A welding device for manufacturing an unmanned aerial vehicle aluminum alloy fuselage framework

Abstract

The application discloses a welding device for manufacturing an unmanned aerial vehicle aluminum alloy body framework, which comprises a base, a plurality of supporting mechanisms are arranged on the base, a pipe end positioning mechanism is arranged on each supporting mechanism, and a pipe wall clamping mechanism is connected to the pipe end positioning mechanism; the pipe wall clamping mechanism comprises a linear control element, the linear control element is connected with the pipe end positioning mechanism, a support is fixedly installed at the output end of the linear control element, two clamping jaws are connected to the support through a driving component, and bimetallic sheets are arranged on the opposite sides of the two clamping jaws. The pipe end positioning mechanisms and the pipe wall clamping mechanisms arranged on the base can be used for fixing different welding nodes before welding, and the framework can be taken down uniformly after welding, so that errors caused by repeated docking, fixing and shrinkage deformation are avoided. The bimetallic sheets with different thermal expansion coefficients arranged on the inner sides of the clamping jaws can automatically deform and release pressure when the temperature of the pipe rises, so that excessive clamping of the pipe is avoided to prevent the pipe from deforming.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of drone welding technology, and in particular to a welding apparatus for manufacturing aluminum alloy fuselage frames for drones. Background Technology

[0002] The fuselage frames of drones often adopt an X-shaped frame structure. A common approach is to use aluminum tubes as arms, combined with aluminum alloy fuselage plates to form the overall frame. Aluminum alloys are widely used in the aerospace field due to their high specific strength and high specific stiffness. Currently, some drone aluminum alloy fuselage frames are constructed by connecting multiple thin-walled aluminum alloy tubes at three-dimensional nodes in space using TIG welding, thus forming a space truss.

[0003] Currently, conventional TIG welding equipment is commonly used when welding aluminum alloy fuselage frames for drones. This involves fixing two aluminum alloy tubes separately, welding the contact points, re-fixing the previously welded frame, and then welding a new aluminum alloy tube to the frame. However, thin-walled aluminum alloy tubes expand when heated and contract upon cooling. Conventional fixing devices exert excessive clamping force on the tubes during thermal expansion, causing deformation. Furthermore, drone aluminum alloy fuselage frames often have multiple welding nodes. If fixing and connecting them sequentially, the shrinkage deformation during each weld and the error in the connection will cause slight changes in the weld point position, with the deviation increasing towards the end of the weld.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a welding device for manufacturing aluminum alloy fuselage frames for drones is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide a welding device for manufacturing aluminum alloy fuselage frames for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which solves the problems in the prior art.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone includes a base, a plurality of support mechanisms are provided on the base, each of the support mechanisms is provided with a tube end positioning mechanism, and a tube wall clamping mechanism is connected to the tube end positioning mechanism. The pipe wall clamping mechanism includes a linear control component, which is connected to the pipe end positioning mechanism. A bracket is fixedly installed at the output end of the linear control component. The bracket is connected to two grippers through a drive component. A bimetallic strip is provided on one side of the two grippers opposite each other. The bimetallic strip is fixed together by two metal strips with different coefficients of thermal expansion, wherein the metal strip with a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion is located on the side closer to the workpiece during welding.

[0007] Furthermore, a force-releasing cavity is provided on each of the two grippers on opposite sides, and the middle part of the bimetallic strip is suspended on one side of the force-releasing cavity.

[0008] Furthermore, two mounting cavities are formed on opposite sides of the two grippers. The two mounting cavities are located on both sides of the force-relieving cavity and communicate with the force-relieving cavity. The depth of the mounting cavity is less than the depth of the force-relieving cavity. The two ends of the bimetallic strip are respectively attached to the inner walls of the two mounting cavities. Pressure plates are installed on the inner walls of the mounting cavities by bolts.

[0009] Furthermore, the pipe end positioning mechanism includes a positioning seat, the bottom end of which is disposed on a support mechanism. The linear control component is fixedly installed on the positioning seat. A positioning groove is provided on one side of the positioning seat, and a flexible block adapted to the shape of the positioning groove is embedded in the positioning groove.

[0010] Furthermore, the bimetallic sheet is made of copper and iron sheets riveted together, with a thermally conductive silicone pad attached to the iron sheet.

[0011] Furthermore, force sensors are installed on both the gripper and the positioning seat.

[0012] Furthermore, the support mechanism includes a mounting base, which is detachably mounted on the base. The mounting base is provided with an adjustment component, which is connected to the positioning base.

[0013] Furthermore, the base has multiple mounting holes 1 distributed on it, and the mounting seat has at least two mounting holes 2. After the mounting holes 1 and the mounting holes 2 are aligned, they can be connected by bolts.

[0014] Furthermore, the adjusting component is a three-dimensional translation stage or a three-dimensional cam micro-motion stage, with the bottom of the adjusting component fixed on the mounting base and the positioning base fixed on the top of the adjusting component.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving component includes a motor and a guide rod, both of which are fixedly mounted on a bracket. The output end of the motor is driven by a bidirectional lead screw, and two threaded blocks are threadedly connected to the bidirectional lead screw. The two threaded blocks are respectively fixedly connected to two grippers, and both threaded blocks are slidably connected to the guide rod.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: The welding device for manufacturing the aluminum alloy fuselage frame of this drone utilizes multiple pipe end positioning devices and pipe wall clamping devices on the base. This allows for the fixation of different welding nodes before welding, and the frame can be removed uniformly after welding, avoiding errors caused by multiple joint fixings and repeated shrinkage and deformation. By setting bimetallic strips with different coefficients of thermal expansion on the inner side of the clamps, the device can automatically deform and release pressure when the pipe temperature rises, preventing over-clamping of the pipe and thus avoiding deformation. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone, as proposed in this invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting hole 1 in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the support mechanism in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible block in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning groove in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the drive component in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the pipe wall clamping mechanism in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0023] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the pipe wall clamping mechanism in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the pipe wall clamping mechanism in a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame of a drone, as proposed in this invention.

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Base; 101. Mounting Hole 1; 2. Pipe End Positioning Mechanism; 201. Positioning Seat; 202. Positioning Groove; 203. Flexible Block; 3. Pipe Wall Clamping Mechanism; 301. Linear Control Component; 302. Bracket; 303. Gripper; 304. Bimetallic Sheet; 305. Thermal Conductive Silicone Pad; 306. Force Relief Chamber; 307. Mounting Chamber; 308. Pressure Plate; 4. Support Mechanism; 401. Mounting Seat; 4011. Mounting Hole 2; 402. Adjustment Component; 5. Drive Component; 501. Motor; 502. Two-Way Lead Screw; 503. Threaded Block; 504. Guide Rod. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0027] Currently, conventional TIG welding equipment is commonly used when welding aluminum alloy fuselage frames for drones. This involves fixing two aluminum alloy tubes separately, welding the contact points, re-fixing the previously welded frame, and then welding a new aluminum alloy tube to the frame. However, thin-walled aluminum alloy tubes expand when heated and contract upon cooling. Conventional fixing devices exert excessive clamping force on the tubes during thermal expansion, causing deformation. Furthermore, drone aluminum alloy fuselage frames often have multiple welding nodes. If fixing and connecting them sequentially, the shrinkage deformation during each weld and the error in the connection will cause slight changes in the weld point position, with the deviation increasing as the welds progress. For this purpose, please refer to Figures 1-9 This invention provides a welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone, mainly comprising a base 1 on which multiple support mechanisms 4 are fixedly installed. Each support mechanism 4 is equipped with a pipe fixing mechanism for fixing thin-walled aluminum alloy pipes to be welded into the drone fuselage frame. The pipe fixing mechanism includes a pipe end positioning device 2 and a pipe wall clamping device 3, which are used to limit the pipe end and clamp and fix the pipe wall, respectively.

[0028] Specifically, the pipe end positioning mechanism and pipe end positioning device 2 include a positioning seat 201. The bottom end of the positioning seat 201 is set on the support mechanism. A positioning groove 202 is opened on one side of the positioning seat 201. A flexible block 203 that matches the shape of the positioning groove 202 is embedded in the positioning groove 202. When in use, one end of the pipe is inserted into the positioning groove 202 and contacts the flexible block 203. The flexible block 203 pushes one end of the pipe forward, so that the other end of the pipe fits tightly with the machine body. Therefore, it is not necessary to apply too much force to the pipe wall to ensure the stability during welding.

[0029] The pipe wall clamping mechanism 3 is used to clamp the pipe wall. Since one end of the pipe is already held in place by the positioning seat 201, the pipe wall clamping mechanism 3 is positioned close to the weld to ensure the stability of the weld. Because the pipe wall clamping device 3 is close to the weld, it is easily affected by welding heat. The pipe wall clamping device 3 includes a linear control component 301. The main body of the linear control component is fixedly installed on the positioning seat 201. A bracket 302 is fixedly installed at the output end of the linear control component 301. A drive component 5 is fixedly installed on the bracket 302. Two grippers 303 are connected to the drive component 5. Bimetallic strips 304 with different coefficients of thermal expansion are provided on opposite sides of the two grippers 303. Specifically, they are copper and iron strips riveted together, with the copper strip facing the gripper 303 and the iron strip in contact with the pipe. Copper and iron have different coefficients of thermal expansion. As temperature rises, they expand at different rates: the copper sheet elongates more than the iron sheet. However, since the two metals are riveted together and cannot be separated freely, this difference in expansion causes the entire bimetallic strip 304 to bend towards the side with the smaller coefficient of thermal expansion, i.e., the iron side. Therefore, the iron side will concave inward, reducing the clamping force and achieving automatic pressure relief. During welding, the higher the pipe temperature, the greater the deformation, and the larger the bending angle of the bimetallic strip 304, resulting in greater pressure relief. After the temperature drops, both the pipe and the bimetallic strip 304 will automatically return to their original shape.

[0030] The linear control element is used to drive the gripper 303 to move to accommodate pipe fittings of different lengths. The linear control element is a horizontal movement actuator readily available to those skilled in the art, such as a cylinder or electric actuator.

[0031] Both the gripper 303 and the positioning seat 201 are equipped with force sensors, which ensure that the initial clamping force can be maintained within a set range when clamping pipes of different sizes, thus avoiding injury and ensuring the stability of clamping.

[0032] It is worth noting that a thermally conductive silicone pad 305 is attached to the side of the bimetallic strip 304 closest to the fitting to prevent the metal strip from directly contacting the fitting and causing wear. The thickness of the thermally conductive silicone pad is 0.5mm-1mm to avoid affecting the heat conduction effect if it is too thick.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the bimetallic strip 304 needs to be replaced after repeated deformation. Therefore, a groove is provided on one side of each of the two grippers 303. The groove is stepped, with a deeper middle and shallower ends. Specifically, it includes a stress-relieving cavity 306 in the middle and mounting cavities 307 located on both sides of the stress-relieving cavity 306 and communicating with it. The bimetallic strip 304 is placed in the groove, with its two ends respectively fitting against the inner walls of the two mounting cavities 307. The middle part is suspended on one side of the stress-relieving cavity 306. A through hole is provided on the inner wall of the mounting cavity 307, through which a pressure plate 308 can be installed by bolts. The pressure plate 308 is used to press the two ends of the bimetallic strip 304. This facilitates the installation and removal of the bimetallic strip 304 and does not affect its thermal deformation.

[0034] Because the pipe wall clamping device 3 is set in multiple sets, different welding nodes can be fixed before welding, and the skeleton can be removed uniformly after welding, avoiding errors caused by multiple docking fixations and repeated shrinkage deformation.

[0035] At this time, the support mechanism 4 includes a mounting base 401, which is detachably mounted on the base 1. An adjustment component 402 is provided on the mounting base 401, and the adjustment component 402 is connected to the positioning base 201.

[0036] Specifically, the base 1 has multiple mounting holes 101 arranged in a rectangular array, and the mounting seat 401 has at least two mounting holes 4011. After aligning the mounting holes 101 and 4011, the mounting seat 401 can be fixed to the base 1 with bolts. Multiple mounting seats 401 can be installed on the base 1. The mounting seats 401 are easy to disassemble. When welding different machine bodies, the number and position of the mounting seats 401 can be freely increased or decreased according to the different welding node distributions to achieve different spatial layouts of welding nodes.

[0037] In this embodiment, the bottom of the adjusting component 402 is fixed on the mounting base 401, and the positioning base 201 is fixed on the top of the adjusting component 402. The adjusting component 402 is a device that can adjust the position of the mounting base 401 in three directions: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, so that the position of the mounting base 401 can be more accurately matched to different welding nodes. Here, a three-dimensional translation stage or a three-dimensional cam micro-motion stage in the prior art can be selected.

[0038] The driving component 5 includes a motor 501 and a guide rod 504. Both the motor 501 and the guide rod 504 are fixedly mounted on the bracket 302. The output end of the motor 501 is driven by a bidirectional lead screw 502. The bidirectional lead screw 502 has two sections of threads with opposite helical directions. Two threaded blocks 503 are threadedly connected to the two sections of threads respectively. The two threaded blocks 503 are fixedly connected to two grippers 303 respectively. The two threaded blocks 503 are slidably connected to the guide rod 504. The guide rod 504 is used to limit the rotation of the threaded blocks 503, so that when the bidirectional lead screw 502 rotates, the threaded blocks 503 can generate helical transmission with the bidirectional lead screw 502, thereby simultaneously controlling the two threaded blocks 503 to move in opposite directions.

[0039] In addition, please see Figure 1 It also includes a TIG welding torch, which is mounted on a robotic arm. The robotic arm can be fixed to a base, in which case the base 1 can be rotatably mounted on the base. When welding different nodes, rotating the base 1 causes the entire frame to rotate, moving the node to be welded closer to the welding torch. Alternatively, the robotic arm can be configured to move above the entire base; in this case, moving the robotic arm is sufficient to weld different nodes.

[0040] In addition, welding can also be carried out manually by holding a TIG welding torch. In this case, when welding different welding nodes is required, the operator only needs to move the torch himself.

[0041] Working principle: Before welding, the number and position of the pipe fixing mechanism are determined according to the structure of the aluminum alloy fuselage frame of the drone to be welded. The mounting hole 4011 on the mounting base 401 at the bottom of the pipe fixing mechanism is aligned with the mounting hole 101 on the base 1, and then the mounting base 401 is fixed to the base 1 with bolts. Then, the position of the pipe fixing mechanism is finely adjusted by adjusting component 402 to ensure that each welding node is in the expected position after the pipe is fixed. Then, one end of the pipe to be welded is inserted into the flexible block 203 in the positioning seat 201, at which point the pipe wall is between the two clamps 303. When the motor 501 is started, its output drives the bidirectional lead screw 502 to rotate. Since the two threaded blocks 503 connected to the bidirectional lead screw 502 are limited by the guide rod 504 and cannot rotate with the bidirectional lead screw 502, when the bidirectional lead screw 502 rotates, it will drive the two threaded blocks 503 to move towards each other through the two sections of threads with opposite directions. The two threaded blocks 503 will drive the two grippers 303 to move towards each other, so that the silicone thermal pads on the grippers 303 contact the pipe wall and clamp the pipe wall.

[0042] During welding, because the clamp 303 is close to the welding point, the welding heat will be conducted to the bimetallic strip 304 through the thermally conductive silicone sheet. As the temperature rises, the pipe expands due to heat, and at the same time the bimetallic strip 304 bends and deforms due to heat, automatically adapting to temperature changes.

[0043] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone, comprising a base (1), characterized in that, The base (1) is provided with multiple support mechanisms (4), each of the support mechanisms (4) is provided with a pipe end positioning mechanism (2), and a pipe wall clamping mechanism (3) is connected to the pipe end positioning mechanism (2). The pipe wall clamping mechanism (3) includes a linear control component (301), which is connected to the pipe end positioning mechanism (2). A bracket (302) is fixedly installed at the output end of the linear control component (301). The bracket (302) is connected to two jaws (303) through a drive component (5). A bimetallic strip (304) is provided on the opposite side of the two jaws (303). The bimetallic strip (304) is fixed together by two metal strips with different coefficients of thermal expansion, wherein the metal strip with a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion is located on the side closer to the workpiece during welding.

2. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two grippers (303) each have a force-releasing cavity (306) on their opposite sides, and the middle part of the bimetallic strip (304) is suspended on one side of the force-releasing cavity (306).

3. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 2, characterized in that, Two mounting cavities (307) are opened on opposite sides of the two grippers (303). The two mounting cavities (307) are located on both sides of the force-releasing cavity (306) and communicate with the force-releasing cavity (306). The depth of the mounting cavity (307) is less than the depth of the force-releasing cavity (306). The two ends of the bimetallic strip (304) are respectively attached to the inner walls of the two mounting cavities (307). The inner walls of the mounting cavities (307) are fitted with pressure plates (308) by bolts.

4. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pipe end positioning mechanism (2) includes a positioning seat (201), the bottom end of which is set on the support mechanism (4). The linear control component (301) is fixedly installed on the positioning seat (201). A positioning groove (202) is provided on one side of the positioning seat (201), and a flexible block (203) that matches the shape of the positioning groove (202) is embedded in the positioning groove (202).

5. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bimetallic sheet (304) is made of copper sheet and iron sheet riveted together, and a thermally conductive silicone pad (305) is connected to the iron sheet.

6. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, Force sensors are installed on both the gripper (303) and the positioning seat (201).

7. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support mechanism (4) includes a mounting base (401), which is detachably mounted on the base (1). An adjustment component (402) is provided on the mounting base (401), and the adjustment component (402) is connected to the positioning base (201).

8. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 7, characterized in that, The base (1) has multiple mounting holes 1 (101) distributed on it, and the mounting seat (401) has at least two mounting holes 2 (4011). After the mounting holes 1 (101) and the mounting holes 2 (4011) are aligned, they can be connected by bolts.

9. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 7, characterized in that, The adjustment component (402) is a three-dimensional translation stage or a three-dimensional cam micro-motion stage. The bottom of the adjustment component (402) is fixed on the mounting base (401), and the positioning base (201) is fixed on the top of the adjustment component (402).

10. The welding device for manufacturing an aluminum alloy fuselage frame for a drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driving component (5) includes a motor (501) and a guide rod (504). The motor (501) and the guide rod (504) are both fixedly installed on the bracket (302). The output end of the motor (501) is driven by a bidirectional lead screw (502). Two threaded blocks (503) are threadedly connected to the bidirectional lead screw (502). The two threaded blocks (503) are fixedly connected to two grippers (303) respectively. The two threaded blocks (503) are slidably connected to the guide rod (504).

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