Automatic feeding and discharging welding tool with automatic detection function

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection capabilities. The fixture includes a base frame, a symmetrically arranged double-slide table centering and clamping module, a gravity-pneumatic linkage automatic feeding assembly, and a welding rotation drive assembly. The automatic feeding assembly uses a filling tube clamping rod, an elastic limit rod, a conveying pressure plate, a dropping chute, a feeding plate, and a detection sensor to separate and detect the position of each filling tube. The double-slide table centering and clamping assembly uses a slide table motor to drive the two supporting slide tables to slide synchronously, causing a four-jaw chuck to self-center and clamp the aluminothermic tubes from both ends. This invention controls the sequential operation of the conveying cylinder, the feeding cylinder, and the slide table motor through closed-loop feedback signals from the detection sensors. During welding, the chuck rotation motor drives the aluminothermic tubes to rotate at a uniform speed, achieving low-cost, high-reliability automatic feeding and uniform welding, avoiding problems such as dry welding and material jamming.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding fixture technology, and in particular to an automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection capabilities. Background Technology

[0002] In the production of aluminum heat pipes and other tubing, the aluminum heat pipes and filling tubes need to be butt-welded at their ends. Existing welding fixtures mostly use chucks or clamps to fix the aluminum heat pipes, while loading and unloading rely on manual labor or independent robotic arms to place the filling tubes one by one into the welding position. During welding, the workpiece rotation is controlled manually or semi-automatically to ensure uniform weld bead. To improve efficiency, some automated welding fixtures use vibratory feeders or flexible conveyor belts in conjunction with pneumatic grippers to automatically feed the filling tubes, and utilize servo motors to drive the chuck rotation.

[0003] First, the feeding method using vibratory feeders or conveyor belts with grippers is complex in structure and expensive, and it has strict requirements for the consistency of the filling tube's shape, making it prone to jamming or incomplete feeding. Second, most tooling lacks real-time detection of whether the filling tube has accurately reached the welding position. The feeding action, clamping, and welding actions rely solely on timing control. If the filling tube fails to drop successfully or is jammed, subsequent welding will continue, resulting in incomplete welding or welding position deviation, causing product quality defects. Third, in existing tooling, the clamping of the alumina heat pipe and the pushing of the filling tube are often controlled by separate control systems, lacking closed-loop linkage based on detection signals. This can easily lead to unstable clamping force or centering deviation, affecting welding quality.

[0004] Therefore, in response to the problems mentioned above, the present invention proposes an automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the problems of complex automatic feeding structures for filling tubes, lack of positioning detection leading to poor welding reliability, and insufficient linkage between clamping and feeding in existing technologies, this invention proposes an automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection capabilities. This fixture enables gravity-pneumatic linkage automatic feeding of the filling tube, closed-loop control based on detection signals, and synchronous centering, clamping, and rotational welding of the aluminothermic tube, thereby improving the level of welding automation and the consistency of finished products.

[0006] The technical solution of this invention is: an automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection, comprising: Base frame; The dual-slide table centering clamping assembly includes slide rails symmetrically fixed to both sides of the upper end of the base frame, gear teeth fixed to one side of the base frame, two sets of support slides slidably connected to the slide rails, four-jaw chucks fixed to the two support slides respectively, and a slide motor and gear transmission group for driving the support slides to slide synchronously along the slide rails. The two four-jaw chucks are used to center and clamp the aluminum heat pipe from both ends. An automatic feeding assembly is located at one end of a base frame and includes a support plate fixed to the base frame, four support legs fixed to the support plate, a mounting plate fixed to the four support legs, a support vertical plate and a filling tube track fixed to the mounting plate, a filling tube slot rod fixed to the mounting plate for receiving and stacking multiple filling tubes, a limiting rod elastically connected to the support vertical plate, a conveying pressure plate slidably connected to the filling tube track, a feeding plate fixed below the conveying pressure plate, a feeding cylinder, and a conveying cylinder; wherein the conveying pressure plate has a dropping chute, the feeding plate has a feeding chute corresponding to the dropping chute above and below, and the output shaft of the feeding cylinder is fixedly connected to a feeding rod. A welding rotary drive assembly includes a chuck rotation motor fixed to a four-jaw chuck for driving the four-jaw chuck to rotate the clamped aluminum heat pipe. The automatic feeding assembly also includes at least one detection sensor, which is set at the feeding trough or the dropping trough to detect whether the filling tube is in place. When the detection sensor detects that the filling tube has fallen into the feeding trough, it sends a signal to control the feeding cylinder to move and push the filling tube to fit against the end of the aluminothermic tube held by the four-jaw chuck, waiting for welding.

[0007] Preferably, a concave support plate is also fixed to the upper end of the base frame, which covers the protruding parts at both ends of the slide rail.

[0008] Preferably, the gear transmission assembly includes a first gear fixed to the output shaft of the slide motor and a second gear fixed inside the slider via a rotating shaft. Both the first gear and the second gear mesh with gear teeth and are both located inside the slider to achieve smooth sliding driven by the meshing of the two gears.

[0009] Preferably, the automatic feeding assembly further includes a spring element, and the limiting rod is connected to the support vertical plate through the spring element; Preferably, when the spring is in its natural state, the limiting rod extends into the groove below the filling tube clamping rod to restrict the filling tube from falling; when the conveying cylinder drives the conveying pressure plate to move towards the limiting rod, the conveying pressure plate squeezes the limiting rod to compress the spring, causing the limiting rod to retract, thereby releasing a filling tube to fall into the discharge trough.

[0010] Preferably, a concave support plate is fixedly connected to the upper end of the base frame, which covers the upper ends of the slide rails protruding at both ends. A protective sleeve set on the liquid filling pipe track is also fixedly connected to the mounting plate.

[0011] Preferably, the chuck rotation motor is a servo motor. During the welding process, the chuck rotation motor drives the four-jaw chuck to rotate at a constant speed or intermittently according to a preset program, so that the connection between the aluminothermic tube and the liquid filling tube is welded evenly.

[0012] Preferably, the feeding plate is embedded in the lower end of the material drop trough of the conveying pressure plate, and the end shape of the feeding rod matches the contour of the feeding trough. The feeding rod moves linearly along the feeding trough under the drive of the feeding cylinder to ensure that the liquid filling tube is smoothly pushed to the welding station.

[0013] Preferably, four sliders are fixedly connected to the support slide, and two sliders are provided on each slide rail. The two support slides are fixedly connected to the corresponding sliders on the two slide rails respectively, forming a heavy-duty sliding support structure with two rails and four sliders.

[0014] Preferably, in the initial state, the automatic feeding assembly has the conveying plate away from the limit rod. When feeding is required, the conveying cylinder extends, pushing the conveying plate towards the limit rod. The front end of the conveying plate first contacts and squeezes the limit rod, forcing the spring to contract. The limit rod retracts from below the filling tube slot rod. At this time, the bottommost filling tube, which was originally stuck, loses its constraint and falls into the material drop groove of the conveying plate by gravity, and is temporarily supported by the filling tube track. Then, the conveying cylinder contracts, driving the conveying plate to move backward, making it flush with the feeding plate. At this time, the filling tube in the material drop groove loses the support of the filling tube track and falls into the feeding groove of the feeding plate below by gravity. Finally, the feeding cylinder extends, driving the feeding rod to push the filling tube along the feeding groove, pushing it to fit tightly against the end of the alumina heat pipe held by the four-jaw chuck, waiting for welding. To achieve closed-loop control, the tooling is equipped with multiple detection sensors. At least one sensor is located at the feeding chute or the discharge chute to detect in real time whether the filling tube is in place. A first sensor is located at the discharge chute to detect whether the filling tube has fallen from the slot rod into the discharge chute. A second sensor is located at the feeding chute to detect whether the filling tube has fallen from the discharge chute into the feeding chute. All sensors are electrically connected to the central controller. Only when the detection sensors confirm that the filling tube has accurately entered the feeding chute will the central controller send a signal to start the feeding cylinder. Otherwise, an alarm will be triggered or the feeding action will be repeated, thereby avoiding dry welding or misalignment.

[0015] The welding rotary drive module includes a chuck rotation motor fixed to each four-jaw chuck. The four-jaw chuck is divided into two parts: a drive part with gears and a four-jaw part for clamping. The two parts are rotatably connected. The output shaft of the chuck rotation motor is fixed with a gear, which meshes with the gear in the drive part of the four-jaw chuck. When the chuck rotation motor rotates, it can drive the four-jaw part of the four-jaw chuck to rotate relative to the drive part, thereby driving the clamped alumina heat pipe to rotate synchronously. During the welding process, the central controller controls the chuck rotation motor to rotate at a uniform speed or intermittently according to a preset program, so that the weld bead at the connection between the alumina heat pipe and the liquid filling pipe is uniform.

[0016] The entire fixture is uniformly coordinated and controlled by a central controller. The central controller is electrically connected to the slide table motor, chuck rotation motor, conveying cylinder, feeding cylinder and various detection sensors. The controller has a preset welding sequence logic. According to the feedback signals of the detection sensors and the loading and unloading status of the robot, the following actions are executed in sequence: the slide table motor drives the support slide to close and clamp the aluminum heat pipe; the conveying cylinder drives the conveying pressure plate to complete the liquid filling tube dropping; the detection sensor confirms that the liquid filling tube is in place; the feeding cylinder pushes the liquid filling tube to fit; the welding device starts welding and simultaneously drives the chuck rotation motor to rotate; after welding is completed, the slide table motor releases the clamp and the robot takes away the finished product. In this way, the entire process from loading, clamping, feeding, alignment, rotation welding to unloading is fully automated and the detection is closed-loop.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. This invention employs a gravity-pneumatic linkage automatic feeding module consisting of a filling tube clamping rod, spring components, limiting rods, conveying pressure plate, dropping chute, feeding plate, and feeding rod. It eliminates the need for complex structures such as vibratory feeders, flexible conveyor belts, or independent grippers. It achieves separation, dropping, and pushing of individual filling tubes solely through the gravity of the filling tubes and the sequential action of pneumatic components. This significantly simplifies the structure and reduces costs. It also avoids the problems of traditional vibratory feeders, such as high requirements for the uniformity of the filling tube shape and the tendency to jam.

[0018] 2. This invention integrates the dual-slide table centering and clamping module with the welding rotation drive module. The symmetrically arranged slide table motors drive the two supporting slide tables to move closer together synchronously, driving two four-jaw chucks to self-center and clamp the aluminothermic tube from both ends. At the same time, the chuck rotation motor drives the aluminothermic tube to rotate at a constant speed during the welding process. This not only ensures high-precision centering and bonding between the aluminothermic tube and the liquid filling tube, but also achieves uniform welding in the rotating state. It effectively solves the problems of insufficient linkage between clamping and feeding of existing tooling, centering deviation and uneven weld bead.

[0019] 3. By setting a first sensor at the material drop trough and a second sensor at the material feeding trough, and combining them with a central controller to form a closed-loop control based on detection signals, this invention can confirm in real time whether the filling tube has successfully fallen into the material drop trough and the material feeding trough. Subsequent pushing and welding actions are only triggered when the arrival signal is valid, which completely avoids quality problems such as empty welding and misalignment caused by material jamming or empty material in traditional timing control, and significantly improves welding reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention; Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the four-jaw chuck structure of the present invention. Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the structure of the slide motor of the present invention. Figure 4 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the automatic feeding assembly of the present invention. Figure 5 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the internal structure of the automatic feeding assembly of the present invention. Figure 6 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the feeding cylinder structure of the present invention. Figure 7 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the conveying pressure plate structure of the present invention. Figure 8 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the spring component structure of the present invention.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Base frame; 2. Slide rail; 3. Gear tooth; 4. Support frame plate; 5. Support slide; 6. Four-jaw chuck; 7. Chuck rotation motor; 8. Slider; 9. Slide motor; 10. Support plate; 11. Support leg; 12. Mounting plate; 13. First gear; 14. Second gear; 15. Support vertical plate; 16. Filling tube slot rod; 17. Protective sleeve; 18. Filling tube track; 19. Feeding cylinder; 20. Feeding rod; 21. Spring component; 22. Limiting rod; 23. Conveying pressure plate; 24. Drop chute; 25. Feeding plate; 26. Conveying cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, 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 some embodiments of the present invention, but 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.

[0023] Please see Figures 1-8The present invention provides an embodiment of an automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection: The bottom of the fixture is a rectangular frame base 1, which supports all other functional modules. The upper surface of the base 1 is machined to form two symmetrical mounting reference surfaces. On both sides of the upper end of the base 1, two parallel linear slide rails 2 are fixed with high-strength bolts. The two slide rails 2 run parallel to the length of the base 1, and their flatness and parallelism tolerances are controlled within precision ranges to ensure the movement accuracy of subsequent sliding components. On one side of the base 1, directly below the slide rail 2, a gear rack 3 is fixed. The length of this gear rack 3 is approximately equal to the effective stroke of the slide rail 2, and the rack remains strictly parallel to the mounting reference surface of the slide rail 2.

[0024] A concave support plate 4 is fixed to the upper end of the base frame 1. The support plate 4 is generally U-shaped, with both ends bent downwards and fixed to the base frame 1. The straight middle section precisely covers the protruding ends of the two slide rails 2 from top to bottom. Because the slide rails 2 protrude at both ends, they are easily collided with by other moving parts during loading and unloading; the support plate 4 provides physical protection. The concave design of the support plate 4 ensures that its middle section avoids the movement area of ​​the support slide table 5, thus not interfering with the normal sliding of the slide table.

[0025] Please see Figure 1 and 2 The dual-slide table centering clamping assembly includes four sliders 8, two support slides 5, two four-jaw chucks 6, two slide motors 9, and corresponding gear transmission pairs.

[0026] Specifically, two sliders 8 are slidably connected to each of the two slide rails 2, meaning two independent sliders 8 are installed on each slide rail 2. These four sliders 8 are all high-precision linear motion sliders 8, containing circulating balls that create rolling friction with the slide rail 2, resulting in low sliding resistance and smooth movement. Corresponding sliders 8 on the two slide rails 2 (i.e., two sliders 8 aligned perpendicular to the slide rail 2) are fixedly connected to a support slide 5. The two support slides 5 are located at opposite ends of the base frame 1 and are symmetrical to each other. Each support slide 5 is a thick metal plate with positioning grooves and threaded holes machined on its lower surface to mate with the sliders 8. The sliders 8 are securely connected to the support slide 5 using bolts. The upper surface of each support slide 5 is used to mount a four-jaw chuck 6.

[0027] On the upper surface of each support slide 5, a four-jaw chuck 6 is fixed with bolts. The jaws of the two four-jaw chucks 6 are arranged opposite each other. The four-jaw chucks 6 are self-centering four-jaw chucks 6, which can automatically center and clamp the end of the aluminum heat pipe when the jaws retract synchronously towards the center, without manual adjustment. A chuck rotation motor 7 is fixed to one end of each four-jaw chuck 6 that is close to each other (i.e., the end facing the other four-jaw chuck 6). The chuck rotation motor 7 is a small servo motor, and its output shaft is connected to the transmission mechanism inside the four-jaw chuck 6. The four-jaw chuck 6 itself is structurally divided into two parts: one part is a drive part with gears, which is driven by gear meshing with the output shaft of the chuck rotation motor 7; the other part is the four-jaw part that performs clamping, and the four-jaw part is rotatably connected to the drive part through bearings or sliding rings. When the chuck rotation motor 7 is working, the small gear on its output shaft drives the large gear in the drive part of the four-jaw chuck 6 to rotate. Due to the rotational freedom between the drive part and the four-jaw part, the four-jaw part will rotate relative to the drive part and the entire support slide 5, and the aluminum heat pipe clamped between the four jaws will also rotate.

[0028] Please see Figure 3 On the side of the supporting slide 5 near the gear 3 (i.e., the side where the rack is fixed on the base frame 1), a slide motor 9 is fixed via a motor bracket. The slide motor 9 is also a servo motor, with its output shaft facing downwards and a first gear 13 fixed to the shaft. The first gear 13 is located in a cavity inside the slider 8. Simultaneously, a second gear 14 is fixed inside the slider 8 via a rotating shaft. This second gear 14 is also located in the cavity of the slider 8, and the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 mesh with each other, both meshing with the gear 3 (rack) fixed on the base frame 1. When the slide motor 9 rotates, the first gear 13 rotates, generating linear motion along the direction of the gear 3 through its meshing with the gear 3, and simultaneously driving the second gear 14 to rotate. The second gear 14 also meshes with the gear 3, thus forming a dual-gear drive mechanism for the slider 8. Compared to a single-gear drive, this dual-gear structure significantly reduces the deflection torque during sliding, making the slider 8 run more smoothly on the slide rail 2. This is especially important when the two supporting slides 5 approach each other, where significant inertia needs to be overcome; the dual-gear drive ensures the synchronization and stability of the movement. Since both the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 are located inside the slider 8, the entire transmission mechanism is enclosed within the space between the slider 8 and the base frame 1. This not only improves aesthetics but also prevents external dust, welding slag, and other debris from entering the gear meshing area, thus enhancing the reliability and service life of the equipment.

[0029] Please see Figure 4An automatic feeding assembly is located at one end of the base frame 1, used to automatically and sequentially transport the filling tubes to the welding position where they are attached to the end of the aluminothermic tube. This assembly makes full use of the weight of the filling tubes themselves, and, in conjunction with pneumatic components and elastic limiting mechanisms, achieves low-cost automatic feeding, avoiding the use of vibratory feeders or complex conveyor belt systems.

[0030] On one side of the base frame 1, a support plate is first fixed, extending upwards perpendicular to the base frame 1. The bottom of the support plate is firmly connected to the base frame 1 by angle steel and reinforcing ribs to ensure sufficient load-bearing capacity. Four support legs 11 of equal length are fixed at the four corners of the upper surface of the support plate, and a horizontal mounting plate 12 is fixed at their upper ends. The mounting plate 12 is used to support the various functional components of the feeding module. On the upper surface of the mounting plate 12, a vertical support plate 15 is fixed, extending upwards perpendicular to the mounting plate 12, forming the vertical support frame of the feeding module.

[0031] On the front of the supporting vertical plate 15 (the side facing the inside of the tooling), two symmetrically fixed filling tube clamping rods 16 are parallel to each other and extend horizontally outward. Each filling tube clamping rod 16 has an L-shaped or U-shaped cross-section, and a groove adapted to the shape of the filling tube is formed on the side (inner side) where the two clamping rods are close to each other. The depth and width of the groove are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the filling tube, allowing the filling tube to be easily inserted without excessive shaking. The lower ends of the two filling tube clamping rods 16 are open. After the automatic feeding device feeds a batch of filling tubes between the two clamping rods, the filling tubes slide downward naturally under gravity and stack in the grooves of the clamping rods. The spacing between the two filling tube clamping rods 16 is designed to accommodate the length of the filling tubes, so that both ends of the filling tubes rest in the grooves of the two clamping rods, thus maintaining a horizontal posture.

[0032] Please see Figure 5-8Below the filling tube slot rod 16, two parallel filling tube tracks 18 are fixed on the mounting plate 12. A protective sleeve 17 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 12 above the filling tube tracks 18. The filling tube tracks 18 are elongated, rectangular in cross-section, and smooth in surface. These two tracks are also parallel to each other, and their direction is consistent with the extension direction of the filling tube slot rod 16. The function of the filling tube tracks 18 is to provide sliding guidance for the conveying pressure plate 23 and to temporarily support the filling tube during the material dropping process. A conveying pressure plate 23 is slidably connected to the filling tube tracks 18. The conveying pressure plate 23 is a rectangular plate-shaped part with a groove on its lower surface that mates with the filling tube tracks 18, allowing it to move back and forth along the tracks. The movement of the conveying pressure plate 23 is driven by a conveying cylinder 26 fixed on the mounting plate 12. The cylinder body of the conveying cylinder 26 is fixed to the mounting plate 12 by a cylinder bracket, and the end of its piston rod is fixedly connected to the rear end of the conveying pressure plate 23 (the end away from the filling tube slot rod 16) through a connector. When the piston rod of the conveying cylinder 26 extends or retracts, the conveying pressure plate 23 moves linearly back and forth along the filling tube track 18.

[0033] A discharge chute 24 is formed through the conveying plate 23. The shape of the discharge chute 24 matches the outer contour of the filling tube, and its length and width are slightly larger than the maximum outer diameter of the filling tube, allowing the filling tube to fall smoothly into it. The position of the discharge chute 24 is such that when the conveying plate 23 moves to the position closest to the filling tube retaining rod 16, the discharge chute 24 is exactly below the filling tube retaining rod 16, thus catching the filling tube falling from the retaining rod. A feeding plate 25 is embedded at the lower end of the discharge chute 24. The feeding plate 25 is fixed to the mounting plate 12, or integrally formed with the mounting plate 12. It is located below the conveying plate 23, and there is a small gap between its upper surface and the lower surface of the conveying plate 23, allowing the conveying plate 23 to slide on it. A feeding chute is formed on the feeding plate 25, which is located directly below the discharge chute 24. The shape of the feeding trough is also adapted to the filling tube, with its depth slightly less than the diameter of the filling tube, so that a portion of the filling tube protrudes after falling into the feeding trough, facilitating subsequent pushing. The length direction of the feeding trough is perpendicular to the extension direction of the filling tube retaining rod 16, that is, pointing towards the direction of the aluminothermic tube. A feeding rod 20 is installed inside the feeding trough, and the feeding rod 20 is driven by a feeding cylinder 19 fixed on the mounting plate 12. The piston rod of the feeding cylinder 19 is fixedly connected to the rear end of the feeding rod 20. When the feeding cylinder 19 extends, the feeding rod 20 moves forward along the feeding trough, pushing the filling tube located in the feeding trough towards the aluminothermic tube.

[0034] To enable real-time monitoring of the filling tube's descent and positioning, a detection sensor is also installed in the automatic feeding module. In this embodiment, two sensors are used: a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor, a miniature photoelectric switch, is installed at the material drop chute 24 of the conveying pressure plate 23. Its transmitter and receiver are located on opposite sides of the material drop chute 24. When the filling tube falls into the material drop chute 24, it blocks the light path, thereby triggering a signal. The second sensor, also a photoelectric switch, is installed at the feeding chute of the feeding plate 25. It is triggered when the filling tube falls from the material drop chute 24 into the feeding chute and is stably positioned. These sensors are electrically connected to the central controller to provide feedback signals.

[0035] An elastic limiting mechanism is also provided on the supporting vertical plate 15 to control the release of the filling tubes one by one from the slot rod. Specifically, two spring members 21 are symmetrically arranged on the supporting vertical plate 15. One end of each spring member 21 is fixed to the mounting base on the supporting vertical plate 15, and the other end is fixed to a limiting rod 22. The two limiting rods 22 are positioned exactly below the filling tube slot rod 16, and when the spring member 21 is in its natural state (not compressed or stretched), the end of the limiting rod 22 extends into the slot of the filling tube slot rod 16, thereby supporting or locking the bottommost filling tube stacked in the slot rod, preventing it from falling automatically under gravity. The front end of the limiting rod 22 can be designed as a slope or a roller to facilitate smooth retraction when squeezed. A pushing slope or pushing head is provided at the front end of the conveying pressure plate 23 (the end facing the limiting rod 22). When the conveying cylinder 26 drives the conveying pressure plate 23 to move towards the limiting rod 22, the front end of the conveying pressure plate 23 will contact and gradually squeeze the limiting rod 22, causing the spring member 21 to contract and the limiting rod 22 to retract from below the locking rod, thereby releasing one filling tube. When the conveying pressure plate 23 retracts, the spring member 21 returns to its original position, and the limiting rod 22 extends again to lock the next filling tube.

[0036] As described above, the welding rotary drive assembly mainly includes a chuck rotary motor 7 and its transmission mechanism with a four-jaw chuck 6. The chuck rotary motor 7 is a servo motor, with a small gear fixedly connected to its output shaft. The four-jaw chuck 6 has a large gear inside, which is fixedly connected to the drive part of the four-jaw chuck 6 and meshes with the small gear on the output shaft. The four jaws of the four-jaw chuck 6 are sleeved around the drive part via bearings, allowing the four jaws to rotate freely when the drive part rotates under the drive of the large gear. Damping or limiting structures can also be installed between the four jaws and the drive part to prevent excessive impact during relative rotation. In actual operation, the four-jaw chuck 6 first clamps the aluminum heat pipe using pneumatic or hydraulic drive jaws, then the chuck rotary motor 7 starts, driving the aluminum heat pipe to rotate at a uniform speed or intermittently at a preset angle. The rotation speed can be adjusted according to the welding process requirements. For example, for circumferential welds, continuous uniform rotation can be used in conjunction with a fixed welding torch to achieve one round of welding. For multi-point positioning welding, indexing rotation can be used, with a brief pause after each rotation, and the welding torch completes the welding of that point.

[0037] To further achieve fully automated loading and unloading welding cycles, the tooling of this invention also includes a central controller. The central controller is a programmable logic controller (PLC). Its inputs are connected to the status signals of the first and second sensors and the robotic arm, as well as the ready signal of the welding device. Its outputs are connected to the drivers of the slide table motor 9, the chuck rotation motor 7, the solenoid valves of the conveying cylinder 26 and the feeding cylinder 19, and alarm indicator lights. The controller has a pre-set control program that automatically coordinates the actions of each actuator according to a pre-defined timing logic and in conjunction with the feedback signals from the sensors.

[0038] The following describes the workflow of this invention in comparison with the present invention, specifically: Initially, the two support slides 5 are located at opposite ends of the slide rail 2, i.e., far apart from each other, and the distance between the two four-jaw chucks 6 is at its maximum to facilitate the insertion of the aluminothermic heating tube by the robotic arm. The conveying cylinder 26 is in the retracted state, and the conveying pressure plate 23 is located at the end furthest from the filling tube clamping rod 16, i.e., its rear end limit position. The feeding cylinder 19 is in the retracted state, and the feeding rod 20 is located at the rear end of the feeding trough. Multiple filling tubes have been pre-inserted into the filling tube clamping rod 16 by the automatic unloading equipment, and the bottommost tube is clamped by the limiting rod 22 and will not fall. The spring 21 is in its natural state.

[0039] In the first step, an external robotic arm grasps an alumina heating tube to be welded and places it horizontally above the support plate 4, aligning the center of the alumina heating tube approximately with the central axis of the two four-jaw chucks 6. The central controller issues a command, simultaneously driving the two slide motors 9 to rotate forward. The slide motors 9, through the meshing of the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 with the gear teeth 3, drive the slider 8 and the support slide 5 to slide towards the center along the slide rail 2. Because the two slide motors 9 are synchronously controlled, the two support slides 5 approach each other at the same speed. When the inner end face of the four-jaw chuck 6 approaches the end of the alumina heating tube, the controller can reduce the speed until both ends of the alumina heating tube are within the jaws of the two four-jaw chucks 6. The controller then issues a clamping command, and the pneumatic or hydraulic system of the four-jaw chuck 6 actuates, causing the four jaws to retract synchronously towards the center, firmly clamping both ends of the alumina heating tube. At this point, due to the self-centering characteristics of the two four-jaw chucks 6, the axis of the alumina heating tube coincides with the rotation axis of the four-jaw chuck 6. After clamping is completed, the slide motor 9 stops rotating, and the support slide 5 remains in its current position.

[0040] The second step involves the central controller initiating the feeding process simultaneously or shortly after the aluminum heat pipe is clamped. First, the controller reverses the solenoid valve of the conveying cylinder 26, allowing compressed air to enter the rodless chamber of the cylinder, pushing the piston rod out and driving the conveying plate 23 to move along the filling tube track 18 towards the limiting rod 22. When the front end of the conveying plate 23 contacts the limiting rod 22, during its continued movement, the conveying plate 23 overcomes the spring force of the spring element 21, pushing the limiting rod 22 to both sides, causing it to retract from below the filling tube clamping rod 16. Therefore, the lowest filling tube, previously clamped by the limiting rod 22, loses its restraint and falls downwards from the clamping rod under gravity, landing precisely in the discharge trough 24 on the already positioned conveying plate 23. At this point, the filling tube track 18 below the discharge trough 24 provides support, preventing the filling tube from directly passing through the discharge trough 24 and continuing to fall. The first sensor detects that the filling tube has entered the discharge trough 24 and sends a signal to the controller. Upon receiving the signal, the controller reverses the solenoid valve of the conveying cylinder 26, causing the piston rod to retract and the conveying plate 23 to move backward. During the backward movement of the conveying plate 23, the limit rod 22 extends again under the restoring force of the spring 21, locking the next filling tube. When the conveying plate 23 returns to a position flush with the feeding plate 25, the filling tube track 18 is no longer supported directly below the drop chute 24, so the filling tube in the drop chute 24 falls again under gravity into the feeding chute of the feeding plate 25. The second sensor detects that the filling tube has entered the feeding chute and sends a signal to the controller. At this point, a filling tube is accurately positioned for pushing.

[0041] Thirdly, after confirming the validity of the second sensor, the controller issues a command to start the feeding cylinder 19. The solenoid valve of the feeding cylinder 19 reverses, the piston rod extends, and pushes the feeding rod 20 forward along the feeding trough. The front end of the feeding rod 20 abuts against the tail end of the filling tube, pushing the filling tube gradually away from the feeding trough and moving towards the aluminothermic tube. The stroke of the feeding rod 20 is precisely calculated so that when the feeding cylinder 19 reaches its end point, the front end of the filling tube is precisely in close contact with the end of the aluminothermic tube, forming the welding gap. After the contact is completed, the controller sends a signal to the welding device to start welding.

[0042] The fourth step involves starting the welding device (welding torch) to weld the joint between the aluminothermic heating tube and the filling tube. Simultaneously, the controller controls the chuck rotation motor 7 to rotate continuously at a preset speed and direction. The chuck rotation motor 7 drives the four jaws of the four-jaw chuck 6 to rotate via gears, thereby causing the clamped aluminothermic heating tube to rotate synchronously. Since the filling tube is only in contact with the aluminothermic heating tube by the thrust of the feed rod 20, it also rotates along with the aluminothermic heating tube as it rotates, thus forming a circumferential weld.

[0043] Fifth, after welding is completed, the controller issues a command to first release the jaws of the four-jaw chuck 6, releasing the welded finished pipe fitting. Then, the controller drives the slide motor 9 to rotate in the opposite direction, causing the two support slides 5 to move away from each other and return to their initial positions, making room for the finished product to be removed. An external robotic arm or unloading device then removes the finished product. Simultaneously, the controller can check if there are any remaining filling tubes in the filling tube slot 16. If there are, it waits for the next cycle; if not, it issues an alarm or requests additional filling tubes.

[0044] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any other way. Any person skilled in the art may make changes or modifications to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments that can be applied to other fields. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic feeding and discharging welding tool with automatic detection, characterized in that, include: Base frame (1); The double slide table centering clamping assembly includes slide rails (2) symmetrically fixed to both sides of the upper end of the base frame (1), gear teeth (3) fixed to one side of the base frame (1), two sets of support slides (5) slidably connected to the slide rails (2), four-jaw chucks (6) respectively fixed to the two support slides (5), and a slide motor (9) and gear transmission group for driving the support slides (5) to slide synchronously along the slide rails (2). The two four-jaw chucks (6) are used to center and clamp the aluminum heat pipe from both ends. An automatic feeding assembly is located at one end of a base frame (1) and includes a support plate (10) fixed to the base frame (1), four support legs (11) fixed to the support plate (10), a mounting plate (12) fixed to the four support legs (11), a support vertical plate (15) fixed to the mounting plate (12), a filling tube track (18), a filling tube slot rod (16) fixed to the mounting plate (12) for receiving and stacking multiple filling tubes, and a spring. The system includes a limiting rod (22) connected to the supporting vertical plate (15), a conveying pressure plate (23) slidably connected to the filling pipe track (18), a feeding plate (25) fixed below the conveying pressure plate (23), a feeding cylinder (19), and a conveying cylinder (26); wherein the conveying pressure plate (23) is provided with a dropping groove (24), the feeding plate (25) is provided with a feeding groove corresponding to the dropping groove (24), and the output shaft of the feeding cylinder (19) is fixedly connected with a feeding rod (20). A welding rotary drive assembly includes a chuck rotation motor (7) fixed to a four-jaw chuck (6) for driving the four-jaw chuck (6) to rotate the clamped aluminum heat pipe. The automatic feeding assembly also includes at least one detection sensor, which is set at the feeding trough or dropping trough (24) to detect whether the filling tube is in place. When the detection sensor detects that the filling tube has fallen into the feeding trough, it sends a signal to control the feeding cylinder (19) to move and push the filling tube to the end of the aluminothermic tube held by the four-jaw chuck (6) through the feeding rod (20) to wait for welding.

2. The automatic feeding and discharging welding tool with automatic detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear transmission assembly includes a first gear (13) fixed on the output shaft of the slide motor (9) and a second gear (14) fixed inside the slider (8) via a rotating shaft. Both the first gear (13) and the second gear (14) mesh with the gear teeth (3) and are both located inside the slider (8) to achieve smooth sliding driven by the double gear meshing.

3. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The four-jaw chuck (6) includes a drive part with gears and a four-jaw part for clamping. The output shaft of the chuck rotation motor (7) is fixed with a gear, which meshes with the gear of the drive part of the four-jaw chuck (6), thereby driving the four-jaw part to rotate relative to the drive part.

4. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic feeding assembly also includes a spring (21), and the limiting rod (22) is connected to the support vertical plate (15) through the spring (21); When the spring (21) is in its natural state, the limiting rod (22) extends into the groove of the filling tube slot rod (16) to limit the falling of the filling tube; when the conveying cylinder (26) drives the conveying pressure plate (23) to move toward the limiting rod (22), the conveying pressure plate (23) squeezes the limiting rod (22) to compress the spring (21), causing the limiting rod (22) to retract, thereby releasing a filling tube to fall into the discharge trough (24).

5. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The detection sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor is set at the material drop trough (24) to detect whether the filling tube has fallen from the filling tube slot rod (16) into the material drop trough (24). The second sensor is set at the feeding trough to detect whether the filling tube has fallen from the material drop trough (24) into the feeding trough. Both the first sensor and the second sensor are photoelectric sensors.

6. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the base frame (1) is also fixed with a concave support plate (4), which covers the upper end of the slide rail (2) protruding at both ends. The mounting plate (12) is also fixed with a protective sleeve (17) set on the liquid filling pipe track (18).

7. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chuck rotation motor (7) is a servo motor. During the welding process, the chuck rotation motor (7) drives the four-jaw chuck (6) to rotate at a constant speed or intermittently according to the preset program, so that the connection between the aluminum heat pipe and the liquid filling pipe is welded evenly.

8. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding plate (25) is embedded in the lower end of the material drop groove (24) of the conveying pressure plate (23), and the end shape of the feeding rod (20) matches the outline of the feeding groove. The feeding rod (20) moves linearly along the feeding groove under the drive of the feeding cylinder (19) to ensure that the liquid filling tube is pushed smoothly to the welding station.

9. The automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: Four sliders (8) are fixedly connected to the support slide (5). Two sliders (8) are provided on each slide rail (2). The two support slides (5) are fixedly connected to the corresponding sliders (8) on the two slide rails (2) respectively, forming a heavy-duty sliding support structure with two rails and four sliders.

10. An automatic loading and unloading welding fixture with automatic detection according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: The tooling also includes a central controller, which is electrically connected to the slide table motor (9), the chuck rotation motor (7), the conveying cylinder (26), the feeding cylinder (19), and the detection sensor respectively. The central controller controls the sequential actions of the conveying cylinder (26), the feeding cylinder (19), the slide table motor (9), and the chuck rotation motor (7) based on the signals from the detection sensors and the preset welding sequence, in order to realize the full automation of the process from loading, clamping, feeding, alignment, rotation welding to unloading.

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