Tray transferring mechanism
By introducing linear drive parts, carriages and grabber components into the feed tray transfer mechanism, the rapid and automated supply of the feed tray is achieved, solving the problems of low transfer efficiency and misoperation risks in the prior art, and improving the supply efficiency and accuracy.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422352229.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-27
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-09-25
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, the transfer efficiency of the material tray is low and there is a risk of misoperation, which makes the material tray unable to be accurately placed into the loading station.
A material tray transfer mechanism is designed to achieve rapid supply of material tray by setting up a linear drive member, a carriage and a grabber assembly. The grab head can automatically grab the empty load tray from the waiting station and transfer it to the target station, reducing manual intervention.
The supply efficiency of the material tray is improved, the obstruction of material entry into the robot and other equipment is reduced, and the error of material tray is reduced through limiting parts.
Smart Images
Figure CN223032084U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of feeding equipment, in particular to a tray transfer mechanism. Background Technique
[0002] Trays play an important role in modern manufacturing and logistics industries. They are standardized containers used for storing and transporting parts, components, or materials. They are usually designed with uniform dimensions and shapes for efficient handling in automated production lines and warehousing systems. Trays are made of various materials, including plastics, metals, and composite materials, to adapt to different usage environments and requirements. During the manufacturing process, trays are widely used to transfer parts from one process to another to ensure the continuity and efficiency of the production process. They can not only protect parts from damage but also improve the operating efficiency of the production line through standardized management. Trays are usually used in conjunction with automated equipment, such as robotic arms, conveyor belts, and tray supply systems, to achieve precise positioning and rapid transfer of parts. In a tray transfer mechanism with the publication number CN214933971U, the transfer of fully loaded trays is carried out to realize the material supply operation and improve the automated production efficiency.
[0003] In addition to transferring fully loaded trays, it is also necessary to provide empty trays for the production line to store processed parts. For example, in the printing production line of small parts, feeding is usually directly carried out through transmission equipment, and after printing, they are placed in trays for storage. In the process of tray transfer, generally, manual labor is used to carry the empty trays to the loading station. This transfer method has low efficiency and there is a risk that the trays cannot be accurately placed in the loading station due to misoperation. Content of the Utility Model
[0004] In view of this, the utility model provides a tray transfer mechanism. By setting a linear drive, a carriage, and a grasping component, the rapid supply of trays is realized. At the same time, after the tray at the target station is fully loaded, an empty tray can be placed, further improving the supply efficiency of the trays and reducing the obstruction to the material loading of equipment such as robots.
[0005] The technical solution of the utility model is realized as follows: The utility model provides a tray transfer mechanism, including an operating table, a linear drive, a carriage, and a grasping component, wherein,
[0006] An awaiting station and a target station are arranged on the operating table, and the awaiting station is used for placing empty trays;
[0007] The linear drive is arranged on the operating table and is located outside the awaiting station and the target station. The linear drive includes a movable part, and the movable part can move back and forth between the awaiting station and the target station;
[0008] The carriage is slidably arranged on the operating table and fixed to the movable part, so that the carriage can slide to one of the waiting station and the target station through the movable part;
[0009] The grasping assembly is arranged on the carriage. The grasping assembly includes a grasping head, and the grasping head is used to extend into the waiting station to grasp the empty tray and place the empty tray into the target station.
[0010] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, two through holes are formed in the operating table, and the two through holes are respectively located at the waiting station and the target station, and both of the two through holes are used to accommodate the trays.
[0011] Further preferably, a limiting member is further included. The limiting member is fixed on the operating table and located at the target station. The limiting member is communicated with the through hole of the target station, and the inside of the limiting member matches the outside of the tray to correct the position of the tray placed in the target station.
[0012] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the linear driving member further includes a guide rod. The guide rod is relatively fixed to the operating table and slidably connected to the movable part. The guide rod is located in the moving direction of the movable part to guide the movable part.
[0013] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, a slide rail is further included. The slide rail is fixed on the operating table and slidably connected to the carriage. The carriage is mounted on the slide rail and the linear driving member to slide back and forth between the waiting station and the target station through the slide rail and the linear driving member.
[0014] Further preferably, the carriage includes a frame body and sliders. Among them,
[0015] The frame body is horizontally arranged on one of the waiting station and the target station;
[0016] The number of the sliders is two, and both are slidably arranged on the slide rail. Both of the two sliders are fixed to the bottom of the frame body.
[0017] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the grasping assembly further includes a lifting cylinder and a connecting plate. Among them,
[0018] The lifting cylinder is arranged on the carriage;
[0019] The connecting plate is fixed to the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder, and the grasping head is arranged on the connecting plate.
[0020] Further preferably, the grasping assembly further includes a mounting seat and a limiting rod. Among them,
[0021] The mounting seat is fixed on the carriage, and the lifting cylinder is fixed to the mounting seat;
[0022] There are two limiting rods, and one end of each is fixed on the connecting plate. The other end of the limiting rod penetrates through the mounting seat, and the limiting rod is slidably connected to the mounting seat.
[0023] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the linear driving member is a rodless cylinder.
[0024] The tray transfer mechanism of the present utility model has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:
[0025] (1) By setting the linear driving member, the carriage and the grasping assembly, during the transfer process, the grasping head is lowered to the waiting station and contacts the empty tray on the waiting station to achieve grasping. After grasping is completed, the grasping head drives the tray to move upward, leaving the waiting station, and moves to the target station through the movable part and the carriage. The grasping head descends to the target station and places the empty tray into the target station. This process can be automated to achieve rapid supply of the tray. At the same time, after the tray at the target station is fully loaded, an empty tray can be placed, further improving the supply efficiency of the tray and reducing the obstruction to equipment such as robots for loading materials into the tray.
[0026] (2) A through hole is opened at the target station, and a limiting member is arranged on the through hole. When the tray is placed in the limiting member, if the tray is slightly offset, it will be corrected by the internal slope of the limiting member, thereby greatly reducing the error after it is placed, and avoiding the situation that when the manipulator and other equipment place the workpiece into the tray, it is impossible to align with the notch on the tray, resulting in difficulty in arranging the workpieces into the tray. Description of the Drawings
[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present utility model. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.
[0028] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional view of the tray transfer mechanism of the present utility model;
[0029] Figure 2 It is a connection schematic diagram of the carriage and the linear driving member of the tray transfer mechanism of the present utility model;
[0030] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the grasping assembly of the tray transfer mechanism of the present utility model. Detailed Embodiment
[0031] Next, in combination with the embodiments of the present utility model, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present utility model, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present utility model.
[0032] As Figures 1-3 shown, the tray transfer mechanism of the present utility model includes an operation table 1, a linear drive member 2, a carriage 3, and a grasping assembly 4.
[0033] The operation table 1 is a device table surface, which can be a plate member with an operation surface. A waiting station and a target station are provided on the operation table 1. The waiting station is used to place an empty tray, and the target station is the loading station of the robot. The robot can be a multi-axis robotic arm, and the automatic loading operation of the robot can be realized by presetting the positions of the respective slots of the tray.
[0034] Both the waiting station and the target station can be set to at least one and are distributed on the same straight line, so as to realize linear transfer and fully cover the waiting station and the target station. In this embodiment, one waiting station and one target station are used for illustration, and the waiting station and the target station are arranged adjacent to each other.
[0035] The linear drive member 2 is arranged on the operation table 1 and is located outside the waiting station and the target station. The linear drive member 2 includes a movable part 21, and the movable part 21 can move back and forth between the waiting station and the target station.
[0036] A drag chain is also arranged on the operation table 1. One end of the drag chain is fixed to the operation table 1, and the other end is fixed to the movable part 21. The movable direction of the drag chain is the same as the movable direction of the movable part 21, and the drag chain is located outside the linear drive member 2. By arranging circuits, air paths, oil paths, etc. in the drag chain, power supply, air supply, or oil supply is provided for the linear drive member 2 and the components connected to the movable part 21.
[0037] The carriage 3 is slidably arranged on the operation table 1 and is fixed to the movable part 21, so that the carriage 3 can slide to one of the waiting station and the target station through the movable part 21.
[0038] Specifically, the carriage 3 is arranged above the waiting station and the target station. The carriage 3 moves back and forth above the waiting station and the target station to carry out the tray handling operation. When loading the tray at the target station, the carriage 3 stops at the waiting station. After the tray at the target station is fully loaded, the carriage 3 can directly transfer the empty tray at the waiting station to the target station for the equipment to load the tray.
[0039] The grasping component 4 is arranged on the carriage 3. The grasping component 4 includes a grasping head 41 which is used to extend into the waiting station to grasp the empty tray and place the empty tray into the target station.
[0040] Preferably, the pneumatic negative pressure is adopted for the grasping head 41 to grasp the empty tray. During the transfer process, the grasping head 41 descends to the waiting station and contacts the empty tray at the waiting station to achieve grasping. After grasping, the grasping head 41 drives the tray to move upward, leaving the waiting station, and moves to the target station through the movable part 21 and the carriage 3. The grasping head 41 descends to the target station and places the empty tray into the target station. This process can be automated to realize the rapid supply of the tray. At the same time, after the tray at the target station is full, the empty tray can be placed, further improving the supply efficiency of the tray and reducing the obstruction to the feeding of materials into the tray by equipment such as robots.
[0041] In this embodiment, two through holes are formed in the operating table 1. The two through holes are respectively located at the waiting station and the target station, and both are used to accommodate the tray. The specifications of the two through holes are larger than those of the tray, so that the tray can enter or leave the waiting station and the target station through the upper and lower sides of the through holes, thereby realizing the feeding of the tray from one side of the station and the removal of the tray from the other side. Thus, the empty tray is fed from the bottom of the waiting station and transferred from the top, and the empty tray is fed from the top of the target station and the full tray is removed from the bottom, further facilitating the automation operation and improving the tray transfer efficiency.
[0042] As a preferred embodiment, it further includes a limiting member 5 which is fixed on the operating table 1 and located at the target station. The limiting member 5 is communicated with the through hole at the target station, and the inside of the limiting member 5 matches the outside of the tray to correct the position of the tray placed in the target station.
[0043] The limiting member 5 is specifically a short tube formed by bending a plate member with a sloped inner opening. It is arranged in the through hole at the target station. The top of the limiting member 5 is bent outward from the through hole and provided with an oval hole. The limiting member 5 is fixed to the operating table 1 through the bolt and the oval hole. When the tray is placed in the limiting member 5, if the tray is slightly offset, it will be corrected by the inner slope of the limiting member 5, thereby greatly reducing the error after it is placed and avoiding the situation that when the robot or other equipment places the workpiece into the tray, it cannot align with the slot on the tray, resulting in the difficulty of arranging the workpieces into the tray.
[0044] In this embodiment, the linear driving member 2 further includes a guide rod 22 which is relatively fixed to the operating table 1 and slidably connected to the movable part 21. The guide rod 22 is located in the moving direction of the movable part 21 to guide the movable part 21.
[0045] The number of the provided guide rods 22 is two. The movable part 21 slides on the guide rods 22. The guide rods 22 can share the weight borne by the movable part 21, ensure the sliding precision of the movable part 21, and improve the sliding stability. Specifically, the linear drive member 2 further includes two supports. Both supports are fixed on the tabletop of the operation table 1. Both guide rods 22 are fixed between the two supports and are parallel to each other.
[0046] The linear drive member 2 is preferably a rodless cylinder. The module sliding on the rodless cylinder is used as the movable part 21 and is connected to the carriage 3, so as to drive the carriage 3 to perform linear sliding.
[0047] In this embodiment, a slide rail 6 is also provided. The slide rail 6 is fixed on the operation table 1 and is slidably connected to the carriage 3. The carriage 3 is mounted on the slide rail 6 to slide back and forth between the waiting station and the target station through the slide rail 6.
[0048] The slide rail 6 is arranged on the side of the waiting station and the target station away from the linear drive member 2 to support the carriage 3 to slide above the waiting station and the target station. The slide rail 6 is in the shape of a similar I-shaped rail. The difference between it and the I-shaped rail is that the top is set as an arc-shaped track, which has high precision and stability.
[0049] In addition, the provided carriage 3 includes a frame body 31 and sliders 32. The frame body 31 is horizontally placed on one of the waiting station and the target station. The number of the sliders 32 is two, and both are slidably arranged on the slide rail 6. Both sliders 32 are fixed to the bottom of the frame body 31.
[0050] The frame body 31 is an overall rectangular frame made of profiles. Two cross beams are arranged on it. Gripping assemblies 4 are arranged on both cross beams. The gripping operations of the trays are realized by the cooperation of the two gripping assemblies 4. For a single gripping assembly 4, it has two gripping heads 41, that is, a total of four gripping heads 41 cooperate to realize the gripping of a single tray. The four sliders 32 are all fixed to the bottom of the frame body 31. A mating groove adapted to the slide rail 6 is opened on the slider 32. By installing the slider 32 on the slide rail 6, the frame body 31 can perform linear sliding on the operation table 1.
[0051] In this embodiment, the gripping assembly 4 further includes a lifting cylinder 42 and a connecting plate 43. The lifting cylinder 42 is arranged on the carriage 3. The connecting plate 43 is fixed to the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder 42. The gripping head 41 is arranged on the connecting plate 43.
[0052] The lifting cylinder 42 is vertically fixed on the cross beam of the frame body 31, and its telescopic end is fixed to the connecting plate 43, thereby driving the connecting plate 43 to move towards or away from the operating table 1. Two gripping heads 41 are symmetrically arranged on the connecting plate 43, and both of the two gripping heads 41 face downward and are located on the same horizontal plane. It should be noted that the air supply pipelines of the lifting cylinder 42 and the gripping heads 41 are both arranged through a drag chain.
[0053] Specifically, the gripping assembly 4 further includes a mounting seat 44 and a limiting rod 45. The mounting seat 44 is fixed on the sliding frame 3, that is, on the cross beam of the frame body 31. The lifting cylinder 42 is fixed to the mounting seat 44. The telescopic end of the lifting cylinder 42 penetrates through the mounting seat 44 and extends towards the operating table 1. The number of the limiting rods 45 is two, and one ends of both are fixed on the connecting plate 43. The other ends of the limiting rods 45 penetrate through the mounting seat 44. Both of the two limiting rods 45 are parallel to the moving direction of the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder 42. The limiting rods 45 are slidably connected to the mounting seat 44. The irregular force on the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder 42 is shared by the limiting rods 45, so as to greatly reduce the lateral force on the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder 42, thereby improving the service life of the lifting cylinder 42.
[0054] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A tray transfer mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises an operating table (1), a linear drive component (2), a slide (3) and a grabbing component (4), wherein: The operating table (1) is provided with a waiting station and a target station, wherein the waiting station is used to place an empty material tray; The linear drive member (2) is arranged on the operating table (1) and is located outside the waiting station and the target station. The linear drive member (2) comprises a movable part (21), and the movable part (21) can move back and forth between the waiting station and the target station. The slide (3) is slidably arranged on the operating table (1) and is fixed to the movable part (21), so that the slide (3) slides to one of the waiting station and the target station through the movable part (21); The grabbing assembly (4) is arranged on the slide (3), and the grabbing assembly (4) comprises a grabbing head (41). The grabbing head (41) is used to extend into the waiting station to grab the empty material tray and place the empty material tray into the target station.
2. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operating table (1) is provided with two openings, the two openings are respectively located at the waiting position and the target position, and the two openings are used to accommodate the material tray.
3. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a limiting member (5), which is fixed on the operating table (1) and is located at the target workstation. The limiting member (5) is connected to the through opening of the target workstation, and the interior of the limiting member (5) matches the exterior of the material tray, so as to correct the position of the material tray placed in the target workstation.
4. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linear drive member (2) further comprises a guide rod (22), the guide rod (22) being fixed relative to the operating table (1) and being slidably connected to the movable part (21), the guide rod (22) being located in the moving direction of the movable part (21) so as to guide the movable part (21).
5. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The machine also comprises a slide rail (6), wherein the slide rail (6) is fixed on the operating table (1) and is slidably connected to the slide frame (3), and the slide frame (3) is mounted on the slide rail (6) and the linear drive member (2) so as to slide back and forth between the waiting station and the target station via the slide rail (6) and the linear drive member (2).
6. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The slide frame (3) comprises a frame body (31) and a slide block (32), wherein: The frame (31) is placed horizontally on one of the waiting station and the target station; There are two sliders (32), both of which are slidably arranged on the slide rail (6), and both of the sliders (32) are fixed to the bottom of the frame (31).
7. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grabbing assembly (4) further comprises a lifting cylinder (42) and a connecting plate (43), wherein: The lifting cylinder (42) is arranged on the slide (3); The connecting plate (43) is fixed to the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder (42), and the grabbing head (41) is arranged on the connecting plate (43).
8. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The grab assembly (4) further comprises a mounting seat (44) and a limiting rod (45), wherein: The mounting seat (44) is fixed on the slide (3), and the lifting cylinder (42) is fixed to the mounting seat (44); There are two limit rods (45), and one end of each limit rod is fixed on the connecting plate (43). The other end of the limit rod (45) passes through the mounting seat (44). The limit rod (45) is slidably connected to the mounting seat (44).
9. The tray transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linear drive component (2) is a rodless cylinder.