A batch positioning and feeding mechanism for control levers

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of automotive parts loading mechanisms, and discloses a batch positioning and loading mechanism for control rods. It includes a worktable, a three-coordinate robotic arm movably mounted on the worktable, and a positioning and clamping assembly assembled at its end. A material tray is provided on the worktable, and several positioning grooves are evenly distributed on the tray. The positioning grooves are used to accommodate control rods with second torsion springs, and the arcuate surfaces of the control rod ends are arranged vertically. The positioning and clamping assembly includes a finger cylinder and pressing rods located on both sides of the finger cylinder. When the gripper of the finger cylinder clamps the control rod, the bottom of the pressing rod abuts against the arcuate surface of the control rod end. This mechanism replaces manual labor to achieve the positioning and assembly of control rods with second torsion springs with the housing, improving efficiency while preventing end deformation during control rod assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automotive parts loading mechanisms, and in particular to a batch positioning and loading mechanism for control levers. Background Technology

[0002] Existing door handle assemblies can be referenced. Figures 1-2 As shown, the device includes a housing 1, a handle 2, a control lever 5, and a latch 7. The hinge arm 201 of the handle 2 is rotatably mounted on the housing 1 via a rotating shaft 3. A first torsion spring 4 for resetting the handle 2 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 3. The control lever 5 is rotatably mounted on the housing 1, and a mating block 501 protrudes from the control lever 5 to abut against the hinge arm 201 of the handle 2. Figure 3 As shown, a second torsion spring 6 is positioned on the control lever 5 to achieve the angle reset of the control lever 5. The control lever 5 is connected and engaged with the latch 7. As the handle 2 rotates, the hinge arm 201 forces the mating block 501 to flip, thereby driving the control lever 5 to rotate, and finally unlocking the latch 7.

[0003] Two parallel cut surfaces 502 are provided at each end of the control lever 5, making the cross-section of the end of the control lever 5 racetrack-shaped. During assembly, the housing 1 is provided with an assembly groove 101 for the main body of the control lever 5 to be inserted and rotated. The two ends of the assembly groove 101 are set as blind grooves to prevent the end from coming out. The upper end of the blind groove is provided with a through groove 102 with a width equal to the distance between the two cut surfaces 502. When the control lever 5 is assembled, the end needs to pass through the through groove 102 at a specific angle, and then rotate at a preset angle to prevent it from coming out. The function of the second torsion spring 6 is to automatically drive the control lever 5 to rotate at a preset angle after the end of the control lever 5 enters the blind groove along the through groove 102, thus completing the assembly.

[0004] The existing assembly method involves manually pressing the control rod with the second torsion spring assembled into the assembly slot at a preset angle. Each time it is taken out, the pressing direction must be determined first, and then the torsion force of the torsion spring must be overcome to press it. Manual assembly is not only time-consuming and laborious, but the torsion spring can easily injure the hand when pressing, and the two ends of the control rod are prone to warping and deformation. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing control rod assembly on the housing, which relies on manual assembly, resulting in high labor costs, low efficiency, insufficient safety, and easy deformation of parts. It provides a batch positioning and feeding mechanism for control rods that can automatically position, pick up, and press down the control rods while preventing the ends of the control rods from warping upwards.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a solution through the following technical method: A batch positioning and feeding mechanism for control rods includes a worktable, a three-coordinate robotic arm movably mounted on the worktable, and a positioning and clamping assembly assembled at its end. A material tray is provided on the worktable, and a plurality of positioning grooves are evenly distributed on the material tray. The positioning grooves are used to accommodate control rods with second torsion springs and to make the arc surface of the end of the control rods vertically distributed. The positioning and clamping assembly includes a finger cylinder and abutting rods located on both sides of the finger cylinder. When the gripper of the finger cylinder clamps the control rod, the bottom of the abutting rod abuts against the arc surface of the end of the control rod.

[0007] The above solution employs a three-coordinate robotic arm for gripping and a pressure rod for positioning and pressing, achieving precise gripping and positioning of the control rod. During assembly, the pressure rod mates with the arc-shaped end of the control rod to prevent the end of the control rod from warping upwards when pressed down, ensuring the correct direction of the torsion spring preload. This mechanism replaces manual labor in positioning and assembling the control rod with the second torsion spring to the housing, improving efficiency while preventing end deformation of the control rod during assembly.

[0008] Preferably, the workbench is equipped with a full material hopper for stacking material trays and delivering them one by one to the finger cylinder clamping area.

[0009] Preferably, the full-load hopper includes a first support platform for carrying stacked trays, a first drive mechanism for lifting and lowering the first support platform, and a unidirectional platform located above the first support platform for passing through and supporting the trays below.

[0010] Using the above scheme, the full material silo is automatically stacked and fed, reducing the frequency of manual intervention. The first support platform is raised step by step, and the unidirectional platform allows the material tray to pass through in one direction and support the material tray.

[0011] Preferably, the unidirectional platform includes a positioning frame fixed above the first bearing platform and unidirectional bearing components assembled on at least two opposite sides of the positioning frame. The unidirectional bearing component includes a bearing block that is hinged and can tilt outward at a preset angle and an elastic element that drives the bearing block to tilt outward to the maximum tilt angle. The bearing block is provided with a bearing plane, which is in a horizontal state when the bearing block tilts outward to the maximum angle.

[0012] Using the above scheme, when the tray rises, it drives the outward tilting end of the bearing block to flip inward to avoid it. After the tray passes, the bearing block resets and restricts the tray's descent.

[0013] Preferably, the system also includes an empty material silo located on one side of the full material silo, and a dual-coordinate robotic arm that can move between the full material silo and the empty material silo and transfer the material tray on the unidirectional platform to the empty material silo. The dual-coordinate robotic arm is capable of horizontal and vertical movement, and its end is provided with a clamping component for clamping the material tray.

[0014] Using the above scheme, the dual-coordinate robotic arm realizes the automatic transfer of full and empty material trays, forming a closed-loop logistics.

[0015] Preferably, the clamping component includes a plate fixed to the end of the dual-coordinate robotic arm and clamping cylinders disposed on both sides of the plate, with a clamping hook fixed to the end of the piston rod of the clamping cylinder.

[0016] Using the above solution, the hook-type clamping component is more stable when clamping the material tray.

[0017] Preferably, the empty material silo includes a second support platform that is vertically lifted and lowered, and a second drive mechanism that drives the second support platform to lift and lower.

[0018] Using the above scheme, the second carrier platform first rises to support the trays released by the clamping components, and then the second carrier platform lowers by the height of one tray each time it supports a tray, thereby achieving the stacking of empty trays.

[0019] Preferably, a picking and placing mechanism for manually picking and placing material trays is provided on the workbench. The picking and placing mechanism includes a sliding support that guides the movement of the sliding support on the workbench. The sliding support is U-shaped. A handle is provided at the end of the sliding support away from its opening to facilitate its movement. Two sets of sliding supports are provided and are located in the full material hopper and the empty material hopper, respectively. When the sliding support moves inward to its maximum stroke, the first bearing platform or the second bearing platform is located at the center of the sliding support.

[0020] The above solution simplifies manual material changing operations and improves operational safety.

[0021] Preferably, the upper end of the tray is provided with two first positioning posts, and the bottom of the tray is recessed with a first positioning hole at the lower end of the first positioning posts. When the trays are stacked, the first positioning post of the lower tray is inserted into the first positioning hole of the upper tray.

[0022] Preferably, the bottom of the tray is provided with two second positioning holes, and a second positioning post and a third positioning post for inserting into the second positioning holes are respectively provided on the first bearing platform and the second bearing platform.

[0023] By adopting the above solution, we can ensure accurate alignment when stacking material trays and prevent the robotic arm from deviating during grasping.

[0024] This utility model, by adopting the above technical solution, has significant technical effects: By combining the gripping of a three-coordinate robotic arm with the end-pressing positioning of the pressure rod, the automatic gripping and assembly of the control rod is achieved while avoiding the upward deformation of the end of the control rod during the pressing process; With a high degree of automation, it can realize full material feeding, parts assembly and empty material recycling, forming a closed-loop logistics and significantly improving efficiency; Positioning errors are significantly reduced by using sliding supports for alignment and nested positioning between trays to improve the success rate of the three-coordinate robotic arm's grasping. Manual intervention is only required during the feeding and emptying processes, which can completely eliminate the risk of injury from torsion springs. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 It is the axonometric projection of the existing door handle assembly. Figure 1 ; Figure 2 It is the axonometric projection of the existing door handle assembly. Figure 2 ; Figure 3 It is an isometric drawing of an existing control lever with a snap ring; Figure 4 This is an isometric view of a batch positioning and feeding mechanism for control levers according to this embodiment; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A magnified view of A; Figure 6 This is an isometric view of the dual-axis robotic arm that assembles and holds the components in this embodiment; Figure 7 These are isometric views of the full and empty material storage bins in this embodiment; Figure 8 This is a front view of the full and empty material storage bins in this embodiment; Figure 9 This is an isometric view of the full and empty material storage bins in this embodiment after the material trays have been placed.

[0026] The parts referred to by the numbers in the above attached figures are as follows: 1. Housing; 101. Assembly slot; 102. Through slot; 2. Handle; 201. Hinge arm; 3. Rotating shaft; 4. First torsion spring; 5. Control lever; 501. Mating block; 502. Cut surface; 6. Second torsion spring; 7. Lock; 8. Worktable; 9. Three-coordinate robotic arm; 10. Two-coordinate robotic arm; 11. Finger cylinder; 12. Pressing rod; 13. Flat plate; 14. Clamping cylinder; 15. Clamping hook; 16. First bearing platform; 17. Positioning frame; 18. Bearing block; 1801. Bearing plane; 19. Elastic element; 20. Second bearing platform; 2001. Third positioning post; 21. First drive mechanism; 22. Sliding support; 23. Handle; 24. Material tray; 2401. Positioning slot; 25. First positioning post; 26. Second drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0028] A batch positioning and feeding mechanism for control levers, combined with Figures 3-9As shown, the system includes a worktable 8, a full material hopper and an empty material hopper set on the worktable 8, a three-coordinate robotic arm 9, a two-coordinate robotic arm 10, and several material trays 24. The bottom of the three-coordinate robotic arm 9 is provided with a positioning and clamping component, which is used to position and clamp the products on the full material hopper to the assembly station and press them for assembly. The bottom of the two-coordinate robotic arm 10 is provided with a clamping component, which is used to clamp the empty material trays 24 on the full material hopper to the empty material hopper.

[0029] A support is vertically mounted on the worktable 8. Two sets of parallel guide rails are fixed to the upper end of the support by bolts. One set of guide rails serves as the shared X-axis guide rail for the three-coordinate robotic arm 9 and the two-coordinate robotic arm 10.

[0030] The three-axis robotic arm 9, based on a shared X-axis guide rail, is additionally equipped with Y-axis and Z-axis linear modules, which can be HIWIN KK86, forming a complete XYZ three-axis motion system. Its end is fixed and positioned by a flange clamping assembly, which includes a finger cylinder 11 and a pressing rod 12. The pressing rod 12 is symmetrically distributed on both sides of the finger cylinder 11, and its bottom is machined into an arc-shaped groove that matches the arc surface of the end of the control rod 5. It is fixed by a height-adjustable bracket with an adjustment range of 0-10mm to ensure tight contact with the arc surface of the end of the control rod 5 during clamping.

[0031] The full material hopper is mounted on the workbench 8, including a first bearing platform 16 and a first drive mechanism 21 that drives its lifting. The first drive mechanism 21 adopts a worm gear lift with a servo motor and achieves precise lifting through PLC control. A one-way platform is set above the first bearing platform 16. The one-way platform consists of a positioning frame 17 and one-way bearing components. The positioning frame 17 is fixed above the first bearing platform 16 by a bracket. There are four sets of one-way bearing components, located on both sides directly opposite the positioning frame 17, with two sets spaced apart on each side. The one-way bearing component includes a bearing block 18 hinged to the positioning frame 17 and an elastic element 19 connecting the positioning frame 17 and the bearing block 18. The elastic element 19 is a spring. The elastic element 19 drives the bearing block 18 to be in an outward tilting state. The maximum outward tilting angle of the bearing block 18 is 30°. The bearing block 18 has a bearing plane 1801. When the bearing block 18 is at the maximum outward tilting angle, the bearing plane 1801 is in a horizontal state.

[0032] The empty material hopper is mounted on the workbench 8, located on one side of the full material hopper and parallel to it. It includes a second bearing platform 20 and a second drive mechanism 26 that drives it to rise and fall. The structure of the second bearing platform 20 is the same as that of the first bearing platform 16. The second drive mechanism 26 adopts the same worm gear lift as the first drive mechanism 21. The lifting parameters of the two are the same and they are equipped with independent servo control.

[0033] The dual-axis robotic arm 10 shares an X-axis guide rail and is equipped with an independent Y-axis linear module, forming an XY two-axis motion system. A clamping component is fixed to the end of the dual-axis robotic arm 10. This clamping component includes a plate 13 and clamping cylinders 14. The clamping cylinders 14 are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the plate 13, with two sets on each side. The piston rod end of the clamping cylinder 14 is bolted to an L-shaped hook 15, and a rubber anti-slip pad is attached to the inside of the hook 15.

[0034] To improve operational safety, a pick-and-place mechanism is provided on the workbench 8. The pick-and-place mechanism includes two sets of sliding supports 22, which act on the full material hopper and the empty material hopper respectively. They are made of U-shaped aluminum alloy profiles, and the bottom of the support is connected to the auxiliary guide rail on the workbench 8 through a slider. The sliding support 22 is welded with a handle 23 away from the open end, and the two ends of the auxiliary guide rail are equipped with travel limit blocks.

[0035] The upper surface of the material tray 24 is provided with 24 positioning grooves 2401, which are arranged in a matrix. The positioning grooves 2401 are adapted to the shape of the control lever 5, and there is a clearance on both sides for the finger cylinder 11 to move. The upper end face of the material tray 24 is provided with a first positioning post 25 on each side. The bottom of the material tray 24 is recessed below the first positioning post 25. The bottom center of the material tray 24 is also provided with two second positioning posts. The second positioning posts can be precisely matched with the second positioning post protruding on the first bearing platform 16 or the third positioning post 2001 protruding on the second bearing platform 20.

[0036] The operating logic is as follows: 1. Manual feeding stage: First, the operator pulls out the sliding support 22 of the full material hopper, places the stacked material tray 24 with the control rod 5 with the second torsion spring 6 on it, and positions it by cooperating with the second positioning post of the first bearing platform 16 through the second positioning insertion hole; Next, the sliding support 22 is pushed to its maximum stroke, and the first bearing platform 16 is located at the center of the sliding support 22, thus completing the loading.

[0037] 2. Full material feeding stage: First, the first drive mechanism 21 drives the first bearing platform 16 to rise, and the uppermost material tray 24 contacts the bearing block 18. The bearing block 18 is squeezed and flips inward. After the material tray 24 has completely passed through the one-way platform, the bearing block 18 is reset under the action of the elastic element 19, and the bearing plane 1801 is supported on the bottom of the material tray 24. Next, the first carrier platform 16 descends to its initial position, waiting for the next feeding. At this time, the material tray 24 on the unidirectional carrier is in the clamping area of ​​the three-coordinate robotic arm 9.

[0038] 3. Grab and Assemble Stage: The three-coordinate robotic arm 9 moves above the material tray 24, the gripper of the finger cylinder 11 opens, the Z-axis descends so that the gripper is aligned with the middle of the control rod 5, the gripper closes to hold, and at the same time the bottom arc groove of the pressure rod 12 abuts against the end arc surface of the control rod 5. The robotic arm moves the control rod 5 to the assembly slot 101 of the housing 1. Following the preset path, the end of the control rod 5 enters the blind slot along the through slot 102. When the Z-axis presses down, the pressure rod 12 applies downward pressure simultaneously to prevent the end from tilting upward. After the control rod 5 enters the assembly slot 101, the gripper releases. The control rod 5 is automatically flipped at a preset angle by the torsion force of the torsion spring on it, and the gripper rises and resets.

[0039] 4. Empty material transfer stage: First, when the control lever 5 in the material tray 24 finishes grabbing, the dual-coordinate robotic arm 10 moves to the top of the unidirectional platform, the piston rod of the clamping cylinder 14 extends, then the dual-coordinate robotic arm 10 descends and the piston rod of the clamping cylinder 14 retracts, and the clamping hook 15 hooks the edge of the material tray 24. Furthermore, the dual-axis robotic arm 10 rises and moves along the X-axis above the empty material hopper. The second drive mechanism 26 drives the second bearing platform 20 to rise to the receiving position. The clamping cylinder 14 extends to release the material tray 24, and the second bearing platform 20 descends by the height of one material tray 24, waiting for the next receiving.

[0040] 5. Empty material recovery stage: After the empty material silo is filled with a preset number of material trays 24, the second drive mechanism 26 drives the second support platform 20 to descend to the height of the sliding support 22. The operator pulls out the sliding support 22 of the empty material hopper, removes the empty material tray 24, and completes the recycling.

[0041] 6. Repeat steps 1-5.

[0042] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model. The protection scope of this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions falling within the scope of this utility model's concept are protected. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principle of this utility model should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism, characterized in that: The system includes a worktable (8), a three-coordinate robotic arm (9) that is movably mounted on the worktable (8), and a positioning and clamping assembly assembled at its end. A material tray (24) is provided on the worktable (8), and a number of positioning grooves (2401) are evenly distributed on the material tray (24). The positioning grooves (2401) are used to accommodate the control rod (5) with the second torsion spring (6) and to make the arc surface of the end of the control rod (5) distributed vertically. The positioning and clamping assembly includes a finger cylinder (11) and a pressing rod (12) located on both sides of the finger cylinder (11). When the gripper of the finger cylinder (11) clamps the control rod (5), the bottom of the pressing rod (12) abuts against the arc surface of the end of the control rod (5).

2. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A full material hopper is provided on the workbench (8) for stacking trays (24) and delivering the trays (24) one by one to the clamping area of ​​the finger cylinder (11).

3. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The full material storage includes a first support platform (16) for carrying stacked trays (24), a first drive mechanism (21) for lifting the first support platform (16) up and down, and a unidirectional platform located above the first support platform (16) for passing through and supporting the trays (24) below.

4. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The unidirectional platform includes a positioning frame (17) fixed above the first bearing platform (16) and unidirectional bearing components mounted on at least two opposite sides of the positioning frame (17). The unidirectional bearing components include a bearing block (18) hinged and tiltable outward at a preset angle and an elastic element (19) that drives the bearing block (18) to tilt outward to the maximum tilt angle. The bearing block (18) is provided with a bearing plane (1801). When the bearing block (18) tilts outward to the maximum angle, the bearing plane (1801) is in a horizontal state.

5. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that: It also includes an empty material silo located on one side of the full material silo and a dual-coordinate robotic arm (10) that can move between the full material silo and the empty material silo and transfer the material tray (24) on the unidirectional platform to the empty material silo. The dual-coordinate robotic arm (10) is capable of horizontal and vertical movement, and the end of the dual-coordinate robotic arm (10) is provided with a clamping component for clamping the material tray (24).

6. The batch positioning and feeding mechanism for control levers according to claim 5, characterized in that: The clamping components include a plate (13) fixed to the end of the dual-coordinate robotic arm (10) and clamping cylinders (14) disposed on both sides of the plate (13). The piston rod end of the clamping cylinder (14) is fixed with a clamping hook (15).

7. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The empty material silo includes a second support platform (20) that is vertically lifted and lowered, and a second drive mechanism (26) that drives the second support platform (20) to lift and lower.

8. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: A picking and placing mechanism for manually picking and placing material trays (24) is provided on the workbench (8). The picking and placing mechanism includes a sliding support (22) that guides the movement on the workbench (8). The sliding support (22) is U-shaped. A handle (23) is provided at the end of the sliding support (22) away from its opening to facilitate its movement. There are two sets of sliding supports (22) located in the full material hopper and the empty material hopper, respectively. When the sliding support (22) moves inward to its maximum stroke, the first bearing platform (16) or the second bearing platform (20) is located at the center of the sliding support (22).

9. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: Two first positioning posts (25) are provided at the upper end of the material tray (24). The bottom of the material tray (24) has a first positioning insertion hole recessed at the lower end of the first positioning post (25). When the material trays (24) are stacked, the first positioning post (25) of the lower material tray (24) is inserted into the first positioning insertion hole of the upper material tray (24).

10. The control rod batch positioning and feeding mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: The bottom of the tray (24) is provided with two second positioning holes, and the first bearing platform (16) and the second bearing platform (20) are respectively provided with a second positioning post and a third positioning post (2001) for inserting into the second positioning holes.

Images