Full-automatic welding system for mower vehicle chassis
By integrating a flipping mechanism, a partition mechanism, and an electromagnetic adsorption rotating tooling fixing seat, the fully automated welding of the lawnmower chassis is achieved, solving the problems of high manual dependence, poor safety, and insufficient flexibility in traditional welding methods, and realizing an efficient and safe welding process.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 南京惠德汽车零部件有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies lack an intelligent welding system that can highly integrate functions such as automated workpiece transfer, precise positioning, safe isolation, high-precision welding, and rapid changeover adaptation. This is especially true in the manufacturing process of lawnmower chassis, where there are problems such as high labor intensity for workers, welding quality depending on worker skills, numerous safety hazards, and low production efficiency.
It adopts an integrated automatic flip-over transfer mechanism and a liftable partition mechanism, combined with a multi-cylinder driven alignment mechanism and a rotating tooling fixing seat with electromagnetic adsorption, to realize the automatic transport of workpieces between two safely isolated workstations. It achieves precise positioning and rigid fixation through multi-directional fine adjustment and electromagnetic adsorption, and works with a welding robotic arm to complete all-round automated welding.
It enables fully automated operation of workpieces in a safe and isolated environment, improves the consistency of welding quality and production efficiency, reduces the labor intensity of workers, enhances the flexibility and safety of the production line, and optimizes space utilization.
Smart Images
Figure CN122378321A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding tooling technology, and in particular to a fully automatic welding system for a lawnmower chassis. Background Technology
[0002] In the manufacturing process of large equipment such as lawnmowers, the chassis is typically welded from multiple metal structural components. The quality of this welding directly affects the overall structural strength, dimensional accuracy, and long-term reliability of the vehicle. Currently, the following production models are mainly used for welding such large and complex components: Fixed-station manual welding: This is the most traditional method. After the workpiece is assembled and spot-welded on a fixed platform, a welder uses a handheld welding torch to perform all-around welding. This method suffers from problems such as high labor intensity for workers, welding quality being highly dependent on the worker's skill level, significant health hazards from welding fumes and arc light, and low production efficiency, making it difficult to meet the needs of modern, large-scale production.
[0003] The adoption of a simple positioner combined with a welding robot: To improve automation, some production lines have introduced welding robots in conjunction with flip-over or rotatable positioners. However, most existing positioners are simply devices with rotation or flipping functions. The loading, unloading, precise clamping, and centering of workpieces on the positioner still typically require overhead crane transport and manual assistance. This approach results in poor process coordination, incomplete automation, and the workpiece is prone to positional errors during lifting and clamping, affecting the accuracy of the robot's welding path. Furthermore, the workpiece clamping and positioning fixtures are usually a rigid, integral design with fixed positions for components such as positioning blocks and clamps, making them difficult to quickly adjust to accommodate different chassis models and specifications. This leads to poor fixture versatility and insufficient production line flexibility.
[0004] Safety and Isolation Issues: In robotic welding stations, the welding process generates strong arc light, spatter, and fumes. In existing production line layouts, if the workpiece loading / unloading area is not physically separated from the robotic welding area, there are serious safety hazards that could injure nearby workers. Furthermore, it is difficult to centrally and efficiently collect and treat welding fumes.
[0005] In summary, existing technologies lack an intelligent welding system that highly integrates functions such as automated workpiece transfer, precise positioning, safe isolation, high-precision welding, and rapid changeover adaptation. This is precisely the technical problem that this invention aims to solve. Summary of the Invention
[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a fully automatic welding system for lawnmower chassis.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a fully automatic welding system for a lawnmower chassis, comprising: Fixed fixtures are used to clamp chassis parts to be welded; A flipping mechanism, located between the installation area and the welding area, is used to clamp and flip the fixed fixture, allowing it to be transferred between the installation area and the welding area; A partition mechanism is provided between the installation area and the welding area for raising and lowering the partition to separate or connect the two areas. A tooling holder is disposed in the welding area for receiving and fixing a fixed tooling that is flipped and conveyed by the flipping mechanism. The tooling holder includes a drive assembly for driving the fixed tooling to rotate. An alignment mechanism is provided in the welding area and adjacent to the tooling fixture, for adjusting the position of the fixed tooling in the horizontal plane after it is placed on the tooling fixture. A welding robotic arm, set in the welding area, is used to weld chassis components fixed to the tooling fixture; The tooling fixture is provided with an electromagnet for attracting and fixing the tooling fixture.
[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flipping mechanism includes a flipping base, a flipping arm, and a flipping drive component. The flipping arm is rotatably connected to the flipping base via a rotating shaft, and the flipping drive component is used to drive the flipping arm to rotate around the rotating shaft. The free end of the flipping arm is provided with a clamping assembly for clamping the fixed fixture.
[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the clamping assembly includes two clamping blocks arranged opposite to each other, at least one of the clamping blocks is connected to a clamping cylinder, and a clamping groove matching the mating portion of the fixing fixture is provided on the opposite side of the two clamping blocks.
[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the partition mechanism includes the partition, a vertically arranged rack, a lifting gear meshing with the rack, and a drive unit that drives the lifting gear to rotate, wherein the partition is connected to the rack.
[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the alignment mechanism includes at least two linear drive members whose driving directions are not on the same straight line. The output end of each linear drive member is connected to a push plate. The corresponding push plate is driven to abut against the side of the fixed fixture by the action of each linear drive member to adjust its horizontal position.
[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the linear drive component is a cylinder, and at least four cylinders are provided, which are used to adjust the position of the fixed fixture from the four directions of front, back, left, and right.
[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tooling holder includes: The base is cylindrical. The mounting plate is fixedly installed inside the cylindrical base; A rotating seat is connected to the base via a bearing and can rotate relative to it; the electromagnet is embedded in the top of the rotating seat. The drive assembly includes a rotary motor fixed on the mounting plate, a drive gear driven by the rotary motor, and a driven gear fixed to the bottom of the rotating base, wherein the drive gear and the driven gear mesh with each other.
[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing fixture includes a fixing base plate, the fixing base plate is provided with mounting holes for mounting positioning and clamping components, the bottom of the fixing base plate is provided with a metal part that can be attracted and cooperate with an electromagnet on the fixture fixing seat, and the side of the fixing base plate is provided with a docking part for cooperating with the flipping mechanism and an adjustment surface for contacting the push plate of the alignment mechanism.
[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing fixture is provided with a cylinder for clamping chassis components and a gripper driven by the cylinder.
[0016] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting hole on the fixed base plate is an oblong hole for mounting a positioning or clamping component, the mounting position of which can be adjusted along its length.
[0017] In summary, the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. This invention integrates an automatically flipping transfer mechanism and a liftable partition mechanism to achieve automatic transport of workpieces between two safely isolated workstations, thereby completely separating the high-risk welding area from the manual operation area, ensuring not only personnel safety but also achieving continuous and efficient production processes.
[0018] 2. This invention, by setting up a multi-cylinder driven alignment mechanism and a rotating tooling fixing seat with electromagnetic adsorption, first performs multi-directional fine-tuning of the placed workpiece to achieve precise positioning, and then uses an energized electromagnet to generate a strong attraction force to rigidly fix it. This combination ensures extremely high precision and reliability of the welding reference, laying a solid foundation for obtaining consistent and high-quality welds in robotic welding.
[0019] 3. This invention installs positioning and clamping components by setting oblong holes on the base plate of the fixed tooling, so that the position of these components can be quickly adjusted according to the size of different workpiece models, thereby significantly improving the applicability of a single set of tooling, shortening the changeover time when changing products, and enhancing the flexibility of the production line.
[0020] 4. This invention highly integrates functional modules such as workpiece clamping, automatic transfer, precise alignment, rigid fixing, multi-angle displacement welding, and safety protection into one system, and uses flipping action to achieve spatial transformation, making the layout of the entire workstation extremely compact, optimizing space utilization, and realizing fully automated operation. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis of this invention.
[0022] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis of the present invention.
[0023] Figure 3 This is the present invention. Figure 2 Enlarged view of part A.
[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the chassis tooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Fixed fixture; 2. Tilting mechanism; 3. Partition mechanism; 4. Fixture fixed seat; 5. Welding robotic arm; 6. Alignment mechanism; 11. Fixed base plate; 12. Mounting hole; 13. Cylinder; 14. Gripper; 15. Connecting part; 21. Tilting base; 22. Tilting arm; 23. Tilting cylinder; 24. Rotating shaft; 25. Clamping block; 26. Clamping groove; 27. Clamping cylinder; 31. Partition; 32. Rack; 33. Lifting gear; 34. Lifting rotating shaft; 41. Base; 42. Mounting plate; 43. Rotating seat; 44. Electromagnet; 45. Driven gear; 46. Driving gear; 47. Rotary motor. Detailed Implementation
[0027] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-5 The present invention will be described in further detail below.
[0028] Reference Figures 1-5 This invention discloses a fully automated welding system for lawnmower chassis, which aims to achieve fully automated operation of the chassis workpiece in a safe and isolated environment, from clamping, automatic transfer, precise positioning to multi-angle robotic welding.
[0029] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis in this embodiment mainly includes a fixed fixture 1, a flipping mechanism 2, a partition mechanism 3, a fixture fixing seat 4, a welding robotic arm 5, and an alignment mechanism 6.
[0030] The fixed fixture 1 is used to clamp chassis components to be welded. It includes a rectangular fixed base plate 11. The fixed base plate 11 has several oblong holes 12 machined on it for mounting various positioning blocks, support blocks, and other positioning and clamping components via bolts. By adjusting the position of the bolts in the oblong holes 12, the positions of these components can be flexibly adjusted, allowing one set of fixed fixture 1 to adapt to chassis workpieces of different specifications and models, enhancing the versatility of the fixture and the flexibility of the production line. The side of the fixed base plate 11 has an outwardly protruding mating portion 15 for cooperating with the flipping mechanism 2. In this embodiment, the fixed fixture 1 is equipped with a cylinder 13 for directly clamping the workpiece and a gripper 14 driven by the cylinder 13. The bottom of the fixed base plate 11 is a metal plate for adsorption and engagement with the electromagnet 44 on the fixture fixing seat 4.
[0031] The flipping mechanism 2 is positioned between the installation area and the welding area (the area on the right in the figure) and is used to transfer the fixed fixture 1 between the two areas. It includes a flipping base 21 fixed to the ground, a flipping arm 22 rotatably connected to the flipping base 21 via a rotating shaft 24, and a flipping cylinder 23 that drives the flipping arm 22 to rotate. The free end of the flipping arm 22 is provided with a clamping assembly, which includes two opposing clamping blocks 25, at least one of which is connected to a clamping cylinder 27.
[0032] Two clamping blocks 25 have V-shaped clamping grooves 26 on opposite sides. A corresponding V-shaped mating part 15 is provided on the side of the fixed fixture 1. When the fixed fixture 1 is transported into position, the clamping cylinder 27 drives the two clamping blocks 25 to close. Through the engagement of the V-shaped clamping grooves 26 and the inclined surfaces of the V-shaped mating parts 15, automatic centering and a firm grip on the fixed fixture 1 are achieved. Subsequently, the tilting cylinder 23 actuates, driving the tilting arm 22 to rotate approximately 180° around the rotating shaft 24, thereby tilting and transferring the fixed fixture 1 and the workpiece on it from the horizontal installation side to the vertical welding side.
[0033] The partition mechanism 3 is vertically positioned between the installation area and the welding area to achieve physical isolation between the two areas. It includes a metal partition 31, two racks 32 vertically fixed to the frame, two lifting gears 33 meshing with the racks 32, a lifting shaft 34 driving the lifting gears 33, and a motor (not shown in the figure, belonging to the drive unit) driving the lifting shaft 34. The left and right sides of the partition 31 are fixedly connected to the racks 32. When the workpiece needs to be flipped, the motor drives the lifting shaft 34 and the lifting gears 33 mounted on it to rotate. The lifting gears 33 roll along the racks 32, thereby causing the partition 31 to descend smoothly, making way for the flipping arm 22 and the fixed fixture 1 to pass through. After the workpiece enters the welding area, the motor reverses, driving the partition 31 to rise to the top, resealing the welding area, effectively isolating welding arc light, spatter, and fumes, ensuring the safety of operators on the installation side, and facilitating the centralized collection and treatment of welding fumes.
[0034] The fixture fixing base 4 is located in the welding area and is used to receive and fix the fixture 1 that has been flipped and conveyed, and to provide a rotation function. It includes a cylindrical base 41, inside which a mounting plate 42 is fixed. A rotating base 43 is connected to the base 41 via a large slewing bearing and can rotate freely relative to it. An electromagnet 44 is embedded in the top plane of the rotating base 43. Its function is to generate a strong magnetic attraction force when the fixture 1 is precisely aligned, firmly adsorbing and fixing the metal base plate of the fixture 1 onto the rotating base 43, providing a stable reference for subsequent welding. A driven gear 45 is fixed to the bottom of the rotating base 43. The drive assembly includes a rotary motor 47 fixed on the mounting plate 42, and a driving gear 46 driven by the output shaft of the rotary motor 47, the driving gear 46 meshing with the driven gear 45. When the rotary motor 47 starts, it drives the rotating base 43 to rotate 360° through a gear pair.
[0035] The alignment mechanism 6 is located within the welding area and beside the tooling fixture 4. It comprises multiple cylinders (six in this embodiment) acting as linear actuators. These cylinders are not aligned in a straight line; for example, they can point towards the center of the tooling fixture 4 from multiple directions such as front, back, left, and right. Each cylinder's output end is connected to a push plate. When the fixed tooling 1 is placed onto the rotating seat 43 by the flipping mechanism 2, its initial position may be deviated. At this time, each cylinder of the alignment mechanism 6 operates sequentially or simultaneously according to a preset program, driving the push plate to abut against the side of the fixed tooling 1 (usually its base plate 11) for fine-tuning until it reaches the preset precise center position.
[0036] The welding robotic arm 5 is installed in the welding area via a ground rail or a fixed base, and its end is equipped with a welding torch for performing welding operations.
[0037] The working principle of this invention is as follows: First, in the installation area, the operator clamps and secures the various components of the lawnmower chassis onto the fixture 1 using clamps 14 and other components. Then, the control system initiates the following automated process: Transfer preparation: Control the motor of partition mechanism 3 to drive partition 31 to descend.
[0038] Grasping and Flipping: The clamping cylinder 27 of the flipping mechanism 2 is activated, driving the clamping block 25 to close, and tightly clamping the docking part 15 of the fixed fixture 1 through the clamping groove 26. Then, the flipping cylinder 23 drives the flipping arm 22 to rotate 180°, smoothly transferring the fixed fixture 1 and the workpiece as a whole from the installation side to the welding side, and placing them on the rotating seat 43 of the fixture fixing seat 4.
[0039] Safety isolation: After the tilting arm 22 is released and reset, the motor of the partition mechanism 3 drives the partition 31 to rise, re-sealing the welding area.
[0040] Precise positioning: The multiple cylinder movements of the alignment mechanism 6 are used to finely adjust the horizontal position of the fixed fixture 1 on the rotating seat 43 from multiple directions by the push plate until it reaches the precise coordinates set in the program.
[0041] Rigid fixing: After the position is aligned, the electromagnet 44 on the top of the rotating seat 43 is energized, generating a strong magnetic force to firmly attract and fix the metal base plate of the fixing fixture 1, forming a rigid connection.
[0042] Automatic welding: The welding robot arm 5 starts and performs welding according to the predetermined trajectory. At the same time, the rotary motor 47 of the tooling fixed base 4 drives the rotary base 43 to rotate together with the fixed tooling 1 and the workpiece according to the program instructions, so that each weld seam on the workpiece is always in the optimal welding position (such as flat welding, boat-shaped welding position), and the welding robot arm 5 completes the all-round and multi-angle automated welding.
[0043] After welding is completed, the electromagnet 44 is de-energized and released, the partition 31 descends, the flipping mechanism clamps the workpiece and flips it back to the installation area, the operator unloads the welded workpiece and clamps the new workpiece to be welded, thus entering the next work cycle.
[0044] In summary, this invention constructs a fully automated, highly flexible, and highly safe welding production unit through the collaborative design and linkage of a fixed fixture, a flipping mechanism, a partition mechanism, an alignment mechanism, a rotating fixture fixed base with electromagnetic adsorption, and a welding robot. This effectively solves the problems of high reliance on manual labor, poor process connection, poor safety, insufficient flexibility, and difficulty in ensuring consistent welding quality in traditional welding methods.
[0045] The above are all preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A fully automated welding system for a lawnmower chassis, characterized in that, include: Fixed fixture (1) is used to clamp the chassis parts to be welded; A flipping mechanism (2) is provided between the installation area and the welding area for clamping and flipping the fixed fixture (1) so that it can be transferred between the installation area and the welding area; A partition mechanism (3) is provided between the installation area and the welding area for raising and lowering the partition (31) to separate or connect the two areas; The tooling fixture (4) is set in the welding area for receiving and fixing the fixed tooling (1) that is flipped and conveyed by the flipping mechanism (2). The tooling fixture (4) includes a drive assembly for driving the fixed tooling (1) to rotate. Alignment mechanism (6) is provided in the welding area and adjacent to the tooling fixture (4) for adjusting the position of the fixed tooling (1) in the horizontal plane after the fixed tooling (1) is placed on the tooling fixture (4); A welding robotic arm (5) is set in the welding area for welding chassis components fixed on the tooling fixture (4); The tooling fixture (4) is provided with an electromagnet (44) for attracting and fixing the tooling fixture (1).
2. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flipping mechanism (2) includes a flipping base (21), a flipping arm (22) and a flipping drive. The flipping arm (22) is rotatably connected to the flipping base (21) via a rotating shaft (24). The flipping drive is used to drive the flipping arm (22) to rotate around the rotating shaft (24). The free end of the flipping arm (22) is provided with a clamping assembly for clamping the fixed fixture (1).
3. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping assembly includes two clamping blocks (25) arranged opposite to each other, at least one of the clamping blocks (25) is connected to a clamping cylinder (27), and the two clamping blocks (25) have clamping grooves (26) on opposite sides that match the docking part (15) of the fixed tooling (1).
4. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The partition mechanism (3) includes the partition (31), a vertically arranged rack (32), a lifting gear (33) meshing with the rack (32), and a drive unit that drives the lifting gear (33) to rotate. The partition (31) is connected to the rack (32).
5. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The alignment mechanism (6) includes at least two linear drive members whose driving directions are not on the same straight line. Each linear drive member has a push plate connected to its output end. The corresponding push plate is driven to abut against the side of the fixed fixture (1) by the action of each linear drive member to adjust its horizontal position.
6. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 5, characterized in that, The linear drive component is a cylinder, and at least four cylinders are provided, which are used to adjust the position of the fixed fixture (1) from the front, back, left and right directions respectively.
7. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tooling fixture (4) includes: The base (41) is cylindrical; Mounting plate (42) is fixedly installed inside the cylindrical base (41); The rotating seat (43) is connected to the base (41) via a bearing and can rotate relative to it. The electromagnet (44) is embedded in the top of the rotating seat (43). The drive assembly includes a rotary motor (47) fixed on the mounting plate (42), a drive gear (46) driven by the rotary motor (47), and a driven gear (45) fixed to the bottom of the rotating seat (43), wherein the drive gear (46) and the driven gear (45) mesh with each other.
8. The fully automatic welding system for the lawnmower chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed fixture (1) includes a fixed base plate (11), which has mounting holes (12) for mounting positioning clamping components. The bottom of the fixed base plate (11) has a metal part that can be attracted and cooperate with the electromagnet (44) on the fixture fixing seat (4). The side of the fixed base plate (11) has a docking part (15) for cooperating with the flipping mechanism (2) and an adjustment surface for contacting the push plate of the alignment mechanism (6).
9. The fully automatic welding system for a lawnmower chassis according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The fixed fixture (1) is provided with a cylinder (13) for clamping chassis components and a gripper (14) driven by the cylinder (13).
10. The fully automatic welding system for a lawnmower chassis according to claim 8, characterized in that, The mounting hole (12) on the fixed base plate (11) is a waist-shaped hole for installing a positioning or clamping component. The mounting position of the component in the waist-shaped hole can be adjusted along its length.