Material rack and laser processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a material rack and laser processing equipment, the material rack comprises a lifting bearing unit and a detection unit, the lifting bearing unit is provided with a bearing plate capable of lifting along a first direction, and the bearing plate is used for holding a plurality of materials stacked along the first direction; the detection unit is arranged on one side of the lifting bearing unit, and the detection unit is configured to detect the alignment condition of the multiple materials on the material taking direction side. According to the material frame, the detection unit arranged on one side of the lifting bearing unit is used for detecting the alignment condition of a plurality of materials on the material taking direction side, and when the detection unit detects that at least one material is not aligned on the material taking direction side, a reminding signal is sent out; and a worker is reminded to adjust the materials which are not aligned at the side in the material taking direction to be aligned, so that each material is aligned at the side in the material taking direction, and the problems that faults occur or the materials are damaged when the materials are taken out are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of material processing technology, specifically to a material rack and laser processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Existing laser processing equipment includes a material rack and a material handling assembly. After the materials are manually stacked in the material rack, the material handling assembly picks up the materials from the rack to remove them for subsequent processing, thus giving the entire laser processing equipment a high level of automation.

[0003] However, when multiple materials are stacked in the rack, it cannot be guaranteed that each material is in the correct position. This can lead to some materials not being aligned in the picking direction, causing problems such as malfunction or damage to the picking component during material picking. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art, according to one aspect of the present invention, a material rack is provided, the technical solution of which is as follows.

[0005] The material rack includes a lifting and receiving unit and a detection unit. The lifting and receiving unit has a receiving plate that can be lifted and lowered along a first direction. The receiving plate is used to hold multiple materials stacked along the first direction. The detection unit is located on one side of the lifting and receiving unit and is configured to detect the alignment of the multiple materials on the material receiving direction side.

[0006] The material rack of this utility model uses a detection unit set on one side of the lifting and receiving unit to detect the alignment of multiple materials on the material picking direction side. When the detection unit detects that at least one material is not aligned on the material picking direction side, it will issue a reminder signal to remind the staff to adjust the material that is not aligned on the material picking direction side to be aligned, so that each material is aligned on the material picking direction side, thereby avoiding problems such as malfunctions or damage to materials when picking them up.

[0007] For example, the receiving plate has a notch on the side near the material receiving direction, and the projection of the detection unit toward the receiving plate is at least partially located in the notch. With this configuration, in order to ensure the stability of the received material, even when the area of ​​the receiving plate relative to the material is large, the detection unit can still accurately detect materials that are not aligned on the material receiving direction side, and the structure is simple, reducing costs.

[0008] For example, the detection unit includes a transmitter and a receiver, which are disposed opposite to each other. The receiving plate has at least one detection position in a first direction. When the receiving plate is in the detection position, one of the transmitter and receiver has a notch above the uppermost layer of material, and the other of the transmitter and receiver is located at or below the notch. This arrangement ensures that when the receiving plate is in the detection position, each layer of material stacked along the first direction can be detected.

[0009] For example, a protective plate is provided above the receiving plate, and the material is placed on the receiving plate through the protective plate. This arrangement avoids damage to the receiving plate during receiving or testing, thereby saving costs.

[0010] For example, multiple support rods are connected below the receiving plate, each support rod having a connecting end that connects to the receiving plate. The lines connecting the connecting ends of the multiple support rods form a planar shape. Multiple materials are placed on the receiving plate through a material box, and the center of the planar shape and the center of gravity of the material box are on the same straight line. This arrangement improves the stability of the overall structure, ensuring that the material box is not easily tilted or tipped over when the receiving plate moves up and down in the first direction, and can reduce structural deformation or damage caused by uneven stress, thereby helping to extend the service life of the material box and support rods.

[0011] For example, the lifting and receiving unit includes a drive assembly and a transmission assembly. The drive assembly is connected to the receiving plate, and the receiving plate is connected to the transmission assembly via a support rod. This configuration allows the transmission assembly to distribute the load more evenly, reducing uneven force distribution caused by the drive assembly and thus improving the stability of the receiving plate during lifting and lowering movements.

[0012] For example, the drive assembly includes a drive member and a lead screw. The drive member is connected to the lead screw, and the drive member drives the lead screw to move the receiving plate up and down. This configuration enables the receiving plate to move up and down while ensuring the stability of the receiving plate during the up and down movement.

[0013] For example, the transmission assembly includes a movable plate, multiple guide rods, and two fixed plates. The two fixed plates are arranged opposite each other, and the multiple guide rods are disposed between the two fixed plates. The movable plate is connected to multiple support rods and is sleeved on the multiple guide rods, moving between the two fixed plates. This arrangement ensures stability when the receiving plate moves up and down in the first direction, making the material box less prone to tilting or tipping over.

[0014] According to another aspect of this utility model, a laser processing apparatus is provided, which includes a material handling component and a material rack as described above. The material handling component grips a plurality of materials placed on a receiving plate in the material handling direction. Since the material rack described above has the aforementioned beneficial effects, the laser processing apparatus including the material rack described above also has the aforementioned beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0015] For example, the laser processing equipment also includes a feeding component, a discharging component, and a processing component. All three components are located on the material-receiving side of the lifting and receiving unit, and at least some of the detection units are mounted on the discharging component. This arrangement avoids interference from the detection units with material feeding, saves space occupied by the laser processing equipment, and improves processing efficiency.

[0016] This utility model description introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the detailed description section. This utility model description is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0017] The advantages and features of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The following drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference as part of this invention, are provided for understanding the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and their descriptions, serving to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings,

[0019] Figure 1 A perspective view of a portion of a laser processing apparatus as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a partial 3D view of the material rack.

[0021] The above figures include the following reference numerals:

[0022] 10. Material rack; 110. Lifting and receiving unit; 111. Receiving plate; 1111. Notch; 1112. Detection piece; 112. Protective plate; 1121. Limiting block; 113. Support rod; 114. Drive assembly; 1141. Drive component; 1142. Lead screw; 1143. Synchronous belt; 115. Transmission assembly; 1151. Movable plate; 1152. Guide rod; 1153. Fixed plate; 1154. Linear bearing; 120. Detection unit; 121. Launching component; 122. Receiving component; 20. Unloading assembly; X, First direction. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In the following description, numerous details are provided to enable a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the following description merely illustrates preferred embodiments of the present invention, which may be practiced without one or more of these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well-known in the art have not been described in detail.

[0024] To fully understand the embodiments of this utility model, a detailed structure will be presented in the following description. Obviously, the implementation of the embodiments of this utility model is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art. Preferred embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, this utility model may have other embodiments.

[0025] An embodiment of this utility model provides a material rack. The material rack provided by this utility model can be applied to laser processing equipment. The following will describe in detail a material rack according to an embodiment of this utility model with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] See Figure 1 The material rack 10 may include a lifting and receiving unit 110 and a detection unit 120. The lifting and receiving unit 110 may have a receiving plate 111 that can be lifted and lowered along a first direction X. Understandably, the material rack 10 can generally be placed on the ground or on an operating table parallel to the ground, in which case the first direction X can be a vertical direction. Of course, it is not excluded that the first direction X is other directions, such as directions at a certain angle to the vertical direction. The receiving plate 111 can be used to hold multiple materials stacked along the first direction X. The detection unit 120 can be disposed on one side of the lifting and receiving unit 110, and the detection unit 120 can be configured to detect the alignment of multiple materials on the material picking direction side. The material picking direction side can be the side on which materials are clamped on the receiving plate 111, for example, the material picking direction side can be one side of one edge of the receiving plate 111, so as to facilitate the stable removal of materials from the receiving plate 111.

[0027] The material rack 10 of this utility model uses a detection unit 120 set on one side of the lifting and receiving unit 110 to detect the alignment of multiple materials on the material picking direction side. When the detection unit 120 detects that at least one material is not aligned on the material picking direction side, it will issue a reminder signal (such as lighting up the light or emitting a prompt sound) to remind the staff to adjust the material that is not aligned on the material picking direction side to be aligned, so that each material is aligned on the material picking direction side, thereby avoiding problems such as malfunction or damage to materials when picking them up.

[0028] In an embodiment not shown in the figure, there can be multiple detection units 120, and these multiple detection units 120 can be correspondingly arranged on each side of the lifting and receiving unit 110, which further enhances the accuracy of detecting the alignment of materials.

[0029] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 When the material rack 10 is applied in various equipment, in order to make reasonable use of space, the receiving plate 111 can be provided with a notch 1111 on the side closer to the material picking direction. The projection of the detection unit 120 onto the receiving plate 111 can be at least partially located in the notch 1111, ensuring that the detection unit 120 can detect the area where the notch 1111 is located. In order to ensure the stability of the received material, even when the area of ​​the receiving plate 111 relative to the material is large, the detection unit 120 can still accurately detect materials that are not aligned on the material picking direction side, and the structure is simple, reducing costs. It should be noted that the case where multiple stacked materials are all qualified can be that the multiple stacked materials are all located on the side of the notch 1111 away from the detection unit 120, in which case the multiple materials are aligned on the material picking direction side. In other words, at least one of the stacked materials extends beyond the notch 1111 on the side away from the detection unit 120 (i.e., above the notch 1111). For example, some materials protrude from the appropriate position A (the side of the notch 1111 away from the detection unit 120) to position B (above the notch 1111). In this case, the materials are not aligned in the material handling direction, which may damage the materials when they are taken out or transported, and adjustment is required.

[0030] In some embodiments, an operator can transport materials onto the receiving plate 111 from the feeding direction side. The feeding direction side can be the side opposite to the receiving direction side. The feeding direction side can be the side where the operator transports the materials onto the receiving plate 111, for example, it can be one side of one edge of the receiving plate 111, to facilitate stable material reception by the receiving plate 111. It is difficult for the operator to directly determine whether the materials are aligned by simply observing them from the feeding and receiving directions. Repeatedly moving and adjusting the materials between the feeding and receiving directions reduces efficiency and accuracy. Therefore, a detection unit 120 can be provided on the receiving side. The detection unit 120, in conjunction with the notch 1111, can issue a warning signal when at least one piece of material is not aligned on the receiving direction side, reminding the operator to adjust the misaligned material to alignment, thus improving efficiency. Since the feeding and receiving directions are positioned opposite each other, the accuracy of the detection is ensured.

[0031] See again Figure 1 and Figure 2The detection unit 120 may include a transmitter 121 and a receiver 122. The transmitter 121 and receiver 122 may be arranged opposite to each other. Preferably, the transmitter 121 and receiver 122 may be a transmitter sensor and a receiver sensor. The receiving plate 111 may have at least a detection position in the first direction X. When the receiving plate 111 is in the detection position, one of the transmitter 121 and receiver 122 may be located above the uppermost layer of material relative to the notch 1111, and the other of the transmitter 121 and receiver 122 may be located at or below the notch 1111. In this way, it is ensured that when the receiving plate 111 is in the detection position, each layer of material stacked along the first direction X can be detected. Specifically, when the receiving plate 111 is in the detection position, the receiver 122 may be located above the uppermost layer of material relative to the notch 1111, and the transmitter 121 may be located below the notch 1111. When all materials are properly positioned, the transmitter 121 emits a signal, which is received by the receiver 122. When any material is improperly positioned, the transmitter 121 emits a signal, but this signal is blocked by the improperly positioned material, preventing the receiver 122 from receiving it. This triggers a warning signal, alerting the operator that the material's position is incorrect and requires adjustment. Of course, the receiving plate 111 can also have positions in the first direction X that facilitate loading and unloading operations.

[0032] In some embodiments, when the receiving plate 111 is in the detection position, the receiving member 122 can be positioned above the uppermost material relative to the notch 1111, and the transmitting member 121 can be positioned at the notch 1111. This allows for application in scenarios with limited space, saving space.

[0033] In some embodiments, when the receiving plate 111 is in the detection position, the transmitting element 121 can be positioned above the uppermost material relative to the notch 1111, and the receiving element 122 can be positioned below the notch 1111. This avoids interference between the receiving plate 111 and the receiving element 122.

[0034] In some embodiments, when the receiving plate 111 is in the detection position, the transmitter 121 can be positioned above the uppermost material relative to the notch 1111, and the receiver 122 can be positioned at the notch 1111. This allows for application in scenarios with limited space, saving space.

[0035] See again Figure 1 and Figure 2A protective plate 112 can be provided above the receiving plate 111. Materials can be placed on the receiving plate 111 through the protective plate 112. Specifically, the receiving plate 111 can be made of lightweight aluminum, but its hardness is low; therefore, a stainless steel protective plate 112 can be used to ensure hardness. This prevents damage to the receiving plate 111 during receiving or testing, thus saving costs. The protective plate 112 can enclose an open receiving cavity (not shown in the figure), within which the receiving plate 111 can be placed, providing excellent protection and preventing the protective plate 112 from falling off as the receiving plate 111 moves.

[0036] See again Figure 1 and Figure 2 Multiple support rods 113 can be connected below the receiving plate 111. Each support rod 113 can have a connecting end (not shown in the figure) that connects to the receiving plate 111. The lines connecting the connecting ends of multiple support rods 113 can form a planar shape, such as a polygon or a circle. Multiple materials can be placed on the receiving plate 111 through a material box (not shown in the figure). Storing multiple materials in the material box facilitates management and use. The center of the planar shape and the center of gravity of the material box can be on the same straight line. This improves the stability of the overall structure, ensuring that the material box is not easily tilted or tipped over when the receiving plate 111 moves up and down in the first direction X, and reduces structural deformation or damage caused by uneven force, thereby helping to extend the service life of the material box and the support rods 113. Specifically, the support rods 113 and the receiving plate 111 can be connected by various connection methods, such as welding, screw connection, etc. A detection element 1112 for sensing whether the material box is installed in place can be provided on the receiving plate 111 to ensure that the material box can be stably placed on the receiving plate 111. Multiple limiting blocks 1121 can be provided on the edge of the wall surface of the protective plate 112 where the material box is placed, to facilitate the placement of the material box on the protective plate 112 and prevent the material box from slipping off the protective plate 112 during lifting and lowering movements. The protective plate 112 and the limiting blocks 1121 can be connected by means of screws, welding, or other methods. Of course, it is not impossible for the limiting blocks 1121 and the protective plate 112 to be a single integrated structure.

[0037] Furthermore, the material box can be a cuboid. The material box can have a feeding port on the feeding side and a discharging port on the discharging side, with the feeding port and discharging port positioned opposite each other. The material box can have two opposite side panels on either side of the feeding port and discharging port, and each side panel can have multiple partitions spaced along the first direction X to facilitate the stacking and management of multiple materials along the first direction X.

[0038] See again Figure 1 and Figure 2The lifting and receiving unit 110 may include a drive assembly 114 and a transmission assembly 115. The drive assembly 114 may be connected to the receiving plate 111. The receiving plate 111 may be connected to the transmission assembly 115 via a support rod 113. The transmission assembly 115 can distribute the load more evenly, reducing uneven force caused by the drive assembly 114, thereby improving the stability of the receiving plate 111 when performing lifting and lowering movements.

[0039] See again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The drive assembly 114 may include a drive member 1141 and a lead screw 1142. The drive member 1141 and the lead screw 1142 may be connected. The drive member 1141 can drive the lead screw 1142 to move the receiving plate 111 up and down. In this way, the receiving plate 111 can perform up and down movements, and the stability of the receiving plate 111 during the up and down movements is ensured.

[0040] See again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The transmission assembly 115 may include a movable plate 1151, multiple guide rods 1152, and two fixed plates 1153. The two fixed plates 1153 may be arranged opposite to each other. The multiple guide rods 1152 may be arranged between the two fixed plates 1153. The movable plate 1151 may be connected to multiple support rods 113, and the movable plate 1151 may be sleeved on the multiple guide rods 1152 and may be moved between the two fixed plates 1153. In this way, stability is ensured when the receiving plate 111 moves up and down along the first direction X, making it less likely for the material box to tilt or tip over. Specifically, the transmission assembly 115 also includes a linear bearing 1154, which may be connected to the movable plate 1151 and sleeved on the guide rods 1152, thereby ensuring that the movable plate 1151 moves smoothly in a straight line on the guide rods 1152.

[0041] Specifically, the drive assembly 114 may include a drive element 1141, a lead screw 1142, a timing belt 1143, and bearings. The timing belt 1143 can be rotatably connected to both the motor and the lead screw 1142. The bearings can be mounted on the motor shaft and the lead screw 1142. The drive element 1141 and the timing belt 1143 can be positioned between the fixed plate 1153 and the receiving plate 111. The lead screw 1142 passes through and connects to the movable plate 1151. The drive element 1141 can be a motor. The motor drives the timing belt 1143 to rotate the lead screw 1142, which in turn drives the movable plate 1151, causing the receiving plate 111 to rise and fall under the influence of the support rod 113. Alternatively, the drive assembly 114 may also include the drive element 1141 and the timing belt 1143, or the drive element 1141 and a chain, depending on the weight of the material to be loaded. The drive element 1141 can also be a cylinder, etc.

[0042] According to another aspect of the present invention, a laser processing apparatus is provided. This laser processing apparatus may include a material handling assembly (not shown in the figure) and a material rack 10 as described above. The material handling assembly can grip multiple materials placed on a receiving plate 111 in the material handling direction. Since the material rack 10 described above has the aforementioned beneficial effects, the laser processing apparatus including the material rack 10 described above also has the aforementioned beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0043] For example, the laser processing equipment may further include a loading assembly (not shown in the figure), an unloading assembly 20, and a processing assembly (not shown in the figure). The loading assembly, unloading assembly 20, and processing assembly can all be located on the material-receiving side of the lifting and receiving unit 110. Furthermore, at least some of the detection units 120 can be disposed on the unloading assembly 20. This avoids interference from the detection units 120 with material loading, saves space occupied by the laser processing equipment, and improves processing efficiency.

[0044] Specifically, taking wafers as an example, during wafer processing, automatic material handling is achieved through a material handling component. To ensure a reasonable layout of the laser processing equipment, the material handling component and manual loading can be located on opposite sides of the material rack 10. The material handling component can pick up materials from the hopper on the material rack 10. The loading component can load the wafers onto the processing component for processing. The unloading component 20 can unload the processed wafers. The material handling component can put the processed wafers back into the hopper. The detection unit 120 can also detect the alignment of the wafers returned by the material handling component on the material handling direction side. The material handling component can be adjusted according to prompt signals, or the operator can be adjusted according to prompt signals, thereby avoiding material handling failures or wafer damage during other processes that require material handling.

[0045] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional terms such as "front", "rear", "up", "down", "left", "right", "horizontal", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", and "bottom" indicate the orientation or positional relationship, which are usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this utility model. The directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours of each component itself.

[0046] For ease of description, relative terms such as "above," "over," "on the upper surface of," and "above" are used here to describe the regional positional relationship of one or more components or features shown in the figures to other components or features. It should be understood that relative terms include not only the orientation of the component as depicted in the figure but also different orientations during use or operation. For example, if the components in the figures are inverted as a whole, "above" or "above other components or features" will include cases where the component is "below" or "under" other components or features. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." Furthermore, these components or features may also be positioned at other different angles (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other angles), and this document intends to include all such cases.

[0047] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, parts, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0048] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0049] This utility model has been described through the above embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the utility model to the described embodiments. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments, and many more variations and modifications can be made based on the teachings of this utility model, all of which fall within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A material rack, characterized in that, include: A lifting and receiving unit, the lifting and receiving unit having a receiving plate that can be lifted and lowered along a first direction, the receiving plate being used to hold a plurality of materials stacked along the first direction; as well as A detection unit is disposed on one side of the lifting and receiving unit, and the detection unit is configured to detect the alignment of multiple materials on the material picking direction side; The receiving plate has a notch on the side near the material taking direction, and the projection of the detection unit toward the receiving plate is at least partially located in the notch.

2. The material rack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection unit includes a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter and the receiver being disposed opposite to each other, the receiving plate having at least a detection position in the first direction, and when the receiving plate is in the detection position, one of the transmitter and the receiver is located above the uppermost layer of material relative to the notch, and the other of the transmitter and the receiver is located at the notch position or below the notch.

3. The material rack according to claim 1, characterized in that, A protective plate is provided above the receiving plate, and the material is placed on the receiving plate through the protective plate.

4. The material rack according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple support rods are connected below the receiving plate, each support rod having a connecting end connected to the receiving plate, and the connecting ends of the multiple support rods forming a planar shape; multiple materials are placed on the receiving plate through a material box, and the center of the planar shape and the center of gravity of the material box are on the same straight line.

5. The material rack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lifting and receiving unit includes a drive assembly and a transmission assembly. The drive assembly is connected to the receiving plate, and the receiving plate is connected to the transmission assembly via the support rod.

6. The material rack according to claim 5, characterized in that, The drive assembly includes a drive component and a lead screw. The drive component is connected to the lead screw, and the drive component drives the lead screw to move the receiving plate up and down.

7. The material rack according to claim 5, characterized in that, The transmission assembly includes a movable plate, multiple guide rods, and two fixed plates. The two fixed plates are arranged opposite to each other, and the multiple guide rods are arranged between the two fixed plates. The movable plate is connected to the multiple support rods, and the movable plate is sleeved on the multiple guide rods and is movable between the two fixed plates.

8. A laser processing device, characterized in that, It includes a material picking component and a material rack as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the material picking component picks up a plurality of the materials placed on the receiving plate on the material picking direction side.

9. The laser processing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The laser processing equipment further includes a loading component, a unloading component, and a processing component. The loading component, the unloading component, and the processing component are all located on the material picking direction side of the lifting and receiving unit, and at least some of the detection units are arranged on the unloading component.

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