A robotic welding device for new energy vehicle welding production lines

Abstract

This invention discloses a robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line, relating to the field of welding robot technology. The invention includes a frame, with a rotating platform and a welding robot mounted on top of the frame. The welding robot is located behind the rotating platform, on which a battery box clamping assembly is mounted. A welding protection assembly is installed at the welding torch of the welding robot. The welding protection assembly includes a support base located below the welding torch, with several hydraulic cylinders for the support legs located at the bottom of the support base. This invention uses an auxiliary guiding system composed of a support base, a sliding frame, and a support slider to transfer the welding reference from the robot to the workpiece itself. During welding, the robot only needs to provide driving force; the movement trajectory of the welding torch is guaranteed by the mechanical guidance of the sliding frame and the support slider, completely unaffected by the robot's joint angles and arm extension, resulting in stable welding accuracy and a reduced weld misalignment defect rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding robot technology, and specifically to a robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the new energy vehicle industry, the power battery system, as a core component of new energy vehicles, directly affects the performance of the entire vehicle in terms of safety and reliability. The battery box is a key structural component that carries and protects the power battery module. It is usually made of aluminum alloy and is welded together from a base plate and crisscrossing reinforcing ribs to form a large number of square grid structures.

[0003] Chinese patent (publication number: CN116160166B) discloses an intelligent flexible automated station for welding the frame of a new energy vehicle battery box, including a tooling platform. Three semi-enclosed loading robots are arranged on the upper surface of the tooling platform around the pallet mechanism. The loading robots include a rotating seat fixed above the tooling platform near the edge. A rotating arm is rotatably connected to the top of the rotating seat. A gripper capable of longitudinal rotation is rotatably connected to the top of the rotating arm. A vision module facing the gripper is arranged on the side of the rotating arm near the top.

[0004] This patent and existing technologies mainly use six-axis industrial robots in conjunction with MIG / CMT welding processes for welding battery boxes. These are all conventional and general-purpose welding robots, without robots specifically designed for welding reinforcing rib areas. When welding grids away from the robot, the robot arm needs to extend significantly, with joint angles approaching their limits, making it prone to entering singularity areas. This results in motion accuracy decreasing from ±0.1mm to over ±0.5mm, and weld misalignment and incomplete fusion defect rates as high as 15%.

[0005] Meanwhile, a large amount of spatter generated during aluminum alloy welding will accumulate at the bottom of the grid, affecting the installation accuracy of subsequent battery modules and possibly even puncturing the battery insulation layer. Each battery box requires more than 30 minutes of manual cleaning time. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line in order to solve the above problems.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution: A robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line includes a frame, a rotating platform and a welding robot mounted on the top of the frame, the welding robot being located behind the rotating platform, and a battery box clamping assembly mounted on the rotating platform. The welding robot is equipped with a welding protection component at its welding torch. The welding protection component includes a support base located below the welding torch. Several outrigger hydraulic cylinders are installed at the bottom of the support base, which can fix the support base in the reinforcing rib groove of the battery box. A sliding frame is provided at the top of the support base, and a support slider is slidably connected inside the sliding frame. The support slider is fixedly installed at the connection position between the welding torch and the robotic arm. A shielding component is inclinedly provided at the bottom of the support base. During welding, the bottom end of the shielding component is in close contact with the bottom of the battery box, and there is a reserved gap between the shielding component and the welding position. The reserved gap is consistent with the weld width.

[0008] Furthermore, the support base is tilted 30-45° relative to the welding torch.

[0009] Furthermore, the outrigger hydraulic cylinders are arranged in four groups, which are distributed in a ring, and adjacent outrigger hydraulic cylinders are arranged in a figure-eight pattern.

[0010] Furthermore, a lifting hydraulic cylinder is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the support base, and a hinge plate is fixedly installed at the bottom of the telescopic end of the lifting hydraulic cylinder. Four sets of connecting rods are annularly hinged on the outer side of the hinge plate. The outrigger hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the bottom of the support base, and the connecting rod is hinged to the corresponding outrigger hydraulic cylinder. A synchronization component is provided at the front end of the support base. The synchronization component makes the blocking width of the blocking component change synchronously with the support width of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder.

[0011] Furthermore, the extension end of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder is ball-jointed with a support block, and the ball-joint is equipped with damping to prevent the support block from swinging erratically.

[0012] Furthermore, the synchronization component includes a slide frame 1 that is slidably connected to the bottom of the support base. The sliding direction of the slide frame 1 is along the length direction of the reinforcing rib groove. A slide frame 2 is vertically slidably connected inside the slide frame 1. Both ends of the slide frame 2 are horizontally slidably connected to a slide frame 3. The sliding direction of the slide frame 3 is along the width direction of the reinforcing rib groove. A transmission column is fixedly installed on the top of the support block. The transmission column is rotatably installed on the slide frame 3. A swing rod is hinged to the bottom end of the slide frame 3. A spring is provided between the swing rod and the slide frame 3. A clamping guide groove is opened inside the swing rod. The two sides of the shielding member are respectively connected through the clamping guide groove.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper surface of the shielding member is provided with several elastic ribs, and the inner wall of the clamping guide groove is provided with a guide groove, in which the elastic ribs are inserted.

[0014] Furthermore, the length of the sliding frame is greater than the length of the support base, and a return spring is provided between both sides of the support slider and the inner walls of both sides of the sliding frame. When the support base is disengaged from the reinforcing rib groove, the return spring causes the support base to be misaligned with the welding torch and located on one side of the welding direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the battery box clamping assembly includes a mounting plate fixedly installed on a rotating platform. Several positioning blocks are fixedly installed on the top of the mounting plate. The positioning blocks are distributed in an L-shape and located at the front right. A left top cylinder, a rear top cylinder, and four sets of clamping cylinders are fixedly installed on the top of the mounting plate. The left top cylinder is located on the left side of the positioning block, the rear top cylinder is located behind the positioning block, and the four sets of clamping cylinders are distributed at the four corners of the mounting plate. Clamping rods are fixedly installed on the telescopic ends of the clamping cylinders.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This invention uses an auxiliary guiding system composed of a support base, a sliding frame, and a support slider to transfer the welding reference from the robot to the workpiece itself. During the welding process, the robot only needs to provide driving force, and the movement trajectory of the welding torch is guaranteed by the mechanical guidance of the sliding frame and the support slider, which is completely unaffected by the robot's joint angle and arm extension. This results in stable welding accuracy and a reduced weld seam offset defect rate.

[0017] 2. The stainless steel sheet shielding component of this invention is inclined and fits tightly against the inner wall of the battery box, with a gap between it and the welding position that matches the width of the weld. This not only catches the spattered weld slag but also does not obstruct the weld. The spring steel elastic ribs on the shielding component improve the overall strength and fit. The weld slag automatically falls off after cooling, eliminating the need for manual cleaning of the bottom of the grid and increasing production efficiency.

[0018] 3. This invention utilizes a linkage mechanism composed of lifting hydraulic cylinders, hinged plates, and connecting rods to simultaneously drive four sets of outrigger hydraulic cylinders to swing and extend outwards, achieving adaptive clamping of compartments of different sizes. Simultaneously, a synchronization component causes the width of the shielding component to change synchronously with the support width, eliminating the need to replace any mechanical parts, resulting in short changeover times and adaptability to the production of various battery boxes. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the battery box clamping assembly of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the welding protection component structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the welding protection component structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the synchronization component structure of the present invention.

[0020] Reference numerals: 1. Frame; 2. Rotating platform; 3. Battery box clamping assembly; 31. Mounting plate; 32. Positioning block; 33. Left top cylinder; 34. Rear top cylinder; 35. Clamping cylinder; 36. Clamping rod; 4. Welding robot; 5. Welding protection assembly; 51. Support base; 52. Slide frame; 53. Support slider; 54. Return spring; 55. Lifting hydraulic cylinder; 56. Hinge plate; 57. Outrigger hydraulic cylinder; 58. Connecting rod; 59. Support block; 510. Transmission column; 6. Synchronization assembly; 61. Slide 1; 62. Slide 2; 63. Slide 3; 64. Swing rod; 65. Spring; 66. Clamping guide groove; 67. Guide groove; 7. Shielding component; 71. Elastic rib. Detailed Implementation

[0021] 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.

[0022] Example 1, as Figures 1-5 As shown, a robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line includes a frame 1, a rotating platform 2 and a welding robot 4 mounted on the top of the frame 1, the welding robot 4 being located behind the rotating platform 2, and a battery box clamping assembly 3 mounted on the rotating platform 2. Welding protection component 5 is installed at the welding torch of welding robot 4. Welding protection component 5 includes support base 51, which is located below welding torch. Several support leg hydraulic cylinders 57 are provided at the bottom of support base 51. Support leg hydraulic cylinders 57 can fix support base 51 in the reinforcing rib groove of battery box. A sliding frame 52 is provided at the top of support base 51. Support slider 53 is slidably connected inside sliding frame 52. Support slider 53 is fixedly installed at the connection position between welding torch and robotic arm. A shielding component 7 is inclined at the bottom of support base 51. During welding, the bottom of shielding component 7 is close to the bottom of battery box, and there is a reserved gap between shielding component 7 and welding position. The reserved gap is consistent with the weld width.

[0023] Welding steps: The battery box is fixedly installed in the battery box clamping assembly 3, and the battery box clamping assembly 3 stably clamps the reinforcing rib in the battery box. Then, the rotating stage 2 is controlled to rotate, and the rotating stage 2 drives the battery box to rotate, so that the welding position of the reinforcing rib is obliquely upward, reducing the impact of the reinforcing rib thickness on the welding robot 4. Then, the welding robot 4 moves the welding torch into the reinforcing rib welding position at a fixed angle. When the welding torch moves to the initial welding point, the shielding part 7 is close to the inner wall of the battery box and is inserted into the reinforcing rib groove in a U-shape. There is a reserved gap between the shielding part 7 and the welding position. The reserved gap is consistent with the weld width. It can effectively catch the spattered welding slag without obstructing the welding. Then, several outrigger hydraulic cylinders 57 extend outward, and the telescopic ends are tightly clamped against the inner wall of the reinforcing rib groove to fix the support base 51. Finally, the welding robot 4 drives the welding torch to weld along the weld. The welding robot 4 also drives the support slider 53 to slide along the slide frame 52. The slide frame 52 provides welding trajectory auxiliary guidance for the robot through the support slider 53. Since traditional six-axis industrial robots have joint singularities, when welding grids far away from the robot, the robot arm needs to extend significantly, the joint angle is close to the limit, and the motion accuracy and stability drop sharply. Therefore, by providing auxiliary guidance, the accuracy of long-distance welding by the welding robot 4 can be improved. Meanwhile, during the welding process, the shielding component 7 can catch the flying welding slag, reducing the contamination of the battery box interior and eliminating the need for subsequent special cleaning of the battery box interior.

[0024] In embodiment two, based on the above embodiment, the support base 51 is further tilted at 30-45° relative to the welding torch. When the support base 51 is supported in the reinforcing rib groove, the welding torch can maintain the desired welding angle, which is not only unaffected by the thickness of the reinforcing rib, but also results in high welding quality.

[0025] In embodiment three, based on the above embodiments, four sets of outrigger hydraulic cylinders 57 are arranged in a ring, with adjacent outrigger hydraulic cylinders 57 arranged in a figure-eight pattern. This allows the support base 51 to be more stably clamped and fixed in the reinforcing rib groove.

[0026] Example 4, based on the above examples, further includes: a lifting hydraulic cylinder 55 fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the support base 51; a hinge plate 56 fixedly mounted at the bottom of the telescopic end of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 55; four sets of connecting rods 58 annularly hinged to the outer side of the hinge plate 56; a leg hydraulic cylinder 57 hinged to the bottom of the support base 51; the connecting rods 58 hinged to the corresponding leg hydraulic cylinder 57; a synchronization component 6 provided at the front end of the support base 51; the synchronization component 6 causing the blocking width of the blocking member 7 to change synchronously with the support width of the leg hydraulic cylinder 57; and a support block 59 ball-jointed to the telescopic end of the leg hydraulic cylinder 57, with damping provided at the ball-joint to prevent the support block 59 from swinging erratically.

[0027] The synchronization component 6 includes a slide 61 at the bottom of the sliding support base 51. The slide 61 slides along the length of the reinforcing rib groove. A slide 62 is vertically slidably connected inside the slide 61. Both ends of the slide 62 are horizontally slidably connected to a slide 63. The slide 63 slides along the width of the reinforcing rib groove. A transmission column 510 is fixedly installed on the top of the support block 59. The transmission column 510 is rotatably installed on the slide 63. A rocker arm 64 is hinged to the bottom of the slide 63. A spring 65 is provided between the rocker arm 64 and the slide 63. The spring 65 is used to drive the rocker arm 64 to swing downward. A clamping guide groove 66 is opened inside the rocker arm 64. The two sides of the shield 7 are respectively connected through the clamping guide groove 66.

[0028] In actual manufacturing, the size of the reinforcing rib grooves may vary between different battery box models or even between the same battery box model. Therefore, in order to ensure that this invention can be widely applied and promoted, it is necessary to design variable support and variable shielding.

[0029] With the configuration of this embodiment, during use, the lifting hydraulic cylinder 55 and the outrigger hydraulic cylinder 57 are operated simultaneously. The lifting hydraulic cylinder 55 drives the hinge plate 56 to descend, and the hinge plate 56 drives the outrigger hydraulic cylinder 57 to swing outward through the connecting rod 58. At the same time, the extension end of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder 57 extends, so that the relative distance between the extension end of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder 57 and the support base 51 is constant. The welding angle and welding position of the welding robot 4 will not change during this process. When the extension end of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder 57 is simultaneously pressed against the inner wall of the reinforcing rib groove, the support block 59 will first contact the inner wall. Under the restriction of the inner wall, the support block 59 will swing relative to the extension end until it is parallel and tightly attached to the inner wall of the reinforcing rib groove. The support block 59 increases the contact area and the clamping is more secure. Without changing the welding position, it can adaptively clamp in reinforcing rib grooves of different widths. At the same time, when the two support blocks 59 near the welding position move away from each other, the transmission column 510 drives the two slide blocks 63 to move away from each other, and the two slide blocks 63 drive the two swing rods 64 to move away from each other. The swing rods 64 moving away from each other increases the width of the bottom cover 7, thereby increasing the cover width synchronously.

[0030] Before the welding torch reaches the welding position, the shield 7 and the swing arm 64 first contact the inner wall of the battery box. Then the swing arm 64 swings upward relative to the slide 63, squeezing the spring 65. Under the action of the spring 65, the shield 7 is pressed tightly against the inner wall of the battery box.

[0031] Example 5, based on the above examples, further includes a plurality of elastic ribs 71 provided on the upper surface of the shielding member 7, and a guide groove 67 provided on the inner wall of the clamping guide groove 66, with the elastic ribs 71 inserted into the guide groove 67. The elastic ribs 71 not only prevent the shielding member 7 from detaching from the clamping guide groove 66, but also improve the overall elasticity and support strength of the shielding member 7, extending its service life, and allowing it to fit more tightly against the inner wall of the reinforcing rib groove. The shielding member 7 is preferably made of stainless steel sheet, and the elastic ribs 71 are made of spring steel. When not under stress, the shielding member 7 is flat; therefore, after passing through the clamping guide groove 66, the bottom is a platform, and both sides bend upwards. When the shielding member 7 is inserted into the reinforcing rib groove, it fits tightly against the inner wall of the reinforcing rib groove and bends again towards the center, thus forming a more effective protective layer.

[0032] Example 6, based on the above examples, further includes a sliding frame 52 with a length greater than the support base 51. Return springs 54 are provided between both sides of the support slider 53 and the inner walls of both sides of the sliding frame 52. When the support base 51 disengages from the reinforcing rib groove, the return springs 54 cause the support base 51 to be misaligned with the welding torch and positioned on one side of the welding direction. This design ensures that when the welding torch is at the initial welding point, the support base 51 is located in the reinforcing rib groove, but not necessarily at the center point. Therefore, as the support base 51 self-fixes itself in the reinforcing rib groove, it will have a small displacement relative to the welding torch. Since the initial position of the support slider 53 has a sliding distance between both ends of the sliding frame 52, the self-fixation of the support base 51 is not affected by the position of the welding torch. In summary, the fixing of the support base 51 does not affect the already positioned welding torch.

[0033] Example 7, based on the above examples, further includes a battery box clamping assembly 3 comprising a mounting plate 31 fixedly mounted on a rotating platform 2. A plurality of positioning blocks 32 are fixedly mounted on the top of the mounting plate 31. The positioning blocks 32 are arranged in an L-shape and located at the front right. A left top cylinder 33, a rear top cylinder 34, and four sets of clamping cylinders 35 are fixedly mounted on the top of the mounting plate 31. The left top cylinder 33 is located to the left of the positioning block 32, and the rear top cylinder 34 is located behind the positioning block 32. The four sets of clamping cylinders 35 are distributed at the four corners of the mounting plate 31. A clamping rod 36 is fixedly mounted on the telescopic end of each clamping cylinder 35.

[0034] Place the battery box close to the positioning block 32, then activate the left top cylinder 33 and the rear top cylinder 34 to clamp the top of the battery box onto the mounting plate 31. Next, place the reinforcing rib in the battery box, and then control the clamping cylinder 35 to operate, so that the four sets of clamping rods 36 press down on the four corners of the reinforcing rib from top to bottom, and stably press the reinforcing rib together with the battery box onto the mounting plate 31.

[0035] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line, comprising a frame (1), characterized in that, A rotating platform (2) and a welding robot (4) are mounted on the top of the frame (1). The welding robot (4) is located behind the rotating platform (2). A battery box clamping assembly (3) is mounted on the rotating platform (2). The welding robot (4) is equipped with a welding protection component (5) at the welding gun. The welding protection component (5) includes a support base (51) located below the welding gun. Several support leg hydraulic cylinders (57) are provided at the bottom of the support base (51). The support leg hydraulic cylinders (57) can fix the support base (51) in the reinforcing rib groove of the battery box. A sliding frame (52) is provided at the top of the support base (51). A support slider (53) is slidably connected inside the sliding frame (52). The support slider (53) is fixedly installed at the connection position between the welding gun and the robotic arm. A shielding component (7) is inclinedly provided at the bottom of the support base (51). During welding, the bottom of the shielding component (7) is close to the bottom of the battery box, and there is a reserved gap between the shielding component (7) and the welding position. The reserved gap is consistent with the weld width.

2. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support base (51) is tilted 30-45° relative to the welding gun.

3. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outrigger hydraulic cylinders (57) are arranged in four groups, which are distributed in a ring and adjacent outrigger hydraulic cylinders (57) are arranged in a figure-eight pattern.

4. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 3, characterized in that, A lifting hydraulic cylinder (55) is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the support base (51). A hinge plate (56) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the telescopic end of the lifting hydraulic cylinder (55). Four sets of connecting rods (58) are annularly hinged on the outer side of the hinge plate (56). The outrigger hydraulic cylinder (57) is hinged to the bottom of the support base (51). The connecting rod (58) is hinged to the corresponding outrigger hydraulic cylinder (57). A synchronization component (6) is provided at the front end of the support base (51). The synchronization component (6) makes the blocking width of the blocking component (7) change synchronously with the support width of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder (57).

5. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 4, characterized in that, The extension end of the outrigger hydraulic cylinder (57) is ball-jointed with a support block (59), and the ball-joint is equipped with damping to prevent the support block (59) from swinging randomly.

6. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 5, characterized in that, The synchronization component (6) includes a slide frame one (61) at the bottom of the sliding support base (51). The sliding direction of the slide frame one (61) is along the length direction of the reinforcing rib groove. The slide frame one (61) is vertically slidably connected to the interior of the slide frame one (61). The two ends of the slide frame two (62) are horizontally slidably connected to the slide frame three (63). The sliding direction of the slide frame three (63) is along the width direction of the reinforcing rib groove. The top of the support block (59) is fixedly installed with a transmission column (510). The transmission column (510) is rotatably installed on the slide frame three (63). The bottom end of the slide frame three (63) is hinged with a swing rod (64). A spring piece (65) is provided between the swing rod (64) and the slide frame three (63). The swing rod (64) has a clamping guide groove (66) inside. The two sides of the shield (7) are respectively connected through the clamping guide groove (66).

7. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 6, characterized in that, The upper surface of the shield (7) is provided with several elastic ribs (71), and the inner wall of the clamping guide groove (66) is provided with a guide groove (67), and the elastic ribs (71) are inserted into the guide groove (67).

8. The robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to claim 7, characterized in that, The length of the sliding frame (52) is greater than the length of the support seat (51). The two sides of the support slider (53) and the inner walls of the two sides of the sliding frame (52) are provided with reset springs (54). When the support seat (51) is disengaged from the reinforcing rib groove, the reset springs (54) cause the support seat (51) to be misaligned with the welding torch and located on one side of the welding direction.

9. A robotic welding device for a new energy vehicle welding production line according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The battery box clamping assembly (3) includes a mounting plate (31) fixedly mounted on a rotating platform (2). Several positioning blocks (32) are fixedly mounted on the top of the mounting plate (31). The positioning blocks (32) are arranged in an L-shape and located at the front right. A left top cylinder (33), a rear top cylinder (34) and four sets of clamping cylinders (35) are fixedly mounted on the top of the mounting plate (31). The left top cylinder (33) is located on the left side of the positioning block (32), and the rear top cylinder (34) is located behind the positioning block (32). The four sets of clamping cylinders (35) are distributed at the four corners of the mounting plate (31). Clamping rods (36) are fixedly mounted on the telescopic ends of the clamping cylinders (35).

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