Automotive insert multi-station automatic cutting and assembly machine

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-station automatic cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts, used to assemble strip materials and metal fittings together. The machine includes a frame with at least three strip feeding units, at least three cutting and molding units, one transfer and misalignment adjustment unit, one storage unit, one robot unit, and one slide table unit, with the strip feeding units and cutting and molding units corresponding to each other in pairs. The advantages of this invention are that it can effectively solve problems such as process interference, variable distance transfer accuracy control, and collaborative assembly of irregularly shaped parts in the synchronous processing of multiple types of inserts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent manufacturing technology for automotive parts, and in particular to an integrated machine for automatic cutting and assembly of automotive inserts at multiple workstations. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional automotive inserts often suffer from the following technical defects during cutting and assembly operations:

[0003] 1) The cutting and bending of the strip material needs to be completed by multiple relatively independent machines. The continuous transfer of materials between processes leads to a cumulative loss of positioning accuracy and insufficient precision.

[0004] 2) Different specifications of inserts (such as strips A, B, and C) cannot be processed and assembled simultaneously, resulting in relatively poor compatibility of the production line;

[0005] 3) The assembly of irregularly shaped parts such as metal sleeves basically relies on manual operation, and the yield rate is generally no higher than 85%. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts at multiple stations. It has the advantages of effectively solving problems such as process interference in the synchronous processing of multiple types of inserts, difficulty in controlling the accuracy of variable distance transfer, and the difficulty in coordinating the assembly of irregularly shaped parts.

[0007] The technical solution adopted in this invention is: an automatic cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts at multiple workstations, used to assemble strip materials and metal sizing kits together, including a frame and a PLC. The frame is equipped with at least 3 sets of strip feeding units and cutting and molding units, a transfer and misalignment adjustment unit, a storage unit, a robot unit, and a slide table unit.

[0008] in,

[0009] Each combination of a material feeding unit and a cutting and molding unit includes a material feeding unit and a cutting and molding unit; the material feeding unit includes a material feeding tray, a feeding rotary table and a receiving rotary table, the feeding rotary table and the receiving rotary table are respectively driven by a feeding motor and a receiving motor to form material tension; the cutting and molding unit includes a positioning module, a cutting module, a molding device and a material picking device connected in sequence;

[0010] The transfer and misalignment adjustment unit includes a material handling servo module, a material handling gripper, a straightening fixture, and a misalignment cylinder, which are used to realize variable distance transfer and accuracy compensation of materials at multiple workstations;

[0011] The storage unit includes a sleeve vibratory feeder for holding metal sleeves;

[0012] The slide unit includes two alternating loading slides and unloading slides.

[0013] The positioning module includes a visual positioning judgment module and an actuator connected to it by signals.

[0014] The molding device includes an upper mold and a lower mold that cooperate with each other. The upper mold and the lower mold are provided with progressively bent surfaces that cooperate with each other, and the upper mold is connected to a booster cylinder.

[0015] The progressive bending surface includes a pre-bending area, a shaping area, and a blanking area, with a height difference of 0.5-1.2mm between each area.

[0016] The correction fixture is a fine-tuning platform driven by a power connection to the misaligned cylinder, with a compensation amount of ±0.5mm and a repeatability accuracy of ≤0.02mm.

[0017] The robot unit includes a four-axis robot that integrates multiple types of end effectors.

[0018] The end effector includes two vacuum-adsorption type PIN needle grippers with adjustable adsorption hole diameters of 0.3-0.8 mm; it also includes a pneumatic gripper type sleeve gripper with a 0.3-0.5 mm thick polyurethane protective layer on its gripping surface for anti-slip or anti-damage purposes.

[0019] The slide unit includes a cross roller guide rail, on which the upper loading slide and the lower loading slide are slidably located, and both the upper loading slide and the lower loading slide are connected to a servo motor.

[0020] The PLC is equipped with a multi-station collaborative control module based on the EtherCAT bus.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are: it can better solve the problems of process interference, variable pitch transfer accuracy control, and collaborative assembly of irregularly shaped parts in the synchronous processing of multiple types of inserts. The multi-station automatic cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts of this invention achieves beneficial effects in the following aspects: 1) Improved processing efficiency: Three-channel parallel processing enables a production capacity of 1200pcs / h, which is 2.3 times higher than the traditional single-line system; 2) Breakthrough in accuracy: The variable pitch compensation system controls the assembly misalignment rate to within 0.5%; 3) Enhanced compatibility: Through quick mold change and parameterized control system, it adapts to at least 6 types of insert specifications; 4) Intelligent upgrade: The vision inspection system achieves automatic rejection of defective products, with a yield rate ≥99.2%. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a top view of an embodiment of the automatic multi-station cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts according to the present invention (the following figures are compared with...). Figure 1(Enlarged)

[0024] Figure 2 This is a front view of the material belt feeding unit of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the cutting and molding unit of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the transfer and misalignment adjustment unit of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the storage unit of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the robot unit of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the slide unit of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a logic diagram of the collaborative control of the present invention.

[0031] In the picture:

[0032] 10. Rack;

[0033] 20. Belt feeding unit; 21. Belt tray; 221. Feeding motor; 222. Feeding rotary table; 231. Take-up motor; 232. Take-up rotary table.

[0034] 30. Cutting and molding unit; 31. Positioning module; 32. Cutting module; 33. Molding device; 331. Upper mold; 332. Lower mold; 34. Material handling device.

[0035] 40. Transfer and misalignment adjustment unit; 41. Material handling servo module; 42. Material handling gripper; 43. Correction fixture; 44. Misalignment cylinder.

[0036] 50. Storage unit; 51. Vibratory feeder;

[0037] 60. Robot unit; 61, 62. Vacuum adsorption type PIN needle gripper; 63. Pneumatic gripper type sleeve gripper.

[0038] 70. Slide unit; 71. Loading slide; 72. Unloading slide; 73. Guide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Example 1

[0040] See Figure 1As shown: An automatic multi-station cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts, used to assemble strip materials and metal fittings together, including a frame 10. The frame 10 is equipped with at least three sets of strip feeding units 20 and cutting and molding units 30, a transfer and misalignment adjustment unit 40, a storage unit 50, a robot unit 60, and a slide table unit 70.

[0041] in,

[0042] Each combination of the strip feeding unit 20 and the cutting and molding unit 30 includes a strip feeding unit 20 and a cutting and molding unit 30. The strip feeding unit 20 includes a strip tray 21, a feeding rotary table 222, and a receiving rotary table 232. The feeding rotary table 222 and the receiving rotary table 232 are driven by a feeding motor 221 and a receiving motor 231, respectively, to generate strip tension. Generally, the speed difference between the feeding motor 221 and the receiving motor 231 creates a strip tension of 0.5-3N. The cutting and molding unit 30 includes a positioning module 31, a cutting module 32, a molding device 33, and a material picking device 34 connected in sequence. In this embodiment, there are three independent strip feeding units 20 and three independent cutting and molding units 30, corresponding to strips A, B, and C, respectively, forming three processing channels A, B, and C.

[0043] To achieve greater intelligence, this automotive insert multi-station automatic cutting and assembly integrated machine must be equipped with a PLC. This PLC is configured to perform multi-station collaborative control, that is, to control the timing and parameters of each action component according to the settings.

[0044] Or combination Figure 2 More specifically, each conveyor belt feeding unit 20 includes a conveyor belt tray 21, a feeding rotary disc 222 driven by a feeding motor 221, and a receiving rotary disc 232 driven by a receiving motor 231. The feeding motor 221 and the receiving motor 231 are necessarily connected to a PLC, and output appropriate speeds under the control of the PLC. In use, the conveyor belt is placed in the conveyor belt tray 21, and then the head of the conveyor belt is pulled out and sequentially passes around the feeding rotary disc 222 and the receiving rotary disc 232. Under the action of the speed difference, the conveyor belt can be output outward at a reasonable speed and tension.

[0045] Or combination Figure 3More specifically, each cutting and molding unit 30 includes a positioning module 31, a cutting module 32 whose feed end is connected to the output end of the positioning module 31, a molding device 33 whose feed end is connected to the output end of the cutting module 32, and a material handling device 34 that matches the molding device 33. That is, the positioning module 31 includes a vision positioning judgment module and an actuator connected to it by a signal. The vision positioning judgment module sends a signal to the PLC, and the actuator receives the signal from the PLC. The actuator can use two laterally micro-moving paddles, so that the position of the material strip is adjusted after the paddles move according to the information obtained by the vision positioning judgment module; or, the actuator uses a positioning gripper driven by a servo motor. That is, after the material strip is output from the material strip feeding unit 20, it passes through the positioning module 31 and continues to be conveyed forward along a relatively stable path; the material strip conveyed forward stably passes through the cutting module 32 and enters the molding device 33; after the material strip entering the molding device 33 reaches the set length, the cutting module 32 cuts the material strip; the molding device 33 starts to press the cut material strip into a material strip insert, and the material picking device 34 takes out the pressed material strip insert. The cutting module 32 can be a common type of downward pressing blade or scissor. The power part of the cutting module 32 is also connected to the PLC, so that it can cut the required length as needed. The molding device 33 includes an upper mold 331 and a lower mold 332 that cooperate with each other. The upper mold 331 and the lower mold 332 are provided with progressive bending surfaces that cooperate with each other. The radius of curvature of the progressive bending surface is generally R = 2-5mm, and the upper mold 331 is connected to a booster cylinder 333, which is connected to the PLC. The progressive bending surface includes a pre-bending area, a shaping area, and a punching area, with a height difference of 0.5-1.2mm between each area. That is, the cut strip further enters between the upper die 331 and the lower die 332. Driven by the booster cylinder 33, the upper die 331 and the lower die 332 intermittently close, completing the 90°→135°→180° bending in 4 steps. The fourth step can punch and press it into a suitable strip insert.

[0046] The transfer and misalignment adjustment unit 40 includes a material handling servo module 41, a material handling gripper 42, a straightening fixture 43, and a misalignment cylinder 44, which are used to realize variable distance transfer and accuracy compensation of materials at multiple workstations.

[0047] Or combination Figure 4More specifically, the transfer and misalignment adjustment unit 40 includes a material handling servo module 41, a material handling gripper 42 corresponding to and powered by the material handling device 34, a straightening fixture 43 paired with each of the material handling grippers 42, and misalignment cylinders 44 connected to each of the straightening fixtures 43. That is, the material handling servo module 41 is connected to the PLC, and its power output is sent to the material handling gripper 42. After the material handling gripper 42 moves, it grasps the punched strip insert and places it into the straightening fixture 43. The straightening fixture 43 is powered by the corresponding misalignment cylinder 44; specifically, the straightening fixture 43 is a fine-tuning platform powered by the misalignment cylinder 44, with a compensation amount of ±0.5mm and a repeatability accuracy of ≤0.02mm, correcting the spacing of the strip inserts. The misalignment cylinder 44 is connected to the PLC. The straightening fixture 43 generally adopts a linear structure.

[0048] Combination Figure 5 As shown, the storage unit 50 includes a sleeve vibratory plate 51 for placing metal sleeves. The sleeve vibratory plate 51 can be equipped with devices such as automatic pin plates as needed to adapt to different types of sleeves.

[0049] Combination Figure 6 As shown, the robot unit 60 includes a four-axis robot connected to a PLC. This four-axis robot integrates multiple types of end effectors, including two vacuum-adhesive PIN needle grippers 61 and 62 with adjustable suction hole diameters of 0.3–0.8 mm. The end effector also includes a pneumatic gripper-type sleeve gripper 63, whose gripping surface is provided with a 0.3–0.5 mm thick polyurethane protective layer for anti-slip or damage prevention. The material used for this polyurethane protective layer meets the requirements of QC / T29106-2014 for anti-slip materials in automotive parts, thus combining anti-slip and wear-resistant properties, which perfectly meets the usage requirements of Embodiment 1. Specifically, the vacuum-adhesive PIN needle grippers 61 and 62 grip the insert strip from the corresponding straightening fixture 43, and the pneumatic gripper-type sleeve gripper 63 grips the sleeve from the sleeve vibratory feeder 51.

[0050] Combination Figure 7 As shown, the slide unit 70 includes two alternately used loading slides 71 and unloading slides 72. Both loading slides 71 and unloading slides 72 are connected to servo motors that enable their movement and are signal-connected to a PLC. Both loading slides 71 and unloading slides 72 are located on a cross roller guide 73 to achieve seamless switching, with a switching time ≤ 1.5 seconds. Specifically, the robot unit 60 removes the strip inserts and sleeves from strips A, B, and C respectively and places them onto the loading slide 71. Once the loading slide 71 has material, it is pushed to the right by a servo motor, and the unloading slide 72 is pushed to the left by a servo motor, waiting for the robot unit 60 to remove the strip inserts and metal sleeves and place them on the platform. This cycle is repeated.

[0051] The aforementioned multiple material feeding units 20 and corresponding cutting and molding units 30 are distributed at the edge corners of the frame 10, and are arranged radially around a common transfer and misalignment adjustment unit 40 to form a great synergy.

[0052] Example 2

[0053] Combination Figure 8 As shown, in Example 1, the moving parts and signals are connected to the PLC to achieve coordinated control. The PLC control method can employ various approaches. In this example, the PLC control method synchronizes the actions of each unit via the EtherCAT bus, specifically including:

[0054] a. Material strip processing cycle time matching algorithm: The total cycle time is calculated according to the formula T=MAX(T1,T2,T3)+Δt, where T1-T3 is the processing time of each channel, and Δt is the safety margin (0.1-0.3s);

[0055] b. Dynamic optimization program for robot path: The A* algorithm is used to plan the grasping path of robot unit 60 to ensure that ∑(movement time ti) < 1.5s;

[0056] c. Abnormal operating condition self-diagnosis module: When the visual positioning module detects three consecutive deviations exceeding the limit, a shutdown alarm is triggered.

[0057] In this way, a multi-workstation collaboration mechanism was achieved.

[0058] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of the present invention's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic cutting and assembly machine for automotive inserts at multiple stations, used to assemble strip materials and metal sizing kits together, comprising a frame (10) and a PLC, characterized in that: The frame (10) is provided with at least 3 sets of material feeding units (20) and cutting and molding units (30), 1 transfer and misalignment adjustment unit (40), 1 storage unit (50), 1 robot unit (60), and 1 slide table unit (70); in, Each combination of a strip feeding unit (20) and a cutting and molding unit (30) includes a strip feeding unit (20) and a cutting and molding unit (30); the strip feeding unit (20) includes a strip tray (21), a feeding rotary table (222) and a receiving rotary table (232), the feeding rotary table (222) and the receiving rotary table (232) are driven by a feeding motor (221) and a receiving motor (231) respectively to form strip tension; the cutting and molding unit (30) includes a positioning module (31), a cutting module (32), a molding device (33) and a picking device (34) connected in sequence; The transfer and misalignment adjustment unit (40) includes a material handling servo module (41), a material handling gripper (42), a straightening fixture (43), and a misalignment cylinder (44), which are used to realize the variable distance transfer and accuracy compensation of materials in multiple stations; The storage unit (50) includes a sleeve vibratory plate (51) for holding metal sleeves; The slide unit (70) includes two alternately used loading slides (71) and unloading slides (72).

2. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning module (31) includes a visual positioning judgment module and an actuator connected to it by signals.

3. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The correction fixture (43) is a fine-tuning platform that is powered by the misaligned cylinder (44) to achieve drive. The compensation amount is ±0.5mm and the repeatability is ≤0.02mm. The drive signal of the misaligned cylinder (44) is generated by the real-time feedback of the vision positioning module.

4. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The molding device (33) includes an upper mold (331) and a lower mold (332) that cooperate with each other. The upper mold (331) and the lower mold (332) are provided with progressively bent surfaces that cooperate with each other, and the upper mold (331) is connected to a booster cylinder (333).

5. The automotive insert multi-station automatic cutting and assembly integrated machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The progressive bending surface includes a pre-bending area, a shaping area, and a blanking area, with a height difference of 0.5-1.2mm between each area.

6. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot unit (60) includes a four-axis robot that integrates multiple types of end effectors.

7. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The end effector includes two vacuum-adsorption type PIN needle grippers (61, 62) with adjustable adsorption hole diameters of 0.3-0.8 mm; it also includes a pneumatic gripper type sleeve gripper (63) with a polyurethane protective layer of 0.3-0.5 mm thickness on its gripping surface for anti-slip or anti-damage purposes.

8. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide unit (70) includes a cross roller guide rail (73), the upper loading slide (71) and the lower loading slide (72) are slidably located on the guide rail (73), and both the upper loading slide (71) and the lower loading slide (72) are connected to a servo motor.

9. The automobile grommet multi-station automatic cutting and assembling all-in-one machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The PLC is equipped with a multi-station collaborative control module based on the EtherCAT bus.

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