Aluminum casting appearance defect detection device

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of aluminum casting detection, in particular to an aluminum casting appearance defect detection device which comprises a workbench, a feeding mechanism, a conveying mechanism and a defect detection mechanism, the feeding mechanism, the conveying mechanism and the defect detection mechanism are arranged on the workbench, the feeding mechanism is used for automatically conveying aluminum castings, and the conveying mechanism is used for transferring the aluminum castings among stations; and the defect detection mechanism is used for detecting the aluminum casting on the carrier. The double-manipulator cooperative system is adopted, the detection efficiency is improved, the universality is enhanced, the cost is remarkably reduced, and the intelligence and the expandability are improved, so that the existing technical problems are effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of aluminum casting inspection technology, and in particular to an aluminum casting appearance defect detection device. Background Technology

[0002] As key components in fields such as new energy vehicles and aerospace, aluminum die castings are susceptible to defects (such as porosity, cracks, and shrinkage cavities) that directly affect the product's sealing performance, mechanical strength, and thermal management. Traditional inspection methods rely on manual visual inspection or fixed equipment, which suffer from low efficiency, poor flexibility, and high costs.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of machine vision technology, automated inspection based on optical imaging and intelligent algorithms has gradually become mainstream, but it still faces the following challenges: blind spots in the inspection of multifaceted and complex structures: the multifaceted nature and internal cavity complexity of aluminum die castings make it difficult for fixed light sources and cameras to achieve full-coverage imaging, requiring multi-station coordination, which increases the complexity of equipment and inspection time.

[0004] Insufficient dynamic adjustment capability: Existing technologies mostly rely on fixed light sources or rotating stages to adjust angles, which limits flexibility and makes it difficult to adapt to the inspection needs of different sizes and curved surfaces. The contradiction between high cost and low efficiency: Although high-end equipment such as X-rays and industrial CT can detect internal cavity defects, they are expensive and have long inspection cycles, which cannot meet the needs of large-scale production.

[0005] In the inspection of appearance defects in aluminum die castings, traditional methods require the design of fixed camera and light source stations for different inspection surfaces, resulting in a cumbersome inspection process, large equipment footprint, and the need for multiple product handling, leading to low efficiency. The angles of fixed light sources and cameras are difficult to adapt to complex curved surfaces or internal cavity structures, and are prone to missed or false detections due to uneven lighting or viewing angle deviations. Furthermore, traditional solutions are difficult to dynamically adjust the inspection angle, making them unsuitable for the inspection needs of various types and specifications of aluminum die castings. Multi-station equipment requires a large investment in hardware, is complex to maintain, and has a high overall cost. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide an aluminum casting appearance defect detection device, which adopts a dual-manipulator collaborative system, and effectively solves the existing technical problems by improving detection efficiency, enhancing versatility, significantly reducing costs, and improving intelligence and scalability.

[0007] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model solves them one by one through the following innovative designs, resulting in significant technological improvements:

[0008] I. Inefficiency caused by multi-station dependency

[0009] Existing technologies require multiple fixed workstations, each inspecting a single surface, resulting in long inspection cycles and large equipment footprints. This invention employs a dual-manipulator collaborative system (light source manipulator + camera manipulator) to achieve multi-angle dynamic imaging within a single workstation, eliminating the need for multiple product handling or workstation switching. This significantly improves inspection efficiency and greatly reduces the equipment footprint, making it suitable for high-speed production lines.

[0010] II. Fixed light source and camera cause imaging blind spots

[0011] Fixed light sources and cameras cannot cover complex curved surfaces or internal cavities, easily leading to missed defects. This invention employs a light source robotic arm to dynamically adjust the angle and intensity of illumination, eliminating shadows; a camera robotic arm, through a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, enables shooting at any angle, covering both outer surfaces and internal cavities. The defect detection rate is significantly improved, making it particularly suitable for inspecting complex internal structures such as battery casings and connectors.

[0012] Third, it lacks flexibility and is difficult to adapt to products with multiple specifications.

[0013] Fixed equipment requires redesigning workstations to adapt to new products, resulting in long debugging cycles. This invention supports rapid switching between different products, and the robot's movement trajectory can be dynamically adjusted through programming to adapt to aluminum die-castings of different sizes and shapes. It also shortens the inspection time for non-standard parts, achieving "one machine for multiple uses" and reducing the cost of repeated equipment investment.

[0014] IV. High hardware costs

[0015] Multi-station systems require multiple sets of cameras and light sources, resulting in high equipment purchase and maintenance costs. This invention only requires two robotic arms and a camera / light source module, increasing hardware reusability. The modular design reduces the difficulty of later upgrades and maintenance, lowering overall costs and significantly shortening the investment payback period.

[0016] V. High risk of injury due to excessive human intervention

[0017] Manual handling and sorting can easily lead to product bumps or contamination, and minor defects are easily missed. This utility model features a fully automated inspection process where robotic arms work together to complete imaging, sorting, and marking. It employs non-contact inspection technology to avoid physical contact damage, significantly reducing the risk of product damage.

[0018] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an aluminum casting appearance defect detection device, including a worktable and a feeding mechanism, a conveying mechanism and a defect detection mechanism disposed on the worktable;

[0019] The feeding mechanism is used for automatically conveying aluminum castings, including a feeding conveyor belt and a feeding robot arm set at the outlet end of the feeding conveyor belt;

[0020] The conveying mechanism is used to transfer aluminum castings between various workstations, including a ring rail conveying assembly, several carriers evenly distributed on the ring rail conveying assembly, and a carrier drive that can drive the carriers to move along the ring rail conveying assembly.

[0021] The defect detection mechanism is used to detect aluminum castings on the carrier. There are multiple defect detection mechanisms, which are respectively set on one side of the conveying mechanism.

[0022] To facilitate system identification, the feeding mechanism also includes a laser marking machine for laser marking the aluminum castings on the feeding conveyor belt.

[0023] To reduce the footprint of the equipment, the ring-rail conveyor assembly preferably includes a frame and a rectangular ring rail fixed to the top of the frame.

[0024] To facilitate the rotational movement of the vehicle, the vehicle drive includes a servo motor, a sprocket assembly, and a chain. The servo motor drives the chain through the sprocket assembly to achieve rotational transmission.

[0025] Preferably, the sprocket assembly includes one driving sprocket assembly and three driven sprocket assemblies, with the driving and driven sprocket assemblies located at the four corners inside the rectangular ring rail.

[0026] To facilitate product assembly and disassembly, the carrier includes a slide and a positioning plate fixed on the slide. The slide is slidably connected to a rectangular ring rail, and one end of the slide is fixed to a chain.

[0027] To facilitate accurate product positioning and ensure high precision in subsequent testing, the frame is equipped with several positioning components for positioning the carrier. Each positioning component includes a positioning cylinder, a power arm, a positioning shaft, a bearing seat, a positioning swing arm, and rollers. The positioning shaft is rotatably connected to one side of the frame via the bearing seat. The positioning cylinder is connected to the positioning shaft via the power arm. The positioning swing arm is fixed to the positioning shaft, and the rollers are rotatably connected to one end of the positioning swing arm. A positioning sub-plate is fixed to one side of the slide, and a positioning groove is formed on the positioning sub-plate. The positioning cylinder can drive the positioning shaft to rotate via the power arm, and the positioning shaft can drive the positioning swing arm to rotate, causing the rollers to embed into the positioning groove of the positioning sub-plate, thus achieving the positioning of the carrier.

[0028] To facilitate accurate detection, in a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the defect detection mechanism includes a mobile camera, a camera robot, a light source, and a light source robot. The camera robot can drive the mobile camera to move in all directions, and the light source robot can drive the light source to move in all directions.

[0029] In summary, this utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] I. Significantly improved testing efficiency:

[0031] By working in tandem with two robotic arms, a single inspection can cover all surfaces of the product, significantly improving inspection efficiency compared to traditional multi-station solutions.

[0032] II. Improved defect detection rate and accuracy:

[0033] Dynamic light source and camera angle optimization, combined with image analysis, can accurately identify defects such as pores, cracks, and bulges, reducing the false negative rate;

[0034] III. Enhanced flexibility and versatility:

[0035] It can be adapted to aluminum die castings of different sizes and shapes, and is especially suitable for the inspection of complex internal cavity structures (such as battery casings, connectors, etc.);

[0036] IV. Significantly reduced costs:

[0037] Reducing the number of hardware workstations saves on equipment investment and maintenance costs; at the same time, it reduces the need for manual intervention, resulting in a significant decrease in overall costs.

[0038] V. Intelligence and Scalability:

[0039] It supports cloud storage and analysis of data, providing a basis for process optimization; through modular design, it can be extended to the testing scenarios of other metal die castings (such as magnesium alloys). Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the aluminum casting appearance defect detection device of this utility model;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding mechanism of this utility model;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the conveying mechanism of this utility model;

[0043] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the vehicle of this utility model;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the defect detection mechanism of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present invention can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby providing a clearer and more definite definition of the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] like Figure 1The device for detecting appearance defects in aluminum castings shown includes a workbench and a feeding mechanism 1, a conveying mechanism 2, and a defect detection mechanism 3 set on the workbench. The feeding mechanism 1 is a set, and there are two sets of conveying mechanisms 2, forming two inspection production lines. Each set of conveying mechanisms 2 is equipped with multiple defect detection mechanisms 3 at corresponding positions for inspecting aluminum castings.

[0047] Specifically, in combination Figure 2 As shown, the feeding mechanism includes a feeding conveyor belt 101, a feeding robot 102 located at the outlet end of the feeding conveyor belt 101, and a laser marking machine 103. The feeding conveyor belt 101 is driven by a servo motor and can convey aluminum castings 4 one by one. The laser marking machine 103 is located above the feeding conveyor belt 101 and can laser mark the surface of the passing aluminum castings 4. The feeding robot 102 achieves omnidirectional movement through a power system and can send the aluminum castings 4 at the end of the feeding conveyor belt 101 to the conveying mechanism.

[0048] Specifically, in combination Figure 3 The conveying mechanism shown includes a ring-rail conveying assembly, a plurality of carriers 206 evenly distributed on the ring-rail conveying assembly, and a carrier drive capable of driving the carriers to move along the ring-rail conveying assembly. The ring-rail conveying assembly includes a frame 201 and a rectangular ring rail 202 fixed to the top of the frame 201. The carrier drive includes a servo motor 204, a sprocket set 203, and a chain 205. The servo motor 204 drives the chain 205 to achieve rotary transmission through the sprocket set 203. The sprocket set 203 includes one driving sprocket set and three driven sprocket sets. The driving sprocket set and the driven sprocket sets are arranged at the four corners of the inner side of the rectangular ring rail 202.

[0049] Combination Figure 4 As shown, the carrier includes a slide 2061 and a positioning plate 2062 fixed to the top of the slide 2061. The slide 2061 is slidably connected to the rectangular ring rail 202 via rollers, and one end of the slide 2061 is fixed to the chain 205.

[0050] Additionally, a plurality of positioning components for positioning the carrier 206 are provided on one side of the frame 201. Each positioning component includes a positioning cylinder 2071, a power arm 2072, a positioning shaft 2073, a bearing seat 2075, a positioning swing arm 2074, and rollers 2076. The two ends of the positioning shaft 2073 are rotatably connected to one side of the frame 201 via the bearing seats 2075. The positioning cylinder 2071 is connected to the positioning shaft 2073 via the power arm 2072, which is fixed at the center of the positioning shaft 2073. Positioning arms 2074 are a set, respectively fixed to the left and right ends of positioning shaft 2073. The roller 2076 is rotatably connected to the top of positioning arm 2074. Positioning sub-plate 2063 is fixed on one side of slide block 2061. Positioning sub-plate 2063 is provided with positioning groove. Positioning cylinder 2071 can drive positioning shaft 2073 to rotate through power arm 2072. Positioning shaft 2073 can drive positioning arm 2074 to rotate, so that roller 2076 is embedded in the positioning groove of positioning sub-plate 2063, thereby realizing the positioning of carrier 206.

[0051] Specifically, in combination Figure 4 The defect detection mechanism shown has multiple sets, which are correspondingly set on one side of the conveying mechanism. The defect detection mechanism can detect different positions of the aluminum casting (side, back, curved surface, small surface, bottom surface, etc. of the aluminum casting). It includes a moving camera 301, a camera robot 303, a light source 302 and a light source robot (not shown in the figure, a conventional robot can be used). The camera robot 303 can drive the moving camera 301 to move 360 ​​degrees in all directions, and the light source robot can drive the light source 302 to move 360 ​​degrees in all directions.

[0052] During processing, the aluminum casting 4 completed at the previous station is fed onto the feeding conveyor belt 101 by a robotic arm. The laser marking machine 103 laser marks the surface of the passing aluminum casting 4. The feeding robotic arm 102 then feeds the aluminum casting 4 from the end of the feeding conveyor belt 101 onto the carrier 206 of the conveying mechanism. Driven by the servo motor 204, the chain 205 is rotated through the sprocket assembly 203, causing each carrier 206 to move between different stations. When the carrier 206 moves to the corresponding defect detection mechanism, the positioning cylinder 2071 drives the positioning shaft 2073 to rotate through the power arm 2072. The positioning shaft 2073 drives the positioning swing arm 2074 to rotate, so that the roller 2076 is embedded in the positioning groove of the positioning sub-plate 2063, thereby achieving the positioning of the carrier 206. At this time, the defect detection mechanism detects the corresponding position of the aluminum casting. According to the detection requirements, the illumination direction, intensity and color temperature of the light source 302 are dynamically adjusted to eliminate the shadow interference of the aluminum casting. The shooting angle of the moving camera 301 is flexibly adjusted by the robotic arm to cover the outer surface and complex internal cavity structure of the aluminum die casting, thereby obtaining the image to be detected. The trained segmentation-classification model is used to describe and judge the defects, thus completing the detection of the aluminum casting.

[0053] It should be noted that, in the description of the embodiments of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," "setting," "provided," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0054] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape, principle and application direction of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A device for detecting appearance defects in aluminum castings, characterized in that: Includes a workbench and a feeding mechanism, a conveying mechanism, and a defect detection mechanism installed on the workbench; The feeding mechanism is used for automatically conveying aluminum castings, including a feeding conveyor belt and a feeding robot arm set at the outlet end of the feeding conveyor belt; The conveying mechanism is used to transfer aluminum castings between various workstations, including a ring rail conveying assembly, several carriers evenly distributed on the ring rail conveying assembly, and a carrier drive that can drive the carriers to move along the ring rail conveying assembly. The defect detection mechanism is used to detect aluminum castings on the carrier. There are multiple defect detection mechanisms, which are respectively set on one side of the conveying mechanism.

2. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism also includes a laser marking machine for laser marking the aluminum castings on the feeding conveyor belt.

3. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ring-rail conveyor assembly includes a frame and a rectangular ring rail fixed to the top of the frame.

4. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vehicle drive includes a servo motor, a sprocket assembly, and a chain. The servo motor drives the chain through the sprocket assembly to achieve rotary transmission.

5. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sprocket assembly includes one driving sprocket assembly and three driven sprocket assemblies, which are located at the four corners inside the rectangular ring rail.

6. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The carrier includes a slide and a positioning plate fixed on the slide. The slide is slidably connected to a rectangular ring rail, and one end of the slide is fixed to a chain.

7. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The frame is equipped with several positioning components for positioning the carrier. Each positioning component includes a positioning cylinder, a power arm, a positioning shaft, a bearing seat, a positioning swing arm, and rollers. The positioning shaft is rotatably connected to one side of the frame via the bearing seat. The positioning cylinder is connected to the positioning shaft via the power arm. The positioning swing arm is fixed to the positioning shaft. The rollers are rotatably connected to one end of the positioning swing arm. A positioning sub-plate is fixed to one side of the slide. A positioning groove is provided on the positioning sub-plate. The positioning cylinder can drive the positioning shaft to rotate via the power arm. The positioning shaft can drive the positioning swing arm to rotate, so that the rollers are embedded in the positioning groove of the positioning sub-plate, thereby achieving the positioning of the carrier.

8. The aluminum casting appearance defect detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The defect detection mechanism includes a mobile camera, a camera robot, a light source, and a light source robot. The camera robot can drive the mobile camera to move in all directions, and the light source robot can drive the light source to move in all directions.

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