Joint gas tester

Abstract

The utility model provides a connector gas testing machine. The connector gas testing machine comprises a machine table, a stock bin mechanism, a material taking and placing robot, a feeding mechanism, a feeding transferring mechanism, a detection mechanism and a pressing mechanism, the stock bin mechanism is used for storing to-be-detected connectors, the material taking and placing robot is used for grabbing the connectors in the stock bin mechanism and placing the connectors on the feeding mechanism, the feeding transferring mechanism is used for clamping the connectors on the feeding mechanism and transferring the connectors to the detection mechanism, and the pressing mechanism is used for pressing and sealing the end faces of the connectors on the detection mechanism. The detection mechanism can ventilate and pressurize the joint so as to detect the air tightness of the joint; wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a bottom plate, a plurality of positioning center rods, a reset spring and an optical fiber sensor, the positioning center rods are movably arranged on the bottom plate, the material taking and placing robot can align center holes of a connector with the positioning center rods one by one and place the connector into the positioning center rods, and the optical fiber sensor can sense whether the positioning center rods move downwards or not, so that whether the connector is blocked or not is automatically detected; manual operation is reduced, and detection efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of joint testing equipment, and more specifically, to a joint testing machine. Background Technology

[0002] To ensure the quality of faucet products, air tightness testing is required before they leave the factory. Currently, air tightness testing of faucets is generally performed using connector air testing equipment. Existing connector air testing equipment typically uses single-station semi-automatic testing, requiring manual inspection of the connector's center hole for blockage before placing it onto the positioning fixture of the semi-automatic testing machine for air testing. This process is inefficient and prone to errors, such as passing blocked products as good ones. Furthermore, the semi-automatic machine is positioned based on the product's external dimensions, making it non-universal. When testing different connector products, different positioning fixtures need to be changed, making the operation cumbersome.

[0003] In view of this, the applicant hereby submits this application after studying the existing technology. Utility Model Content

[0004] This utility model provides a connector gas testing machine, which aims to improve at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides a joint air-testing machine, including a machine base and a hopper mechanism, a material handling robot, a feeding mechanism, a feeding and transfer mechanism, a testing mechanism, and a clamping mechanism connected to the machine base; the hopper mechanism is used to store the joints to be tested, the material handling robot is used to grab the joints in the hopper mechanism and place them on the feeding mechanism, the feeding and transfer mechanism is used to clamp the joints on the feeding mechanism and transfer them to the testing mechanism, and the clamping mechanism is used to pressurize and seal the end face of the joint on the testing mechanism, so that the testing mechanism can pressurize and vent the joint to test its airtightness;

[0006] The feeding mechanism includes a base plate, multiple positioning center rods, a return spring, and an optical fiber sensor. The multiple positioning center rods are movably mounted on the base plate, with their lower ends penetrating through the base plate. The picking and placing robot can align the center holes of the gripped connectors one by one with the positioning center rods and place them in the system. The upper end of the positioning center rod can pass through the center hole of the connector to position it, or press down and move it if the center hole of the connector is blocked. The optical fiber sensor is used to sense whether the bottom end of the positioning center rod has moved down. A bracket is provided at the bottom of the base plate at the position corresponding to the positioning center rod. The return spring is sleeved on the lower end of the positioning center rod, with one end abutting against the bracket, and is used to drive the moved positioning center rod to return to its original position.

[0007] As a further optimization, the feeding mechanism also includes a rotary drive component connected to the bottom of the base plate to drive the base plate to rotate. The picking and placing robot and the feeding and transfer mechanism are respectively located on opposite sides of the base plate. The plurality of positioning center rods are divided into two columns and are correspondingly arranged on both sides of the base plate so that after the base plate rotates through a preset angle, the picking and placing robot and the feeding and transfer mechanism can pick up and place materials respectively. The fiber optic sensor is attached to the machine platform and is located between the picking and placing robot and the base plate.

[0008] As a further optimization, the feeding mechanism also includes two buffers, which are engaged on the machine platform and located on both sides of the base plate. The bottom of the base plate is also provided with a buffer block. After the base plate rotates through a preset angle, the buffer block can abut against the buffer to provide cushioning.

[0009] As a further optimization, a visual positioning mechanism is also included, which is coupled to the machine platform and located on the material handling transmission path of the pick-and-place robot, to assist the pick-and-place robot in accurately picking up and placing materials.

[0010] As a further optimization, the loading and transfer mechanism includes a first servo motor module, a base, a vertical lifting cylinder, a horizontal moving cylinder, and a gripper cylinder. The first servo motor module is engaged with the machine base, and the base is slidably engaged with the first servo motor module. The first servo motor module can drive the base to reciprocate along the X-axis. The vertical lifting cylinder is disposed on the base, and the horizontal moving cylinder is connected to the drive end of the vertical lifting cylinder so that the vertical lifting cylinder can drive the horizontal moving cylinder to reciprocate along the Z-axis. The gripper cylinder is connected to the drive end of the horizontal moving cylinder so that the horizontal moving cylinder can drive the gripper cylinder to reciprocate along the Y-axis. The gripper drive cylinder is connected to two grippers, and the gripper drive cylinder can drive the two grippers to move closer or further away to clamp the joint.

[0011] As a further optimization, a material unloading and transfer mechanism is also included, which is connected to the machine base. The machine base is provided with multiple unloading ports. The material unloading and transfer mechanism is used to clamp the connectors that have been inspected on the inspection mechanism and transport them to one of the unloading ports for unloading.

[0012] As a further optimization, the plurality of discharge ports include a first defective product discharge port, a second defective product discharge port, and a good product discharge port. The first defective product discharge port is located on the material handling transmission path of the pick-and-place robot, which can retrieve the blocked connector and place it into the first defective product discharge port. The second defective product discharge port and the good product discharge port are respectively located on the transmission path of the material handling and transfer mechanism, and are used by the material handling and transfer mechanism to place defective and good product connectors respectively.

[0013] As a further optimization, the clamping mechanism is located on one side of the detection mechanism and includes a column, a second servo motor module, a movable seat, and a clamping cylinder. The column is attached to the machine base, the second servo motor module is connected to the top of the column, the movable seat is connected to the drive end of the second servo motor module, and the clamping cylinder is connected to the bottom of the movable seat, with a seal connected to its drive end.

[0014] As a further optimization, the silo mechanism includes a storage silo and a flexible vibrating plate. The storage silo is used to temporarily store the connector to be tested and has a silo opening. The flexible vibrating plate is located on one side of the silo opening. When the silo opening is opened, the connector can slide onto the flexible vibrating plate. The flexible vibrating plate can vibrate to disperse the material.

[0015] As a further optimization, it also includes a control module and a cabinet, the cabinet being attached to the machine platform. The control module includes an industrial computer and control buttons, which are located on the cabinet and used to control the operation of each mechanism.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention can achieve the following technical effects:

[0017] This application discloses a connector testing machine. During loading, a positioning center rod passes through the center hole of the connector for flexible positioning. This method is compatible with various connectors of different sizes and shapes, eliminating the need for manual adjustment of the positioning fixture when producing different products. Furthermore, the loading and unloading robot aligns the center holes of the picked-up connectors one by one with the positioning center rod. When the connector's center hole is normal, the upper end of the positioning center rod passes through the center hole to position it, allowing the loading and transfer mechanism to clamp the connector. When the connector's center hole is blocked, the positioning center rod is pressed down. The fiber optic sensor detects the downward movement of the bottom end of the positioning center rod and sends a product defect information to the control module. The control module then controls the loading and unloading robot to retrieve the blocked connector, thus automatically detecting product blockage in the early stages of testing. After the blocked connector is retrieved, the return spring automatically rebounds to reset the positioning center rod. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a connector gas testing machine according to this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a connector gas testing machine (excluding the cabinet) according to the present invention from a first-view perspective;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of a connector gas testing machine (excluding the cabinet) according to the present invention from a second perspective;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding and transferring mechanism;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism;

[0025] In the diagram, the markings are as follows: 1-Machine base; 11-First defective product discharge port; 12-Second defective product discharge port; 13-Good product discharge port; 14-Cabinet; 15-Industrial computer; 16-Control button; 2-Hopper mechanism; 21-Storage bin; 22-Flexible vibratory feeder; 3-Retrieving and discharging robot; 31-Vision positioning mechanism; 4-Feeding mechanism; 41-Base plate; 42-Positioning center rod; 43-Reset spring; 44-Fiber optic sensor; 45-Bracket. 46-Rotary drive component; 47-Buffer; 48-Buffer block; 5-Loading and transferring mechanism; 51-First servo motor module; 52-Base; 53-Vertical lifting cylinder; 54-Horizontal moving cylinder; 55-Gripper cylinder; 56-Gripper; 6-Detection mechanism; 7-Pressure mechanism; 71-Column; 72-Second servo motor module; 73-Moving seat; 74-Pressure cylinder; 75-Seal; 8-Connector; 9-Unloading and transferring mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this utility model provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed utility model, but merely represents selected embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0027] Example

[0028] Depend on Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this utility model embodiment provides a connector air-testing machine, including a machine base 1 and a hopper mechanism 2, a material handling robot 3, a feeding mechanism 4, a feeding and transfer mechanism 5, a testing mechanism 6, and a clamping mechanism 7 connected to the machine base. The hopper mechanism 2 is used to store connectors 8 to be tested. The material handling robot 3 is used to grab connectors 8 from the hopper mechanism 2 and place them at a designated position on the feeding mechanism 4. The feeding and transfer mechanism 5 is used to clamp connectors 8 on the feeding mechanism 4 and transfer them to the testing mechanism 6. The clamping mechanism 7 is used to pressurize and seal the end face of connectors 8 on the testing mechanism 6, so that the testing mechanism 7 can pressurize and vent the connectors 8 to test their airtightness.

[0029] The feeding mechanism 4 includes a base plate 41, multiple positioning center rods 42, a return spring 43, and an optical fiber sensor 44. The multiple positioning center rods 42 are movably mounted on the base plate 41, with their lower ends penetrating the base plate 41. The picking and placing robot 3 can align the center holes of the gripped connectors 8 one by one with the positioning center rods 42 and place them in. The upper end of the positioning center rod 42 can pass through the center hole of the connector 8 for positioning, or be pressed down by a blocked connector center hole and move downward. The optical fiber sensor 44 is used to sense whether the bottom end of the positioning center rod 42 has moved downward. The bottom of the base plate 41 is provided with a bracket 45 at the position corresponding to the positioning center rod 42. The return spring 43 is sleeved on the lower end of the positioning center rod 42, and a limit ring is fixedly connected to the positioning center rod 42. One end of the return spring 43 abuts against the limit ring and the other end abuts against the bottom surface of the bracket 45, which is used to drive the downward-moving positioning center rod 42 to move upward and reset. Preferably, the end of the positioning center rod 42 also penetrates the bottom surface of the bracket 45 and extends downward, making the positioning center rod 42 more stable during up and down movement.

[0030] In this embodiment, the pick-and-place robot 3 picks up the connector 8 to be tested from the hopper mechanism 2 and places it above the loading mechanism 4, aligning it with the positioning center rod 42. Then, it moves downwards to release the connector. If the center hole of the connector 8 is normal, the upper end of the positioning center rod 42 will penetrate the center hole of the connector 8 to position it, facilitating subsequent gripping by the loading and transfer mechanism. If the center hole of the connector 8 is blocked, the upper end of the positioning center rod 42 will be pressed, causing the positioning center rod 42 to move downwards. The fiber optic sensor 44 senses the downward movement of the bottom end of the positioning center rod 42 and sends a sensing information, i.e., product non-conformity information, to the control module. The control module then controls the pick-and-place robot 3 to retrieve the blocked connector. This automatically detects whether the center hole of the connector is blocked before the connector airtightness test, solving the problems of easy errors and low efficiency associated with manual testing. The pick-and-place robot 3 uses an existing four-axis robot; therefore, its structure and working principle are not detailed here.

[0031] Reference Figure 4 As shown, the feeding mechanism 4 also includes a rotary drive 46, which is preferably a rotary cylinder. The rotary drive 46 is connected to the bottom of the base plate 41 to drive the base plate 41 to rotate. The picking and placing robot 3 and the feeding and transfer mechanism 5 are respectively located on opposite sides of the base plate 41. In this application, there are 6 positioning center rods 42, which are evenly arranged in two rows on both sides of the base plate 41. After the base plate 41 is driven to rotate 180°, the picking and placing robot 3 and the feeding and transfer mechanism 5 can pick up and place materials respectively, thereby further improving the feeding detection efficiency. Three fiber optic sensors 44 are correspondingly provided, respectively connected to the machine base 1, and located between the picking and placing robot 3 and the base plate 41.

[0032] The feeding mechanism also includes two buffers 47, which are attached to the machine base 1 and located on both sides of the base plate 41. The bottom of the base plate 41 is also provided with a buffer block 48. After the base plate 41 is rotated 180° clockwise or counterclockwise, the buffer block 48 can abut against one of the buffers 48, thereby buffering and limiting the base plate 41.

[0033] Reference Figure 2 As shown, it also includes a visual positioning mechanism 31, which is coupled to the machine base 1 and located on the material handling transmission path of the material handling robot 3, and is used to assist the material handling robot 3 in accurately picking up and placing materials.

[0034] Reference Figure 5As shown, the loading and transfer mechanism 5 includes a first servo motor module 51, a base 52, a vertical lifting cylinder 53, a horizontal moving cylinder 54, and a gripper cylinder 55. The first servo motor module 51 is coupled to the machine base 1, the base 1 is slidably coupled to the first servo motor module 51, the vertical lifting cylinder 53 is disposed on the base 52, the horizontal moving cylinder 54 is connected to the drive end of the vertical lifting cylinder 53, and the gripper cylinder 55 is connected to the drive end of the horizontal moving cylinder 54. In this embodiment, three sets of gripper drive cylinders 55 are provided, and each set of gripper drive cylinders 55 is connected to two grippers 56. In the initial state, the base 52 is directly opposite the loading mechanism 4. The horizontal moving cylinder 54 extends, driving the gripper cylinder 55 to move forward along the Y-axis. The gripper drive cylinder 55 drives the two grippers to move closer or further away, clamping the connector 8. After clamping, the vertical lifting cylinder 53 drives the horizontal moving cylinder 54 to move upward along the Z-axis, causing the connector 8 to disengage from the positioning center rod 42. Then, the first servo motor module 51 drives the base to move along the X-axis until the connector 8 is directly above the detection mechanism 6. Correspondingly, the detection mechanism 6 has three detection stations. The vertical lifting cylinder 53 moves downward, causing the gripper drive cylinder 55 to place the clamped connector 8 onto the corresponding detection station. Thus, the connector 8 to be tested is transferred from the loading mechanism 4 to the detection mechanism 6. The detection mechanism 6 sends the detection result information to the control module. Since the detection mechanism 6 is an existing device, the detection principle process will not be described in detail here.

[0035] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in existing connector testing machines, after testing, the connectors still need to be manually removed and placed into the corresponding good and bad product boxes. Sometimes, manual operation errors can occur, mistakenly placing bad products into the good product box, leading to defects in subsequent processes. In view of this, the connector testing machine of this application also includes a feeding and transferring mechanism 9. The feeding and transferring mechanism 9 is connected to the machine base 1 and located on the side of the testing mechanism 6 away from the feeding and transferring mechanism 5. The structure of the feeding and transferring mechanism 9 is the same as that of the feeding and transferring mechanism, both including a first servo motor module, a base, a vertical lifting cylinder, a horizontal moving cylinder, and a gripper cylinder. The machine base 1 is also equipped with a first bad product discharge port 11, a second bad product discharge port 12, and a good product discharge port 13. The first defective product discharge port 11 is located on the material handling transmission path of the picking and placing robot 3. When a blockage is detected in the connector, the picking and placing robot 3 can retrieve the connector and place it into the first defective product discharge port 11. The second defective product discharge port 12 and the good product discharge port 13 are respectively located on the transmission path of the material handling and transfer mechanism 9. The control module can control the material handling and transfer mechanism 9 to clamp the interface that has been inspected and place the interface into the second defective product discharge port 12 and the good product discharge port 13 respectively.

[0036] Reference Figure 6 As shown, the clamping mechanism 7 is located on one side of the testing mechanism 6. It includes a column 71, a second servo motor module 72, a movable seat 73, and a clamping cylinder 74. The column 71 is connected to the machine base 1. The second servo motor module 72 is connected to the top of the column 71. The movable seat 73 is slidably connected to the second servo motor module 72. The clamping cylinder 74 is connected to the bottom of the movable seat 73, and its driving end is connected to a sealing element 75. After the loading and transfer mechanism 5 places the connector to be tested onto the testing mechanism 6, the second servo motor module 72 drives the movable seat 73 to move downward along the Z-axis to a designated position. Then, the clamping cylinder 74 extends and presses the sealing element 75 against the end face of the connector 8, thus clamping and sealing the connector 8.

[0037] Reference Figure 2 As shown, the hopper mechanism 2 includes a storage hopper 21 and a flexible vibrating plate 22. The storage hopper 21 is used to temporarily store the connectors to be tested and has a hopper opening. The flexible vibrating plate 22 is located on one side of the hopper opening. When the hopper opening is opened, the connectors can slide onto the flexible vibrating plate 22. The flexible vibrating plate 22 can vibrate to disperse the material, thereby facilitating the material handling robot 3 to grab the material.

[0038] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the system also includes a control module and a cabinet 14, which is attached to the machine base 1, and all mechanisms are located within the cabinet 14. The control module includes an industrial computer 15 and control buttons 16, which are located on the cabinet and used to control the operation of each mechanism. The industrial computer 15 stores various types of connector detection programs, which can be switched manually. For example, if different types of connectors have different heights or sizes, after switching to the corresponding type of connector detection program via the industrial computer 15, the vertical lifting cylinder 53 and the second servo motor 72 can correspondingly control the vertical movement distance of the horizontal moving cylinder 54 and the moving seat 73, and the gripper cylinder 55 can correspondingly control the distance the gripper moves closer or further away.

[0039] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A joint air-testing machine, comprising a machine base and a hopper mechanism, a pick-and-place robot, a feeding mechanism, a feeding and transfer mechanism, a testing mechanism, and a clamping mechanism connected to the machine base; the hopper mechanism is used to store joints to be tested, the pick-and-place robot is used to grab joints from the hopper mechanism and place them on the feeding mechanism, the feeding and transfer mechanism is used to clamp the joints on the feeding mechanism and transfer them to the testing mechanism, and the clamping mechanism is used to pressurize and seal the end faces of the joints on the testing mechanism, so that the testing mechanism can pressurize and vent the joints to test their airtightness; Its features are: The feeding mechanism includes a base plate, multiple positioning center rods, a return spring, and an optical fiber sensor. The multiple positioning center rods are movably mounted on the base plate, with their lower ends penetrating through the base plate. The picking and placing robot can align the center holes of the gripped connectors one by one with the positioning center rods and place them in the system. The upper end of the positioning center rod can pass through the center hole of the connector to position it, or press down and move it if the center hole of the connector is blocked. The optical fiber sensor is used to sense whether the bottom end of the positioning center rod has moved down. A bracket is provided at the bottom of the base plate at the position corresponding to the positioning center rod. The return spring is sleeved on the lower end of the positioning center rod, with one end abutting against the bracket, and is used to drive the moved positioning center rod to return to its original position.

2. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that... The feeding mechanism also includes a rotary drive component connected to the bottom of the base plate to drive the base plate to rotate. The picking and placing robot and the feeding and transfer mechanism are located on opposite sides of the base plate. The plurality of positioning center rods are divided into two columns and are arranged on both sides of the base plate so that after the base plate rotates through a preset angle, the picking and placing robot and the feeding and transfer mechanism can pick up and place materials respectively. The fiber optic sensor is attached to the machine platform and is located between the picking and placing robot and the base plate.

3. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that... The feeding mechanism also includes two buffers, which are attached to the machine platform and located on both sides of the base plate. The bottom of the base plate is also provided with a buffer block. After the base plate rotates through a preset angle, the buffer block can abut against the buffer to provide cushioning.

4. A connector gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a visual positioning mechanism, which is coupled to the machine base and located on the material handling transmission path of the pick-and-place robot, to assist the pick-and-place robot in accurately picking up and placing materials.

5. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that... The loading and transfer mechanism includes a first servo motor module, a base, a vertical lifting cylinder, a horizontal moving cylinder, and a gripper cylinder. The first servo motor module is coupled to the machine base, and the base is slidably coupled to the first servo motor module. The first servo motor module can drive the base to reciprocate along the X-axis. The vertical lifting cylinder is disposed on the base. The horizontal moving cylinder is connected to the drive end of the vertical lifting cylinder so that the vertical lifting cylinder can drive the horizontal moving cylinder to reciprocate along the Z-axis. The gripper cylinder is connected to the drive end of the horizontal moving cylinder so that the horizontal moving cylinder can drive the gripper cylinder to reciprocate along the Y-axis. The gripper drive cylinder is connected to two grippers, and the gripper drive cylinder can drive the two grippers to move closer or further away to clamp the joint.

6. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that... It also includes a material feeding and transfer mechanism connected to the machine base, the machine base having multiple feeding ports, the material feeding and transfer mechanism being used to clamp the connectors that have been inspected on the inspection mechanism and transport them to one of the feeding ports for feeding.

7. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 6, characterized in that... The plurality of discharge ports include a first defective product discharge port, a second defective product discharge port, and a good product discharge port. The first defective product discharge port is located on the material handling transmission path of the material handling robot. The material handling robot can retrieve the blocked connector and place it into the first defective product discharge port. The second defective product discharge port and the good product discharge port are respectively located on the transmission path of the material handling and transfer mechanism, and are used by the material handling and transfer mechanism to place defective and good product connectors respectively.

8. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that... The clamping mechanism is located on one side of the detection mechanism and includes a column, a second servo motor module, a movable base, and a clamping cylinder. The column is attached to the machine base, the second servo motor module is connected to the top of the column, the movable base is connected to the drive end of the second servo motor module, and the clamping cylinder is connected to the bottom of the movable base, with a seal connected to its drive end.

9. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that... The silo mechanism includes a storage silo and a flexible vibrating plate. The storage silo is used to temporarily store the connector to be tested and has an opening. The flexible vibrating plate is located on one side of the opening. When the opening is opened, the connector can slide onto the flexible vibrating plate. The flexible vibrating plate can vibrate to disperse the material.

10. A joint gas testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that... It also includes a control module and a cabinet, the cabinet being attached to the machine platform. The control module includes an industrial computer and control buttons, which are located on the cabinet and are used to control the operation of each mechanism.

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