An ultra-long linear reciprocating conveying decoupling device and a control method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of super-long line reciprocating conveying decoupling device and control method, it is applied to the reciprocating conveying line body of total length greater than or equal to 60 meters.The device includes control unit, conveying unit and breaking unit;Conveying unit is divided into front section, unpowered transition section and rear section, and a breaking unit is respectively arranged at the both ends of transition section.By cylinder and cross arrangement guide rail slider mechanism, driving the taper face of inclined pull block is accurately cut into or cut out the recess of the butt joint shaft assembly of each section transmission shaft end, so as to realize the rigid connection or physical disconnection of each section transmission shaft.Control unit controls the action of breaking unit according to production demand, and the front section of line body, the rear section or the whole line can be flexibly realized independently running or linkage.The application breaks the rigid restraint that super-long line must run synchronously, greatly reduces the energy consumption when local debugging and maintenance are modified, effectively shortens the debugging cycle, and improves production flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention discloses an ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device and its control method, belonging to the field of automotive body welding line technology. Background Technology

[0002] In today's era of rapid development in automotive body welding automation, welding conveyor lines, as a crucial component of intelligent vehicle body equipment, face increasingly diverse market demands. Factories are seeking higher efficiency, mass production, and high-end customization for personalized products. Traditional welding lines urgently need to transform and upgrade towards greater flexibility and intelligence.

[0003] In existing automotive body-in-white welding production lines, reciprocating conveyor lines are typically used to transport workpieces between workstations. For example, Chinese patent document CN203306638U (authorization announcement date: November 27, 2013) discloses an automatic conveying device for welding workpieces. This device includes a multi-segment spliced ​​conveyor track fixed to a horizontal mounting surface by feet, as well as a conveying trolley and a workpiece lifting mechanism. It primarily drives the trolley through a motor and belt drive, and uses a cylinder combined with a gear and rack synchronous control unit to achieve workpiece lifting and lowering, thereby solving the problem of long-distance transport of large welding workpieces.

[0004] However, based on the aforementioned comparative documents and current conventional welding reciprocating conveyor line technology, existing transmission systems typically include a base, a gantry frame fixed to the base, vertical guide columns on the gantry frame, and conveyor tracks. The drive unit for driving the conveyor tracks usually includes a motor and a drive shaft running through the line. The central axis of the drive shaft is arranged parallel to the conveyor tracks, and a gear and rack mechanism is provided between the drive shaft and the guide columns (the drive shaft is fixedly connected to a gear, and a rack is installed on the guide columns). In this traditional structure, the drive shaft is usually a rigidly connected integral structure, and all conveyor tracks can only move up, down, and reciprocate as a whole through the axial displacement of this drive shaft.

[0005] As production scales up, when faced with ultra-long reciprocating conveyor lines exceeding 60 meters or even longer, the aforementioned existing technologies reveal the following significant shortcomings: 1. Poor operational flexibility (overall binding): Conventional ultra-long reciprocating conveyor lines are multi-station reciprocating lines, meaning that all stations must lift and reciprocate simultaneously, and the front and rear sections of the line cannot be decoupled and operate independently.

[0006] 2. Extremely high energy consumption for local debugging and modification: If some local workstations in the production line need to be installed, debugged, repaired, or modified, it often requires the entire ultra-long production line to be driven together, or it is necessary to laboriously transport the equipment at that workstation to the maintenance workstation separately. This means that even a minor adjustment at just one workstation must consume a huge amount of energy to drive the entire ultra-long production line.

[0007] 3. Excessive maintenance and debugging cycle: The "one move affects the whole body" structure makes the preparation work for troubleshooting or upgrading a local fault extremely complicated, resulting in a very long on-site debugging cycle, which seriously affects the production rhythm and operating rate of the entire production line.

[0008] Therefore, existing welding conveyor lines are not flexible enough when dealing with the zoning management of ultra-long lines. Customers and the site urgently need an ultra-long line conveying and control solution that can effectively shorten the commissioning cycle, reduce energy consumption, and reduce maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies for ultra-long body-in-white welding reciprocating conveyor lines exceeding 60 meters in length, which require full-line operation and cannot be operated independently in segments, resulting in high energy consumption, long commissioning cycles, and insufficient operational flexibility during local workstation installation, debugging, or maintenance, this invention provides an ultra-long reciprocating conveyor decoupling device and control method. This device, through a specifically designed interruption unit mechanical structure and its control logic, enables rapid and free switching between segmented independent operation and coordinated operation of the ultra-long conveyor line.

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: This invention provides a decoupling device for ultra-long reciprocating conveyor lines, applicable to reciprocating conveyor lines with a total length of 60 meters or more. The device includes a control unit, a conveying unit, and a breaking unit. The control unit includes a front-end control unit, a transition section control unit, and a rear-end control unit, which are respectively communicatively connected to each functional unit of the production line. The conveying unit includes a front conveying unit, a transition conveying unit, and a rear conveying unit; an interruption unit is provided between the front conveying unit and the transition conveying unit, and between the transition conveying unit and the rear conveying unit. The transition section control unit is used to control the actions of the two interruption units respectively, so that the transition section conveying unit can establish or disconnect the connection with the front section conveying unit or the rear section conveying unit, so as to realize the independent operation of the front and rear sections or the coordinated operation of the entire line for ultra-long lines with a length of 60 meters or more.

[0011] Furthermore, the front conveying unit, the transition conveying unit, and the rear conveying unit each include a base, a gantry frame fixed to the base, a vertical guide column connected to the gantry frame, and a conveying track connected to the guide column; a drive shaft is provided on the base, and a gear and rack structure for driving the conveying track to rise and fall is provided between the drive shaft and the guide column; the ends of the drive shafts of the front conveying unit and the rear conveying unit are respectively connected to the output ends of drive motors; the central axis of the drive shaft located on the transition conveying unit is coaxially arranged with the drive shafts on the front and rear sections, and it has no power drive itself.

[0012] Furthermore, the breaking unit includes a lower base plate, on which an X-axis guide rail slider is arranged parallel to the conveying track. The displacement end of the X-axis guide rail slider is connected to an X-axis sliding plate. The X-axis sliding plate is provided with a Y-axis guide rail slider and a cylinder arranged perpendicular to the X-axis guide rail slider. The displacement end of the Y-axis guide rail slider is connected to the Y-axis sliding plate, and the piston rod end of the cylinder is connected to the Y-axis sliding plate. The Y-axis sliding plate is provided with a breaking shaft assembly arranged parallel to and coplanar with the drive shaft. The ends of the drive shafts of the front conveying unit, the transition conveying unit, and the rear conveying unit are all provided with docking shaft assemblies, which mesh and drive with the breaking shaft assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the lower base plate is provided with a limiting block and a detection switch located at the end of the X-guide rail slider.

[0014] Preferably, the X-axis sliding plate is provided with a limiting block located at the end of the Y-axis guide rail slider.

[0015] Furthermore, the break shaft assembly includes a pull rod fixed to the Y-axis slide plate and extending along the X-axis. Both ends of the pull rod are provided with a washer, a pull block connector, and a diagonal pull block. The end of the pull rod is bolted to the pull block connector. The washer is located between the pull rod and the pull block connector. The pull block connector is provided with a connecting plate extending along the X-axis. A diagonal pull block is bolted to the connecting plate. The diagonal pull block is a frustum-shaped structure with slopes on four sides.

[0016] Furthermore, the docking shaft assembly includes a stepped shaft-shaped connecting nut, which is coaxially connected to the end of the drive shaft via threads. A connecting block is coaxially fitted on the connecting nut, and the connecting block is provided with a stepped shaft-shaped nut mounting hole corresponding to the shape of the connecting nut. A left connecting wrist and a right connecting wrist are coaxially connected on the connecting block via bolts, and a connecting key is provided between the left connecting wrist and the right connecting wrist. A baffle for limiting the connecting block is provided at the end of the drive shaft. A first semi-frustum-shaped groove is provided on the left connecting wrist, and a second semi-frustum-shaped groove is provided on the right connecting wrist. The frustum-shaped structure formed by the splicing of the first and second semi-frustum-shaped grooves corresponds to the frustum-shaped structure of the inclined pull block, so that the breaking shaft assembly can cut into or out of the docking shaft assembly.

[0017] Preferably, the device further includes a safety identification unit, which includes a grating, a scanner, a safety fence, and a safety lock arranged around the line; the safety identification unit is communicatively connected to the control unit, so that the control loop is associated with the safety identification unit to ensure that each area of ​​the ultra-long line can be operated independently and safely after it is broken and disconnected.

[0018] The present invention also provides a control method based on the above-mentioned ultra-long line reciprocating conveying decoupling device, including one of the following three operating modes: The transition section control unit controls the first interruption unit to extend its upper slide plate, securely connecting the interruption shaft assembly to the docking shaft assembly of the transition section conveyor unit and the front section conveyor unit; it then controls the second interruption unit to retract its upper slide plate, disengaging the transition section conveyor unit from the rear section conveyor unit; the front section control unit then controls and drives the front section conveyor unit to operate; or... The transition section control unit controls the first interruption unit to retract its upper slide plate, disengaging the transition section conveyor unit from the preceding conveyor unit; it also controls the second interruption unit to extend its upper slide plate, securely connecting the interruption shaft assembly to both the transition section and the following conveyor unit; the following section control unit then drives the following conveyor unit; or... The transition section control unit controls the first and second interruption units to operate simultaneously, causing their respective upper slide plates to extend. The transition section conveyor unit is simultaneously and firmly connected to the front and rear conveyor units. The front and rear control units synchronously provide power to drive the entire line with a total length of 60 meters or more.

[0019] Furthermore, the specific steps for controlling the interruption unit to achieve connection or disconnection are as follows: When connection is required: the control unit controls the corresponding pneumatic module to provide power to the cylinder, causing the piston rod to extend and drive the slide plate to translate along the Y direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the line, so that the diagonal pull block on the breaking shaft assembly cuts into and clamps between the left and right connecting wrists of the docking shaft assembly at the ends of the two adjacent transmission shafts, achieving a rigid connection; When it is necessary to detach: the control unit controls the corresponding pneumatic module to retract the cylinder piston rod, which drives the slide plate to move back along the Y direction perpendicular to the conveyor belt direction, so that the diagonal block is cut out and detached from the left and right connecting wrists.

[0020] Compared with existing technologies, this invention has the following significant advantages: 1. Breaking the rigid constraints of ultra-long production lines and enhancing flexible production capabilities: For ultra-long reciprocating conveyor lines exceeding 60 meters, this invention, by adding interruption units at both ends of the unpowered transition section and cooperating with the zone control unit, perfectly realizes the flexible switching of the line's "independent operation of the front section," "independent operation of the rear section," and "full-line linkage." This completely solves the rigid problem of traditional lines requiring the entire line to synchronously rise and fall and reciprocate. 2. Significantly reducing energy consumption and shortening debugging and maintenance cycles: When a certain local station of the line needs debugging, maintenance, or modification, it is only necessary to detach that section and operate it independently, without having to drag the entire 60-meter-long line. This not only greatly saves energy consumption but also eliminates the tedious troubleshooting of interference across the entire line, significantly shortening the debugging and maintenance cycle of the production line and improving equipment uptime. 3. Precise and Reliable Mechanical Structure: The cutting unit innovatively adopts an X / Y directional double-layer guide rail slider structure combined with a cylinder translation mechanism, and a precise insertion fit between the angled frustum-shaped pull block and the semi-frustum-shaped groove of the docking shaft assembly. This male / female wedge-shaped clamping structure enables the power shaft to achieve extremely high coaxiality and rigid transmission during cutting-in connection, and smooth, jam-free cutting-out separation. 4. Ensuring Safety in Zoned Operations: By equipping comprehensive safety identification units such as gratings, scanners, and safety door locks, and deeply binding them to the control circuits of each section, it ensures that when one section is cut off for manual intervention and debugging, the operation of the remaining sections is completely isolated, guaranteeing the safety of personnel and equipment during independent operation in each area. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments disclosed in this invention, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. These drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a front view of an ultra-long reciprocating conveyor line provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a top view of an ultra-long reciprocating conveyor line provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3This is a top view schematic diagram of an ultra-long reciprocating conveyor line provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the decoupling device provided in an embodiment of the present invention when it is not connected. Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the decoupling device provided in the embodiment of the present invention during connection. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the shaft break assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the interruption unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the docking shaft assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the power unit on the front conveyor unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the drive shaft and the drive motor of the front-end conveying unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional assembly structure of the decoupling device on the line body provided in the embodiment of the present invention; Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 2-Conveying unit; 21-Front section conveying unit; 22-Transition section conveying unit; 23-Rear section conveying unit; 3-Break unit; 31-Lower base plate; 311-Mounting plate; 312-X-guide rail slider; 313-Limit block; 314-Detection switch; 315-X-direction sliding plate; 32-Upper sliding plate (translation mechanism); 321-Y-guide rail slider; 322-Limit block; 323-Y-direction sliding plate; 324-Cylinder connecting block; 325-Piston rod connecting block; 326-Cylinder; 327-Tie rod connection 33-Break shaft assembly: 331-Pull rod; 332-Washer; 333-Pull block connector; 334-Angled pull block; 34-Matching shaft assembly: 341-Connecting nut; 342-Connecting block; 343-Left connecting wrist; 344-Right connecting wrist; 345-Connecting key; 346-Baffle; 41-Welding positioning fixture; 61-Base; 62-Gantry frame; 63-Guide column; 64-Conveyor track; 65-Drive shaft; 66-Gear and rack structure; 661-Driven gear; 662-Rack; 67-Drive motor. Detailed Implementation

[0023] 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. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 11 As shown in the figure, this embodiment discloses an ultra-long reciprocating conveyor decoupling device, which is particularly suitable for automotive body-in-white welding reciprocating conveyor lines with a total length of 60 meters or more. This device mainly consists of a control unit, a conveying unit 2, an interruption unit 3, and a safety identification unit 5.

[0026] The conveyor line of this invention, which is over 60 meters long, is physically divided into three sections: a front conveyor unit 21, a transition conveyor unit 22, and a rear conveyor unit 23. The entire line is divided into three PLC control areas, each with a corresponding front control unit, transition control unit, and rear control unit.

[0027] To achieve flexible connection and disconnection of the above three sections, two interruption units 3 are set at the intermediate workstation of the line: the first one is set between the front conveying unit 21 and the transition conveying unit 22; the second one is set between the transition conveying unit 22 and the rear conveying unit 23.

[0028] The front conveying unit 21, transition conveying unit 22, and rear conveying unit 23 of this invention all share the common structure of a standard reciprocating line: including a base 61, a gantry frame 62 fixedly connected to the base 61, a vertically arranged guide column 63 connected to the gantry frame 62, and a conveying track 64 connected to the guide column 63. A drive shaft 65 is arranged on the base 61 along the X-direction of the line conveying direction. A rack is provided on the drive shaft 65 and extends axially. The rack meshes with a gear mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor to convert the rotational motion of the drive motor into the axial displacement of the drive shaft 65. A gear and rack structure 66 is provided between the drive shaft 65 and the guide column 63 to convert the axial pushing and pulling motion of the drive shaft 65 into the overall lifting and lowering of the conveying track 64.

[0029] To achieve the lifting and lowering action of the conveyor track 64, a gear and rack structure 66 is provided between the drive shaft 65 and the vertical guide column 63. Specifically, a driven gear 661 is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft 65, and a rack 662 that meshes with the driven gear 661 is fixed to the side of the vertical guide column 63. When the drive motor 67 is working, it drives the drive shaft 65 to perform axial linear displacement, and the driven gear 661 fixed on the drive shaft 65 rotates accordingly. Since the driven gear 661 meshes with the rack 662 on the guide column 63, the linear rotational torque of the drive shaft 65 is smoothly converted into the linear lifting and lowering motion of the guide column 63, which acts as a guide rod, in the vertical direction through the gear and rack mechanism 66, thereby driving the conveyor track 64 fixed on the guide column 63 to achieve overall lifting or lowering.

[0030] The key difference between the three conveyor units lies in their power configuration: the drive shaft 65 and the drive motor 67 can be arranged coaxially, with the output ends of the drive shaft 65 of the front conveyor unit 21 and the rear conveyor unit 23 respectively connected to the output ends of the drive motor 67; alternatively, the drive shaft 65 and the drive motor 67 can be arranged non-coaxially, in which case a rack extending along the X-axis is provided on the drive shaft 65, and a gear is provided on the output end of the drive motor 67. The gear and rack mesh to drive each other, providing an independent active rotational power source. The transition section conveyor unit 22, located in the middle, although its drive shaft 65's central axis is coaxial with the drive shafts 65 of the front and rear sections, and it is also equipped with a rack and pinion structure 66 that converts linear displacement into lifting, has no motor drive itself. The rotation and translation of the transition section drive shaft 65 rely entirely on the passive drive operation after the connection of the two end disconnection units 3.

[0031] The transmission shaft ends of the front conveying unit 21 and the rear conveying unit 23 of the present invention are respectively connected to the output end of the drive motor, and have independent power; while the middle transition section conveying unit 22 has its transmission shaft center axis arranged coaxially with the front and rear sections, but it has no power drive itself and relies entirely on the passive push-pull movement after the connection of the disconnecting unit 3.

[0032] The interruption unit 3 is the core physical mechanism for realizing the segmentation and linkage of the drive shaft. It is fixedly installed between the base plates of the welding positioning fixture 41 in adjacent workstations. The mechanism adopts an orthogonal "XY double-layer guide rail slide" combined with cylinder translation design, specifically including the lower base plate 31 and the upper slide plate 32 (translation mechanism).

[0033] The X-axis follow-up translation mechanism (lower base plate layer) of the present invention includes a mounting plate 311, an X-axis guide rail slider 312, a limiting block 313, a detection switch 314, and an X-axis sliding plate 315. The X-axis guide rail is parallel to the conveyor belt direction. The upper components of the interruption unit are all fixed on the X-axis sliding plate 315, enabling it to slide linearly back and forth along the conveyor belt direction via the X-axis guide rail slider 312 during reciprocating conveying of the drive shaft.

[0034] The Y-axis cutting-in / cutting-out mechanism (upper slide plate layer) of the present invention comprises: a Y-axis guide rail slider 321 vertically arranged on the X-axis slide plate 315, the displacement end of which is connected to the Y-axis slide plate 323. A cylinder 326 serving as a power source is provided in the Y direction. One end of the cylinder is fixed to the X-axis slide plate 315 via a cylinder connecting block 324, and the other end, the piston rod, is fixed to the Y-axis slide plate 323 via a piston rod connecting block 325. A magnetic detection switch is installed on the cylinder to confirm the extension (connection state) or retraction (disconnection state) of the piston rod.

[0035] The present invention relates to a break-off shaft assembly and a docking shaft assembly (clutch clamping mechanism): The break-off shaft assembly 33 is fixed on the pull rod connecting seat 327 of the Y-direction slide plate 323, and moves perpendicular to the line body with the Y-direction slide plate in an infeed / outfeed motion. The break-off shaft assembly 33 includes a pull rod 331 extending along the X direction, and circular pull block connectors 333 are connected to both ends of the pull rod by bolts and washers 332. An inclined pull block 334 is fixed on the pull block connector 333. The inclined pull block 334 is specially designed as a frustum-shaped structure (similar to a wedge) with inclined sides on four sides.

[0036] Each section of the conveying unit has a docking shaft assembly 34 at the end of its drive shaft. This assembly includes a stepped shaft-shaped connecting nut 341 coaxially connected to the end of the drive shaft via threads, with a connecting block 342 coaxially fitted around it. A left connecting arm 343 and a right connecting arm 344 are bolted to the connecting block 342, with a connecting key 345 in the middle and a baffle 346 at each end. The inner sides of the left connecting arm 343 and the right connecting arm 344 are respectively machined with a first semi-frustum-shaped groove and a second semi-frustum-shaped groove, which, when joined together, form a frustum-shaped female groove that matches the inclined pull block 334.

[0037] When the cylinder drives the Y-axis slide plate to extend, the inclined block 334 (male head) precisely wedges into the groove (female head) of the left and right connecting wrists, relying on the inclined plane effect to achieve extremely high-precision concentric positioning and rigid locking, thereby ensuring the smooth linkage of the high-torque drive shaft; when it is necessary to disconnect, the cylinder pulls back, and the inclined block cuts out smoothly.

[0038] To ensure personnel safety during segmented commissioning, the system is also equipped with a safety identification unit 5, including a light grid 51, a scanner 52, a safety fence 53, and a safety door lock 54. These safety devices are communicatively connected to the control units of each segment. When a segment (e.g., the front segment) is interrupted and disconnected to enter an independent manual commissioning mode, its control loop is deeply integrated with the safety identification unit, ensuring that the area becomes an independent safe working area, unaffected by interference from other linked segments.

[0039] Based on the above mechanical structure, the control method of the present invention provides three flexible operating modes according to the customer's production schedule or on-site debugging and modification needs: The basic control logic of physical motion: Connection action: The control unit outputs a command, the pneumatic module supplies air to the cylinder 326, the piston rod extends, and drives the Y-axis slide to move in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft, forcefully pushing the inclined pull blocks 334 at both ends of the break shaft assembly 33 into the left and right connecting grooves of the front and rear docking shaft assembly 34, completing the rigid coupling of the drive shaft (at this time, the magnetic switch provides feedback of the position signal).

[0040] Disengagement action: Cylinder 326 reverses exhaust direction, piston rod retracts, driving Y-axis slide plate to retract, diagonal block 334 is completely pulled out from docking shaft assembly 34, and front and rear drive shafts are physically disconnected.

[0041] Mode 1: Independent operation mode for the front end (suitable for front-end production and back-end maintenance) S101: The transition section control unit controls the cylinder of the first interruption unit (located between the front section and the transition section) to extend, so that the front section and the transition section are firmly connected. S102: The transition section control unit controls the cylinder of the second interruption unit (located between the transition section and the rear section) to retract, so that the transition section and the rear section are physically separated. S103: The system performs a self-test to confirm that the first connection is complete and the second connection is complete. S104: The front-end control unit drives the front-end conveyor unit 21 motor to operate. Due to the physical connection, the front-end power drives the transition section to synchronously complete the inter-station transport. At this time, the front and rear sections, each 30 meters or more, are completely stationary, and the rear section area can be safely modified, repaired, or debugged manually, greatly reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

[0042] Mode 2: Independent operation mode for downstream production and upstream maintenance S201: The transition section control unit controls the cylinder of the first interruption unit to retract, and the front section is disengaged from the transition section; S202: The cylinder of the second interruption unit extends, and the transition section is firmly connected to the rear section; S203: System self-test confirmation status; S204: The rear control unit drives the rear motor to operate, causing the transition section to move synchronously. At this time, the front section is stationary and protected by a safety fence, and can be debugged independently.

[0043] Mode 3: Full-line integrated operation mode (normal large-scale production) S301: The transition section control unit controls the cylinders of the two interruption units to extend simultaneously; S302: Confirm that the transition section conveyor unit has achieved a rigid physical connection with the front section and the rear section at the same time, so that the three drive shafts with a total length of more than 60 meters are connected into a single rigid shaft. S303: The front control unit and the rear control unit drive the motors at both ends synchronously through a master-slave synchronization algorithm, providing dual-end coordinated power for the ultra-long production line and completing one transport cycle of the entire body production line.

[0044] By employing the decoupling device and control method of this invention, for ultra-long reciprocating conveyor lines exceeding 60 meters, the technical defects of the past, where "changing one part affects the whole," can be avoided during workstation modifications and equipment maintenance. Through the precise entry and exit of pneumatic wedge-shaped blocks, the front and rear sections of the line are flexibly decoupled. This not only significantly reduces the extremely high energy consumption caused by unnecessary movements, but also eliminates the tedious work of full-line inspection and interference avoidance, shortens the commissioning cycle, and significantly improves the flexibility and intelligence level of modern automotive welding production lines.

[0045] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A decoupling device for reciprocating conveying of ultra-long lines, characterized in that, This device is applied to reciprocating conveyor lines with a total length of 60 meters or more. It includes a control unit, a conveying unit (2), and a breaking unit (3). The control unit includes a front control unit, a transition control unit, and a rear control unit, which are respectively connected to the functional units of the line. The conveying unit (2) includes a front conveying unit (21), a transition conveying unit (22), and a rear conveying unit (23). A breaking unit (3) is provided between the front conveying unit (21) and the transition conveying unit (22), and between the transition conveying unit (22) and the rear conveying unit (23). The transition control unit is used to control the actions of the two breaking units (3) respectively, so that the transition conveying unit (22) can establish or disconnect the connection with the front conveying unit (21) or the rear conveying unit (23), so as to realize the independent operation of the front and rear sections of the ultra-long line with a length of 60 meters or more or more, or the coordinated operation of the entire line.

2. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front conveying unit (21), the transition conveying unit (22), and the rear conveying unit (23) each include a base, a gantry fixed to the base, a vertical guide column connected to the gantry, and a conveying track connected to the guide column; a drive shaft is provided on the base, and a gear and rack structure for driving the conveying track to rise and fall is provided between the drive shaft and the guide column; the ends of the drive shafts of the front conveying unit (21) and the rear conveying unit (23) are respectively connected to the output end of a drive motor; the central axis of the drive shaft located on the transition conveying unit (22) is coaxially arranged with the drive shafts on the front and rear sections, and has no power drive itself.

3. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The interruption unit (3) includes a lower base plate (31), on which an X-axis guide rail slider (312) is arranged parallel to the conveying track. The displacement end of the X-axis guide rail slider (312) is connected to an X-axis slide plate (315). The X-axis slide plate (315) is provided with a Y-axis guide rail slider (321) and a cylinder (326) arranged perpendicular to the X-axis guide rail slider (312). The displacement end of the Y-axis guide rail slider (321) is connected to a Y-axis slide plate (323). The piston rod end of the cylinder (326) is connected to the Y-axis slide plate (323). The Y-axis slide plate (323) is provided with an interruption shaft assembly (33) arranged parallel to and coplanar with the drive shaft. The drive shaft ends of the front conveying unit (21), the transition conveying unit (22), and the rear conveying unit (23) are all provided with docking shaft assemblies (34). The docking shaft assembly (34) and the interruption shaft assembly (33) engage and transmit power.

4. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lower base plate (31) is provided with a limiting block (313) and a detection switch (314) located at the end of the X-guide slider (312).

5. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The X-axis sliding plate (315) is provided with a limiting block (322) located at the end of the Y-axis guide rail slider (321).

6. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The break shaft assembly (33) includes a pull rod (331) fixed to the Y-axis slide plate (323) and extending along the X-axis. Both ends of the pull rod (331) are provided with a washer (332), a pull block connector (333), and a diagonal pull block (334). The end of the pull rod (331) is bolted to the pull block connector (333). The washer (332) is located between the pull rod (331) and the pull block connector (333). The pull block connector (333) is provided with a connecting plate extending along the X-axis. The diagonal pull block (334) is bolted to the connecting plate. The diagonal pull block (334) is a frustum-shaped structure with slopes on four sides.

7. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The docking shaft assembly (34) includes a stepped shaft-shaped connecting nut (341), which is coaxially connected to the end of the transmission shaft via threads. A connecting block (342) is coaxially fitted on the connecting nut (341). The connecting block (342) is provided with a stepped shaft-shaped nut mounting hole corresponding to the shape of the connecting nut (341). A left connecting arm (343) and a right connecting arm (344) are coaxially connected on the connecting block (342) via bolts. The left connecting arm (343) and the... A connecting key (345) is provided between the right connecting wrists (344), and a baffle (346) for limiting the connecting block (342) is provided at the end of the transmission shaft; a first half-conical groove is provided on the left connecting wrist (343), and a second half-conical groove is provided on the right connecting wrist (344). The conical structure of the splicing stroke of the first half-conical groove and the second half-conical groove corresponds to the conical structure of the inclined pull block (334), so that the breaking shaft assembly (33) cuts into or cuts out of the docking shaft assembly (34).

8. The ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a safety identification unit (5), which includes a grating (51), a scanner (52), a safety fence (53), and a safety lock (54) arranged around the line. The safety identification unit (5) is connected to the control unit to associate the control loop with the safety identification unit, so as to ensure that each area of ​​the ultra-long line can be operated independently and safely after being broken and disconnected.

9. A control method for the ultra-long reciprocating conveying decoupling device based on any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, include The transition section control unit controls the first interruption unit to extend its upper slide plate, securely connecting the interruption shaft assembly to the docking shaft assembly of the transition section conveyor unit and the front section conveyor unit; it then controls the second interruption unit to retract its upper slide plate, disengaging the transition section conveyor unit from the rear section conveyor unit; the front section control unit then controls and drives the front section conveyor unit to operate; or... The transition section control unit controls the first interruption unit to retract its upper slide plate, disengaging the transition section conveyor unit from the preceding conveyor unit; it also controls the second interruption unit to extend its upper slide plate, securely connecting the interruption shaft assembly to both the transition section and the following conveyor unit; the following section control unit then drives the following conveyor unit; or... The transition section control unit controls the first and second interruption units to operate simultaneously, causing their respective upper slide plates to extend. The transition section conveyor unit is simultaneously and firmly connected to the front and rear conveyor units. The front and rear control units synchronously provide power to drive the entire line with a total length of 60 meters or more.

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The specific steps for controlling the action of the interruption unit to achieve connection or disconnection are as follows: When connection is required: the control unit controls the corresponding pneumatic module to provide power to the cylinder (326), causing the piston rod to extend and drive the X-axis slide plate (315) above to translate along the Y direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the line, so that the diagonal pull block (334) on the interruption shaft assembly (33) cuts into and clamps between the left connecting wrist (343) and the right connecting wrist (344) of the docking shaft assembly (34) at the ends of the two adjacent transmission shafts, thus achieving a rigid connection; When disconnection is required: the control unit controls the corresponding pneumatic module to retract the piston rod of the cylinder (326), causing the X-axis slide plate (315) to translate and retract along the Y direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the line, so that the diagonal pull block (334) cuts out and disconnects from the left and right connecting wrists.

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