A laser assembly welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled hub

Abstract

This invention discloses a laser welding device for the rim and spokes of thin-walled wheel hubs, relating to the field of wheel hub manufacturing technology. It includes a welding unit and a welding positioner. The welding unit comprises a welding robot and a oscillating laser welding head, the oscillating laser welding head being fixedly connected to the end effector of the welding robot's arm. The welding positioner includes a base, a tilting seat, a tilting drive device, a hollow turntable, and a rotation drive device. The tilting drive device drives the tilting seat to tilt, and the rotation drive device drives the hollow turntable to rotate. The hollow turntable has mounting holes for the rim and positioning fixtures for the spokes of the thin-walled wheel hub. This invention uses laser welding to replace traditional gas shielded welding, combining welding torch oscillation and workpiece displacement, effectively avoiding the burn-through problem when welding thin-walled wheel rims. It achieves high-quality, high-precision, and high-efficiency automated welding of the rim and spokes, meeting the urgent need for lightweight manufacturing of agricultural machinery wheel hubs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wheel manufacturing technology, and in particular to a laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub. Background Technology

[0002] The wheel hub is a key component of agricultural machinery, formed by assembling and welding the rim and spokes. Gas shielded welding is generally used, with oscillation creating a wide weld seam, the width of which is close to the thickness of the spoke edge. Advanced welding processes employ double-wire gas shielded welding, which creates a wide weld seam without oscillation.

[0003] As the trend of lightweight agricultural machinery becomes more and more obvious, the wheel hub also needs to be lighter, which requires thinning the rim wall thickness. However, the traditional gas shielded welding process will burn through the thin-walled rim when the weld reaches the thickness of the spoke wall, and the welding speed is very slow, resulting in low production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a laser welding device for the rim and spokes of thin-walled wheel hubs, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art and improve the welding efficiency of the rim and spokes of thin-walled wheel hubs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: This invention provides a laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub, comprising: A welding unit, comprising a welding robot and a oscillating laser welding head, wherein the oscillating laser welding head is fixedly connected to the end of the arm of the welding robot; A welding positioner includes a base, a tilting plate, a tilting seat, a tilting drive device, a hollow turntable, and a rotary drive device. One end of the tilting plate is rotatably connected to the base via a rotating shaft. The output end of the tilting drive device is driven to the other end of the tilting plate via a first transmission mechanism. The tilting seat is fixedly mounted on the tilting plate. The tilting drive device drives the tilting plate to rotate relative to the base about the rotating shaft as the central axis. The hollow turntable is rotatably engaged with the tilting seat. The rotary drive device is fixedly connected to the tilting seat and driven to the hollow turntable via a second transmission mechanism. The rotary drive device drives the hollow turntable to rotate. The hollow turntable has multiple mounting holes for mounting the rims of thin-walled wheel hubs. A positioning shaft coaxial with the hollow turntable is also fixedly mounted on the hollow turntable, and a positioning fixture for mounting the spokes of the thin-walled wheel hub is fixedly mounted on the positioning shaft.

[0006] Preferably, a connecting plate is fixedly provided at the end of the arm of the welding robot, and the oscillating laser welding head is fixedly connected to the connecting plate.

[0007] Preferably, the hollow turntable is rotatably coupled to the tilting seat via a bearing.

[0008] Preferably, two photoelectric switches are fixed on the hollow turntable and arranged opposite each other. When the rim of the thin-walled hub is installed on the hollow turntable, it can block the optical signal transmission between the two photoelectric switches. The photoelectric switches are connected to the control system of the welding robot.

[0009] Preferably, the tilting drive device is a worm gear reducer motor; the first transmission mechanism includes a drive shaft and two linkage mechanisms. The drive shaft is rotatably mounted on the base, and one end of the drive shaft is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the tilting drive device. Each linkage mechanism includes a first linkage and a second linkage. One end of the first linkage is fixedly connected to the drive shaft, and one end of the second linkage is rotatably connected to the other end of the first linkage and the other end is rotatably connected to the tilting plate.

[0010] Preferably, the rotary drive device is a servo motor; the second transmission mechanism includes a drive gear fixed on the output shaft of the rotary drive device and a driven gear fixed on the hollow turntable, the driven gear meshing with the drive gear, and the driven gear being coaxial with the hollow turntable.

[0011] Preferably, the rim of the thin-walled hub mounted on the hollow turntable is coaxial with the spokes mounted on the positioning fixture.

[0012] Preferably, the positioning fixture is provided with a plurality of positioning holes, which are used to fix the fixture to the spokes by means of positioning pins.

[0013] The present invention achieves the following technical effects compared to the prior art: The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of thin-walled wheel hubs provided by this invention replaces traditional gas shielded welding with laser welding technology. Utilizing the high energy density and precise controllable heat input of lasers, the heat-affected zone of the weld is greatly reduced. By driving the rim and spokes to rotate synchronously using a welding positioner, combined with a precisely controllable oscillating laser welding head, the device effectively prevents excessive heat concentration while ensuring the weld width meets the connection strength requirements. This completely avoids the burn-through defect that easily occurs when welding thin-walled wheel rims, significantly improving the quality and reliability of the welded joints of thin-walled wheel hubs.

[0014] This invention integrates a welding robot with a dedicated welding positioner. The tilting drive device adjusts the workpiece tilt angle, ensuring the weld seam is always in the optimal laser welding position (e.g., flat welding position). This allows for parallel or rapid connection of loading, welding, and unloading processes, reducing auxiliary time and achieving near-continuous operation. Compared to traditional manual or semi-automatic welding, production efficiency is significantly improved. By fixing the wheel spokes to the positioning fixture and positioning shaft, and installing the wheel rim in the mounting holes of the hollow turntable, the wheel spokes and rim are automatically kept coaxially aligned before welding, ensuring high assembly accuracy. During welding, the welding robot drives the oscillating laser welding head along a predetermined path, and the positioner precisely rotates the workpiece, ensuring the stability of the relative position of the laser beam and the weld seam, as well as the welding parameters, thereby obtaining a high-quality weld seam with uniform shape and good consistency. By setting a photoelectric switch on the hollow turntable, the light signal is blocked when the wheel rim is installed in place. This signal is interlocked with the welding robot control system, effectively preventing the welding program from starting accidentally when the workpiece is not properly installed. This ensures the safety of equipment and products and improves the reliability and intelligence of the automated production process. The welding positioner uses a worm gear tilt drive and a servo motor rotation drive, providing accurate positioning and self-locking. The overall device has a reasonable structural design, and by adjusting the positioning fixtures or program parameters, it can adapt to the welding needs of thin-walled hubs of different diameters and specifications, demonstrating good versatility. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to the present invention. Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to the present invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the welding positioner in the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the welding positioner in the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 5 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to the present invention. In the diagram: 1. Welding unit; 101. Welding robot; 102. Oscillating laser welding head; 103. Connecting plate; 2. Welding positioner; 201. Base; 202. Tilting seat; 203. Tilting drive device; 204. Hollow turntable; 205. Rotation drive device; 206. Rotating shaft; 207. Mounting hole; 208. Positioning shaft; 209. Positioning fixture; 210. Tilting plate; 211. Flange; 212. Photoelectric switch; 213. Drive shaft; 214. Linkage mechanism; 2141. First link; 2142. Second link; 215. Drive gear; 216. Driven gear; 217. Positioning hole; 218. Positioning pin; 3. Rim; 4. Spokes. Detailed Implementation

[0017] 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.

[0018] The purpose of this invention is to provide a laser welding device for the rim and spokes of thin-walled wheel hubs, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art and improve the welding efficiency of the rim and spokes of thin-walled wheel hubs.

[0019] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0020] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, this embodiment provides a laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub, comprising: Welding unit 1 includes a welding robot 101 and a oscillating laser welding head 102, which is fixedly connected to the end of the arm of the welding robot 101. Welding positioner 2 includes a base 201, a tilting plate 210, a tilting seat 202, a tilting drive device 203, a hollow turntable 204, and a rotary drive device 205. One end of the tilting plate 210 is rotatably connected to the base 201 via a rotating shaft 206. The output end of the tilting drive device 203 is connected to the other end of the tilting plate 210 via a first transmission mechanism. The tilting seat 202 is fixedly mounted on the tilting plate 210. The tilting drive device 203 drives the tilting plate 210 to rotate relative to the base 201 about the rotating shaft 206 as the central axis. The hollow turntable 204 is rotatably engaged with the tilting seat 202. The rotary drive device 205 is fixedly connected to the tilting seat 202. The rotary drive device 205 is connected to the hollow turntable 204 through the second transmission mechanism. The rotary drive device 205 is used to drive the hollow turntable 204 to rotate. The hollow turntable 204 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes 207 for mounting the rim 3 of the thin-walled wheel hub. The hollow turntable 204 is also fixed with a positioning shaft 208 coaxial with the hollow turntable 204. The positioning shaft 208 is fixed with a positioning fixture 209 for mounting the spoke 4 of the thin-walled wheel hub.

[0021] In the optional embodiments of this example, a preferred embodiment is that the arm end of the welding robot 101 is fixedly provided with a connecting plate 103, and the oscillating laser welding head 102 is fixedly connected to the connecting plate 103. It should be noted that the oscillating laser welding head 102 is a commercially available product well-known to those skilled in the art. In this embodiment, an oscillating laser welding head 102 with a touchscreen is preferred to facilitate the operator in adjusting welding parameters via the touchscreen.

[0022] In the optional solutions of this embodiment, the hollow turntable 204 is more preferably rotatably coupled with the tilting seat 202 via bearings.

[0023] In the optional scheme of this embodiment, a preferred embodiment has two oppositely arranged photoelectric switches 212 fixed on the hollow turntable 204. When the rim 3 of the thin-walled hub is installed on the hollow turntable 204, it can block the optical signal transmission between the two photoelectric switches 212. The photoelectric switches 212 are connected to the control system signal of the welding robot 101. It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the maximum angle of continuous rotation of the hollow turntable 204 does not exceed 360°, and after rotating a preset angle, the hollow turntable 204 will reverse a preset angle to reset for the next stage of welding. In this working mode, since the hollow turntable 204 will reverse a preset angle to reset after rotating a preset angle, the problem of the signal wires of the photoelectric switches 212 getting tangled due to the continuous rotation of the hollow turntable 204 in the same direction is avoided.

[0024] In the optional scheme of this embodiment, the first transmission mechanism includes a drive shaft 213 and two linkage mechanisms 214. The drive shaft 213 is rotatably mounted on the base 201, and one end of the drive shaft 213 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the tilting drive device 203 through a flange 211. Each linkage mechanism 214 includes a first linkage 2141 and a second linkage 2142. One end of the first linkage 2141 is fixedly connected to the drive shaft 213, and one end of the second linkage 2142 is rotatably connected to the other end of the first linkage 2141 and the other end is rotatably connected to the tilting plate 210.

[0025] In the optional schemes of this embodiment, it is more preferred that the rotary drive device 205 adopts a servo motor; the second transmission mechanism includes a drive gear 215 fixed on the output shaft of the rotary drive device 205 and a driven gear 216 fixed on the hollow turntable 204. The driven gear 216 meshes with the drive gear 215, and the driven gear 216 is coaxial with the hollow turntable 204.

[0026] In the optional schemes of this embodiment, it is more preferred that the rim 3 of the thin-walled hub mounted on the hollow turntable 204 is coaxial with the spoke 4 mounted on the positioning fixture 209.

[0027] In the optional solutions of this embodiment, a more preferred option is that the positioning fixture 209 is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 217, which are used to fix the positioning holes 217 to the spokes 4 via positioning pins 218.

[0028] The specific usage method of the laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub in this embodiment is as follows: Before welding, the tilt angles of the tilt plate 210, tilt seat 202 and hollow turntable 204 can be adjusted by the tilt drive device 203 according to actual needs, so that the installation and disassembly of the rim 3 and spoke 4 can be carried out conveniently, and the feeding, welding and unloading processes can be quickly connected. The spokes 4 of the thin-walled wheel hub are mounted on the positioning fixture 209 via the positioning pins 218, and then the rim 3 of the thin-walled wheel hub is mounted on the hollow turntable 204. The photoelectric switch 212 on the fixture is triggered, and the workpiece is detected to be clamped. The photoelectric switch 212 transmits the ready signal to the robot control system to start the welding process. After receiving the signal, the welding robot 101 automatically moves the swinging laser welding head 102 at its end to the welding starting point. This position is preset by programming and precisely matched with the tooling positioning reference. The oscillating laser welding head 102 outputs a laser beam and oscillates at high speed. The wire feeder promptly feeds the welding wire into the molten pool through the wire feeding tube. At the same time, the hollow turntable 204 in the welding positioner 2 at the bottom starts to rotate at a constant speed, driving the rim 3 and spoke 4 of the thin-walled wheel hub to rotate synchronously. Welding continues until the designed arc length is reached. The welding robot 101 sends a stop welding signal, the oscillating laser welding head 102 stops outputting the laser beam, and the wire feeder stops feeding the wire, completing a continuous welding section. When the welding positioner 2 moves to the next welding position, the welding robot 101 sends a start welding signal, the oscillating laser welding head 102 outputs a laser beam and oscillates at high speed, and the wire feeder feeds the welding wire into the molten pool in time to carry out the next welding segment, and finally completes the full circle welding.

[0029] Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. A laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub, characterized in that, include: A welding unit, comprising a welding robot and a oscillating laser welding head, wherein the oscillating laser welding head is fixedly connected to the end of the arm of the welding robot; A welding positioner includes a base, a tilting plate, a tilting seat, a tilting drive device, a hollow turntable, and a rotary drive device. One end of the tilting plate is rotatably connected to the base via a rotating shaft. The output end of the tilting drive device is driven to the other end of the tilting plate via a first transmission mechanism. The tilting seat is fixedly mounted on the tilting plate. The tilting drive device drives the tilting plate to rotate relative to the base about the rotating shaft as the central axis. The hollow turntable is rotatably engaged with the tilting seat. The rotary drive device is fixedly connected to the tilting seat and driven to the hollow turntable via a second transmission mechanism. The rotary drive device drives the hollow turntable to rotate. The hollow turntable has multiple mounting holes for mounting the rims of thin-walled wheel hubs. A positioning shaft coaxial with the hollow turntable is also fixedly mounted on the hollow turntable, and a positioning fixture for mounting the spokes of the thin-walled wheel hub is fixedly mounted on the positioning shaft.

2. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: A connecting plate is fixedly installed at the end of the arm of the welding robot, and the oscillating laser welding head is fixedly connected to the connecting plate.

3. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hollow turntable is rotatably coupled to the tilting seat via bearings.

4. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two photoelectric switches are fixed on the hollow turntable and arranged opposite each other. When the rim of the thin-walled wheel hub is installed on the hollow turntable, it can block the light signal transmission between the two photoelectric switches. The photoelectric switches are connected to the control system of the welding robot.

5. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilting drive device uses a worm gear reducer motor; the first transmission mechanism includes a drive shaft and two linkage mechanisms. The drive shaft is rotatably mounted on the base, and one end of the drive shaft is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the tilting drive device. Each linkage mechanism includes a first linkage and a second linkage. One end of the first linkage is fixedly connected to the drive shaft, and one end of the second linkage is rotatably connected to the other end of the first linkage and the other end is rotatably connected to the tilting plate.

6. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotary drive device employs a servo motor; the second transmission mechanism includes a drive gear fixed on the output shaft of the rotary drive device and a driven gear fixed on the hollow turntable, the driven gear meshing with the drive gear, and the driven gear being coaxial with the hollow turntable.

7. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rim of the thin-walled hub mounted on the hollow turntable is coaxial with the spokes mounted on the positioning fixture.

8. The laser welding device for the rim and spokes of a thin-walled wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning fixture is provided with multiple positioning holes, which are used to fix the fixture to the wheel spokes by positioning pins.

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