An automatic locking mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic lock pays mechanism, including base, drive arrangement, lock pays module, screw feeder, drive arrangement and screw feeder all are fixed with base, the screw feeder includes seat and pneumatic clamping jaw, be provided with through -hole in the seat, the lateral surface of seat is provided with the feed hole that communicates to the through -hole, the pneumatic clamping jaw has the clamping state for supporting screw and the open state for the screw can downward separate, lock pays module and base are in longitudinal sliding connection, lock pays module includes the motor and screwdriver of being connected, drive arrangement connects lock pays module and is used for driving lock pays module and moves between first position, second position and third position, when lock pays module is located first position, screwdriver is located the top of through -hole, when lock pays module is located second position, screwdriver downward stretches into to the through -hole and is used for adsorbing the head of screw, when lock pays module is located third position, screwdriver stretches out downward relative to through -hole.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of automated screw fastening, and in particular to an automatic fastening mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, screw fastening is mostly done manually, with operators using electric screwdrivers to fasten screws to designated positions on the workpiece. This method is labor-intensive, and prolonged work can easily lead to fatigue, resulting in missed fastening positions or poor fastening quality. While a small number of automated screw fastening mechanisms have been adopted, these mechanisms generally require manual operation or a separate screw feeding mechanism to pre-place the screws before fastening. Their fastening efficiency still needs improvement, and using a separate screw feeding mechanism increases equipment size and production costs. Therefore, improvements to existing screw fastening mechanisms are necessary. Utility Model Content

[0003] This utility model provides an automatic screw fastening mechanism, which mainly solves the technical problem of how to achieve automatic screw fastening in an efficient manner without taking up too much space.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0005] An automatic fastening mechanism includes a base, a drive unit, a fastening module, and a screw feeder;

[0006] Both the drive device and the screw feeder are fixed on the base. The screw feeder includes a base body and a pneumatic gripper connected to the base body. The base body is provided with a longitudinal through hole. The side of the base body is provided with a feed hole that is inclined and communicates with the through hole for external screws to enter. The pneumatic gripper is provided at the bottom of the through hole and has a clamping state for supporting the screw to prevent the screw from falling from below and an opening state for allowing the screw to be released downward from the through hole.

[0007] The locking module is slidably connected to the base in the longitudinal direction. The locking module includes a connected motor and a screwdriver. The driving device is connected to the locking module and is used to drive the locking module to move between a first position, a second position, and a third position arranged sequentially from top to bottom. When the locking module is in the first position, the screwdriver is located at the top of the through hole to prevent external screws from entering the through hole from the feed hole. When the locking module is in the second position, the screwdriver extends downward into the through hole and is used to attract the head of the screw. When the locking module is in the third position, the screwdriver extends downward relative to the through hole.

[0008] In one of the technical solutions, the driving device includes a first cylinder and a second cylinder;

[0009] The first cylinder is fixed on the base. The first cylinder, the second cylinder and the locking module are connected in sequence. The first cylinder is used to drive the locking module to move between the first position and the second position. The second cylinder is used to drive the locking module to move between the second position and the third position.

[0010] In one of the technical solutions, the cylinder body of the first cylinder is fixed to the base, the piston rod of the first cylinder is fixedly connected to the piston rod of the second cylinder, and the cylinder body of the second cylinder is fixedly connected to the locking module.

[0011] In one technical solution, the first cylinder is located below the second cylinder, and the locking module is located in the first position when the piston rod of the first cylinder extends upward to its longest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder extends downward to its longest length; the locking module is located in the second position when the piston rod of the first cylinder retracts downward to its shortest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder extends downward to its longest length; and the locking module is located in the third position when the piston rod of the first cylinder retracts downward to its shortest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder retracts upward to its shortest length.

[0012] In one of the technical solutions, the locking module further includes a slide and a gas seat;

[0013] Both the slide and the gas seat are slidably connected to the base in the longitudinal direction, and the gas seat is located below the slide. A pull rod is connected between the slide and the gas seat. The motor is fixed on the slide. The cylinder body of the second cylinder is fixedly connected to the slide. The screwdriver is rotatably connected to the gas seat. A coupling is connected between the screwdriver and the motor. A negative pressure channel extending downwards is provided inside the screwdriver. An adsorption hole communicating with the negative pressure channel is provided on the surface of the gas seat.

[0014] In one of the technical solutions, a spring with elastic force pointing longitudinally is connected between the piston rod of the first cylinder and the piston rod of the second cylinder.

[0015] In one of the technical solutions, the screw feeder further includes a third cylinder and a telescopic block. The third cylinder is fixed to the outer wall of the base and is connected to the telescopic block and used to drive the telescopic block to move up and down. The telescopic block is provided with an inclined extending guide hole, and the pneumatic gripper is restricted to be located in the guide hole so that the up and down movement of the telescopic block can drive the pneumatic gripper to switch between the clamping state and the opening state.

[0016] In one of the technical solutions, the automatic locking mechanism further includes a three-axis module, which is connected to the base and used to drive the base to move in three axes.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the automatic locking mechanism provided by this utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0018] During operation, external screws are fed into the through-hole of the base through the feed port of the screw feeder. At this time, the pneumatic gripper under the base is in a clamping state to support the screw in the through-hole and prevent it from falling downwards. Then, the drive device drives the fastening module to move downwards from the first position to the second position, so that the screwdriver in the fastening module extends downwards into the through-hole and attracts the screw. Next, the pneumatic gripper switches to the open state, and the drive device drives the fastening module to move downwards from the second position to the third position. During this process, the screwdriver in the fastening module extends downwards from the through-hole with the screw. Finally, driven by the motor, the screwdriver screws the screw onto the designated workpiece, thus realizing the function of automatic screw fastening. This automatic fastening mechanism integrates the function of feeding screws while realizing the function of automatic screw fastening, which helps to improve the efficiency of automatic screw fastening. Moreover, since it does not require a screw feeding mechanism, this solution also has the advantage of small space occupation while realizing the functions of automatic screw feeding and automatic fastening. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic locking mechanism when the locking module is in the first position.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the screw feeder provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic locking mechanism provided in this application when the locking module is in the second position;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an automatic locking mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application when the locking module is in the third position.

[0024] Figure label:

[0025] 1. Base; 2. Drive unit; 21. First cylinder; 22. Second cylinder; 3. Locking module; 31. Motor; 32. Screwdriver; 33. Slide; 34. Air seat; 341. Adsorption hole; 35. Coupling; 4. Screw feeder; 41. Seat; 411. Through hole; 412. Feed hole; 42. Pneumatic gripper; 43. Third cylinder; 44. Telescopic block; 441. Guide hole; 10. Screw. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0027] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0028] It should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to 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 of this application.

[0029] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0031] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 4This utility model provides an automatic fastening mechanism, which mainly includes a base 1, a drive device 2, a fastening module 3, and a screw feeder 4. The drive device 2 and the screw feeder 4 are both fixed to the base 1. The fastening module 3 and the base 1 are slidably connected longitudinally. This slidable connection can be achieved by connecting a guide rail and a slider, or by connecting a guide rod and a linear bearing. The drive device 2 is connected to the fastening module 3 and is used to drive the fastening module 3 to move between three positions sequentially arranged from top to bottom: a first position, a second position, and a third position. Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the locking module 3 in the first position. Figure 3 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the locking module 3 in the second position. Figure 4 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the locking module 3 when it is in the third position.

[0032] The fastening module 3 can be understood as including at least a connected motor 31 and a screwdriver 32. Driven by the motor 31, the screwdriver 32 can automatically screw the screw 10 onto the workpiece. The screw feeder 4 specifically includes a base 41 and a pneumatic gripper 42. The pneumatic gripper 42 is movably connected to the base 41. The base 41 has a longitudinally penetrating through hole 411. The side of the base 41 has an inclined feeding hole 412 that connects to the through hole 411. This feeding hole 412 is used to allow external screws to enter the through hole 411. The pneumatic gripper 42 extends to the bottom of the through hole 411 and has a clamping state and an open state. When the pneumatic gripper 42 is in the clamping state, it can support the screw 10 in the through hole 411 to prevent the screw 10 from falling downward. When the pneumatic gripper 42 is in the open state, the screw 10 can be disengaged from the through hole 411 and fastened to the designated workpiece. Furthermore, when the aforementioned fastening module 3 is in the first position, the screwdriver 32 is located at the top of the through hole 411. At this time, the screwdriver 32 is equivalent to moving upward to avoid the external screw 10, so that the external screw 10 can enter the through hole 411 from the feed hole 412. When the fastening module 3 is in the second position, the screwdriver 32 extends downward into the through hole 411 and is used to attract the head of the screw 10. When the fastening module 3 is in the third position, the screwdriver 32 extends upward relative to the through hole 411, so that the screwdriver 32 can fasten the screw 10 downward to the designated workpiece.

[0033] The working principle of the automatic fastening mechanism of this solution is as follows: By blowing air onto the screw 10, the external screw 10 is fed from the feed hole 412 of the screw feeder 4 into the through hole 411 of the base 41. At this time, the pneumatic gripper 42 under the base 41 is in a clamping state to support the screw 10 in the through hole 411 and prevent the screw 10 from falling down. Then, the driving device 2 drives the fastening module 3 to move down from the first position to the second position, so that the screwdriver 32 in the fastening module 3 extends down into the through hole 411 and adsorbs the screw 10. Then, the pneumatic gripper 42 switches to the open state, and the driving device 2 drives the fastening module 3 to move down from the second position to the third position. During this process, the screwdriver 32 in the fastening module 3 will extend down from the through hole 411 with the screw 10. Finally, under the drive of the motor 31, the screwdriver 32 screws the screw 10 onto the designated workpiece, thereby realizing the function of automatically fastening the screw 10. The automatic screw fastening mechanism of this solution not only realizes the function of automatically fastening the screw 10, but also integrates the function of feeding the screw 10, which helps to improve the efficiency of automatically fastening the screw 10. Moreover, since it does not need to be paired with a screw feeding mechanism, this solution also has the advantage of occupying less space while realizing the functions of automatic feeding and automatic fastening of the screw 10.

[0034] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the driving device 2 specifically includes a first cylinder 21 and a second cylinder 22. The first cylinder 21 is fixed on the base 1. The first cylinder 21, the second cylinder 22, and the locking module 3 are connected in sequence. The first cylinder 21 is used to drive the locking module 3 to switch between a first position and a second position, and the second cylinder 22 is used to drive the locking module 3 to switch between a second position and a third position. This design of the driving device includes a structure with two cylinders, which not only facilitates the function of enabling the locking module 3 to move between three positions, but also has advantages such as lower cost and lighter weight. In other embodiments, the driving device 2 can be a lead screw linear module or a linear motor, etc.

[0035] Please refer to them again. Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the first cylinder 21 is preferably designed below the second cylinder 22, and the cylinder body of the first cylinder 21 is fixed to the base 1. The piston rods of the first cylinder 21 and the second cylinder 22 are also designed to be fixedly connected, and the cylinder body of the second cylinder 22 is designed to be fixedly connected to the aforementioned locking module 3. In fact, when... Figure 1 When the piston rod of the first cylinder 21 extends upward to its longest position and the piston rod of the second cylinder 22 extends downward to its longest position, the locking module 3 will be in the first position; when... Figure 3When the piston rod of the first cylinder 21 is retracted to its shortest position and the piston rod of the second cylinder 22 is extended to its longest position, the locking module 3 is in the second position. Figure 4 When the piston rod of the first cylinder 21 retracts downward to its shortest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder 22 retracts upward to its shortest length, the locking module 3 is in the third position. By arranging the first cylinder 21 and the second cylinder 22 as described above, the overall structure of the automatic locking mechanism becomes more compact and rational. Preferably, a spring with a longitudinally pointing elastic force is connected between the piston rod of the first cylinder 21 and the piston rod of the second cylinder 22. This spring allows the screw 10 to elastically contact the locked workpiece downwards, preventing hard contact between the screw 10 and the locked workpiece and thus preventing damage to the surface of the locked workpiece or the screw 10. Furthermore, this spring also ensures that the screw is always subjected to a downward force during the tightening process, thereby allowing the screw to reliably screw downwards into the locked workpiece.

[0036] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 3 or Figure 4 In addition to the main motor 31 and screwdriver 32, the locking module 3 also includes a slide 33, a pneumatic seat 34, and a coupling 35. The slide 33 and the pneumatic seat 34 are slidably connected to the base 1 in the longitudinal direction by connecting guide rails and sliders. A pull rod connects the slide 33 and the pneumatic seat 34, which enables the slide 33 and the pneumatic seat 34 to move synchronously in the longitudinal direction. The motor 31 is fixed on the slide 33, and the cylinder body of the second pneumatic cylinder 22 is fixed on the slide 33. The screwdriver 32 and the pneumatic seat 34 are rotatably connected by connecting bearings. By setting the pneumatic seat 34, the stability of the screwdriver 32 rotating under the drive of the motor 31 can be improved. The screwdriver 32 and the motor 31 are connected by the coupling 35 to ensure that the motor 31 can reliably drive the screwdriver 32 to rotate when it rotates. Furthermore, the screwdriver 32 can be understood to have a downward-through negative pressure channel (not shown in the figure) inside. The surface of the air seat 34 is provided with an adsorption hole 341 that connects to the negative pressure channel. By evacuating air from the adsorption hole 341, the screwdriver 32 can reliably hold the screw 10, ensuring that the screwdriver 32 can reliably drive the screw 10 into the designated workpiece when rotating. Thus, in addition to improving the stability of the screwdriver 32's rotation, the air seat 34 also provides negative pressure for the screwdriver 32.

[0037] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2The screw feeder 4 preferably also includes a third cylinder 43 and a telescopic block 44. The third cylinder 43 is fixed on the outer wall of the base 41. The third cylinder 43 is connected to the telescopic block 44 and is used to drive the telescopic block 44 to move up and down. The telescopic block 44 is provided with an inclined extending guide hole 441. The pneumatic gripper 42 is confined in the guide hole 441, so that when the telescopic block 44 moves up and down, the telescopic block 44 can drive the pneumatic gripper 42 to switch between the clamping state and the opening state.

[0038] In this embodiment, the automatic fastening mechanism also includes a three-axis module. The three-axis module is connected to the base 1 and is used to drive the base 1 to move in three axes. The three-axis module can be understood as including an X-axis module, a Y-axis module and a Z-axis module connected in sequence. By setting the three-axis module, the screwdriver 32 can move in the X, Y and Z directions, so that the automatic fastening mechanism can complete the operation of automatically fastening the screw 10 in multiple positions.

[0039] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model, and only specifically describe the technical principles of the present utility model. These descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present utility model in any way. Based on this explanation, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model, as well as other specific embodiments of the present utility model that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without creative effort, should be included within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An automatic locking mechanism, characterized in that, Includes base, drive unit, fastening module, and screw feeder; The drive device and the screw feeder are both fixed on the base. The screw feeder includes a base body and a pneumatic gripper connected to the base body. The base body is provided with a longitudinal through hole. The side of the base body is provided with a feed hole that is inclined and communicates with the through hole for external screws to enter. The pneumatic gripper is provided at the bottom of the through hole and has a clamping state for supporting the screw to prevent the screw from falling from below and an opening state for allowing the screw to be released downward from the through hole. The locking module is slidably connected to the base in the longitudinal direction. The locking module includes a connected motor and a screwdriver. The driving device is connected to the locking module and is used to drive the locking module to move between a first position, a second position, and a third position arranged sequentially from top to bottom. When the locking module is in the first position, the screwdriver is located at the top of the through hole to prevent external screws from entering the through hole from the feed hole. When the locking module is in the second position, the screwdriver extends downward into the through hole and is used to attract the head of the screw. When the locking module is in the third position, the screwdriver extends downward relative to the through hole.

2. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive device includes a first cylinder and a second cylinder; The first cylinder is fixed on the base. The first cylinder, the second cylinder and the locking module are connected in sequence. The first cylinder is used to drive the locking module to move between the first position and the second position. The second cylinder is used to drive the locking module to move between the second position and the third position.

3. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The cylinder body of the first cylinder is fixed to the base, the piston rod of the first cylinder is fixedly connected to the piston rod of the second cylinder, and the cylinder body of the second cylinder is fixedly connected to the locking module.

4. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first cylinder is located below the second cylinder, and the locking module is located in the first position when the piston rod of the first cylinder extends upward to its longest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder extends downward to its longest length; the locking module is located in the second position when the piston rod of the first cylinder retracts downward to its shortest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder extends downward to its longest length; and the locking module is located in the third position when the piston rod of the first cylinder retracts downward to its shortest length and the piston rod of the second cylinder retracts upward to its shortest length.

5. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The locking module also includes a slide and a gas seat; Both the slide and the gas seat are slidably connected to the base in the longitudinal direction, and the gas seat is located below the slide. A pull rod is connected between the slide and the gas seat. The motor is fixed on the slide. The cylinder body of the second cylinder is fixedly connected to the slide. The screwdriver is rotatably connected to the gas seat. A coupling is connected between the screwdriver and the motor. A negative pressure channel extending downwards is provided inside the screwdriver. An adsorption hole communicating with the negative pressure channel is provided on the surface of the gas seat.

6. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that, A spring with a longitudinal elastic force is connected between the piston rod of the first cylinder and the piston rod of the second cylinder.

7. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The screw feeder also includes a third cylinder and a telescopic block. The third cylinder is fixed to the outer wall of the base and is connected to the telescopic block to drive the telescopic block to move up and down. The telescopic block is provided with an inclined guide hole, and the pneumatic gripper is confined within the guide hole so that the up and down movement of the telescopic block can drive the pneumatic gripper to switch between the clamping state and the opening state.

8. The automatic locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic locking mechanism also includes a three-axis module, which is connected to the base and used to drive the base to move in three axes.

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