Automated production line with higher production efficiency

Abstract

This utility model relates to an automated production line with higher production efficiency, including an industrial robot, a clamping mechanism for gripping materials at the end of the industrial robot, at least one machining center and a storage mechanism for storing blanks arranged around the industrial robot, the storage mechanism having a window, a sliding material placement component inside the window and a driving element for driving the material placement component to slide, the blank to be processed or the processed blank can be placed on the surface of the material placement component; this utility model achieves efficient human-machine interaction through an innovative material rack structure design: a window is set in the middle area of ​​the storage mechanism, and a unique structure of sliding material placement component is set in the window, creatively combining the working area and the safety area dynamically, allowing the industrial robot to complete the blank transfer by utilizing the processing gap of the machining center, which not only ensures continuous production but also eliminates the risk of human-machine interference.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automated production equipment technology, specifically to an automated production line with higher production efficiency. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, there are two main types of industrial robots on the market: industrial robots, which are characterized by high efficiency, and collaborative robots, which are safe and easy to use and can work collaboratively with humans in overlapping spaces. Whether industrial or collaborative, the mainstream approach to applying these robots in production scenarios involves setting up material storage areas, robot mounting bases, electrical control boxes, and debugging the robots on the workshop floor, based on the characteristics of the parts being produced and the equipment they serve. However, industrial robots lack the characteristics for human-robot collaboration, therefore safety fences are necessary to isolate the robots from personnel and ensure safe production.

[0003] Application announcement number CN119750080A discloses a flexible workstation for machining and a machining method. According to its specification and drawings, the robot workstation can dynamically allocate the optimal position based on the storage status of the material rack and the pallet status according to the equidistant positioning steps, so as to store more materials and tooling in a limited space.

[0004] However, this solution has certain limitations: In existing technologies, when the material rack is full of blanks awaiting processing and the machining center is in continuous operation, the following technical challenges exist: 1. Direct manual intervention to retrieve materials from the rack while the industrial robot is running before the blanks have been processed poses a significant safety hazard. 2. If the industrial robot is temporarily reassigned to retrieve materials, its normal material supply to the machining center will inevitably be interrupted, leading to a significant reduction in loading efficiency. 3. Even if the robot's operation is forcibly interrupted to retrieve the processed blanks, the subsequent replenishment of new blanks will still disrupt the original loading rhythm, causing fluctuations in production efficiency. These technical deficiencies severely restrict the continuous operation capability and overall production efficiency improvement of automated production lines. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention addresses the problems in human-machine interaction between material racks, industrial robots, and workers by proposing an automated production line with higher production efficiency. In this solution, a window is set in the middle area of ​​the material rack, and a unique structure with a sliding material placement component is set in the window. This creatively combines the working area and the safety area dynamically, allowing the industrial robot to complete the transfer of blanks by utilizing the processing gap of the machining center.

[0006] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution: an automated production line with higher production efficiency, comprising an industrial robot, a clamping mechanism for clamping materials disposed at the end of the industrial robot, at least one processing center and a storage mechanism for storing blanks disposed around the industrial robot, the storage mechanism having a window, a sliding material placement component and a driving element for driving the material placement component to slide within the window, and the blank to be processed or the processed blank being placed on the surface of the material placement component.

[0007] Preferably, the storage mechanism includes a material rack composed of several metal profiles and horizontal and vertical partitions disposed inside the material rack. The area located in the middle of the vertical direction of the material rack without vertical partitions is a window. A vise is placed on the surface of each horizontal partition, and the blank is clamped inside the vise. The clamping mechanism at the end of the industrial robot can clamp the vise into the machining center.

[0008] Preferably, the surface of the horizontal partition is provided with several limiting through holes, and the bottom of the vise is provided with several limiting bosses. When the vise is placed on the surface of the horizontal partition, the limiting bosses can be locked inside the limiting through holes.

[0009] Preferably, the material placement component is a support plate with a rectangular cross-section. The surface of the material placement component is also provided with several limiting through holes. The material rack located inside the window position is also provided with several slide rails. The bottom of the material placement component is provided with several sliders that are slidably connected to the surface of the slide rails. The bottom of the material placement component is also provided with a driving element for driving the material placement component to slide.

[0010] Preferably, the driving element is a telescopic cylinder. The bottom of the material placement component is equipped with a telescopic cylinder, and the material rack located inside the window position is also provided with several support blocks. The piston rod of the telescopic cylinder and the cylinder body end of the telescopic cylinder are both connected to the inside of the support blocks.

[0011] Preferably, the clamping mechanism includes a robot flange, a clamping support column, a pneumatic gripper flange plate, and parallel pneumatic grippers. One side of the robot flange is connected to an industrial robot, and the other side of the robot flange is provided with a clamping support column. The end of the clamping support column is provided with a pneumatic gripper flange plate, and the surface of the pneumatic gripper flange plate is provided with parallel pneumatic grippers, which are capable of clamping the vise.

[0012] Preferably, the clamping support column extends to both sides and is provided with inclined support columns. The cross-section of the combination of the clamping support column and the inclined support column is Y-shaped. Each inclined support column is provided with a pneumatic gripper flange plate and a parallel pneumatic gripper at its end.

[0013] Preferably, the vise is provided with several limiting grooves on its side, and the jaws of the parallel pneumatic gripper can be locked inside the limiting grooves. This arrangement is to provide better stability for the vise when it is gripped by the jaws of the parallel pneumatic gripper.

[0014] Preferably, the top of the material rack is also equipped with a display screen for displaying the processing progress. The vise is used to clamp the blank by manual tightening. The display screen is set up to optimize the human-machine interaction between the production equipment and external workers.

[0015] Preferably, protective nets are provided between the storage mechanism and the processing center, as well as between adjacent processing centers. The multiple protective nets, processing centers, and storage mechanisms can surround the industrial robot, so that the area of ​​the protective net closer to the industrial robot is the working area, and the area of ​​the protective net farther away from the industrial robot is considered the safe area.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. Efficient human-machine interaction is achieved through innovative material rack structure design: A window is set in the middle area of ​​the material rack, and a unique structure of sliding material placement component is set in the window. This creatively combines the working area and the safety area dynamically, allowing industrial robots to complete the transfer of blanks by utilizing the processing gap of the machining center, which not only ensures continuous production but also eliminates the risk of human-machine interference.

[0018] 2. The material rack is designed with upper and lower layers for material storage, combined with the sliding material placement components inside the window in the middle area, to create a three-dimensional working space of "processing-transfer-storage". This decouples equipment operation from manual operation in time and space, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0019] 3. It breaks through the limitations of traditional linear production processes. Through the buffer mechanism formed by the sliding material placement component, the robot loading operation and the manual removal of processed blanks or replenishment of blanks to be processed can be carried out in parallel, solving the technical paradox of "efficiency-safety" in automated production lines. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the storage mechanism of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a partial perspective view of the storage mechanism of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the industrial robot and clamping mechanism of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the clamping mechanism of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the present invention regarding the removal of a vise and clamping mechanism for gripping.

[0027] Figure 8 This utility model relates to Figure 4 A partial 3D view of a cylinder component and a limiting component after they have been removed from the cylinder.

[0028] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the cylinder components adjusted according to the present invention to clamp rims of different sizes;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the entire processing procedure of this utility model.

[0030] The diagram is labeled as follows: 1. Industrial robot; 11. Host computer; 2. Clamping mechanism; 21. Robot flange; 22. Clamping support column; 23. Pneumatic gripper flange; 24. Parallel pneumatic gripper; 221. Inclined support column; 3. Storage mechanism; 31. Window; 32. Material rack; 33. Horizontal partition; 34. Vertical partition; 35. Slide rail; 36. Support block; 4. Machining center; 5. Material placement component; 6. Vise; 61. Limiting boss; 62. Limiting groove; 7. Telescopic cylinder; 8. Limiting through hole; 9. Protective net; 10. Display screen. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings:

[0032] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 9 As shown, an automated production line with higher production efficiency includes an industrial robot 1, a clamping mechanism 2 for clamping materials at the end of the industrial robot 1, three processing centers 4 and a storage mechanism 3 for storing blanks arranged around the industrial robot 1, and protective nets 9 are provided between the storage mechanism 3 and the processing centers 4 as well as between adjacent processing centers 4. The protective nets 9, processing centers 4 and storage mechanism 3 can surround the entire area.

[0033] The machining center 4 is mainly used to process the blank into a specified structure. The industrial robot 1 uses the gripping mechanism 2 to grab the blank to be processed inside the storage mechanism 3 and put it into the machining center 4 for processing. After processing, the industrial robot 1 puts the processed blank back into the original position of the storage mechanism 3.

[0034] The protective netting 9 surrounding the industrial robot 1 is primarily used for safety protection and area demarcation. The area of ​​the protective netting 9 closer to the industrial robot 1 is the working area, while the area of ​​the protective netting 9 further away from the industrial robot 1 is the safety area. These protective nets are typically made of high-strength, corrosion-resistant materials to effectively withstand external impacts. Furthermore, the protective netting 9 also provides good visibility, ensuring it does not obstruct the operator's view.

[0035] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 8 The storage mechanism 3 is provided with a window 31, and the window 31 is provided with a sliding material placement component 5 and a driving element for driving the material placement component 5 to slide. The blank to be processed or the processed blank can be placed on the surface of the material placement component 5.

[0036] The storage mechanism 3 includes a material rack 32 composed of several metal profiles, and horizontal partitions 33 and vertical partitions 34 disposed inside the material rack 32. The area located in the middle of the vertical direction of the material rack 32 without vertical partitions 34 is a window 31. A vise 6 is placed on the surface of each horizontal partition 33, and the blank is clamped inside the vise 6. The clamping mechanism 2 at the end of the industrial robot 1 can clamp the vise 6 into the machining center 4. The top of the material rack 32 is also provided with a display screen 10 for displaying the processing progress. The vise 6 clamps the blank by manually tightening it.

[0037] like Figure 8 As shown, the window 31 is designed to enable human-machine interaction between the entire material rack 32 and external workers. The material placement component 5 can slide and change position within the window 31. This allows the material placement component 5 to be positioned either closer to the outside of the material rack 32 (safe area) or closer to the inside of the material rack 32 (working area). Therefore, the change in position of the material placement component 5 enables the vise 6 placed on its surface to automatically switch between the working area and the safe area.

[0038] The vise 6 and the blank mounted on its surface can be regarded as a whole. When the industrial robot 1 is holding the vise 6, it means that it is simultaneously holding the blank. Therefore, the industrial robot 1 holding the blank or holding the vise 6 as described in this embodiment can be understood as: the vise 6 and the blank are simultaneously held by the industrial robot 1.

[0039] The clamped blank is then placed into machining center 4 for processing. Industrial robot 1 is able to clamp out the blank after it has been processed by machining center 4.

[0040] At this time, when the material placement component 5 is in the working area, the industrial robot 1 prioritizes placing the processed blanks on the surface of the material placement component 5 until the blanks placed on the material placement component 5 reach the specified quantity. Then, the material placement component 5 automatically slides to the safe area so that the workers can pick them up when they are free later.

[0041] When the material placement component 5 is in a safe area, the industrial robot 1 prioritizes placing the processed blanks back into the original position of the material rack 32. At this time, after the worker takes the processed blanks off the material placement component 5, he can also replenish the blanks to be processed on the surface of the material placement component 5. When the material placement component 5 automatically slides and adjusts to the working area, the industrial robot 1 prioritizes placing these blanks to be processed into the idle position of the material rack 32 in the idle state.

[0042] Efficient human-machine interaction is achieved through innovative material rack structure design: First, a window 31 is set in the middle area of ​​the material rack 32, and a unique structure of sliding material placement component is set in the window 31, which creatively combines the working area and the safety area dynamically, so that the industrial robot can complete the transfer of blanks during the processing gap, which not only ensures continuous production but also eliminates the risk of human-machine interference.

[0043] In this embodiment, the surface of the horizontal partition 33 is provided with a plurality of limiting through holes 8, and the bottom of the vise 6 is provided with a plurality of limiting protrusions 61. When the vise 6 is placed on the surface of the horizontal partition 33, the limiting protrusions 61 can be locked inside the limiting through holes 8.

[0044] With this setting, each time the industrial robot 1 puts the processed blank back onto the surface of the horizontal partition 33 or the surface of the material placement part 5, it limits the position of the vise 6, that is, it can accurately put it back into the designated position, thereby preventing interference between adjacent vises 6.

[0045] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown, to illustrate how the material placement component 5 automatically slides inside the window 31: the material placement component 5 is a support plate with a rectangular cross-section, and the surface of the material placement component 5 is also provided with several limiting through holes 8. The material rack 32 located inside the window 31 is also provided with several slide rails 35. The bottom of the material placement component 5 is provided with several sliders 52 that are slidably connected to the surface of the slide rails 35. The bottom of the material placement component 5 is also provided with a driving element that drives the material placement component 5 to slide.

[0046] The driving element is a telescopic cylinder 7. The bottom of the material placement component 5 is equipped with a telescopic cylinder 7. The material rack 32 is located inside the window 31 and is also provided with several support blocks 36. The piston rod of the telescopic cylinder 7 and the cylinder body end of the telescopic cylinder 7 are both connected to the inside of the support block 36.

[0047] Since the support block 36 restricts both ends of the telescopic cylinder 7, and the material placement component 5 is fixedly installed on the surface of the cylinder body of the telescopic cylinder 7, the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder 7 can simultaneously drive the material placement component 5 to move and change position during the telescopic cylinder 7's extension and retraction process. During the movement of the material placement component 5, each slider 52 slides relative to the surface of the slide rail 35.

[0048] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the clamping mechanism 2 includes a robot flange 21, a clamping support column 22, a pneumatic gripper flange plate 23, and a parallel pneumatic gripper 24. One side of the robot flange 21 is connected to the industrial robot 1, and the other side of the robot flange 21 is provided with a clamping support column 22. The end of the clamping support column 22 is provided with a pneumatic gripper flange plate 23, and the surface of the pneumatic gripper flange plate 23 is provided with a parallel pneumatic gripper 24. The parallel pneumatic gripper 24 is capable of clamping the vise 6.

[0049] The clamping support column 22 extends to both sides and is provided with inclined support columns 221. The cross-section of the combination of the clamping support column 22 and the inclined support column 221 is Y-shaped. Each end of the inclined support column 221 is provided with a pneumatic gripper flange plate 23 and a parallel pneumatic gripper 24 in sequence. The side of the vise 6 is also provided with several limiting grooves 62, and the grippers of the parallel pneumatic gripper 24 can be locked inside the limiting grooves 62.

[0050] The parallel pneumatic gripper 24 is driven by compressed air to move the piston. When compressed air enters the cylinder from the air inlet, it pushes the piston (gripper) to move axially. The limiting groove 62 ensures that the gripper of the parallel pneumatic gripper 24 can stably hold the entire vise 6 during the clamping process.

[0051] Since the combined cross-section of the clamping support column 22 and the inclined support column 221 is Y-shaped, the two inclined support columns 221 give the clamping mechanism 2 two ends for clamping. Therefore, after either end of the industrial robot's clamping mechanism 2 completes material picking inside the material rack 32, before placing it into the machining center 4, the robot flange 21 is rotated so that the other end of the clamping mechanism 2 clamps the processed blank first. After clamping is completed, the robot flange 21 is rotated again so that the blank to be processed at the original end of the clamping mechanism is placed into the machining center 4.

[0052] The inclined support columns 221 extending to both sides of the clamping support column 22 enable the entire clamping mechanism 2 to simultaneously unload and load materials from the machining center, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the industrial robot 1 and increasing the production rate of the machining center 4.

[0053] Working principle and usage of this utility model:

[0054] The logical sequence of the entire processing flow can be referenced. Figure 10 Based on the flowchart, further explanations are provided for some process details:

[0055] Firstly, the status of the blanks inside the material rack 32 and the idle status of the workstations inside the material rack 32 can be displayed in real time on the display screen 10. Whether a worker takes a blank from the material placement piece 5, or the industrial robot 1 puts the processed blanks from the material rack 32 into the material placement piece 5, or the industrial robot 1 and the machining center 4 work together to process all the blanks on the material rack 32, the display screen 10 will automatically refresh the content.

[0056] The process involves: receiving a task order on the computer in the production center; organizing the task order into an Excel spreadsheet; converting the spreadsheet into a general file; importing the data from the computer into the host computer system 11 within the unit via Wi-Fi; organizing the data and displaying the task content on the display screen 10; and then, based on the displayed task, performing the blanking or finished product cutting work.

[0057] Loading: According to the task displayed on the display screen 10, the staff will place the designated blanks one after another on the material placement piece 5;

[0058] Whether industrial robot 1 is in the loading mode of the machining center: This mode switching is mainly done manually by pressing an external button to switch the program of industrial robot 1. The switched mode determines whether industrial robot 1 is serving machining center 4.

[0059] When in the material feeding mode for machining center 4: the host computer 11 uses the storage position data of each storage station on the material rack 32 and sends a signal to sequentially put the blanks at the corresponding positions into the corresponding machining center 4.

[0060] When no longer in the loading mode for machining center 4: For the workstations on material rack 32, the finished products marked by the host computer 11 are sequentially picked up and placed onto the moving material placement component 5. The material placement component 5 automatically slides to a safe area so that workers can pick them up when they are free later.

[0061] It should be noted that after all the blanks on the material placement piece 5 are manually removed, the same number of blanks are placed on top. The program of industrial robot 1 can be switched by external buttons (considering the safety of human-machine interaction, the activation signal of platform movement is activated manually).

[0062] Furthermore, the material placement component 5 can automatically move to the working area and the safety area during the material loading process of the material rack. The working area is where the industrial robot 1 places the blanks placed on the material placement component 5 into the empty workstations on the material rack 32.

[0063] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative examples illustrating the spirit of this utility model. Those skilled in the art to which this utility model pertains may make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to replace them, without departing from the spirit of this utility model or exceeding the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automated production line with higher production efficiency, comprising an industrial robot (1) and a clamping mechanism (2) for clamping blanks disposed at the end of the industrial robot (1), characterized in that, At least one processing center (4) and a storage mechanism (3) for storing blanks are arranged around the industrial robot (1). The storage mechanism (3) is provided with a window (31), and a sliding material placement component (5) and a driving element for driving the material placement component (5) to slide are provided in the window (31). The blank to be processed or the blank after processing can be placed on the surface of the material placement component (5).

2. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage mechanism (3) includes a material rack (32) composed of several metal profiles and horizontal partitions (33) and vertical partitions (34) set inside the material rack (32). The area located in the middle of the vertical direction of the material rack (32) without vertical partitions (34) is a window (31). A vise (6) is placed on the surface of each horizontal partition (33). The blank is stuck inside the vise (6). The clamping mechanism (2) at the end of the industrial robot (1) can clamp the vise (6) to the machining center (4).

3. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 2, characterized in that, The surface of the horizontal partition (33) is provided with several limiting through holes (8), and the bottom of the vise (6) is provided with several limiting bosses (61). When the vise (6) is placed on the surface of the horizontal partition (33), the limiting bosses (61) can be locked inside the limiting through holes (8).

4. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material placement component (5) is a support plate with a rectangular cross-section. The surface of the material placement component (5) is also provided with several limiting through holes (8). The material rack (32) located inside the window (31) is also provided with several slide rails (35). The bottom of the material placement component (5) is provided with several sliders (52) that are slidably connected to the surface of the slide rails (35). The bottom of the material placement component (5) is also provided with a driving element that drives the material placement component (5) to slide.

5. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 4, characterized in that, The driving element is a telescopic cylinder (7). The bottom of the material placement component (5) is equipped with a telescopic cylinder (7). The material rack (32) located inside the window (31) is also provided with several support blocks (36). The piston rod of the telescopic cylinder (7) and the cylinder body end of the telescopic cylinder (7) are both connected to the inside of the support block (36).

6. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism (2) includes a robot flange (21), a clamping support column (22), a pneumatic gripper flange plate (23), and a parallel pneumatic gripper (24). One side of the robot flange (21) is connected to the industrial robot (1), and the other side of the robot flange (21) is provided with a clamping support column (22). The end of the clamping support column (22) is provided with a pneumatic gripper flange plate (23), and the surface of the pneumatic gripper flange plate (23) is provided with a parallel pneumatic gripper (24). The parallel pneumatic gripper (24) can clamp the vise (6).

7. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 6, characterized in that, The clamping support column (22) extends to both sides and is provided with inclined support columns (221). The cross-section of the clamping support column (22) and the inclined support column (221) is Y-shaped. Each inclined support column (221) is provided with a pneumatic claw flange plate (23) and a parallel pneumatic claw (24) at its end.

8. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 7, characterized in that, The vise (6) is also provided with several limiting grooves (62) on its side, and the jaws of the parallel pneumatic gripper (24) can be locked inside the limiting grooves (62).

9. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to claim 8, characterized in that, The top of the material rack (32) is also provided with a display screen (10) for displaying the processing progress, and the vise (6) is used to clamp the blank by manually tightening.

10. The automated production line with higher production efficiency according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Protective nets (9) are provided between the storage mechanism (3) and the processing center (4) as well as between adjacent processing centers (4). The protective nets (9), processing centers (4) and storage mechanism (3) can surround the industrial robot (1).

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