A high-precision non-destructive sealing detection device for laser welding

Abstract

The utility model discloses a high accuracy nondestructive sealing detection device for laser welding, which comprises a rotary workbench, a plurality of detachable fixed bearing molds, a rotary drive device, a detection device, a supporting unit, a driving unit, a detection mold, a first air pressure sensor and a detector, and a gas supply device. The rotary drive device drives the rotary workbench to rotate intermittently, drives the detection mold to switch between the loading station, the detection station, the good product station and the recycling station. The detection device is arranged at the detection station and comprises the supporting unit, the driving unit, the detection mold, the first air pressure sensor and the detector. The driving unit is fixed on the supporting unit. The detection mold and the bearing mold rotating to the detection station are connected and driven to form a sealed mold cavity. The first air pressure sensor is arranged on the inner surface of the sealed mold cavity formed by the detection mold and transmits the detection result to the detector. The gas supply device supplies high-pressure gas to the sealed mold cavity to detect the sealing property of the laser welding product. The automatic part moving device comprises a plurality of mechanical arms arranged at the loading station, the good product station and the recycling station respectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of performance testing of laser-welded plastic products, and in particular to a high-precision non-destructive sealing test device for laser welding. Background Technology

[0002] Laser welding technology, with its advantages of small heat-affected zone, high precision, and non-contact operation, is widely used for sealing connections of precision plastic products (such as medical device housings, sensor components, and battery packages). The sealing performance after welding directly determines the reliability and lifespan of the product; therefore, efficient and accurate non-destructive sealing testing has become a key requirement in the production process.

[0003] Currently, common sealing testing methods in the industry mainly include water immersion, differential pressure airtightness testing, and traditional single-station pneumatic testing. Water immersion involves immersing the workpiece in water and inflating it with gas, observing the bubbles formed in the water to determine if a leak exists. This method is cumbersome, requires an additional drying process, and is prone to corroding precision electronic components, and lacks sensitivity for micron-level leaks. Differential pressure airtightness testing indirectly judges sealing by comparing the pressure difference between the tested cavity and a standard cavity, but its measurement accuracy is easily affected by ambient temperature and the stability of the reference cavity. Traditional pneumatic testing, while avoiding water contamination, mostly uses single-station serial operation, making it difficult to meet the needs of mass production. Furthermore, it relies on manual loading and unloading operations, which are disconnected from the testing process and cannot adapt to the pace of automated production lines. Although some patents have explored simultaneous dual-station testing, several technical bottlenecks remain in structural design, automation level, and sample adaptability, limiting its measurement efficiency and application scope.

[0004] For example, utility model patent CN218982389U discloses a dual-station airtightness testing device, including a supporting base frame. The supporting base frame houses a discharge conveying component, a good product storage box, and a defective product storage box. The discharge conveying component is located above the good product and defective product storage boxes. A worktable is provided on the upper surface of the supporting base frame, and the worktable is equipped with a feeding component, an airtightness testing component, and a conveying module. This device can improve airtightness testing efficiency by operating two stations simultaneously. However, it can only perform airtightness testing on one type of shell-type product, failing to meet the airtightness testing needs of multiple product models. Furthermore, the connections between the various operation processes are not tight, resulting in insufficient automation.

[0005] Utility model patent CN222719121U discloses a dual-station airtightness testing device that can be used for product changeover. By replacing different upper and lower changeover plates, it can adapt to different models of motor housings or gearbox housings, achieving product changeover and airtightness testing. However, its structural design is complex, and the product changeover and loading operations still rely on manual labor. It also cannot achieve the classification and recycling of qualified and unqualified products, and the overall testing efficiency still needs to be improved.

[0006] Therefore, how to design a high-precision non-destructive sealing test device that integrates automatic loading and unloading and multi-station parallel processing to improve the quality control efficiency and reliability of laser-welded products is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problems of insufficient automation, low single-station testing efficiency, and poor sample adaptability in the existing technologies, this invention provides a high-precision non-destructive sealing testing device for laser welding. Through the cooperation of components such as a rotating worktable and an automatic part-shifting device, it achieves an automated continuous sealing testing process that combines multi-station intermittent switching with automatic loading and unloading. Furthermore, the sealing cooperation between the testing mold and the supporting mold creates a non-destructive testing environment. Combined with the replaceable mold core in the supporting mold, it flexibly adapts to workpieces of different shapes and sizes, thereby meeting the high-efficiency, high-precision non-destructive sealing testing requirements of various laser-welded workpieces and improving the automation level and applicability of the testing device.

[0008] In a first aspect, this utility model provides a high-precision non-destructive sealing performance testing device for laser welding, comprising: A rotating worktable with several detachable fixed support molds; The rotary drive equipment drives the rotary worktable to rotate intermittently, causing each bearing mold to switch between the feeding station, inspection station, good product station, and recycling station; The testing equipment, set at the testing station, includes a support unit, a drive unit, a testing mold, a first air pressure sensor, and a detector. The drive unit is fixed on the support unit, connects to and drives the testing mold to close with the carrier mold rotated to the testing station to form a sealed mold cavity. The first air pressure sensor is set on the inner surface of the testing mold forming the sealed mold cavity and transmits the testing results to the detector. The gas supply equipment supplies high-pressure gas to the sealed mold cavity to test the sealing performance of the laser-welded products; The automated parts transfer equipment includes several robotic arms used for loading materials onto the supporting mold at the loading station, unloading good products at the good product station, and unloading and recycling defective products at the recycling station.

[0009] This invention integrates a rotary worktable with multiple workstations, testing equipment, and automatic part transfer equipment into a single structure, forming a high-precision, highly adaptable, and highly efficient non-destructive sealing testing system. Specifically, a rotary drive device intermittently rotates the rotary worktable, precisely positioning the support mold fixed to the tabletop to each workstation. Combined with the automatic loading and unloading operations of a robotic arm, this forms a closed-loop testing production line with four workstations operating in parallel. This not only improves the continuity and automation of the testing process but also ensures measurement accuracy and significantly enhances testing efficiency.

[0010] Meanwhile, the testing mold in the testing equipment and the carrier mold rotated to the testing station form a sealed testing cavity, providing a stable and sealed space for high-pressure gas, ensuring the accuracy of the test results. In addition, the carrier mold is detachable and has a replaceable mold core, which enables rapid product changeover and is widely applicable to the testing needs of products with multiple specifications.

[0011] Furthermore, the robotic arm includes a motion unit and a gripping unit located at the end of the motion unit. The gripping unit includes a pneumatic suction cup or a mechanical claw. Following a preset path, the motion unit precisely moves the gripping unit to the designated coordinates of the mold in the loading station, finished product station, or recycling station, eliminating the speed bottleneck of traditional manual handling. The pneumatic suction cup or mechanical claw of the gripping unit is selected and assembled according to the shape, weight, and other conditions of the product, thereby adapting to different product requirements and avoiding workpiece damage.

[0012] Furthermore, the gripping unit is equipped with a positioning camera. At the loading station, the positioning camera on the gripping unit helps to quickly determine whether the laser-welded product to be inspected is placed in the correct position, and adjust it in time if necessary. Through the precise visual positioning of the camera, workpiece placement deviations can be corrected in time, solving false inspections or mold closing failures caused by inaccurate positioning. At the good product station, according to the instructions of the positioning camera, the gripping unit can also more accurately and non-destructively adsorb / grip good parts and place them in the accurate position on the conveyor equipment to facilitate subsequent automated operations.

[0013] Furthermore, a loading robotic arm is installed at the loading station, a unloading robotic arm at the good product station, and a recycling robotic arm at the recycling station. Each station also has conveying equipment that works in conjunction with the robotic arms. The conveying equipment at the loading station connects to the raw material warehouse, continuously supplying workpieces awaiting inspection to the loading robotic arm's gripping area, eliminating manual feeding intervals. The conveying equipment at the good product station connects to the downstream processing line or product packaging line, and the conveying equipment at the recycling station connects to the product recycling / rework area. Through the collaboration of the conveying equipment and robotic arms at each station, rapid product sorting is achieved, forming a continuous logistics system and improving production line cycle time. The robotic arms at each station can use a standardized configuration and model, or slight adjustments may be required.

[0014] Furthermore, multiple supporting molds are fixed on the rotating worktable, so that at least one supporting mold corresponds to each of the loading station, inspection station, good product station, and recycling station simultaneously. This four-station, multi-supporting mold layout allows for simultaneous operation of multiple stations, with the longest working time of each station serving as the intermittent rotation cycle. It can achieve simultaneous operation of at least four products, such as the loading station performing a loading operation while the inspection station is performing an inspection process. This achieves seamless connection between processes and improves inspection efficiency.

[0015] Furthermore, 4n supporting molds are fixed on the rotating worktable, where n ≥ 2, so that n supporting molds simultaneously correspond to the loading station, inspection station, good product station, and recycling station. The inspection equipment at each inspection station is equipped with n inspection molds corresponding to the supporting molds. This 4n-station extended design, coupled with the n inspection molds at the inspection station, allows for the inspection of n workpieces at a time, increasing the overall equipment efficiency by n times.

[0016] This invention utilizes a combined basic design of a loading station, an inspection station, a good product station, and a recycling station, combined with the intermittent rotation of a rotary table, to achieve spatial decoupling and temporal parallelism of the inspection process. This allows each process to operate synchronously, solving the problem of limited inspection efficiency under traditional single-station operation. Furthermore, the 4n-station extended design (n≥2), while maintaining the basic framework of four functional stations, doubles the number of bearing molds and the number of inspection molds matched to the inspection station, enabling the simultaneous inspection of n workpieces in a single operation. This linearly increases production capacity by n times, breaking through the limitation of existing technologies that can only achieve parallel operation of two stations. At the same time, by finely controlling the rotation angle of the rotary table, the technical effect of efficient parallel inspection of multiple stations is achieved in a compact space.

[0017] Furthermore, the gas supply equipment includes a top air pump, which is fixed on the support unit and connected to the testing mold pipeline. The top air pump can supply gas to the sealed mold cavity through a flexible pipeline connected to the testing mold. Fixing it on the support unit can shorten the gas path length, reduce pressure fluctuations, and improve the stability of the testing process and the accuracy of the test results.

[0018] Furthermore, the air supply equipment also includes a base air pump, which is fixed to the rotating worktable and connected to independent pipelines for each supporting mold. The base air pump works in conjunction with the top air pump to achieve dual-pump coordinated air supply, accelerating the inflation process and shortening the testing time. Multiple air passages are also provided within both the supporting mold and the testing mold. Depending on the testing requirements of different products, the top air pump and / or the bottom air pump, along with some or all of the corresponding air passages, can be activated to meet the inflation and testing needs at different locations.

[0019] Furthermore, the mold is equipped with a replaceable mold core. The mold core can position the laser-welded product to prevent mold misalignment that could lead to air leakage in the sealing cavity, thereby affecting the accuracy of the test results or damaging the mold. At the same time, the mold core can be disassembled and replaced, which can quickly adapt to workpieces of different specifications, solve the problem of switching between multiple product tests, and broaden the application range of the equipment.

[0020] Furthermore, the detection equipment also includes a second pressure sensor, which is installed on the inner surface of the sealed cavity formed by the supporting mold, and transmits the detection results to the detector. The second pressure sensor can monitor the pressure synchronously with the first pressure sensor, eliminating the measurement error caused by a single sensor. At the same time, the cross-validation of the data from the two sensors can further improve the detection rate in the case of minor leaks.

[0021] This utility model has at least the following beneficial effects: (1) This utility model drives the bearing mold to rotate automatically in parallel at four workstations by rotating the worktable. With the expansion design of components such as automatic transfer equipment, the feeding, inspection and sorting processes are seamlessly connected, improving the inspection efficiency. At the same time, the robotic arm and the conveyor line work together to achieve zero human intervention, greatly reducing labor costs.

[0022] (2) This utility model constructs a customized sealed cavity by detecting the high-precision sealing of the mold and the supporting mold, and combines it with the air pressure sensor directly embedded in the mold cavity to realize real-time monitoring of pressure changes, which can capture minute leaks and solve the problem of micro-leakage detection in laser-welded precision plastic products.

[0023] (3) This utility model adapts to a variety of workpieces through a detachable bearing mold and its internal replaceable mold core. At the same time, the dual air pump supply system of top air pump and base air pump not only provides a variety of air supply schemes, but also ensures stable pressure to prevent workpiece damage. The cross-verification of dual sensors can suppress the false detection rate to below 0.1%, achieving a unity of high precision, high efficiency and non-destructive high adaptability. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 A front view of the high-precision non-destructive sealing test device for laser welding provided by this utility model; Figure 2 Top view of the high-precision non-destructive sealing test device for laser welding provided by this utility model; Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the inspection mold and the supporting mold.

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-rotary worktable, 2-carrying mold, 21-replaceable mold core, 3-rotation drive equipment, 100-loading station, 200-inspection station, 300-good product station, 400-recycling station, 4-inspection equipment, 41-support unit, 42-drive unit, 43-inspection mold, 44-detector, 5-air supply equipment, 6-robotic arm, 7-conveying equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To better understand the above technical solution, the following will refer to the appendix to the instruction manual. Figure 1-3 The specific implementation methods described herein provide a detailed explanation of the above technical solutions. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0027] The terminology used in the embodiments of this utility model is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the utility model. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in the embodiments of this utility model and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, and “multiple” generally includes at least two unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0028] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an article or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or device that includes said element.

[0029] like Figure 1-3 As shown, this utility model provides a high-precision non-destructive sealing test device for laser welding, specifically including: (1) Rotary worktable 1, which can be a disc-shaped cast iron indexing plate (diameter, for example, 1-2m), the table surface can be divided into at least 4 continuous working positions, including loading station 100, inspection station 200, good product station 300 and recycling station 400. Each station is equipped with a detachable bearing mold 2, the base of the bearing mold 2 is made of 304 stainless steel, and the interior is embedded with a replaceable mold core 21 made of aluminum alloy. Different shaped mold cores are used to match and position different types of laser welding products.

[0030] (2) Rotary drive device 3 is set below the rotary worktable 1 and drives the rotary worktable 1 to rotate intermittently, rotating 90° each time (when there are 4 workstations), while driving each bearing mold 2 to switch between the feeding workstation 100, the inspection workstation 200, the good product workstation 300, and the recycling workstation 400 in sequence.

[0031] (3) The testing equipment 4 includes a support unit 41 set in the form of a frame above the testing station 200. A drive unit 42 is fixed on the upper surface of the support unit 41, and a testing mold 43 is set below it. A fluororubber sealing ring can be set on the edge of the testing mold 43. The drive unit 42 can be a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or a motor. The free end of its piston rod is connected to the testing mold 43 and drives the testing mold 43 to move freely in the vertical direction. During testing, the drive testing mold 43 and the carrier mold 2 rotated to the testing station 200 close together to form a sealed mold cavity. The sealed mold cavity contains at least two air pressure sensors, which are respectively set on the inner surface of the testing mold 43 and the inner surface of the carrier mold 2. The two sensors are connected to the detector 44 and transmit the test results to the detector 44.

[0032] (4) The air supply device 5, consisting of a top air pump and a base air pump, is used to supply high-pressure gas to the sealed mold cavity to test the sealing performance of laser-welded plastic products. The top air pump is fixed on the upper surface of the support unit 41 and connected to the test mold 43 through a flexible pipeline to achieve air inflation from the top into the sealed mold cavity; the base air pump is fixed on the bottom of the rotary table 1 and connected to each bearing mold 2 through an independent flexible pipeline to achieve air inflation from the bottom into the sealed mold cavity. This not only shortens the inflation time and improves the testing efficiency, but also better adapts to products of different models and openings. In addition, the base air pump can release upward high-pressure gas through the air passage that cooperates with the mold core at the good product station 300 and the optional recycling station 400, so as to better separate the workpiece from the mold core, so that the robotic arm can smoothly pick up and unload the workpiece, and avoid the workpiece being scratched during demolding in the mold cavity or during the operation of the robotic arm.

[0033] (5) Automatic part transfer equipment: Robotic arms 6 are respectively set around the rotating worktable 1 at the loading station 100, the good product station 300, and the recycling station 400. That is, a loading robotic arm is set at the loading station 100, a unloading robotic arm is set at the good product station 300, and a recycling robotic arm is set at the recycling station 400. Each robotic arm 6 includes a motion unit and a gripping unit. The motion unit includes a base rotation joint, a large arm telescopic shaft, and a small arm lifting shaft. The precise positioning of the workpiece is achieved by controlling the range of movement. The gripping unit includes a pneumatic suction cup, which can adsorb the workpiece to the target position. The gripping unit is also equipped with a positioning camera (not shown). Through the precise visual positioning of the camera, the workpiece placement deviation can be corrected in time, solving problems such as false detection and mold closing failure caused by inaccurate positioning. In addition, when the shape of the workpiece is not conducive to pneumatic adsorption, a mechanical claw can be used for operation to avoid the risk of workpiece falling.

[0034] (6) Conveying equipment 7 is installed at the loading station 100, the good product station 300, and the recycling station 400. The conveying equipment at the loading station 100 is connected to the product raw material warehouse, continuously supplying the workpieces to be inspected to the gripping range of the robotic arm 6; the conveying equipment at the good product station 300 is connected to the downstream product line or product packaging line; the conveying equipment at the recycling station 400 is connected to the product recycling area / rework area, realizing the targeted recycling of unqualified products. Through the coordinated cooperation of the conveying equipment 7 and the robotic arm 6, the products are quickly sorted, forming a continuous logistics system and improving the production line cycle time.

[0035] In another preferred embodiment, a total of 8 bearing molds 2 are provided on the rotary worktable 1, with 2 bearing molds 2 corresponding to each station at the same time. 2 corresponding inspection molds 43 are provided at the inspection station 200 so as to simultaneously inspect the 2 bearing molds 2 that have rotated to the inspection station 200. The rest of the structure of the inspection device is similar to that of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0036] The number of bearing molds 2 can be selected and adapted according to the size of the rotary table 1 and the time consumption of each station. For example, when the inspection station is the longest time-consuming station, the number of bearing molds 2 configured for each station is determined by comparing the total loading and unloading time of the robotic arm with the time consumption of the inspection station, so as to minimize the idle time of each station. Alternatively, the number of robotic arms can be increased to assist in the loading and unloading of the bearing molds 2. Usually, it is advisable for each station to correspond to 1-4 sets of bearing molds (4-16 sets of bearing molds in total on the rotary table 1). In this case, the rotary table 1 can also adopt a square or other non-disc shape to avoid the entire device occupying too much space.

[0037] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and variations to the present invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the present invention and its equivalents, the present invention also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A high-precision non-destructive sealing test device for laser welding, characterized in that, include: A rotating worktable (1) is detachably fixed with several supporting molds (2). The rotary drive device (3) drives the rotary worktable (1) to rotate intermittently, and drives each bearing mold (2) to switch between the loading station (100), the inspection station (200), the good product station (300), and the recycling station (400); The testing equipment (4) is set at the testing station (200) and includes a support unit (41), a drive unit (42), a testing mold (43), a first air pressure sensor and a detector (44). The drive unit (42) is fixed on the support unit (41), connects and drives the testing mold (43) to close with the bearing mold (2) rotated to the testing station (200) to form a sealed mold cavity. The first air pressure sensor is set on the inner surface of the sealed mold cavity formed by the testing mold (43) and transmits the test results to the detector (44). Gas supply equipment (5) supplies high-pressure gas to the sealed mold cavity to test the sealing performance of the laser-welded product; The automatic transfer equipment includes several robotic arms (6) for loading materials onto the carrier mold (2) at the loading station (100), unloading good products at the good product station (300), and unloading and recycling defective products at the recycling station (400).

2. The high-precision non-destructive sealing test device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm (6) includes a motion unit and a gripping unit located at the end of the motion unit. The gripping unit includes a pneumatic suction cup or a mechanical claw.

3. The high-precision non-destructive sealing test device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The grasping unit is equipped with a positioning camera.

4. The high-precision non-destructive sealing test device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, A loading robot arm is set at the loading station (100), a unloading robot arm is set at the good product station (300), and a recycling robot arm is set at the recycling station (400). Each station is also equipped with a conveying device (7) that works in conjunction with each robot arm.

5. The high-precision non-destructive sealing test device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple support molds (2) are fixed on the rotary worktable (1) so that at least one support mold (2) is simultaneously present at the loading station (100), the inspection station (200), the good product station (300) and the recycling station (400).

6. The high-precision non-destructive sealing test device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, 4n bearing molds (2) are fixed on the rotary worktable (1), where n≥2, so that n bearing molds (2) correspond to the loading station (100), inspection station (200), good product station (300) and recycling station (400) respectively, and n inspection molds (43) corresponding to the bearing molds (2) are set in the inspection equipment (4) of the inspection station (200).

7. The high-precision non-destructive sealing performance testing device as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The air supply equipment (5) includes a top air pump, which is fixed on the support unit (41) and connected to the test mold (43) via pipeline.

8. The high-precision non-destructive sealing test device as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The air supply equipment (5) also includes a base air pump, which is fixed on the rotating worktable (1) and connected to the independent pipelines of each bearing mold.

9. The high-precision non-destructive sealing performance testing device as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The support mold (2) is fitted with a replaceable mold core (21).

10. The high-precision non-destructive sealing performance testing device as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The detection device (4) also includes a second air pressure sensor, which is set on the inner surface of the sealed cavity formed by the bearing mold (2) and transmits the detection result to the detector (44).

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