 21, respectively located at the beginning and end of the station conveyor unit 21. This enables the formation of a full-process point detection layout along the entire production line, from feeding, station buffering, to station position. The product position signal is collected in real time in layers and segments, providing accurate sensing basis for the information shifting and rhythm control of the control module 5 and the shift register. This allows for the monitoring of the product's position throughout the process and real-time feedback of its flow status, facilitating precise control of the feeding rhythm, station buffering release, and station position determination, ensuring the orderly flow and precise allocation of the production line.

[0033] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that the feed sensor 41 is a photoelectric sensor, a proximity switch, or a visual recognition sensor.

[0034] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that both the buffer sensor 42 and the position sensor 43 are photoelectric sensors or proximity switches.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, in addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that the positioning sensor 43 is disposed within the lifting mechanism 213.

[0036] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that each workstation conveying unit 21 can be equipped with multiple buffer sensors 42 and corresponding blocking mechanisms 212 to form a multi-level buffer queue, thereby further improving the throughput of the system.

[0037] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines multiple physical storage positions as feeding storage positions, multiple buffer storage positions, and multiple position storage positions. The feeding storage position corresponds to the feeding sensor 41, the multiple buffer storage positions correspond one-to-one with the multiple buffer sensors 42, and the multiple position storage positions correspond one-to-one with the multiple position sensors 43. The virtual intermediate storage position is a logical buffer position used to realize data transition transmission between adjacent storage positions. The multiple physical storage positions are divided into feeding storage positions, buffer storage positions, and position storage positions, and are respectively matched one-to-one with the feeding sensor 41, buffer sensor 42, and position sensor 43, realizing precise binding between detection points and storage positions, and enabling real-time association of product position and corresponding attribute information. The virtual intermediate storage position, as a logical buffer position, undertakes the data transition and relay transmission between adjacent storage positions, enabling seamless shifting and connection of product attribute information as the product flows, avoiding information transmission interruption or disorder, ensuring that the information of the entire production line flows synchronously and orderly with the product position, and improving the continuity, completeness, and accuracy of information matching and allocation control.

[0038] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines the feeding conveyor component 1, multiple station conveyor units 21, and multiple station components 3 for product transfer. The product attribute information corresponding to the product can be transferred between the virtual intermediate storage location, the cache storage location, the virtual intermediate storage location, the arrival storage location, and the station storage location. The feeding conveyor component 1, the multiple station conveyor units 21, and the multiple station components 3 constitute a complete product transfer path. The product attribute information can be transferred sequentially and orderly between the virtual intermediate storage location, the cache storage location, the virtual intermediate storage location, the arrival storage location, and the station storage location, realizing the synchronous tracking and full-process linkage matching of product physical transfer and attribute information. This ensures seamless and continuous transmission of information along each node of the production line, without any disconnection or loss, providing reliable data support for accurate product allocation, orderly processing at workstations, and real-time control of the transfer status.

[0039] Example 2

[0040] A fully automated flow distribution line distribution method, applied to the aforementioned fully automated flow distribution line device, is characterized by comprising the following steps: S1. The control module starts and initializes the shift register, clears the data of each storage bit, and debugs and calibrates the feeding conveyor component, station conveyor component, station component and sensor to ensure that the equipment is in standby mode; S2. Place the product on the feeding conveyor assembly. The first drive motor drives the feeding belt to transport the product. When the product reaches the feeding sensor, the control module generates product attribute information with the target station number and stores it in the feeding storage position. After the product leaves the feeding sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the first virtual intermediate storage position through the shift register. S3. When the product is conveyed to the corresponding workstation conveyor unit and the corresponding buffer sensor is triggered, the attribute information is transferred to the corresponding buffer storage position. The control module controls the blocking mechanism and the workstation belt to move according to the real-time status of the storage position. After the product leaves the buffer sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the next virtual intermediate storage position. S4. When the product triggers the positioning sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the corresponding positioning storage position and then to the workstation storage position. The workstation component picks up the material to complete the product processing. After processing is completed, the attribute information in the workstation storage position is transferred back to the positioning storage position. S5. After the product leaves the position sensor, the attribute information in the position storage location is transferred to the next virtual intermediate storage location and carried to the next work station along with the product; S6. Subsequent products will cycle through steps S2 to S5 to achieve continuous and automatic allocation of multiple products and workstations.

[0041] The aforementioned fully automated assembly line allocation method completes the initialization and zeroing of the control module and shift register, as well as the overall machine debugging and calibration, through step S1, laying the foundation for subsequent stable operation. From S2 to S5, following the sequence of product feeding, buffering, placement, processing, and downstream transfer, the shift register enables the orderly, step-by-step transfer of product attribute information between each physical storage location and the virtual intermediate storage location. This completely synchronizes and binds the product's physical transport trajectory with the attribute information flow trajectory. Based on the real-time status of the placement storage location, the blocking mechanism and the station belt movement can be intelligently adjusted to precisely control the station's feeding rhythm. After processing, the attribute information can be returned to its original position and continue to be transferred to the next station along with the product. Through the S6 cyclic operation mode, uninterrupted, fully automated allocation and transfer of multiple products and multiple stations can be achieved without manual intervention for information entry and position matching. This effectively avoids problems such as information misalignment, congestion, missed processing, and duplicate processing, significantly improving the assembly line allocation accuracy, operational continuity, and overall automation efficiency.

[0042] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that in step S2, when the control module generates the target workstation number, it adopts a workstation cyclic allocation method from back to front. Starting from the last workstation, it sequentially queries backwards, skipping currently processing workstations, assigning the product to the first available workstation, and recording the starting position of the next product's allocation. In step S2, when the control module generates the target workstation number, it adopts a workstation cyclic allocation method from back to front, sequentially querying backwards from the last workstation, automatically skipping currently processing workstations, prioritizing the allocation of the product to the first available workstation, and simultaneously recording the starting position of the next product's allocation. This setting can achieve balanced workstation load distribution, avoiding excessive congestion at some workstations and idle workstations at others, maximizing the utilization of each workstation's processing capacity, while eliminating the need for manual intervention in workstation allocation, reducing human scheduling errors, ensuring orderly allocation when multiple products are continuously flowing, and further improving the overall processing efficiency and operational rationality of the production line.

[0043] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines the logic of the workstation cyclic allocation method from back to front as follows: the control module has a built-in maintenance allocation pointer NextAllocStation, which initially points to the last workstation by default. During allocation, the workstation pointed to by the allocation pointer is used as the starting search position, and each workstation is traversed in a cyclical manner from back to front. Workstations with both the workstation storage position and the position storage position being free are prioritized as the target allocation workstations. After allocation is completed, the allocation pointer is automatically updated to the previous cycle workstation of the current workstation to reserve the starting search position for the next product, thereby realizing workstation cyclic allocation.

[0044] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that the priority weight of the workstation components can be added to the workstation cyclic rotation allocation logic from back to front to realize weighted rotation allocation, and the allocation ratio can be dynamically adjusted in combination with the efficiency of the workstation components.

[0045] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines step S3 as specifically including: S31. When it is determined that there is product attribute information in the storage position, the control module controls the blocking mechanism to rise and the feeding belt to stop. S32. When it is determined that there is no product attribute information in the storage position, the blocking mechanism continues to descend.

[0046] By using the information status of the storage position as the basis for judgment, and in conjunction with the branch control logic of steps S31 and S32, the release rhythm can be intelligently matched according to the real-time occupancy status of each workstation, and the flow of upstream and downstream workstations can be automatically adaptively adjusted, effectively avoiding product accumulation and congestion at workstations and ensuring smooth and orderly conveyor flow of the production line.

[0047] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further specifies that when the blocking mechanism of any station conveyor unit is raised, the control module controls the drive motor of the front section of the conveyor belt of that station conveyor unit to stop running. For the first station conveyor unit, its front section of the conveyor belt is the feed belt, and for other station conveyor units, its front section of the conveyor belt is the station belt of the previous station conveyor unit.

[0048] In addition to the features of the above embodiments, this embodiment further defines step S4 as specifically including: S41. When the product triggers the positioning sensor, the control module compares the target station with the current station in the attribute information; S42. When the current target workstation is determined, the lifting mechanism is controlled to lift the product to complete the material picking, and the attribute information in the position storage position is transferred to the workstation storage position. After processing is completed, the product flows back to the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism is reset, the product attribute information flows back to the position storage position, and the blocking mechanism and the feeding belt are reset. S43. When the product is determined to be not the current target workstation, the lifting mechanism does not move, and the product continues to be conveyed forward; S44. After the product leaves the positioning sensor, the attribute information of the positioning storage location is transferred to the next-level virtual intermediate storage location and synchronously transmitted to the subsequent workstations.

[0049] Based on the hierarchical logic judgment and mechanism linkage control in steps S41 to S44, the intelligent comparison and identification between the target workstation and the current workstation can be accurately completed, realizing the precise matching and docking of the product with the corresponding target workstation. This eliminates the occurrence of workstation mismatch processing from the root, while allowing products from non-target workstations to flow forward smoothly without hindrance. It effectively balances the processing accuracy of individual products with the continuous flow efficiency of the entire production line, further improving the automation level and intelligent scheduling level of the overall equipment operation.

[0050] Specifically, the operation of the fully automated flow distribution device is described in detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0051] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the control module 5 has multiple station storage positions, feeding storage positions, buffer storage positions, and position storage positions corresponding to multiple station components 3, feeding sensors 41, multiple buffer sensors 42, and multiple position sensors 43. For easy differentiation, the components are labeled as follows:

[0052] Multiple workstation components are labeled as 3A, 3B...3N;

[0053] The workstation conveyor belts corresponding to the multiple workstation conveyor units 21 are marked as 211A, 211B...211N, the corresponding blocking mechanisms are marked as 212A, 212B...212N, and the corresponding lifting mechanisms are marked as 213A, 213B...213N.

[0054] The feed sensor is marked as 41, the multiple buffer sensors are marked as 42A, 42B...42N respectively, and the multiple position sensors are marked as 43A, 43B...43N respectively;

[0055] Multiple workstation storage bits are labeled 3a, 3b...3n respectively;

[0056] The feed storage location is marked as 41a;

[0057] Multiple cache storage bits are labeled 42a, 42b...42n respectively;

[0058] Multiple storage bits are labeled as 43a, 43b...43n.

[0059] Among them, the feeding storage position, multiple cache storage positions and multiple location storage positions are physical storage positions. In the control module 5, there are also virtual intermediate storage positions between each physical storage position. The virtual intermediate storage positions are logical cache positions used to realize the data transition transmission between adjacent storage positions. The multiple virtual intermediate storage positions are marked as 84-1, 84-2...84-n respectively.

[0060] When the product moves on the feed belt and reaches the feed sensor 41:

[0061] The control module 5 generates product attribute information with target station number according to the station rotation allocation rule from back to front, and stores it in the feeding storage position 41a. When the product continues to move forward and leaves the feeding sensor 41, the attribute information in the feeding storage position 41a is moved out and transferred to the virtual intermediate storage position 84-1.

[0062] When a product enters the conveyor belt 211A corresponding to workstation component 3A and reaches the buffer sensor 42A, the control module 5 stores the attribute information in the virtual intermediate storage location 84-1 into the buffer storage location 42a. Simultaneously, the control module 5 determines whether there is product attribute information in the arrival storage location 43a.

[0063] If so, it means that the workstation component 3A is processing or there are products waiting to be processed. Then, the blocking mechanism 212A is raised to prevent the products at the buffer position from continuing to flow forward to the position detection sensor 43A. At the same time, the control module 5 controls the previous section of the belt, i.e. the feed belt, to stop running.

[0064] If not, the blocking mechanism 212A remains in the descending state, and the product passes through the buffer area normally.

[0065] When a product leaves the cache area, the attribute information in cache storage location 42a is moved out and transferred to virtual intermediate storage location 84-2.

[0066] As the product continues to move and reaches the positioning sensor 43A, the control module 5 stores the attribute information from the virtual intermediate storage location 84-2 into the positioning storage location 43a. The control module 5 reads the product attribute information from the positioning storage location 43a to determine whether the target station for the product is 3A.

[0067] If the target station for the product is 3A, control module 5 controls the lifting mechanism 213A to lift the product. Station component 3A removes the product, and control module 5 transfers the product attribute information from the position storage location 43a to the station storage location 3a, indicating that the product has entered the processing state. After processing at this station is completed, the control module transfers the product attribute information from the station storage location 3a back to the position storage location 43a, indicating that processing is complete and the product is ready to be shipped out. At the same time, the blocking mechanism 212A descends and resets, and the preceding section of the conveyor belt, i.e., the feeding conveyor belt, resumes operation. When the product leaves the position sensor 43A, the attribute information in the position storage location 43a is moved out and transferred to the virtual intermediate storage location 84-3, continuing to be transmitted to the station component 3B.

[0068] If the target station of the product is not 3A, the lifting mechanism 213A will not operate, and the product will continue to move forward with the belt. Subsequent products will pass through each station component in sequence according to the above process, realizing fully automatic cyclic distribution and circulation of multiple products and multiple stations.

[0069] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0070] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fully automatic flow water dispensing line device, characterized in that, The fully automated automated distribution line device includes: The feeding conveyor assembly (1) includes a first drive motor and a feeding belt. The feeding belt is connected to the first drive motor, and the first drive motor is used to drive the feeding belt to move. The station conveyor assembly (2) is connected to the end of the feed belt; Workstation assembly (3), which is in the conveying direction of the workstation conveying assembly (2), and is used to process the products conveyed by the workstation conveying assembly (2); Sensor (4), there are multiple sensors (4), and the multiple sensors (4) are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction; The control module (5) is electrically connected to the feeding conveyor assembly (1), the station conveyor assembly (2), the station assembly (3), and the multiple sensors (4). The control module (5) has a built-in shift register. The shift register has multiple physical storage bits, station storage bits, and multiple virtual intermediate storage bits. The multiple virtual intermediate storage bits are located between adjacent physical storage bits. The multiple physical storage bits correspond one-to-one with the multiple sensors (4). The station storage bits correspond to the station assembly (3). The control module (5) is configured to drive the product attribute information to shift between the physical storage location, the virtual intermediate storage location and the workstation storage location as the product's real-time location changes via a shift register, thereby achieving real-time matching between the product attribute information and the product's physical location.

2. The fully automatic flow water distribution line apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The workstation conveying assembly (2) consists of multiple workstation conveying units (21) connected end to end. Two adjacent workstation conveying units (21) operate independently of each other. The starting end of the first workstation conveying unit (21) is adjacent to the end of the feed belt. There are multiple workstation assemblies (3). Each workstation assembly (3) corresponds to one of the multiple workstation conveying units (21). Each workstation assembly (3) is located at the end of the multiple workstation conveying units (21). There are multiple workstation storage positions. Each workstation storage position corresponds to one of the workstation assemblies (3).

3. The fully automatic assembly line device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the workstation conveying units (21) includes a second drive motor, a workstation belt (211), a blocking mechanism (212), and a lifting mechanism (213). Part of the workstation belt (211) is hollowed out and connected to the second drive motor for transmission. The control module (5) is electrically connected to the second drive motor to control the start and stop of the workstation belt (211). The blocking mechanism (212) and the lifting mechanism (213) are both located below the workstation belt (211) and correspond to the hollowed-out part of the workstation belt (211). The blocking mechanism (212) is located on one side of the starting end of the workstation belt (211), and the lifting mechanism (213) is located on one side of the end of the workstation belt (211) and adjacent to each of the workstation components (3). The control module (5) is electrically connected to the blocking mechanism (212) and the lifting mechanism (213) respectively, and is used to control the lifting and blocking of the blocking mechanism (212) and the lifting and lifting action of the lifting mechanism (213).

4. The fully automatic assembly line device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The multiple sensors (4) are a feed sensor (41), multiple buffer sensors (42) and multiple position sensors (43). The feed sensor (41) is located below the feed belt and near the end of the feed belt. The multiple buffer sensors (42) and the multiple position sensors (43) correspond one-to-one with the multiple station conveying units (21). Each station conveying unit (21) is equipped with a set of buffer sensors (42) and position sensors (43). The buffer sensors (42) are located on one side of the starting end of the station conveying unit (21), and the position sensors (43) are located on one side of the end of the station conveying unit (21).

5. The fully automatic assembly line device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The multiple physical storage positions are feeding storage positions, multiple cache storage positions and multiple position storage positions. The feeding storage position corresponds to the feeding sensor (41), the multiple cache storage positions correspond one-to-one with the multiple cache sensors (42), the multiple position storage positions correspond one-to-one with the multiple position sensors (43), and the virtual intermediate storage position is a logical cache position used to realize data transition transmission between adjacent storage positions.

6. The fully automatic assembly line device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The feeding conveying component (1), the multiple station conveying units (21) and the multiple station components (3) are used to transfer products, and the product attribute information corresponding to the product can be transferred between the virtual intermediate storage location, the cache storage location, the virtual intermediate storage location, the arrival storage location and the station storage location.

7. A fully automatic flow distribution line distribution method, applied to the fully automatic flow distribution line device described in claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The control module starts and initializes the shift register, clears the data of each storage bit, and debugs and calibrates the feeding conveyor component, station conveyor component, station component and sensor to ensure that the equipment is in standby mode; S2. Place the product on the feeding conveyor assembly. The first drive motor drives the feeding belt to transport the product. When the product reaches the feeding sensor, the control module generates product attribute information with the target station number and stores it in the feeding storage position. After the product leaves the feeding sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the first virtual intermediate storage position through the shift register. S3. When the product is conveyed to the corresponding workstation conveyor unit and the corresponding buffer sensor is triggered, the attribute information is transferred to the corresponding buffer storage position. The control module controls the blocking mechanism and the workstation belt to move according to the real-time status of the storage position. After the product leaves the buffer sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the next virtual intermediate storage position. S4. When the product triggers the positioning sensor, the attribute information is transferred to the corresponding positioning storage position and then to the workstation storage position. The workstation component picks up the material to complete the product processing. After processing is completed, the attribute information in the workstation storage position is transferred back to the positioning storage position. S5. After the product leaves the position sensor, the attribute information in the position storage location is transferred to the next virtual intermediate storage location and carried to the next work station along with the product; S6. Subsequent products will cycle through steps S2 to S5 to achieve continuous and automatic allocation of multiple products and workstations.

8. The fully automated automated distribution line distribution method according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S2, when the control module generates the target workstation number, it uses a workstation cyclical allocation method from back to front. Starting from the last workstation, it sequentially queries forward, skips workstations that are currently being processed, allocates the product to the first available workstation, and records the starting position of the next product allocation.

9. The fully automated automated distribution line distribution method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Step S3 specifically includes: S31. When it is determined that there is product attribute information in the storage position, the control module controls the blocking mechanism to rise and the feeding belt to stop. S32. When it is determined that there is no product attribute information in the storage position, the blocking mechanism continues to descend.

10. The fully automated automated distribution line distribution method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Step S4 specifically includes: S41. When the product triggers the positioning sensor, the control module compares the target station with the current station in the attribute information; S42. When the current target workstation is determined, the lifting mechanism is controlled to lift the product to complete the material picking, and the attribute information in the position storage position is transferred to the workstation storage position. After processing is completed, the product flows back to the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism is reset, the product attribute information flows back to the position storage position, and the blocking mechanism and the feeding belt are reset. S43. When the product is determined to be not the current target workstation, the lifting mechanism does not move, and the product continues to be conveyed forward; S44. After the product leaves the positioning sensor, the attribute information of the positioning storage location is transferred to the next-level virtual intermediate storage location and synchronously transmitted to the subsequent workstations.

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