Material grabbing device of stacking robot and stacking robot

Abstract

According to the material grabbing device of the palletizing robot and the palletizing robot, the material grabbing device comprises an installation frame, suction cups used for sucking materials are installed on the installation frame, holding claws are further installed on the installation frame in a rotating mode, the holding claws are located on the peripheral sides of the suction cups and hold the materials in a rotating mode, and multiple pairs of suction cups are arranged in parallel. A width adjusting driving assembly is installed on the installation frame to drive the multiple pairs of suction cups to be close to and away from each other. The palletizing robot comprises a mechanical arm, the tail end of the mechanical arm is provided with a material grabbing device used for grabbing materials, the mechanical arm drives the material grabbing device to conduct material palletizing, and the material grabbing device is specifically as mentioned above. When materials with small width are adsorbed, the width adjusting driving mechanism drives the multiple sets of suction cups to be close to one another so that the multiple sets of suction cups can be adsorbed to the materials, and therefore strong enough adsorption force is provided for the materials. When materials with large width are adsorbed, the width adjusting driving mechanism drives the multiple sets of suction cups to be away from one another, the adsorption force of the multiple sets of suction cups is dispersed to different parts of the materials, and the situation that the materials crack due to the fact that the adsorption force is too concentrated is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of palletizing robot technology, specifically to a palletizing robot material gripping device and a palletizing robot. Background Technology

[0002] The palletizing robot consists of a robotic arm and a gripping device mounted at the end of the robotic arm. The gripping device includes a mounting frame with a downward-facing suction cup fixed on it. Two grippers are rotatably mounted on the left and right sides of the suction cup. During gripping, the robotic arm first drives the gripping device close to the material until the suction cup picks up the material. Then, the robotic arm drives the gripping device upward, raising the material to a certain height. The two grippers then rotate to hold the material below, thus achieving material gripping. During palletizing: the robotic arm first drives the gripping device to transfer the material above the palletizing area. Then, the two grippers rotate and unfold. In this state, the material is still held by the suction cup and will not fall directly. After the grippers unfold, the robotic arm drives the gripping device to place the material in the palletizing area and stack it up to achieve material stacking. After stacking, the suction cup stops picking up material.

[0003] Different materials have varying thicknesses and widths. Since the grippers of the material handling device are rotatably mounted on the mounting frame, the rotation amplitude of the grippers can be adjusted to grip materials of different thicknesses and widths. For example, if the material is thin and narrow, the rotation amplitude is increased, bringing the grippers closer to the suction cup and the ends of both grippers closer to the center of the mounting frame, thus allowing the grippers to hold the material adsorbed on the suction cup. However, because the suction cups are fixedly mounted on the mounting frame, their position remains unchanged. To provide sufficient suction force for narrow materials, the suction cups are concentrated as much as possible in the center of the mounting frame. However, when adsorbing wider materials, this concentrated adsorption method can lead to excessively concentrated suction force, easily causing the material to crack. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem this invention aims to solve is to provide a material gripping device for a palletizing robot. The suction cups of this device can provide sufficiently strong suction for materials with narrow widths while also dispersing the suction force when gripping materials with wider widths. This invention also provides a palletizing robot, whose material gripping device's suction cups can provide sufficiently strong suction for materials with narrow widths while also dispersing the suction force when gripping materials with wider widths.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the palletizing robot material gripping device of this utility model includes a mounting frame, on which a suction cup for gripping materials is mounted, and a gripper is rotatably mounted. The gripper is located around the suction cup and rotates to grip the materials. There are multiple sets of suction cups arranged in parallel. A width adjustment drive assembly is mounted on the mounting frame to drive the multiple sets of suction cups to move closer and further apart.

[0006] Furthermore, there are at least two suction cups, and the width adjustment drive assembly includes a bidirectional transmission mechanism that drives the two suction cups to move in opposite directions, thereby bringing the two suction cups closer to each other and further apart.

[0007] Furthermore, the bidirectional transmission mechanism is a synchronous belt transmission mechanism, in which the forward motion section drives one of the suction cups to move in the forward direction, and the reverse motion section drives the other suction cup to move in the reverse direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the width-adjusting drive assembly includes a width-adjusting drive motor that drives a synchronous belt transmission mechanism.

[0009] Furthermore, there are at least two grippers, located on opposite sides of the suction cup. The two grippers rotate until their ends come close together to hold the material.

[0010] Furthermore, the width adjustment drive component also drives the translation of the two grippers, causing the two grippers to move closer to each other and further apart.

[0011] Furthermore, the mounting frame is equipped with a material gripping sensing mechanism for sensing the material gripping status.

[0012] Furthermore, the material gripping sensing mechanism includes a movable column and a sensor. The movable column is movably mounted on the mounting frame. When the material being gripped pushes against it, the sensor senses the movement state of the movable column.

[0013] The palletizing robot of this utility model includes a robotic arm, and a material gripping device is installed at the end of the robotic arm for gripping materials. The robotic arm drives the material gripping device to palletize the materials. The material gripping device is specifically described as described above.

[0014] Furthermore, it includes a controller that controls the connection between the robotic arm and the gripping device; the suction cup of the gripping device is a vacuum suction cup, and the palletizing robot is equipped with a vacuum generator that provides negative pressure to the vacuum suction cup; the gripper of the gripping device is a pneumatic gripper, and the palletizing robot is equipped with an air compressor that drives the pneumatic gripper.

[0015] When adsorbing materials with a narrow width, the width-adjusting drive mechanism moves multiple sets of suction cups closer together, ensuring that all sets adhere to the material and providing sufficient adhesion. When adsorbing materials with a wider width, the width-adjusting drive mechanism moves the multiple sets of suction cups further apart, distributing the adhesion force across different parts of the material and preventing cracking due to excessive concentration of adhesion force. Thanks to the use of rotating grippers, the gripper's rotation amplitude can be adjusted to grip materials of different thicknesses and widths. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a palletizing robot.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a vacuum suction cup of a material gripping device holding material; the spring is omitted from the diagram.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the material being lifted by the material grabbing device.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a material gripping device gripping materials; the spring is omitted from the diagram.

[0020] Figure 5 This is an isometric view of the material handling device.

[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of the image, showing a larger area. Figure 6 Part A.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the synchronous belt drive mechanism connected to the width-adjustable drive motor.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a cylinder connected to a pneumatic gripper via a gear and rack transmission pair. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0025] See palletizing robots Figure 1 The system includes a robotic arm 100 and a material gripping device 200. The material gripping device 200 includes a mounting frame 1. The upper part of the mounting frame 1 is mounted on the end of the robotic arm 100. The lower part of the mounting frame 1 is equipped with two sets of vacuum suction cups 21 and 22 arranged side by side, and two sets of pneumatic grippers 31 and 32 are rotatably mounted on the left and right sides. The left gripper 31 is located to the left of the two suction cups 21 and 22, and the right gripper 32 is located to the right of the two suction cups 21 and 22. Bearings 30 are installed at the ends of the grippers 31 and 32 (see...). Figure 2 The palletizing robot is equipped with a vacuum generator 4 connected to vacuum suction cups 21 and 22, and an air compressor 5 that drives pneumatic grippers 31 and 32. It also has a controller (not shown in the figure) that controls the robotic arm 100, vacuum generator 4, and air compressor 5. The controller has an information receiving port to receive information about the material 9 from the outside, and then controls the robotic arm 100, vacuum generator 4, and air compressor 5 to cooperate in gripping and palletizing the material 9. The process of gripping the material 9 is as follows: the robotic arm 100 drives the gripping device 200 to move above the material 9 and then approaches the material 9 from top to bottom until the vacuum suction cups 21 and 22 of the gripping device 200 are engaged. Figure 2 As shown, the material 9 is attached to the top of the vacuum pump 21 and 22, while the vacuum generator 4 provides negative pressure to the vacuum suction cups 21 and 22 to hold the material 9 in place; see Figure 1 and Figure 3 The robotic arm 100 drives the material gripping device 200 to move upward, causing the material 9 to rise to a certain height. Then, the air compressor 5 drives the two gripping claws 31 and 32 to rotate below the material 9 until the ends of the two gripping claws 31 and 32 approach each other. Figure 4 The grippers 31 and 32 hold the material 9 as shown, thus gripping it. Since the grippers 31 and 32 do not stop rotating immediately after contacting the material 9, but continue to rotate and hold it tightly, there is relative movement between the ends of the grippers 31 and 32 and the material 9. Because the ends of the grippers 31 and 32 indirectly contact the material 9 through the bearing 30, and the bearing 30 rolls at the bottom of the material 9, it is unlikely to cause scratching to the material 9. During stacking: see... Figure 1 and Figure 3 The robotic arm 100 drives the gripping device 200 to transfer the material 9 to the top of the palletizing area. Then, the air compressor 5 drives the two grippers 31 and 32 of the gripping device 200 to rotate and unfold. In this state, the material 9 is still adsorbed by the suction cups 21 and 22 of the gripping device 200 and will not fall directly. After the grippers 31 and 32 unfold, the robotic arm 100 drives the gripping device 200 to place the material 9 into the palletizing area and stack it up to achieve material 9 palletizing. After palletizing, the vacuum generator 4 stops providing negative pressure to the vacuum suction cups 21 and 22, and the vacuum suction cups 21 and 22 stop adsorbing the material 9.

[0026] See mounting bracket 1 for material handling device 200 Figure 5 The mounting bracket body 11 has a pair of left-right guide rails 12 at its bottom. Two sliding brackets 13 and 14 are mounted on the guide rails 12, one on the left and one on the right. A vacuum suction cup 21 and a gripper 31 are mounted on the left sliding bracket 13, and a vacuum suction cup 22 and a gripper 32 are mounted on the right sliding bracket 14. The mounting bracket body 11 is equipped with a bidirectional transmission mechanism, preferably... Figure 7 The synchronous belt drive mechanism 15 shown has a left-side sliding bracket 13 connected to the upper half 151 of the synchronous belt 150 via a first connecting member 131, and a right-side sliding bracket 14 connected to the lower half 152 of the synchronous belt 150 via a second connecting member 141. The top plate 101 of the mounting bracket 1 (see...) Figure 3 A width-adjusting drive motor 16 is mounted on the device, and its drive is connected to a synchronous belt drive mechanism 15. The width-adjusting drive motor 16 and the synchronous belt drive mechanism 15 constitute a width-adjusting drive assembly. The controller controls the width-adjusting drive motor 16, see [link to controller]. Figure 3 and Figure 7After receiving information about material 9, the system controls the width adjustment drive motor 16 to drive the synchronous belt 150 according to the width of material 9. The upper half 151 and the lower half 152 of the synchronous belt 150 move in opposite directions, driving the left and right sliding frames 13 and 14 to slide in opposite directions, thus causing the left and right sliding frames 13 and 14 to move closer and further away from each other. This causes the left and right suction cups 21 and 22 to translate in opposite directions, thus moving closer and further away from each other. It also causes the left and right grippers 31 and 32 to translate, thus moving closer and further away from each other. When gripping material 9 with a smaller width, the width adjustment drive motor 16 drives the left and right suction cups 21 and 22 to move closer together, so that both suction cups 21 and 22 can adhere to material 9, thus providing a sufficiently strong adsorption force. At the same time, it drives the two grippers 31 and 32 to move closer together, so that the two grippers 31 and 32 can be used for material 9 with a smaller width. When adsorbing material 9 with a large width, the width-adjusting drive motor 16 drives the left and right suction cups 21 and 22 to move away from each other, dispersing the adsorption force of the two suction cups 21 and 22 to different parts of the material 9, avoiding the material 9 from cracking due to excessive concentration of adsorption force. At the same time, the width-adjusting drive motor 16 drives the two grippers 31 and 32 to move away from each other, so that the two grippers 31 and 32 can be used for the material 9 with a large width.

[0027] See Figure 7 The material gripping device 200 consists of two sets of pneumatic grippers 31 and 32, one on the left and one on the right, equipped with left and right cylinders 33 and 34 and left and right gear and rack transmission pairs 35 and 36. Taking the left-hand cylinder 33 and the left-hand gear and rack transmission pair 35 as an example: see... Figure 8 Cylinder 33 is mounted on the left-hand sliding frame 13 and connected to the pneumatic gripper 31 via a gear and rack transmission pair 35. See Figure 1 and Figure 8 Air compressor 5 is connected to cylinder 33, providing compressed gas to cylinder 33. This compressed gas drives the output shaft 331 of cylinder 33 to move laterally, which in turn drives rack 351 to move laterally, thereby driving gears 352 and 353 to rotate. In this way, the pneumatic gripper 31 is driven to rotate. See Figure 7 The cylinder 34 on the right and the cylinder 33 on the left are symmetrical in structure. The gear and rack transmission pair 36 on the right and the gear and rack transmission pair 35 on the left are also symmetrical in structure. No further details are provided.

[0028] See Figure 5 and Figure 6Mounting bracket 1 has mounting holes 10, into which a movable column 17 is inserted. The upper part 171 of the movable column 17 is larger than the diameter of the mounting hole 10, preventing it from passing downwards. The lower part 172 of the movable column 17 extends downwards to the bottom of the mounting bracket 1 and is fitted with a spring 173. The spring 173 pushes the lower end 174 of the movable column 17 downwards. The upper part 171 of the movable column 17 is made of plastic with low reflectivity, while the lower part 172 is made of metal with high reflectivity. A photoelectric sensor 18 is also mounted on the mounting bracket 1. The photoelectric sensor 18 is connected to the controller and is laterally aligned with the upper part 171 of the movable column 17, emitting a light signal towards the movable column 17. Because the upper part 171 of the movable column 17 has low reflectivity, the light signal is not reflected back to the photoelectric sensor 18, so the photoelectric sensor 18 is not triggered under normal circumstances. The movable column 17 and the photoelectric sensor 18 form a material gripping sensing mechanism, which senses the gripping state of the material 9. See Figure 1 The controller uses feedback signals from the material gripping sensing mechanism to control the robotic arm 100, vacuum generator 4, and air compressor 5 to grip and stack materials 9 of different thicknesses, as detailed below:

[0029] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the aforementioned step of grasping material 9, the controller controls the robotic arm 100 to drive the grasping device 200 to approach the material 9 from top to bottom. During this process, the suction cups 21 and 22 adhere to the top of the material 9 and are pushed upwards by the material 9. The lower part 172 of the movable column 17 is pushed upwards by the material 9 to the side of the photoelectric sensor 18. Due to its high reflectivity, the lower part 172 of the movable column 17 reflects the light signal emitted by the photoelectric sensor 18 back to the photoelectric sensor 18, thereby triggering the photoelectric sensor 18 to generate an electrical signal. The electrical signal is transmitted to the controller, which determines that the suction cups 21 and 22 have adhered to the top of the material 9 and have gripped the material 9. The controller then controls the robotic arm 100 to drive the grasping device 200 to move upwards, causing the material 9 to rise to a certain height. During this process, see Figure 3 Material 9 naturally sags due to gravity, and the lower part 172 of the movable column 17 returns to its original position under the action of spring 173. The controller controls the air compressor 5 (see...) after material 9 rises. Figure 1 The two grippers 31 and 32 are driven to rotate and grip the material 9 from below. Figure 4 During this process, the two grippers 31 and 32 lift the material 9 upwards. The material 9 then pushes the lower part 172 of the movable column 17 upwards to the side of the photoelectric sensor 18, thereby triggering the photoelectric sensor 18 again. The photoelectric sensor 18 then generates an electrical signal to the controller, which determines that the grippers 31 and 32 have gripped the material 9. Based on this, the controller determines that the gripping device 200 has completed gripping the material 9. The same principle applies during palletizing. Figure 3 After the grippers 31 and 32 unfold, the movable column 17 resets. After the material 9 is placed in the palletizing area, the material 9 pushes the movable column 17 upwards, triggering the photoelectric sensor 18. Figure 2 Based on this, the controller determines that material 9 has been successfully stacked and then controls vacuum generator 4 (see...). Figure 1 Stop providing negative pressure to vacuum suction cups 21 and 22, thereby stopping vacuum suction cups 21 and 22 from adsorbing material 9.

[0030] See Figure 3 , Figure 4 The left and right grippers 31 and 32 are both rotating grippers. By adjusting the rotation amplitude of the grippers 31 and 32, the grippers 31 and 32 can grip materials 9 of different thicknesses and widths. Therefore, the left and right grippers 31 and 32 can be installed on the left and right ends of the mounting frame body 11 instead of on the sliding frame 13 and 14. Their positions are fixed and not subject to adjustment by the width adjustment drive mechanism.

[0031] This embodiment is shown in Figure 7 The bidirectional transmission mechanism is a synchronous belt drive mechanism 15. The upper half 151 of the synchronous belt 150 is the forward motion section, and the lower half 152 is the reverse motion section. When the upper half 151 of the synchronous belt 15 drives the left sliding frame 13 to move to the left in a forward direction, the lower half 152 of the synchronous belt 15 drives the right sliding frame 14 to move to the right in a reverse direction. In other embodiments, a bidirectional screw and nut mechanism can be used instead of the synchronous belt drive mechanism 15; or two electric telescopic rods can be used to drive the left and right sliding frames 13 and 14 to move closer and further apart, respectively.

[0032] This embodiment is shown in Figure 6 The material handling sensing mechanism uses a photoelectric sensor 18 to sense the movement state of the movable column 17. In other embodiments, an ultrasonic distance sensor can be used to sense the movement state of the movable column 17. Normally, the distance sensor is aligned with the upper part 171 of the movable column 17, and the two are relatively close. When the movable column 17 is pushed upward by the material 9, the lower part 172 of the movable column 17 moves to the side of the distance sensor, and the two are relatively far apart. The distance sensor then generates an electrical signal to the controller.

[0033] This embodiment is shown in Figure 1 The suction cups 21 and 22 of the material gripping device are vacuum suction cups. The palletizing robot is equipped with a vacuum generator 4 that provides negative pressure to the suction cups 21 and 22. The controller controls and connects to the vacuum generator 4. Other embodiments may use other suction cups, such as magnetic suction cups with electromagnets. The controller controls the electromagnets to generate magnetic force to attract magnetic materials.

[0034] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of patent protection. Any non-substantial changes or substitutions made by those skilled in the art based on the present invention will still fall within the scope of patent protection.

Claims

1. A palletizing robot gripping device, comprising a mounting frame, on which a suction cup for gripping materials is mounted, and a gripper rotatably mounted, the gripper being located around the suction cup and rotatably gripping the materials, characterized in that: The suction cups are arranged in a row, and the mounting bracket is equipped with a width adjustment drive assembly to drive the multiple suction cups to move closer and further apart.

2. The material handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are at least two suction cups, and the width adjustment drive assembly includes a bidirectional transmission mechanism that drives the two suction cups to move in opposite directions, thereby bringing the two suction cups closer to each other and further away from each other.

3. The material handling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bidirectional transmission mechanism is a synchronous belt transmission mechanism. Its forward motion section drives one of the suction cups to move forward, and its reverse motion section drives the other suction cup to move in the opposite direction.

4. The material handling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The width-adjusting drive assembly includes a width-adjusting drive motor that drives the synchronous belt transmission mechanism.

5. The material handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are at least two grippers, located on opposite sides of the suction cup. The two grippers rotate until their ends come close to each other and grip the material.

6. The material handling device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The width adjustment drive component also drives the translation of the two grippers, causing the two grippers to move closer to each other and further apart.

7. The material handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting frame is equipped with a material gripping sensor mechanism for sensing the material gripping status.

8. The material handling device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material gripping sensing mechanism includes a movable column and a sensor. The movable column is movably mounted on the mounting frame. When the material being gripped moves, the sensor senses the movement state of the movable column.

9. A palletizing robot, comprising a robotic arm, wherein a gripping device for grasping materials is installed at the end of the robotic arm, and the robotic arm drives the gripping device to palletize materials, characterized in that: The material handling device is specifically described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The palletizing robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: It includes a controller that controls the robotic arm and the material gripping device; the suction cup of the material gripping device is a vacuum suction cup, and the palletizing robot is equipped with a vacuum generator that provides negative pressure to the vacuum suction cup; the gripper of the material gripping device is a pneumatic gripper, and the palletizing robot is equipped with an air compressor that drives the pneumatic gripper.

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