Thermoplastic carbon fiber tape placement head and fiber placement machine

Abstract

The application provides a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head and a tape laying machine using the same, which comprises a tape reel, a conveying mechanism at the output end below the tape reel, a tape pressing mechanism at the output end below the conveying mechanism and in transmission cooperation with the conveying mechanism, a rotary cutting mechanism at the transmission cooperation position of the conveying mechanism and the tape pressing mechanism, and a tape pressing component and a heating mechanism cooperating with the tape pressing mechanism, wherein the tape reel, the conveying mechanism, the rotary cutting mechanism and the tape pressing mechanism are arranged in sequence along the vertical direction and are arranged in parallel in the axial direction; each module of the application is arranged in vertical symmetry and has a small size, so that the overall structure is more compact and symmetrical, the mechanical hand is more agile, the swing angle is larger, the center of gravity is more stable during driving, and the application is more suitable for being mounted on the mechanical hand for tape laying operation, and can adapt to more rich use scenarios, and solves the technical problems of complex structure, loose layout, poor action agility, difficulty in meeting the laying requirements of high efficiency and high quality and the like in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of carbon fiber tape laying equipment, and more particularly to a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head and a fiber placement machine. Background Technology

[0002] Carbon fiber composites, due to their superior properties such as high specific strength, high specific modulus, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance, have been widely used in high-tech fields such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, rail transportation, and new energy. Among them, thermoplastic carbon fiber composites, compared to thermoset systems, have significant advantages such as high toughness, recyclability, short molding cycle, and simple storage conditions, making them a research hotspot in the field of advanced composite material manufacturing in recent years. Automated fiber placement technology is one of the key processes for achieving automated, low-cost, and high-quality molding of high-performance carbon fiber composite structural components. During the fiber placement process, the fiber placer needs to complete a series of actions, including unwinding, guiding, heating, laying, and compacting multiple bundles of thermoplastic carbon fiber tapes.

[0003] Chinese patent CN202311276034.9 discloses a laser-assisted heating in-situ forming device and processing method for thermoplastic composite materials. The device includes a connecting plate, and mounted on the connecting plate are a wire feeding mechanism, a tensioning mechanism, a reloading mechanism, a shearing mechanism, a guiding mechanism, a guide belt mechanism, a roll cooling mechanism, and a heating mechanism. The wire feeding mechanism is used to feed the prepreg tape of the thermoplastic composite material to the laying position. The reloading mechanism is used to clamp the prepreg tape and control and adjust the conveying speed of the prepreg tape. The guiding mechanism is used to introduce the prepreg tape conveyed from the reloading mechanism into the guide belt mechanism. The guide belt mechanism is located above the laying channel. The discharge direction of the guide belt assembly forms a laying angle with the processing surface used to lay the prepreg tape. The guide belt assembly is mounted on the connecting plate via an angle adjustment plate. The laser-assisted heating in-situ forming device for thermoplastic composite materials of this invention enables adjustment of the laying angle, which can improve the laying quality.

[0004] The core execution unit of automatic fiber placement equipment is the fiber placement head. Its structural layout and motion performance directly determine the adaptability of the placement trajectory and the forming quality. However, the existing fiber placement heads have complex structures and loose layouts, low space utilization, large lateral dimensions, lack of compact integrated design between units, are bulky, lack oscillation flexibility, have poor ability to adapt to complex curved surfaces, and insufficient dynamic response capabilities, making it difficult to meet the requirements of efficient and high-quality placement. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head. The modules of the laying head are arranged vertically and are compact in size, making it more suitable for mounting on a robotic arm for tape laying operations. This allows the robotic arm to move more skillfully, swing at a wider angle, and maintain a more stable center of gravity during operation. It can also adapt to a wider range of application scenarios, solving the technical problems of existing technologies such as complex structure and loose layout, poor dexterity, and difficulty in meeting the requirements for efficient and high-quality laying.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head includes a tape reel for continuously supplying tape, a conveying mechanism located below the output end of the tape reel for continuously transmitting the tape, a pressing mechanism located below the output end of the conveying mechanism and cooperating with the conveying mechanism for transmission, a rotary cutting mechanism located at the transmission cooperation point of the conveying mechanism and the pressing mechanism for cutting the tape, and a heating mechanism cooperating with the pressing mechanism to lay the tape at the output end in situ to a working surface for in-situ curing. The tape reel, conveying mechanism, rotary cutting mechanism and pressing mechanism are arranged vertically in sequence and are axially parallel to each other.

[0007] As an improvement, the material reel, conveying mechanism, pressing mechanism, rotary cutting mechanism, and heating mechanism are all mounted on the frame.

[0008] As an improvement, the conveying mechanism includes a first and a second conveying roller distributed vertically, the material strip being conveyed in an S-shape on the surfaces of the first and second conveying rollers, and a small roller assembly corresponding to the conveying surfaces of the first and second conveying rollers.

[0009] As an improvement, the first and second transmission rollers are arranged in a staggered manner.

[0010] As an improvement, the small roller assembly is configured in several groups to match the transmission surface distribution of the first and second transmission rollers, including a roller shaft mounted on the frame and several small rollers A detachably mounted on the roller shaft.

[0011] As an improvement, the first and second transfer rollers are rotatably mounted on the frame, and the small roller A is rotatably sleeved on the roller shaft.

[0012] As an improvement, the conveying mechanism further includes a small roller channel inclinedly connected between the first and second transmission rollers, and a drive module for driving the first and second transmission rollers to rotate.

[0013] As an improvement, two rows of roller shafts are provided on the frame between the bottom output end of the first transmission roller and the top input end of the second transmission roller. The roller shafts are linearly arrayed and inclined to match and connect the bottom output end of the first transmission roller and the top input end of the second transmission roller. Small rollers B are rotatably installed on each roller shaft, thereby forming a small roller channel for material conveying between the upper and lower rows of small rollers B.

[0014] As an improvement, the conveying mechanism further includes a third conveying roller arranged between the first and second conveying rollers, and a drive module for driving the first and second conveying rollers to rotate.

[0015] As an improvement, the drive module includes a first drive pulley mounted on the first transmission roller shaft end, a second drive pulley mounted on the second transmission roller shaft end, a tension pulley mounted on the frame, a drive belt limited by each pulley, and a transmission drive unit mounted on the frame and poweredly connected to one of the pulleys.

[0016] As an improvement, the first drive pulley, the second drive pulley, and the tension pulley are arranged in a triangular pattern, and the drive belt is sleeved on the first drive pulley, the second drive pulley, and the tension pulley.

[0017] As an improvement, the transmission drive unit adopts a rotary motor, and its drive end is coaxially connected to the first transmission pulley or the second transmission pulley.

[0018] As an improvement, the rotary cutting mechanism includes: a mating component having a conveying channel for the material strip; a rotary cutting component having a rotary cutting shaft, wherein the mating component also has a rotary cutting shaft hole in the path of the conveying channel for rotatably assembling the rotary cutting shaft, and the rotary cutting shaft has a rotary cutting channel through which the material strip passes; and a driving component, wherein the rotary cutting component is driven by the driving component to rotate, thereby misaligning the rotary cutting channel with the conveying channel to cut the material strip.

[0019] As an improvement, the mating components include a first mating part and a second mating part that are connected to each other, and the mating surfaces of the two parts are joined together to form the transmission channel and the rotary cutting shaft hole.

[0020] As an improvement, the first mating part and the second mating part are connected by fasteners.

[0021] As an improvement, the mating component is mounted on the frame to the left of the first transmission roller and close to the feed end of the pressing mechanism. The rotary cutting component is mounted inside the mating component. The driving component is mounted on the frame to the right of the first transmission roller and its drive end extends from the two shaft ends of the first transmission roller to connect with the rotary cutting component on the left.

[0022] As an improvement, the rotary cutting component further includes a connecting part, wherein the two ends of the rotary cutting shaft extend out of the rotary cutting shaft hole and form the connecting part, which is connected to the driving component; the thickness of the rotary cutting channel along the rotary cutting direction is gradually reduced from its feed end to its discharge end, so that the material strip is cut at the discharge end.

[0023] As an improvement, the thickness of the transmission channel is slightly larger than the thickness of the material strip, and the thickness of the discharge end is slightly smaller than the thickness of the transmission channel.

[0024] As an improvement, the driving component includes: a rotary cutting drive unit, which is vertically mounted on the frame; and a transmission swing arm, wherein a set of the transmission swing arms is respectively arranged at the two shaft ends of the second transmission roller, the left end of the transmission swing arm is connected to the connecting part, and the right end is connected to the driving end of the rotary cutting drive unit, and the rotary cutting drive unit applies force to the right end of the transmission swing arm to drive the transmission swing arm and the rotary cutting component to rotate synchronously.

[0025] As an improvement, the rotary cutting drive unit adopts a telescopic cylinder structure, and a set of rotary cutting drive units is respectively set at the end positions of each transmission swing arm.

[0026] As an improvement, the rotary cutting mechanism further includes a limiting component that stops and limits the rotation end point of the rotary cutting shaft. The limiting component is installed on the mating component. The transmission swing arm is configured as an L-shape, with its short side end connected to the connecting part and its long side end connected to the rotary cutting drive part. The limiting component matches and abuts against the short side of the transmission swing arm to limit the rotation.

[0027] As an improvement, the pressing mechanism includes: a pressing roller with a diameter similar to that of the second transmission roller, which is disposed close to the bottom discharge end of the second transmission roller and the two cooperate to perform S-shaped transmission of the material belt, the material belt output by the second transmission roller passes through the rotary cutting mechanism and continues to be transmitted on the surface of the pressing roller; and a guide belt mechanism, which is disposed on the transmission side of the pressing roller and is at least conformally fitted to the discharge transmission section at the bottom of the pressing roller, the two cooperating to form a channel for the material belt to be transmitted.

[0028] As an improvement, the belt guiding mechanism includes: a belt guiding component, which is configured as an arc-shaped part that cooperates with the discharge transmission section and extends close to the pressure point at the bottom of the pressure roller; and a belt feeding component, which is located at the front end of the belt guiding component.

[0029] As an improvement, the surface of the pressure roller has a transmission section for transmitting the material belt. The transmission section has a feeding transmission section and a discharging transmission section connected sequentially along the transmission direction of the material belt. The feeding transmission section is matched with the belt feeding component, and the discharging transmission section is matched with the belt guiding component.

[0030] As an improvement, the guide belt component is configured as an arc plate, and the plate thickness gradually decreases from the front end to the rear end.

[0031] As an improvement, the diameter range of the belt feeding component is similar to that of the small roller assembly.

[0032] As an improvement, the feeding component includes: a mounting member; and roller units, wherein a plurality of roller units are arranged in a shape matching the feeding transmission section, and the roller units abut against the surface of the pressure roller.

[0033] As an improvement, the roller unit includes a shaft mounted on a mounting component and a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted on the shaft, wherein the diameter of the rollers is much smaller than the diameter of the pressure roller.

[0034] As an improvement, the pressing mechanism further includes a stabilizing component, wherein the pressing wheel is rotatably mounted on the frame, the guide belt mechanism is mounted on the frame on the transmission side of the pressing wheel, and the stabilizing component is connected between the frame and the guide belt mechanism to maintain the fit of the guide belt mechanism relative to the pressing wheel.

[0035] As an improvement, the stabilizing component can be configured as an elastic element, such as a spring; or as a control element, such as a cylinder.

[0036] The present invention also provides a fiber placement machine, including a robotic arm and a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape placement head as described above, wherein the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape placement head is mounted on the robotic arm via the top of its frame and is controlled by the robotic arm to perform the tape placement operation.

[0037] As an improvement, the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head is provided with a positioning pin facing the bottom of the laying operation mold.

[0038] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: (1) The carbon fiber laying head of the present invention has a compact and reasonable overall layout. The layout of each module adopts a staggered arrangement on both sides of the vertical side. It is equipped with a material conveying mechanism with a double roller structure. At the same time, the laying head's shearing, pressure roller and other related functional modules are installed in a compact space. The laying head is small and lightweight, which is more suitable for mounting on a robot arm to perform material laying operations. It is agile, has a larger swing angle, and a more stable center of gravity when driven, which improves the laying quality and can adapt to a wider range of application scenarios.

[0039] (2) Compared with the conveying mechanism disclosed in CN202311276034.9, the conveying mechanism of the present invention adopts a double roller combined with a small roller assembly and a small roller channel structure to form a large-sized S-shaped transmission channel, which optimizes the conveying path of the material belt and ensures a stable transmission process. Furthermore, the tension pressure of the large roller on the material belt is easier to control, thus making it more suitable for carbon fiber materials, fully protecting the material belt, preventing damage, and further ensuring the laying quality.

[0040] (3) The cutting structure in this invention adopts a rotary cutting structure, which is not only small and lightweight, but also the rotary cutting method is close to the feeding end of the pressing mechanism, making the cutting action efficient and the cutting effect excellent. It is not pulled, does not deform, and is more compatible with carbon fiber material. It is suitable for the cutting and laying production of carbon fiber strips, and fully guarantees the quality of the laid products.

[0041] (4) In this invention, the pressure belt mechanism uses a pressure belt wheel matched with a contoured guide belt mechanism. The cut material belt can be supported to maintain its fit with the transmission surface, so that it is always fully heated within the effective heating range of the heater, and then fully laid out to achieve in-situ curing. This effectively reduces waste and even achieves zero waste, improves the material belt utilization rate, saves costs, and ensures the laying quality of the material belt. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head in this invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial view; Figure 3 This is a front view of the overall structure of the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head in this invention; Figure 4 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head in this invention; Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged view at point C; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the rotary cutting mechanism in this invention (excluding the drive unit). Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the main structure of the rotary cutting mechanism in this invention (excluding the drive unit). Figure 9 for Figure 8 Enlarged view at point D; Figure 10 for Figure 2 Enlarged view at point B in the middle; Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the pressure belt mechanism in this invention; Figure 12 for Figure 11 Enlarged view at point E in the middle; Figure 13 This is a side view of the overall structure of the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head in Example 4; Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the conveyor path of the material strip in Example 4; Figure 15 This is a cross-sectional view of the material strip reel in Example 7; Figure 16 for Figure 15 Enlarged view of point F in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0045] Example 1 like Figure 1As shown, a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head includes a tape reel 1 for continuously supplying tape I, a conveying mechanism 2 located below the output end of the tape reel 1 for continuously transmitting tape I, a pressing mechanism 3 located below the output end of the conveying mechanism 2 and cooperating with the conveying mechanism 2 for transmission, a rotary cutting mechanism 4 located at the transmission cooperation point of the conveying mechanism 2 and the pressing mechanism 3 for cutting tape I, and a heating mechanism cooperating with the pressing mechanism 3 to in-situ cure tape I at the output end and lay it onto the working surface. The tape reel 1, the conveying mechanism 2, the rotary cutting mechanism 4 and the pressing mechanism 3 are arranged vertically in sequence and are axially parallel to each other.

[0046] As an improvement, the material reel 1, conveying mechanism 2, pressing mechanism 3, rotary cutting mechanism 4, and heating mechanism are all mounted on the frame 6.

[0047] As an improvement, such as Figure 2 As shown, the conveying mechanism 2 includes a first transmission roller 21 and a second transmission roller 22 distributed vertically, and the material belt I is conveyed in an S-shape on the surfaces of the first transmission roller 21 and the second transmission roller 22.

[0048] Furthermore, the first transmission roller 21 and the second transmission roller 22 are arranged in a staggered manner.

[0049] In this embodiment, compared with the existing transmission mechanism, the conveying mechanism 2 adopts a larger diameter transmission roller structure, which can save space to install the shearing, pressure roller and other related functional modules of the laying head, so that the overall structure is more compact and lightweight. The pressure roller is a commercially available product with a standard diameter. The diameter of the first transmission roller 21 and the second transmission roller 22 of the conveying mechanism 2 is equivalent to the diameter of the pressure roller.

[0050] In addition, the conveying mechanism 2 adopts two large rollers that are distributed vertically and staggered horizontally to form a large S-shaped transmission path, which optimizes the conveying path of the material belt I and makes it easier to control the tension pressure of the large rollers on the material belt I, thus making it more suitable for carbon fiber materials, fully protecting the material belt I and preventing damage.

[0051] As an improvement, combined Figure 3 As shown, in the rotary cutting mechanism 4, the mating component 41 is installed on the frame 6 on the left side of the first transmission roller 21 and close to the feed end of the pressing mechanism 3, and the driving component 43 is installed on the frame 6 on the right side of the first transmission roller 21, with its transmission end extending from the two shaft ends of the first transmission roller 21 to connect with the rotary cutting component 42 on the left side.

[0052] In this embodiment, the driving component 43 of the rotary cutting mechanism 4 has two transmission swing arms respectively disposed on both sides of the axial direction of the second transmission roller 22 of the conveying mechanism 2, making full use of the space to install the component and improving compactness. In addition, the transmission swing arms are arranged on the other side relative to the heating mechanism, thereby making way for the heating mechanism.

[0053] As an improvement, such as Figure 3 As shown, the conveying mechanism 2 also includes a drive module 25 for driving the first transmission roller 21 and the second transmission roller 22 to rotate.

[0054] As an improvement, the drive module 25 includes a first drive pulley mounted on the shaft end of the first transmission roller 21, a second drive pulley mounted on the shaft end of the second transmission roller 22, a tension pulley 253 mounted on the frame 6, a drive belt 254 limited by each pulley, and a transmission drive unit mounted on the frame 6 and poweredly connected to one of the pulleys.

[0055] In this embodiment, the overall structure adopts a single power transmission structure with a motor belt, which has good compactness.

[0056] As an improvement, the first transmission pulley, the second transmission pulley, and the tension pulley 253 are arranged in a triangular pattern, and the transmission belt 254 is sleeved on the first transmission pulley, the second transmission pulley, and the tension pulley 253.

[0057] As an improvement, the transmission drive unit adopts a rotary motor, and its drive end is coaxially connected to the first transmission pulley or the second transmission pulley.

[0058] As an improvement, such as Figure 2 As shown, the conveying mechanism 2 also includes a small roller assembly 23 that corresponds to the conveying surfaces of the first conveying roller 21 and the second conveying roller 22.

[0059] In this embodiment, the conveying mechanism 2 is further provided with a number of small roller assemblies 23 that are distributed in a manner that matches the transmission arc surface of the large roller to press the material belt I onto the transmission surface of the large roller, thereby ensuring the stable transmission of the material belt I.

[0060] Example 2 The components in this embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiments are referred to by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between this embodiment and the above embodiments are described below. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that: like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the small roller assembly 23 is arranged in several groups to match the transmission surfaces of the first transmission roller 21 and the second transmission roller 22, such as... Figure 5-6 As shown, it includes a roller shaft mounted on the frame 6 and several small rollers A231 detachably mounted on the roller shaft.

[0061] In this embodiment, the small roller A231 is detachable and can match the width of the material strip I, playing a limiting role. It has high adaptability and can thus position the material strip I, ensuring transmission accuracy and improving its laying quality. In addition, the detachable small roller A231 can also form multiple material strip channels, thereby realizing the simultaneous transmission of multiple material strips I to meet various production needs.

[0062] As an improvement, the first transfer roller 21 and the second transfer roller 22 are rotatably mounted on the frame 6, and the small roller A231 is rotatably sleeved on the roller shaft.

[0063] Example 3 The components in this embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiments are referred to by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between this embodiment and the above embodiments are described below. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that: like Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the conveying mechanism 2 further includes a small roller channel 24 that is inclinedly connected between the first transmission roller 21 and the second transmission roller 22, and the material belt I is transferred within the small roller channel 24.

[0064] In this embodiment, a linear small roller channel 4 is used as a transitional connection between the two large rollers to facilitate vertical installation of the pressing drive, further helping to achieve compact installation of related components on the laying head.

[0065] As an improvement, two rows of roller shafts are provided on the frame 6 between the bottom output end of the first transmission roller 21 and the top input end of the second transmission roller 22. The roller shafts are linearly arrayed and inclined to match and connect the bottom output end of the first transmission roller 21 and the top input end of the second transmission roller 22. Small rollers B241 are rotatably installed on each roller shaft, thereby forming a small roller channel 24 for the feeding belt I between the two rows of small rollers B241.

[0066] In addition, a linear small roller channel 24 is connected between the two large rollers to further ensure the stable transmission of the material belt I and fully protect the material belt I.

[0067] Example 4 The components in this embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiments are referred to by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between this embodiment and the above embodiments are described below. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that: like Figure 13-14 As shown, in this embodiment, the conveying mechanism 2 further includes a third conveying roller 26 arranged between the first conveying roller 21 and the second conveying roller 22.

[0068] In this embodiment, the conveying path of the material strip is as follows: the material strip is sequentially tensioned and attached to the conveying surface on the right side of the first conveying roller 21, the conveying surface on the left side of the third conveying roller 26, and the conveying surface on the right side of the second conveying roller 22 for S-shaped conveying.

[0069] The transmission path in this embodiment reduces the transmission resistance of the material belt, compared to Figure 2 The transmission path in the process is more suitable for some material strips with relatively low hardness, so as to ensure the smooth transmission and non-deformation of such material strips and ensure the quality of laying.

[0070] At the same time, the appropriate transmission path can be flexibly selected according to the width of the material strip.

[0071] Furthermore, the material conveyor path in the above embodiment one, combined with Figure 1 As shown, the material belt is unwound from the right side of the material belt reel 1. However, for the material belt conveying path in this embodiment 3, the material belt is unwound from the left side of the material belt reel 1, so that the material belt reel 1 and the conveying mechanism 2 can achieve tensioning and transmission of the material belt.

[0072] The third transfer roller 26 in this embodiment can also be implemented using a drive component provided in the laying head. The drive component can be a smooth cylinder, such as a cylinder or a motor. In this embodiment, for example... Figure 13 As shown, a clutch control mechanism 7 may also be provided at the end of the first transmission roller 21 to control the switching between automatic and manual transmission. Figure 14 The third transmission roller 26 is the driving component of the clutch control mechanism, which means that there is no need to set up a separate transmission roller to realize the transmission path. The overall structure of the laying head is compact and can adapt to a wider range of application scenarios.

[0073] Example 5 The components in this embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiments are referred to by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between this embodiment and the above embodiments are described below. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that: like Figure 7-10 As shown, in this embodiment, the rotary cutting mechanism 4 includes: a mating component 41 having a transmission channel 401 for the material strip I; a rotary cutting component 42 having a rotary cutting shaft 421, wherein the mating component 41 also has a rotary cutting shaft hole 402 on the path of the transmission channel 401 for rotatably assembling the rotary cutting shaft 421, wherein the rotary cutting shaft 421 has a rotary cutting channel 403 through which the material strip I passes; and a driving component 43, wherein the rotary cutting component 42 is driven by the driving component 43 to rotate, thereby misaligning the rotary cutting channel 403 with the transmission channel 401 to cut the material strip I.

[0074] In this embodiment, the rotary cutting mechanism 4 rotates and assembles the rotary cutting component 42 within the mating component 41, and the two cooperate to form a material strip channel. The relative rotation causes the channel to misalign, thereby generating a rotary shearing force. The structure is simple and ingenious, enabling rapid cutting. It is not only efficient in cutting but also has a good cutting effect. It can effectively suppress cutting burrs, edge delamination, or frayed edges, and also has the effect of edge micro-grinding or sealing. It effectively prevents the woven fabric from fraying, making the cut neat without secondary trimming, and effectively protects the product, fully ensuring the quality of the laid product.

[0075] As an improvement, the mating component 41 includes a first mating part 411 and a second mating part 412 that are connected to each other, and the mating surfaces of the two are joined together to form the transmission channel 401 and the rotary cutting shaft hole 402.

[0076] In this embodiment, the mating component 41 is configured as a split structure, which facilitates the processing of the forming transmission channel 401 and the rotary cutting shaft hole 402, and makes it easy to disassemble and handle situations such as material strip jamming inside.

[0077] As an improvement, the first mating part 411 and the second mating part 412 are connected by fasteners 413 such as screws.

[0078] As an improvement, the mating component 41 is mounted on the frame 6 on the left side of the first transmission roller 21 and close to the feed end of the pressing mechanism 3. The rotary cutting component 42 is mounted inside the mating component 41. The driving component 43 is mounted on the frame 6 on the right side of the first transmission roller 21 and its drive end extends from the two shaft ends of the first transmission roller 21 to connect with the rotary cutting component 42 on the left side.

[0079] As an improvement, the rotary cutting component 42 further includes a connecting portion 422, wherein the axial ends of the rotary cutting shaft 421 extend out of the rotary cutting shaft hole 402 and form the connecting portion 422, which is connected to the driving component 43.

[0080] As an improvement, the connecting part 422 and the transmission swing arm 431 adopt a plug-in structure with rotation direction limitation. For example, a long groove is opened on the transmission swing arm 431, and the cross-sectional shape of the connecting part 422 is adapted to the shape of the long groove. The two are plugged in along the axial direction of the rotary cutting shaft 421, and the movable connection is realized by the plug-in method, which facilitates installation and maintenance.

[0081] As an improvement, the thickness of the rotary cutting channel 403 along the rotary cutting direction is gradually reduced from its feed end 404 to its discharge end 405, so that the material strip I is cut at the discharge end 405.

[0082] In this embodiment, the channel size of the rotary cutting channel 403 is designed to gradually decrease from the feed end 404 to the discharge end 405, thereby combining... Figure 9-10 As shown, through the rotation of the rotary cutting shaft 421, its discharge end 405 is sheared with the transmission channel 401, thereby cutting the material strip I at that end. However, due to the large channel size, the feed end 404 is not sheared, thus keeping the material strip I at that end continuous and intact.

[0083] As an improvement, the thickness of the transmission channel 401 is slightly larger than the thickness of the strip I, and the thickness of the discharge end 405 is slightly smaller than the thickness of the transmission channel 401, making the channel at the shearing end narrow, enabling rapid staggered shearing, thereby ensuring the shearing effect.

[0084] In some embodiments, for a strip I with a thickness of 15 mils, the thickness of the discharge end 405 is set to 30 mils.

[0085] As an improvement, the driving component 43 includes: a rotary cutting drive unit 432, which is vertically mounted on the frame 6; and a transmission swing arm 431. A set of transmission swing arms 431 is arranged at each of the two shaft ends of the second transmission roller 22. The left end of the transmission swing arm 431 is connected to the connecting part 422, and the right end is connected to the driving end of the rotary cutting drive unit 432. The rotary cutting drive unit 432 applies force to the right end of the transmission swing arm 431 to drive the transmission swing arm 431 and the rotary cutting component 42 to rotate synchronously. The lever principle is used to provide shearing driving force, which is ingenious and saves more effort.

[0086] As an improvement, the rotary cutting drive unit 432 adopts a telescopic cylinder structure, and a set of rotary cutting drive units 432 is respectively set at the end position of each transmission swing arm 431, so that the shearing force on both sides of the rotary cutting shaft 421 remains stable and synchronous.

[0087] As an improvement, the rotary cutting mechanism 4 further includes a limiting component 44 for stopping and limiting the rotation end point of the rotary cutting shaft 421. The limiting component 44 is mounted on the mating component 41. The transmission swing arm 431 is configured as an L-shape, with its short side end connected to the connecting part 422 and its long side end connected to the rotary cutting drive part 432. The limiting component 44 matches and abuts against the short side of the transmission swing arm 431 to limit the rotation.

[0088] In this embodiment, a limiting component 44 is provided to limit the swing end point of the transmission swing arm 431, so that the rotation action is stable and controllable, and excessive rotation is avoided, which may lead to jamming or obstruction of the channel.

[0089] During the rotary cutting operation, the material strip is continuously unwound from the material strip reel 1 and transported by the transmission component to the transmission channel 401 of the rotary cutting mechanism 4. The rotary cutting drive unit 432 presses down the end of the transmission swing arm 431, and the other end of the transmission swing arm 431, which is coaxially connected with the rotary cutting component 42, rotates, causing the rotary cutting channel 403 to be misaligned with the transmission channel 401 to cut the material strip I. The transmission swing arm 431 abuts against the limiting component 44 to be limited. The rotary cutting drive unit 432 drives the transmission swing arm 431 to reverse and reset. The heating component and the pressing mechanism 3 cooperate to solidify the material strip I in situ and lay it on the working surface.

[0090] Example 6 The components in this embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiments are referred to by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between this embodiment and the above embodiments are described below. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that: like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 3 includes: a pressing roller 31 with a roller diameter similar to that of the second transmission roller 22, which is disposed close to the bottom discharge end of the second transmission roller 22 and the two cooperate to perform S-shaped transmission of the material belt I, the material belt I output by the second transmission roller 22 passes through the rotary cutting mechanism 4 and continues to be transmitted on the surface of the pressing roller 31; and a guide belt mechanism 32, which is disposed on the transmission side of the pressing roller 31 and is at least conformally fitted to the discharge transmission section 301 at the lower part of the pressing roller 31, the two cooperating to form a channel 30 for the material belt I to be transmitted.

[0091] In this embodiment, by matching the guide belt mechanism 32 with the pressure roller 31, the cut material strip I can be supported and held, preventing the material strip I from falling due to gravity after being cut, so that it can always be kept within the effective heating range of the heater and fully heated, thereby completing the laying and achieving in-situ curing, effectively reducing waste or even achieving zero waste, improving the material strip utilization rate, saving costs, and ensuring the laying quality of the material strip.

[0092] Furthermore, the pressure roller 31 adopts a large diameter size, and the material belt I is attached to the surface of the pressure roller 31 for transmission. After the material belt I is attached to the surface of the pressure roller 31 and receives heating, it is immediately pressed and laid, resulting in a better laying effect.

[0093] As an improvement, such as Figure 11-12 As shown, the belt guiding mechanism 32 includes: a belt guiding component 321, which is configured as an arc-shaped part that cooperates with the discharge transmission section 301 and extends close to the pressure point 311 at the bottom of the pressure roller 31 to achieve zero waste; and a belt feeding component 322, which is located at the front end of the belt guiding component 321.

[0094] In this embodiment, a feeding component 322 is further provided to position and support the front part of the cut material belt I, ensuring that it adheres to the surface of the pressure roller 31 for stable transmission.

[0095] As an improvement, the surface of the pressure roller 31 has a transmission section for transmitting the material belt I. The transmission section has a feeding transmission section 302 and a discharging transmission section 301 connected sequentially along the transmission direction of the material belt I. The feeding transmission section 302 is matched with the belt feeding component 322, and the discharging transmission section 301 is matched with the belt guiding component 321.

[0096] As an improvement, the guide belt component 321 is configured as an arc plate, and the plate thickness gradually decreases from the front end to the rear end.

[0097] In this embodiment, the guide belt component 321 is set as an arc plate, and the surface that mates with the pressure roller 31 is an arc surface. In some preferred embodiments, its front end is thickened to ensure strength, and it is gradually thinned from the front end to the tail end so that the tail end can be as close as possible to the pressure point 311 of the pressure roller 31, thereby giving full play to its role in supporting the guide belt and thus achieving zero waste.

[0098] As an improvement, at least the size of the channel 30 formed between the guide belt component 321 and the pressure roller 31 is matched with the thickness of the material belt I, so as to keep the material belt I in a flat and attached state.

[0099] As an improvement, the diameter range of the belt feeding component 322 is similar to that of the small roller assembly 23.

[0100] As an improvement, the feeding component 322 includes: a mounting component 3221; and a roller unit 3222, a plurality of roller units 3222 are arranged to match the shape of the feeding transmission section 302, and the roller units 3222 abut against the surface of the pressure roller 31.

[0101] As an improvement, the roller unit 3222 includes a shaft mounted on the mounting member 3221 and a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted on the shaft, wherein the diameter of the rollers is much smaller than the diameter of the pressure roller 31.

[0102] As an improvement, such as Figure 6 As shown, the pressing mechanism 3 further includes a stabilizing component 33. The pressing roller 31 is rotatably mounted on the frame 6, and the guide belt mechanism 32 is mounted on the frame 6 on the transmission side of the pressing roller 31. The stabilizing component 33 is connected between the frame 6 and the guide belt mechanism 32 and maintains the fit of the guide belt mechanism 32 relative to the pressing roller 31.

[0103] In this embodiment, the guide belt mechanism 32 is tightened by setting a stabilizing component 33, which improves the stability of the cooperation between the guide belt mechanism 32 and the pressure roller 31 and ensures the guiding belt effect.

[0104] As an improvement, the stabilizing component 33 can be configured as an elastic element, such as a spring; or as a control element, such as a cylinder.

[0105] In a preferred embodiment, a stabilizing component 33 is connected between the guide belt component 321, the feed belt component 322 and the frame 6.

[0106] Example 7 The components in this embodiment that are the same as or corresponding to those in the above embodiments are referred to by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between this embodiment and the above embodiments are described below. The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiments is that: like Figure 15 As shown, in this embodiment, the material reel 1 includes a shaft 11 rotatably mounted on the frame 6, a left reel 12 and a right reel 13 respectively mounted on the two ends of the shaft 11, a plurality of rings 14 sleeved on the shaft 11 and located between the left reel 12 and the right reel, and a fixing component 15 for axially limiting the right reel 13.

[0107] In this embodiment, the left disc portion 12 is fixedly installed on the left shaft end of the shaft portion 11, and the right disc portion 13 and the ring portion 14 are detachably installed relative to the shaft portion 11. In actual application, the corresponding number of ring portions 14 are installed according to the width of the material strip and the number of material strips arranged side by side, thereby forming a space of corresponding width between the left disc portion 12 and the right disc portion 13, thus adapting to production scenarios of material strips of different widths and multiple material strips being transported side by side synchronously.

[0108] As a preferred option, such as Figure 16 As shown, the fixing component 15 is disposed between the right disc portion 13 and the shaft portion 11. It includes a mounting member 151 mounted on the right disc portion 13, an elastic member 152 that is radially telescopically mounted in the mounting member 151, and an annular groove 153 that is circumferentially recessed on the circumferential surface of the shaft portion 11. During operation, the right disc portion 13 is sleeved on the shaft portion 11 and axial pressure is applied until the elastic member 152 is engaged in the annular groove 153, thereby completing the axial locking of the right disc portion 13.

[0109] Preferably, the material reel 1 further includes a damper 16 coaxially connected to the shaft 11. The damper 16 controls the unloading speed and tension of the material roll, which is beneficial for stable material output.

[0110] Example 8 In this embodiment, a fiber placement machine is provided, including a robotic arm and a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape placement head as described in any of the above embodiments. The thermoplastic carbon fiber tape placement head is mounted on the robotic arm via the top of its frame 6 and is controlled by the robotic arm to perform the placement operation of the material tape I.

[0111] In this embodiment, the carbon fiber laying head adopts a double large roller structure conveying mechanism 2, which is arranged vertically and symmetrically from left to right. This saves space to install the shearing, pressure roller and other related functional modules of the laying head, making the overall structure more compact, small and lightweight, and symmetrical. This allows the robot arm to swing at a larger angle and the center of gravity to be more stable during drive, making it more suitable for the application scenario of laying material strips on a robot arm.

[0112] As an improvement, the thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head is provided with a positioning pin 5 facing the bottom of the laying operation mold.

[0113] In this embodiment, the positioning pin 5 is used to align the origin of the robot arm with the center reference point of the mold. In some embodiments, positioning is performed by visual inspection.

[0114] Work process: During operation, after the carbon fiber strip is placed into the strip reel 1, the strip head is guided to the threading point. The system automatically feeds the strip, and the strip I is conveyed to the pressing mechanism 3 through the conveying mechanism 2 for laying. The heater is used to heat and soften the strip I. Then the pressing roller 31 lays the heated and softened strip I onto the mold surface. Since the guide mechanism always supports and guides the strip I, the cut strip I can be effectively heated and softened and laid completely. When the strip length given by the computer is reached, the strip I is cut by the rotary cutting mechanism 4.

[0115] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head, characterized in that, The device includes a tape reel (1) that continuously supplies tape (I), a conveying mechanism (2) located at the output end below the tape reel (1) and continuously transmits tape (I), a pressing mechanism (3) located at the output end below the conveying mechanism (2) and cooperating with the conveying mechanism (2) for transmission, a rotary cutting mechanism (4) located at the transmission cooperation point between the conveying mechanism (2) and the pressing mechanism (3) and cuts tape (I), and a heating mechanism that cooperates with the pressing mechanism (3) to in-situ solidify tape (I) at the output end and lay it onto the working surface. The tape reel (1), the conveying mechanism (2), the rotary cutting mechanism (4) and the pressing mechanism (3) are arranged vertically in sequence and are axially parallel to each other.

2. The thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism (2) includes a first transmission roller (21) and a second transmission roller (22) distributed vertically. The material belt (I) is conveyed in an S-shape on the surfaces of the first transmission roller (21) and the second transmission roller (22), and a small roller assembly (23) that corresponds to and cooperates with the transmission surfaces of the first transmission roller (21) and the second transmission roller (22).

3. The thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism (2) further includes a small roller channel (24) inclinedly connected between the first transmission roller (21) and the second transmission roller (22) and / or a third transmission roller (26) arranged between the first transmission roller (21) and the second transmission roller (22) and a drive module (25) for driving the first transmission roller (21) and the second transmission roller (22) to rotate.

4. A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to any one of claims 2-3, characterized in that, The rotary cutting mechanism (4) includes: The mating component (41) has a transmission channel (401) for the material belt (I). A rotary cutting component (42) has a rotary cutting shaft (421), and the mating component (41) has a rotary cutting shaft hole (402) on the path of the transmission channel (401) for rotatably assembling the rotary cutting shaft (421). The rotary cutting shaft (421) has a rotary cutting channel (403) through which the feed belt (I) passes; and The drive component (43) drives the rotary cutting component (42) to rotate, causing the rotary cutting channel (403) to be misaligned with the transmission channel (401) to cut the strip (I).

5. A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mating component (41) is mounted on the frame (6) on the left side of the first transmission roller (21) and close to the feed end of the pressing mechanism (3). The rotary cutting component (42) is mounted inside the mating component (41). The driving component (43) is mounted on the frame (6) on the right side of the first transmission roller (21) and its drive end extends from the two shaft ends of the first transmission roller (21) to connect with the rotary cutting component (42) on the left side.

6. The thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rotary cutting component (42) further includes a connecting part (422), where both ends of the rotary cutting shaft (421) extend out of the rotary cutting shaft hole (402) and form the connecting part (422), which is connected to the driving component (43); the thickness of the rotary cutting channel (403) along the rotary cutting direction gradually decreases from its feed end (404) to its discharge end (405) so that the material strip (I) is cut at the discharge end (405).

7. A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to claim 6, characterized in that, The drive component (43) includes: A rotary cutting drive unit (432), which is vertically mounted on the frame (6); and A set of the transmission swing arms (431) are arranged on the two shaft ends of the second transmission roller (22). The left end of the transmission swing arm (431) is connected to the connecting part (422), and the right end is connected to the driving end of the rotary cutting drive part (432). The rotary cutting drive part (432) applies force to the right end of the transmission swing arm (431) to drive the transmission swing arm (431) and the rotary cutting component (42) to rotate synchronously.

8. A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to any one of claims 2-3, characterized in that, The pressing mechanism (3) includes: A pressure roller (31) with a diameter similar to that of the second transmission roller (22) is positioned close to the bottom discharge end of the second transmission roller (22), and the two work together to perform S-shaped transmission of the material strip (I). The material strip (I) output from the second transmission roller (22) passes through the rotary cutting mechanism (4) and continues to be transmitted on the surface of the pressure roller (31); and The guide belt mechanism (32) is disposed on the transmission side of the pressure roller (31) and is conformally fitted to the discharge transmission section (301) at the lower part of the pressure roller (31), and the two cooperate to form a channel (30) for the material belt (I) to be transmitted.

9. A thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head according to claim 8, characterized in that, The guide belt mechanism (32) includes: A guide belt component (321), wherein the guide belt component (321) is configured as an arc-shaped part that mates with the discharge conveyor section (301) and extends close to the pressure point (311) near the bottom of the pressure roller (31); and The tape feeding component (322) is located at the front end of the guide tape component (321).

10. A fiber placement machine, comprising a robotic arm, characterized in that, It also includes a thermoplastic carbon fiber tape laying head as described in any one of claims 1-9, which is mounted on the top of its frame (6) to the robot arm and controlled by the robot arm to perform the tape (I) laying operation.

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