A cable drum automatic feeding and rewinding device and a method of use
By designing an automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device, the automatic feeding, temporary storage, and unloading of cable reels were realized, solving the problems of heavy manual operation and incorrect material loading, and improving production efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZIYANG CRRC ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-05-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
In the existing technology, the feeding and unloading process of cable reels relies on manual operation, which results in heavy physical labor and is prone to material loading errors.
An automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device was designed, including a conveying system, a clamping mechanism, a wire edge storage, and a wire feeding mechanism. It realizes the automatic feeding, temporary storage, and unloading of cable reels. The clamping device moves and rotates in the X, Y, and Z axes, and works with the wire feeding mechanism to perform automatic wire feeding operations.
It has achieved full automation of the cable reel feeding, temporary storage and return process, which has improved production efficiency and avoided the heavy manual labor and material loading errors caused by manual operation.
Smart Images
Figure CN122426481A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of cable harness manufacturing technology, and more specifically, to an automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device and its usage method. Background Technology
[0002] In existing technologies, when packaging cables, the cable is usually wound around a disc-shaped core to form a cable reel. When manufacturing wire harnesses, the cable reel is placed on a wire feeding mechanism, and then the cable is output to the wire harness production equipment by controlling the rotation of the cable reel. In traditional production methods, the cable reel is usually transported from the warehouse to the wire feeding mechanism by hand using forklifts, hydraulic trucks, etc., and then placed on the wire feeding mechanism by hand using forklifts, gantry cranes, power arms, or directly by hand. Finally, various locking mechanisms are used to fix the cable reel. However, cable reels weigh tens or even hundreds of kilograms, which is extremely heavy physical labor for production workers using traditional production methods. Moreover, each time a cable reel is replaced, it takes a long time and is easy to cause problems such as loading the wrong materials. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide an automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device and its usage method, which can effectively realize the full automation of the cable reel feeding, temporary storage and unloading process, thereby eliminating manual operation and improving production efficiency. The solution adopted by this invention to solve the technical problem is: on the one hand: This invention provides an automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device, including a conveying system for conveying cable reels, a wire side storage bin located at one end of the conveying system for storing cable reels, a wire feeding bin located on the side of the wire side storage bin away from the conveying system, multiple wire feeding mechanisms installed in the wire feeding bin, and a clamping mechanism for clamping cable reels. The clamping mechanism includes a mounting frame, a clamping device mounted on the mounting frame and moving along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, a moving drive device mounted on the mounting frame and used to control the movement of the clamping device along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, and a rotating drive device that is in transmission cooperation with the clamping device and used to control the rotation of the clamping device about the Z-axis. The mounting frame is positioned above the wire edge storage and the wire feeding mechanism; Specifically, during use, the conveyor system transports the cable reels in the warehouse to the side near the clamping mechanism for specification inspection; If the cable reel does not meet the laying specifications, the conveyor system will transport the cable reel to the warehouse; If the cable reel meets the specifications, the clamping mechanism will clamp the cable reel and place it on the cable laying mechanism, and the cable laying operation will be carried out through the cable laying mechanism. If any damage to the cable is found during the cable laying process, the cable reel is clamped by the clamping mechanism and placed on the conveyor system to be transported to the warehouse. If the required length of the cable of this type is reached, the cable reel is clamped and placed in the cable side storage 2 for storage, waiting for the next use; when it is used next time, the clamping mechanism is used to clamp it directly and place it under the cable feeding mechanism for cable feeding. Once all the cables on the cable reel have been laid, the clamping mechanism will clamp the remaining reel cores and place them on the conveyor system for transport to the warehouse.
[0004] In some possible implementations, in order to effectively achieve the clamping device's gripping of the cable reel, the clamping device can be effectively controlled to move along the X, Y, and Z axes and rotate around the Z axis, thereby placing the cable reel in a designated position; the moving drive device includes a truss robotic arm mounted on the mounting frame along the Y-axis and moving along the X-axis, a vertical arm set along the Z-axis and slidingly engaged with the truss robotic arm along the Y-axis, a Y-axis drive component mounted on the truss robotic arm for controlling the vertical arm's movement along the Y-axis, a vertical moving bracket slidably mounted on the vertical arm and moving along the Z-axis, and a vertical drive component for moving the vertical moving bracket along the Z-axis; the rotating drive device is mounted on the vertical moving bracket and is in transmission engagement with the clamping device.
[0005] In some possible implementations, since cable reels are of different sizes, in order for the clamping device to be able to clamp cable reels of different sizes, the clamping device includes a mounting base that is driven by a rotary drive device, two sets of symmetrically arranged clamping plates that are slidably mounted on the mounting base, and a translation drive device mounted on the mounting base for controlling the two sets of clamping plates to move closer or further apart in a straight line in the horizontal direction; the two sets of clamping plates cooperate to form a clamping cavity for clamping and fixing the cable reel.
[0006] In some possible implementations, to prevent the cable reel from sliding out of the clamping cavity during the clamping movement, two sets of bearing pins are respectively provided on one side of the two sets of clamping plates that cooperate with each other. The axes of the two sets of bearing pins in each set of clamping plates are on the same horizontal plane and the distance between them is less than the maximum outer diameter of the cable reel. A limit rod is provided on the top of the mounting base, and the limit rod is arranged along the Y-axis direction.
[0007] In some possible implementations, in order to effectively perform the cable feeding operation on the cable reel through the feeding mechanism, the feeding mechanism includes a base plate installed in the feeding compartment, two sets of seat plates symmetrical along the Z-axis and close to or far apart from each other along the X-axis, a seat plate drive device installed on the base plate and drivingly cooperating with the two sets of seat plates, a clamping member installed on one side of the seat plates close to each other for clamping the cable reel and driving the cable reel to rotate around its axial direction, and a missing wire detection device installed on the base plate for detecting whether the cable reel is missing wire.
[0008] In some possible implementations, in order to effectively clamp the cable reel by means of a clamping member and to enable the clamping member to control the rotation of the cable reel about its axis to achieve the cable unloading operation, the clamping member includes a base rotatably mounted on two sets of base plates and rotating about the X-axis, a tapered pin mounted on the free end of the base, a friction assembly fitted on the outside of the base and used to apply friction force to the outer surface of the cable reel, and a rotation drive member that drivesly cooperates with one set of base plates and is used to control the rotation of that base about the X-axis. The friction assembly includes a fixed plate disposed on the outside of the base, a friction plate fitted on the outside of the tapered pin and moving along the X-axis, an elastic element for connecting the friction plate and the fixed plate, a guide post disposed on the friction plate and arranged along the X-axis, and a guide hole disposed on the fixed plate and slidingly engaging with the guide post.
[0009] In some possible implementations, to prevent materials from being output from or input into the warehouse, the conveying system includes parallel input and output lines; the input and output lines convey in opposite directions and are used in conjunction with a clamping mechanism.
[0010] In some possible implementations, to prevent the cable reel from being transferred from the output end of the input line to the clamping mechanism or from the clamping mechanism to the output line, a transition plate one is provided at the bottom of the input line near the clamping mechanism, and a transition plate two is provided at the top of the output line near the clamping mechanism; the transition plate one is inclined downwards; and the transition plate two is inclined upwards. A centering drive is provided on the side of the input line near the clamping mechanism to control the alignment of the magnetic disk with the axis of the input line.
[0011] In some possible implementations, the input line and the output line have the same structure, including a main frame, a double-row speed-multiplying chain mounted on the main frame, and multiple sets of support mechanisms along the conveying direction and connected to the double-row speed-multiplying chain at both ends; each set of support mechanisms includes two sets of optical rods; the optical rods are slidably engaged with the main frame through bearings; two adjacent sets of optical rods form a support cavity for supporting the cable reel.
[0012] on the other hand: This invention also provides a method of using an automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device. Specifically, based on the above-described automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device, it refers to: The input line in the conveyor system transports cable reels from the warehouse to the side near the clamping mechanism for cable specification inspection; When the cable specifications on the cable reel are detected to be non-compliant, the clamping mechanism clamps the cable reel and places it on the output line of the conveyor system to transport it to the warehouse. When the cable specifications on the cable reel are detected to meet the requirements, the clamping mechanism clamps the cable reel and places it on the cable feeding mechanism to feed the cable. When the cable is being fed on the cable feeding mechanism, if the cable of a certain model does not meet the production requirements and it is necessary to replace it with another model of cable, the clamping mechanism will clamp the cable reel and place it in the storage next to the cable. When the cable is being laid out on the cable reel by the cable laying mechanism, if the cable is found to be damaged, the clamping mechanism will clamp the cable reel and place it on the output line of the conveyor system to be sent to the warehouse. After the cable feeding mechanism has finished feeding the cable onto the cable reel, the clamping mechanism will clamp the remaining reel core and place it on the output line for output to the warehouse.
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This invention effectively realizes the automatic feeding, temporary storage, unloading, and wire feeding operations of cable reels through the cooperation of a conveying system, clamping mechanism, wire edge storage, and wire feeding mechanism; the entire process is automated and does not require manual operation, which greatly improves production and processing efficiency. This invention effectively clamps cable reels of different widths through the cooperation of a base plate, a base plate driving device, and a tapered pin. The cylinder A in the base plate driving device cooperates with the tapered pin, and the clamping force of the tapered pin on the cable reel is determined by the air pressure value of the cylinder A. For cable reels of different widths, it is only necessary to preset the air pressure value to reliably clamp them with a constant clamping force, without having to adjust the corresponding opening and closing size for each width of cable reel, which makes it convenient for cable reels. This invention utilizes the cooperation of a rotating drive component, a base, and a friction plate to drive the cable reel to rotate using the rough surface of the friction plate, thereby delivering the cable to the production equipment. Attached Figure Description
[0014] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the conveying system, transition plate one, transition plate two, and clamping mechanism in this invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping device and cable reel in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping plate, bearing pin, clamping cavity, mounting base, and translation drive device in this invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the wire feeding mechanism in this invention; Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a cable feeding mechanism and cable reel; Figure 8 for Figure 7 Sectional view at point AA; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the base, cable reel, and wire loss detection device in this invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the missing line detection device in this invention; in: 1. Conveying system; 11. Input cable; 111. Centering drive component; 12. Output line; 121. Polished rod; 122. Bearing; 13. Transition plate one; 14. Transition plate two; 2. Line-side warehouse; 3. Line release warehouse; 4. Wire feeding mechanism; 41. Base plate; 42. Top slab; 43. Seat plate; 44. Seat plate drive device; 441. Cylinder A; 442. Rack A; 443. Gear A; 45. Clamping components; 451. Base; 452. Tapered pin; 453. Friction assembly; 4531. Fixed plate; 4532. Friction plate; 4533. Elastic element; 454. Rotation drive component; 46. Missing Wire Detection Device; 461. Photoelectric sensor; 462. Trigger plate; 463. Swing rod; 5. Clamping mechanism; 51. Mounting bracket; 52. Clamping device; 521. Mounting bracket; 522. Plywood; 5220, clamping cavity; 5221, bearing pin; 523. Translation drive device; 524. Limit rod; 53. Mobility drive unit; 531. Truss robotic arm; 532. Vertical arm; 533. Y-axis drive unit; 534. Vertical movement support; 535. Vertical drive unit; 54. Rotary drive device; 6. Control cabinet; 10. Cable reel. Detailed Implementation
[0015] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, "a" or "one," etc., do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the existence of at least one. In the implementation of this application, "and / or" describes the association relationship of related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. For example, multiple positioning posts refer to two or more positioning posts. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.
[0016] The present invention will now be described in detail.
[0017] on the one hand: like Figures 1-10 As shown: An automatic cable reel 10 feeding and unloading device includes a conveying system 1 for conveying the cable reel 10, a wire edge storage 2 located at one end of the conveying system 1 for storing the cable reel 10, a wire feeding bin 3 located on the side of the wire edge storage 2 away from the conveying system 1, multiple wire feeding mechanisms 4 installed in the wire feeding bin 3, and a clamping mechanism 5 for clamping the cable reel 10. The clamping mechanism 5 includes a mounting frame 51, a clamping device 52 mounted on the mounting frame 51 and moving along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, a moving drive device 53 mounted on the mounting frame 51 and used to control the movement of the clamping device 52 along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, and a rotating drive device 54 that is in transmission cooperation with the clamping device 52 and used to control the rotation of the clamping device 52 about the Z-axis. The mounting frame 51 is positioned above the wire edge storage 2 and the wire feeding mechanism 4; Specifically, in use, the conveyor system 1 transports the cable reel 10 in the warehouse to the side near the clamping mechanism 5 for specification inspection; If the cable reel 10 does not meet the specifications for cable laying, i.e., the specifications do not meet the production and processing requirements, the conveying system 1 will transport the cable reel 10 to the warehouse. If the cable reel 10 meets the specifications, but the specifications do not meet the production and processing requirements, the clamping mechanism 5 will clamp the cable reel 10 and place it on the cable feeding mechanism 4, and the cable feeding operation will be realized through the cable feeding mechanism 4. If damage to the cable is found during the cable laying process, the cable reel 10 is clamped by the clamping mechanism 5 and placed on the conveying system 1 to be transported to the warehouse. If the required length of the cable of this type is reached, the cable reel 10 is clamped and placed in the cable side storage 2 for storage, waiting for the next use; when it is used next time, the clamping mechanism 5 is used to clamp it directly and place it under the cable feeding mechanism 4 for cable feeding. If all the cables on the cable reel 10 are laid out, the clamping mechanism 5 will clamp the remaining reel core and place it on the conveyor system 1 and transport it to the warehouse. Specifically, the cable edge storage 2 has multiple storage positions for storing multiple sets of cable reels 10; the cable laying warehouse 3 has multiple workstations, and each workstation will be equipped with a cable laying mechanism 4, so that the cable laying operation of multiple sets of cable reels 10 can be realized. Furthermore, both the wire edge storage 2 and the wire feeding bin 3 are arranged in two sets symmetrically along the X-axis, thereby greatly improving production efficiency; the clamping mechanism 5 is located in the cavity formed by the wire edge storage 2 and the wire feeding bin 3 on the same side and the wire edge storage 2 and the wire feeding bin 3 on the other side; the mounting frame 51 is located above the mounting cavity and is supported and fixed by the top surface of the wire edge storage 2 and the wire feeding bin 3; safety isolation doors are respectively provided on the two sides of the cavity near and away from the conveying system 1, so that no personnel will accidentally enter the closed area formed by the safety isolation doors, the wire edge storage 2 and the wire feeding bin 3 during the production process; Furthermore, the safety isolation door is equipped with a safety interlock device. Opening the door will automatically trigger the equipment protection, suspending all operations to ensure the safety of maintenance personnel. The end of the conveying system 1 closest to the cavity passes through the safety isolation door and enters the cavity.
[0018] In some possible implementations, in order to effectively achieve the clamping device 52 clamping the cable reel 10, the clamping device 52 can be effectively controlled to move on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis and rotate around the Z-axis to place the cable reel 10 in a designated position; the moving drive device 53 includes a truss robotic arm 531 mounted on the mounting frame 51 along the Y-axis and moving along the X-axis, a vertical arm 532 arranged along the Z-axis and slidingly engaged with the truss robotic arm 531 along the Y-axis, a Y-axis drive member 533 mounted on the truss robotic arm 531 for controlling the vertical arm 532 to move along the Y-axis, a vertical moving bracket 534 slidably mounted on the vertical arm 532 and moving along the Z-axis, and a vertical drive member 535 for moving the vertical moving bracket 534 along the Z-axis; the rotation drive device 54 is mounted on the vertical moving bracket 534 and is in transmission engagement with the clamping device 52; the clamping device 52 is rotatably mounted on the vertical moving bracket 534 and rotates around the Z-axis via the rotation drive device 54 controller; Specifically, the gantry robotic arm 531 moves along the X-axis direction on the mounting frame 51 via an X-axis drive device. The X-axis drive device is used to control the gantry robotic arm 531 to move linearly along the X-axis direction. The X-axis drive device is existing technology and can be implemented using a gear and rack structure, a lead screw pair, or a sprocket and chain structure. When a gear and rack structure is used, it includes a rack mounted on the mounting frame 51, a gear mounted on the gantry robotic arm 531 and meshing with the rack, and an X-drive motor that drives the gear to rotate. The rack has two sets of length directions arranged along the X-axis direction. Y-axis drive 533 is used to control the vertical arm 532 to move linearly along the Y-axis, and vertical drive 535 is used to control the vertical support 534 to move linearly along the Z-axis. The structures of vertical drive 535, Y-axis drive 533 and X-axis drive device are similar and will not be described in detail here. In practical use, the X-axis drive device controls the gantry robotic arm 531 to move towards the side closer to the conveying system 1 to clamp the cable reel 10 conveyed by the conveying system 1. Then, it moves away from the conveying system 1 until it reaches the station corresponding to the designated wire feeding mechanism 4. The rotation drive device 54 controls the clamping mechanism 5 to rotate, so that the cable reel 10 approaches the station. Then, it moves again along the Y-axis direction, so that the cable reel 10 enters the station and is placed on the wire feeding mechanism 4. The wire feeding operation can then be performed through the wire feeding mechanism 4.
[0019] In some possible implementations, since the cable reels 10 are of different sizes, in order for the clamping device 52 to clamp cable reels 10 of different sizes, the clamping device 52 includes a mounting base 521 that is driven in conjunction with the rotary drive device 54, two sets of symmetrically arranged clamping plates 522 that are slidably mounted on the mounting base 521, and a translation drive device 523 mounted on the mounting base 521 for controlling the two sets of clamping plates 522 to move closer or further apart in a straight line in the horizontal direction; the two sets of clamping plates 522 cooperate with each other to form a clamping cavity 5220 for clamping and fixing the cable reel 10. Specifically, the mounting base 521 is located at the bottom of the vertical moving bracket 534 and will rotate around the Z-axis under the control of the rotary drive device 54; Two sets of clamping plates 522 are arranged parallel to each other on the side of the mounting base 521 and are respectively slidably engaged with each other via slide rails; under the drive of the translation drive device 523, the two sets of clamping plates 522 can move closer or further apart, so that the clamping cavity 5220 formed between them can effectively fix the cable reel 10; the translation drive device 523 can use a lead screw pair and a motor in the prior art to achieve linear movement control. At this time, the thread on the lead screw is two segments with opposite rotation directions, and the two sets of clamping plates 522 are respectively screwed to the two sets of thread segments via sliders; its internal structure will not be described in detail here; In some possible implementations, to prevent the cable reel 10 from sliding out of the clamping cavity 5220 during the clamping and moving of the cable reel 10, two sets of bearing pins 5221 are respectively provided on one side of the two sets of clamping plates 522 that cooperate with each other. The axes of the two sets of bearing pins 5221 in each set of clamping plates 522 are on the same horizontal plane and the distance between them is less than the maximum outer diameter of the cable reel 10. A limit rod 524 is provided on the top of the mounting base 521. The limiting rod 524 is set on the top of the mounting base 521. When the cable reel 10 rolls from the input line 11 into the clamping cavity 5220 under its own gravity, the limiting rod 524 is used to limit and block the cable reel 10. The four sets of bearing pins 5221 in the clamping cavity 5220 provide four support points. After the cable reel 10 enters the clamping cavity 5220, it will be effectively lifted by the four bearing pins 5221. When clamping the cable reel 10, the width between the two sets of clamping plates 522 is adjusted to be greater than the width of the cable reel 10, while the distance between the bearing pins 5221 on the two sets of clamping plates 522 is less than the width of the cable reel 10. For example, if the length of the bearing pin is set to 30mm and the width of the cable reel 10 is L, before clamping, the distance between the two sets of clamping plates 522 is L+20mm. When the center of the cable reel 10 deviates from the center of the clamping cavity 5220 by 10mm, this can still ensure that the bearing pins 5221 can effectively support the cable reel 10. In some possible implementations, to prevent the cable reel 10 from being transferred from the output end of the input line 11 to the clamping mechanism 5 or from the clamping mechanism 5 to the output line 12, a transition plate 13 is provided at the bottom of the input line 11 near the clamping mechanism 5, and a transition plate 14 is provided at the top of the output line 12 near the clamping mechanism 5; the transition plate 13 is inclined downwards; and the transition plate 14 is inclined upwards. A centering drive 111 for controlling the alignment of the magnetic disk with the axis of the input line 11 is provided on the side of the input line 11 near the clamping mechanism 5. Specifically, there are two sets of centering drive units 111 arranged coaxially. The two sets of centering drive units 111 are symmetrically arranged along the conveying axis of the input line 11. This allows for the adjustment of the position of the cable reel 10 along the Y-axis before transferring the cable reel 10 at the output end of the input line 11 to the clamping mechanism 5. This ensures that the cable reel 10 can pass through the transition plate 13 stably and reliably and be transferred to the clamping mechanism 5 under its own weight. Furthermore, the centering drive 111 is a centering cylinder, and the extension and retraction ends of the two sets of centering cylinders are located at the ends that are close to each other; the cable reel 10 is located between the two sets of centering cylinders; when the cable reel 10 undergoes a large displacement along the Y-axis during the conveying process, the two sets of centering cylinders push the cable reel 10 to center; the output end of the input line 11 is provided with an inclined transition plate 13 for the transition connection between the input line 11 and the clamping mechanism 5; the input end of the output line 12 is provided with an inclined transition plate 14 for the transition connection between the output line 12 and the clamping mechanism 5.
[0020] During the clamping and placement of the cable reel 10 using the aforementioned clamping device 52, the opening size of the two sets of clamping plates 522 can be controlled according to the current width of the cable reel 10; at the same time, the diameter parameter of the current cable reel 10 is read to determine the displacement size in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions and the rotation angle of the mounting base 521, so as to accurately clamp and place the cable reel 10; this control method can meet the clamping and placement of cable reels 10 of any size with a width of 240-300mm and a diameter of 300-500mm provided by different suppliers.
[0021] Furthermore, each storage position in the line edge silo 2 is equipped with two sets of horizontal bars on the same horizontal plane; the two sets of horizontal bars are arranged along the X-axis direction, and the distance between them is less than the diameter of the cable reel 10 and the distance between two sets of bearing pins 5221 on the adjacent clamping plate 522. When the cable reel 10 is stored, the two sets of horizontal bars support its bottom; a photoelectric sensor 461 for detecting the material release status of the silo is provided in each storage position. When the photoelectric sensor 461 gives a signal that the silo is "empty", the clamping mechanism 5 can place the cable reel 10 in the storage position, thereby effectively avoiding repeated material release.
[0022] When the cable reel 10 is clamped, according to the provided width parameters of the cable reel 10, the translation drive device 523 opens the clamping plate 522 to the set size, and then completes the positioning through four degrees of freedom of motion provided by the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis and the rotation axis of the mounting base 521; depending on the position and state of the cable reel 10, the positioning of the clamping mechanism 5 can be divided into two methods: The first method is as follows: When clamping the cable reel 10 at the output end of the input line 11, the clamping plate is aligned with the center of the output end of the input line 11, and the four sets of bearing pins 5221 are located on the lower side of the transition plate 13. The cable reel 10 rolls into the clamping cavity 5220 under its own weight and is supported by the four sets of bearing pins 5221. The second method is as follows: When clamping the cable reel 10 on the wire edge cassette 2 or the cable release mechanism 4, the clamping cavity 5220 is first aligned with the center of the cable reel 10. The four sets of bearing pins 5221 are positioned directly below the cable reel 10 according to the diameter parameters input by the control system. Then, the two sets of clamping plates 522 rise as a whole, and the four sets of bearing pins 5221 lift the cable reel 10. After the cable reel 10 is lifted by the four sets of bearing pins 5221, the two sets of clamping plates 522 move closer to each other and clamp the cable reel 10.
[0023] When the cable sheet is placed, the clamping device 52 completes the positioning according to the diameter parameter of the cable reel 10, through the four degrees of freedom of motion provided by the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis and the rotation axis of the mounting base 521; When the cable reel 10 is placed into the cable feeding mechanism 4, the clamping device 52 moves into the cable feeding compartment 3 and completes the positioning. Then, the clamping plate 522 is opened, and the cable is moved down and back to complete the placement. When placed in position 2 of the line edge storage, after the clamping device 52 enters the storage position and completes the positioning, it first controls the two sets of clamping plates 522 to move away from each other to the side, and the clamping plates 522 no longer clamp the cable reel 10. Then, it moves downward along the Z-axis, and the support of the cable reel 10 is changed from four sets of bearing pins 5221 to double crossbars in the storage position. After that, the two sets of clamping plates 522 move away from each other to the side and open completely. Then, it moves up and back to complete the placement. When placed on the output line 12, after the clamping device 52 completes the positioning, the two sets of clamping plates 522 move to the side away from each other and open completely. Under its own gravity, the cable reel 10 rolls along the inclined surface of the transition plate 14 on the output line 12 and enters the input end of the output line 12.
[0024] In some possible implementations, in order to effectively deliver the cables from the cable reel 10 to other production equipment via the cable delivery mechanism 4, the cable delivery mechanism 4 includes a base plate 41 and a top plate 42 installed in the cable delivery compartment 3, two sets of seat plates 43 symmetrical along the Z-axis and close to or far apart along the X-axis, a seat plate drive device 44 installed on the base plate 41 and in transmission cooperation with the two sets of seat plates 43, a clamping member 45 installed on the side of the seat plates 43 close to each other and used to clamp the cable reel 10 and drive the cable reel 10 to rotate around its axial direction, and a cable shortage detection device 46 installed on the base plate 41 and used to detect whether the cable reel 10 is missing a cable; the upper and lower sides of the seat plate 43 are respectively slidably engaged with the base plate 41 and the top plate 42 in the X-axis direction through linear guides; each set of seat plates 43 is provided with four sets of linear guides, two sets on the top and two sets on the bottom. Furthermore, the wire feeding compartment 3 includes six wire feeding positions in two rows and three columns. Each wire feeding position is equipped with a wire feeding mechanism 4. The seat plate drive device 44 includes a cylinder A441 connected to one of the seat plates 43 and used to control its movement along the X-axis, and a synchronous drive mechanism for connecting the two sets of seat plates 43. The synchronous drive mechanism uses a gear and rack structure to achieve the mutual approach or distance between the two sets of seat plates 43, including two sets of racks A442 and one set of gears A443. The two sets of racks A442 are arranged along the X-axis and are respectively located at opposite ends. It is connected to a set of seat plates 43; gear A443 is set between two sets of racks A442 and rotates with the base; specifically, cylinder A441 pushes one set of seat plates 43 to move along the length of the linear guide rail, and racks A442 connected to the seat plate 43 move synchronously and push gear A443 to rotate. The other set of racks A442 moves in the opposite direction and at the same speed under the action of the rotation of gear A443, and synchronously drives the other set of seat plates 43 to move, ultimately realizing the opening and closing action of the two sets of seat plates 43 moving closer or further apart.
[0025] The missing line detection device 46 includes a bracket mounted on a base 451, a photoelectric sensor 461 mounted on the bracket and used for missing line detection, a trigger plate 462 provided with a receiving end of the photoelectric sensor 461 and rotatably cooperating with the bracket, and a swing rod 463 connected to the trigger plate 462. Before cable laying, the cable passes through the support and connects to the production equipment. The swing arm 463 is placed above the cable and supported by it. When no cable passes through the support, the swing arm 463 hangs down naturally under gravity, causing the trigger plate 462 to rotate, and the photoelectric sensor 461 sends a "no cable" signal. When a cable passes through the support, the swing arm 463 is lifted at a small angle by the cable, and the photoelectric sensor 461 sends a "wire present" signal. When the photoelectric sensor 461 gives a "no cable" signal, the control clamp releases the cable reel 10 and the control clamping mechanism 5 clamps the cable reel 10, thereby protecting the clamping mechanism 5 from clamping the cable reel 10 while the cable is not retracted.
[0026] In some possible implementations, in order to effectively clamp the cable reel 10 by means of the clamping member 45 and to enable the clamping member 45 to control the rotation of the cable reel 10 around its axis to realize the cable unloading operation, the clamping member 45 includes a base 451 that is rotatably mounted on two sets of base plates 43 and rotates around the X-axis, a tapered pin 452 mounted on the free end of the base 451, a friction assembly 453 that is fitted on the outside of the base 451 and is used to apply friction force to the outer surface of the cable reel 10, and a rotation drive member 454 that is in transmission cooperation with one of the sets of bases 451 and is used to control the rotation of the base 451 around the X-axis. The base 451 is mounted on the seat plate 43 via the bearing 122. When the two sets of seat plates 43 are closed, the tapered pin 452 will press against the center hole of the cable reel 10, thus clamping the cable reel 10. When the two sets of seat plates 43 are opened, the cable reel 10 is released. Compared with the existing technology of clamping the cable reel 10 according to the set opening and closing size, this setting has an important advantage: the clamping force of the tapered pin 452 is determined by the air pressure value of the air cylinder A441. For cable reels 10 with different widths, it is only necessary to preset the air pressure value to reliably clamp with a constant clamping force, without having to adjust the corresponding opening and closing size for each width of cable reel 10. This setting can effectively clamp a width range of 240-300mm, which can better accommodate various widths of cable reels 10, and the overall structure is simpler and more economical.
[0027] The friction assembly 453 includes a fixing plate 4531 disposed on the outside of the base 451, a friction plate 4532 fitted on the outside of the tapered pin 452 and moving along the X-axis, an elastic element 4533 for connecting the friction plate 4532 and the fixing plate 4531, a guide post disposed on the friction plate 4532 and disposed along the X-axis, and a guide hole disposed on the fixing plate 4531 and slidingly engaged with the guide post; the friction plate 4532 has an annular structure.
[0028] The tapered pin 452 is used to clamp and lift the cable reel 10, while the friction plate 4532 is used to drive the cable reel 10 to rotate and achieve cable output. The elastic element 4533 consists of eight sets of springs, which are evenly arranged around the base 451. After the tapered pin 452 is pressed against the center hole of the cable reel 10, the cable reel 10 pushes the friction plate 4532 to both sides with its end face facing outwards. The diameter of the center hole of the cable reel 10 provided by different suppliers is different, which results in different pressing depths of the tapered pin 452 after it is pressed against the base, and different displacements of the friction plate 4532 pushing it to both sides. However, under the elastic force of the spring, the friction plate 4532 will always be in close contact with both ends of the cable reel 10. This setting can ensure that the end faces of all cable reels 10 with a center hole diameter range of 30 to 60 mm can be in close contact with the friction plate 4532. When the rotation drive 454 controls the base 451 to rotate, the friction plate 4532 and the tapered pin 452 will rotate synchronously. At this time, the friction plate 4532, which is in close contact with the end face of the cable reel 10, will use its rough surface to drive the cable reel 10 to rotate, thereby sending the cable out to the production equipment.
[0029] The rotation drive component 454 includes a servo motor, a driven pulley mounted on the base plate 43 and coaxially connected to the base 451, and a drive pulley connected to the servo motor and driven by the driven pulley via a synchronous belt.
[0030] In some possible implementations, to prevent materials from being output from or input to the warehouse, the conveying system 1 includes parallel input lines 11 and output lines 12; the input lines 11 and output lines 12 convey in opposite directions and are used in conjunction with the clamping mechanism 5.
[0031] In some possible implementations, the input line 11 and the output line 12 have the same structure, including a main frame, a double-row speed-multiplying chain mounted on the main frame, and multiple sets of support mechanisms along the conveying direction and connected to the double-row speed-multiplying chain at both ends; each set of support mechanisms includes two sets of guide rods 121; the guide rods 121 are slidably engaged with the main frame through bearings 122; two adjacent sets of guide rods 121 form a support cavity for supporting the cable reel 10; that is, one support cavity is one support plate position, used to support the cable reel 10 or the reel center; the guide rods 121 are arranged along the Y-axis direction.
[0032] The double-row speed chain is an existing technology, comprising two parallel rows of speed chains, driven by a set of drive motors; the two rows of speed chains are respectively mounted on the main frame; the optical rod 121 is located on the two rows of speed chains and is connected to the two rows of speed chains respectively; the movement of the speed chains drives the optical rod 121 to move, thereby moving the cable reel 10 located in the support cavity; each set of optical rods 121 has two sets of bearings 122, which enable the optical rod 121 to move on the main frame; Preferably, the distance between the two sets of optical rods 121 is 255mm, and the distance between the bearings 122 at both ends of each set of optical rods 121 is 350mm. This structure can be compatible with any size cable reel 10 in the range of 240-300mm in width and 300-500mm in diameter provided by different suppliers.
[0033] Furthermore, a control cabinet 6 is installed on the side of the input line 11 near the mounting bracket 51. When the cable is delivered to the output end of the input line 11, the control cabinet 6 is equipped with a barcode scanner to automatically scan the cable reel 10. The control cabinet 6 will display parameters such as the cable specifications, the diameter and width of the cable reel 10. By controlling the width parameter of the cable reel 10, the distance between the two sets of clamping plates 522 can be adjusted. At the same time, according to the diameter of the cable reel 10, the clamping mechanism 5 gantry robotic arm 531 is controlled to move to a suitable position to receive and clamp the cable reel 10 at the output end of the input line 11. Simultaneously, the control cabinet 6 compares the cable specifications with the required specifications. If the specifications match, the process continues; otherwise, the clamping mechanism 5 is controlled to clamp the cable reel 10, place it on the output line 12, and transport it to the warehouse for storage.
[0034] on the other hand: A method of using an automatic cable reel 10 feeding and unloading device, specifically referring to the above-described automatic cable reel 10 feeding and unloading device: The input line 11 in the conveyor system 1 transports the cable reel 10 from the warehouse to the side near the clamping mechanism 5 to check the cable specifications; thus eliminating the problem of incorrect material loading due to human error. When the cable specifications on the cable reel 10 are detected to be non-compliant, the clamping mechanism 5 clamps the cable reel 10 and places it on the output line 12 in the conveying system 1 to transport it to the warehouse. When the cable specifications on the cable reel 10 are detected to meet the requirements, the clamping mechanism 5 clamps the cable reel 10 and places it on the cable feeding mechanism 4 to feed the cable. When the cable is being laid out on the cable laying mechanism 4, if the cable of this model does not meet the production requirements and needs to be replaced with another model of cable, the clamping mechanism 5 clamps the cable reel 10 and places it in the cable side storage 2. It can be directly taken from the cable side storage 2 when needed later. That is, when the cable of model A no longer meets the requirements for subsequent production, when the cable of model B is to be laid out, the clamping mechanism 5 clamps the cable reel 10 wrapped with model A and places it in the cable side storage 2. The cable reel 10 with model B cable is taken from the input line 11 or the cable side storage 2 and transferred to the cable laying mechanism 4 for laying out.
[0035] When cable is being fed on the cable feeding mechanism 4, if the cable on the cable reel 10 is found to be damaged, the clamping mechanism 5 clamps the cable reel 10 and places it on the output line 12 in the conveying system 1 for output to the warehouse; thus completely solving the problem of waste being misused again. After the cable feeding mechanism 4 has finished feeding the cable on the cable reel 10, the clamping mechanism 5 will clamp the remaining reel core of the cable reel 10 and place it on the output line 12 for output to the warehouse.
[0036] Of course, the cable reel 10 conveyed by the input line 11 can also be clamped by the clamping mechanism 5 and stored directly in the online storage 2.
[0037] This invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The invention extends to any new feature or combination disclosed in this specification, as well as any new method or process step or combination disclosed herein.
Claims
1. An automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device, characterized in that, It includes a conveying system for transporting multiple cable reels, a cable storage bin located at one end of the conveying system for storing the cable reels, a cable feeding bin located on the side of the cable storage bin away from the conveying system, multiple sets of cable feeding mechanisms installed in the cable feeding bin, and a clamping mechanism for gripping the cable reels. The clamping mechanism includes a mounting frame, a clamping device mounted on the mounting frame and moving along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, a moving drive device mounted on the mounting frame and used to control the movement of the clamping device along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis, and a rotating drive device that is in transmission cooperation with the clamping device and used to control the rotation of the clamping device about the Z-axis. The mounting frame is positioned above the wire edge storage and the wire feeding mechanism.
2. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mobile drive device includes a truss robotic arm mounted on a mounting frame along the Y-axis and moving along the X-axis, a vertical arm set along the Z-axis and slidingly engaged with the truss robotic arm along the Y-axis, a Y-axis drive unit mounted on the truss robotic arm and used to control the vertical arm's movement along the Y-axis, a vertical moving bracket slidably mounted on the vertical arm and moving along the Z-axis, and a vertical drive unit used to move the vertical moving bracket along the Z-axis. The rotary drive device is mounted on the vertical moving bracket and is in transmission cooperation with the clamping device.
3. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping device includes a mounting base that is driven by a rotary drive device, two sets of symmetrically arranged clamping plates that are slidably mounted on the mounting base, and a translation drive device mounted on the mounting base for controlling the two sets of clamping plates to move closer to or further away from each other in a straight line in the horizontal direction; the two sets of clamping plates cooperate to form a clamping cavity for clamping and fixing the cable reel.
4. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Two sets of bearing pins are respectively provided on one side of the two sets of clamping plates that cooperate with each other. The axes of the two sets of bearing pins in each set of clamping plates are on the same horizontal plane and the distance between them is less than the maximum outer diameter of the cable reel. A limit rod is provided on the top of the mounting base, and the limit rod is set along the Y-axis direction.
5. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cable feeding mechanism includes a base plate installed in the cable feeding compartment, two sets of seat plates symmetrical along the Z-axis and close to or far apart along the X-axis, a seat plate drive device installed on the base plate and drivingly cooperating with the two sets of seat plates, a clamping member installed on one side of the seat plates that is close to each other and used to clamp the cable reel and drive the cable reel to rotate around its axial direction, and a cable missing detection device installed on the base plate and used to detect whether the cable reel is missing wire.
6. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The clamping component includes a base that is rotatably mounted on two sets of base plates and rotates about the X-axis, a tapered pin mounted on the free end of the base, a friction assembly fitted on the outside of the base and used to apply friction to the outer side of the cable reel, and a rotation drive that is driven in conjunction with one of the bases and used to control the rotation of the base about the X-axis. The friction assembly includes a fixed plate disposed on the outside of the base, a friction plate fitted on the outside of the tapered pin and moving along the X-axis, an elastic element for connecting the friction plate and the fixed plate, a guide post disposed on the friction plate and arranged along the X-axis, and a guide hole disposed on the fixed plate and slidingly engaging with the guide post.
7. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conveying system includes parallel input lines and output lines; the input lines and output lines convey in opposite directions and are used in conjunction with a clamping mechanism.
8. The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 7, characterized in that, A transition plate one is provided at the bottom of the input line near the clamping mechanism, and a transition plate two is provided at the top of the output line near the clamping mechanism; the transition plate one is inclined downward; the transition plate two is inclined upward. A centering drive is provided on the side of the input line near the clamping mechanism to control the alignment of the magnetic disk with the axis of the input line.
9. An automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The input line and the output line have the same structure, including a main frame, a double-row speed-multiplying chain mounted on the main frame, and multiple sets of optical rods along the conveying direction and connected to the double-row speed-multiplying chain at both ends; the optical rods are slidably fitted to the main frame through bearings; two adjacent sets of optical rods form a support cavity for supporting the cable reel.
10. A method of using an automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device, characterized in that, The automatic cable reel feeding and unloading device according to any one of claims 1-9 specifically refers to: The input line in the conveyor system transports cable reels from the warehouse to the side near the clamping mechanism for cable specification inspection; When the cable specifications on the cable reel are detected to be non-compliant, the clamping mechanism clamps the cable reel and places it on the output line of the conveyor system to transport it to the warehouse. When the cable specifications on the cable reel are detected to meet the requirements, the clamping mechanism clamps the cable reel and places it on the cable feeding mechanism to feed the cable. When the cable is being fed on the cable feeding mechanism, if the cable of a certain model does not meet the production requirements and it is necessary to replace it with another model of cable, the clamping mechanism will clamp the cable reel and place it in the storage next to the cable. When the cable is being laid out on the cable reel by the cable laying mechanism, if the cable is found to be damaged, the clamping mechanism will clamp the cable reel and place it on the output line of the conveyor system to be sent to the warehouse. After the cable feeding mechanism has finished feeding the cables from the cable reel, the clamping mechanism clamps the reel and places it on the output line for output to the warehouse.