Calibration tool

Abstract

This invention provides a calibration fixture for calibrating the tool center of a robot. The calibration fixture includes a base, a calibration component, and a calibration pin. A calibration area is provided on the top surface of the base. The calibration component is disposed on the base and located outside the calibration area. The calibration pin is used to connect with the robot's tool; it makes electrical contact with the calibration area to form an electrical signal path, or it contacts the calibration component to perform the robot's tool center calibration operation. That is, the calibration area and calibration component on the base can be used in conjunction with the calibration pin to calibrate the robot's tool center. This allows for the selection of any method for calibrating the robot's tool center as needed in practical applications, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the robot's tool center point, improving the robot's operational precision, and enhancing the versatility of the calibration fixture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of tool calibration technology for robots, and in particular to a calibration fixture. Background Technology

[0002] When robots perform various tasks, they need to use different end-effectors. However, these end-effectors can deviate from their initial positions due to prolonged use, leading to reduced accuracy or even failure to perform preset functions. Therefore, after a period of robot use, the tool center point (TCP) of the end-effectors needs to be recalibrated to ensure its accuracy. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a calibration fixture for calibrating the tool center of a robot, thereby improving the accuracy of the robot's tool center. This calibration fixture is highly versatile and can meet the center calibration operation requirements of various tools.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: According to one aspect of this application, a calibration fixture is provided for tool center calibration of a robot, the calibration fixture comprising: The base has a calibration area on its top surface; A calibration element is disposed on the base and located outside the calibration area; A calibration pin is used to connect to the robot's tool. The calibration pin is used to make electrical contact with the calibration area to form an electrical signal path, or the calibration pin is used to contact the calibration component to perform a tool center calibration operation on the robot.

[0005] In some embodiments, the robot's tool is electrically connected to an external power source, and the calibration pin is electrically connected to the robot's tool; the base is divided into other areas besides the calibration area, and the calibration area is electrically connected to the other areas. The bottom surface of the base is used to contact and adhere to an external fixture to achieve electrical connection between the other areas and the external fixture, which is electrically connected to an external power source.

[0006] In some embodiments, the calibration fixture further includes a conductive block disposed on the base, the conductive block being electrically connected to the external power supply, and the other areas being electrically connected to the conductive block; The conductive block is also used to connect to the grounding wire.

[0007] In some embodiments, the calibration fixture further includes a housing disposed on the top surface of the base; The conductive block is detachably mounted on the housing, and a current path is formed between the conductive block, the housing, and the base.

[0008] In some embodiments, the calibration element is detachably mounted on the housing and protrudes upward from the housing; The calibration component includes a calibration body and a mounting body. The calibration body is located on the top of the mounting body and has a spherical surface for contacting the calibration needle. The housing has a mounting hole, and the lower part of the mounting body is inserted into the mounting hole and threadedly connected to the housing.

[0009] In some embodiments, the calibration needle includes a needle body and a first connector disposed at one end of the needle body. The cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body gradually decreases in the direction away from the first connector. The end of the needle body away from the first connector is used to contact the calibration area or the calibration element. The first connector is used for detachable connection with the robot's tool. The calibration needle further includes a second connector, which is connected between the needle body and the first connector, and is used for detachable connection with the housing.

[0010] In some embodiments, the housing is further provided with a receiving groove for receiving the needle body of the calibration needle and the second connector; The inner circumferential wall of the receiving groove is provided with an internal thread, and the second connecting body is provided with an external thread. The internal thread is used to screw into the external thread to realize the connection between the second connecting body and the shell.

[0011] In some embodiments, the calibration fixture further includes a connector for detachable connection with the external fixture; The base has a through hole below the housing, and the housing has a receiving groove with a bottom opening. The receiving groove communicates with the through hole, and the connector is received in the receiving groove and the through hole. The connector is a magnetic component, and it is magnetically fixed to the external fixture.

[0012] In some embodiments, the calibration fixture further includes a level, which is mounted on the housing and is used to detect the levelness of the base.

[0013] In some embodiments, a mark is provided at the center of the calibration area; One corner of the base is rounded, and the other corner of the base is chamfered. The rounded corner and the chamfer are distributed adjacent to each other.

[0014] As can be seen from the above technical solution, this utility model has at least the following advantages and positive effects: In this invention, the calibration fixture includes a base, a calibration component, and a calibration pin. The calibration pin is used to connect with the robot's tool and to make electrical contact with the calibration area, enabling the robot's tool and the base to form an electrical signal circuit. Alternatively, the calibration pin can contact the calibration component. That is, the calibration area and calibration component on the base can be used in conjunction with the calibration pin to calibrate the robot's tool center. This allows for the selection of any method for calibrating the robot's tool center as needed in practical applications, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the robot's tool center point and improving the robot's operational precision. Therefore, the calibration fixture of this application can meet the center calibration operation requirements of various robots and has high versatility. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the calibration fixture in this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the calibration tooling in this embodiment.

[0017] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows: 1. Base; 11. Calibration area; 111. Mark; 12. Other areas; 13. Slot; 14. Rounded corner; 15. Chamfer; 16. Round hole; 17. Through hole; 2. Calibration component; 21. Calibration body; 22. Mounting body; 3. Calibration needle; 31. Needle body; 32. First connector; 33. Second connector; 34. Holding part; 4. Housing; 41. Mounting hole; 42. Receiving groove; 43. Receiving groove; 44. Guide hole; 45. Mounting groove; 46. Through hole; 5. Conductive block; 6. Connector; 61. Main body; 611. Through hole; 62. Guide part; 7. Level. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of this utility model will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that this utility model can have various variations in different embodiments, all of which do not depart from the scope of this utility model, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit this utility model.

[0019] In the description of this application, it should be understood that, in the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, the indications of direction or positional relationships (such as up, down, left, right, front, and back, etc.) are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. These descriptions are appropriate when these elements are in the positions shown in the accompanying drawings. If the description of the positions of these elements changes, these directional indications also change accordingly.

[0020] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0021] This application provides a calibration fixture for calibrating the tool center of a robot, so as to calibrate the tool center of the robot, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the tool center point of the robot and improving the accuracy of the robot during operation.

[0022] The robot can use one or more types of tools; for example, the robot's tools can be a welding torch, a camera, etc. The robot is electrically connected to an external power source. Specifically, the robot is connected to the positive terminal of the external power source, and the robot's tools can represent the positive terminal of the robot.

[0023] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, provides a specific embodiment of the calibration fixture of this application.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the calibration tooling in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the calibration tooling in this embodiment.

[0025] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 The calibration fixture includes a base 1, a calibration component 2, and a calibration pin 3. The top surface of the base 1 has a calibration area 11. The calibration component 2 is located on the base 1 and outside the calibration area 11. The calibration pin 3 is used to connect with the robot's tool. The calibration pin 3 is used to make electrical contact with the calibration area 11 to form an electrical signal path, or it is used to contact the calibration component 2 to perform tool center calibration operations on the robot.

[0026] In this application, the calibration area 11 and calibration component 2 on the base 1 can be used to cooperate with the calibration needle 3 to achieve the tool center calibration of the robot. This allows any form of tool center calibration of the robot to be selected as needed in practical applications, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the tool center point of the robot, improving the precision of the robot during operation, and improving the versatility of the calibration fixture.

[0027] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The top surface of the base 1 is provided with a calibration area 11. A mark 111 is located at the center of the calibration area 11. During the tool center calibration process of the robot, the mark 111 is designed to facilitate the operator's identification of the center of the calibration area 11. Specifically, the mark 111 is formed by laser engraving and can be in the shape of a cross, a circle, etc.

[0028] The base 1 has other areas 12 besides the calibration area 11, and these areas are electrically connected. The calibration area 11 can represent the negative terminal of the base 1, and the other areas 12 can represent the positive terminal of the base 1. In other embodiments, the calibration area 11 can represent the positive terminal of the base 1, and the other areas 12 can represent the negative terminal of the base 1.

[0029] In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the base 1 is used to contact and adhere to an external fixture to achieve electrical connection between other areas 12 and the external fixture. The external fixture is electrically connected to an external power source. Specifically, the external fixture is electrically connected to the negative terminal of the external power source. The external fixture in this document can refer to the workpiece to be welded.

[0030] In this embodiment, the base 1 can be made of a conductive material to enable it to conduct electricity. For example, the base 1 can be made of steel.

[0031] In this embodiment, the base 1 is generally rectangular. One corner of the base 1 is rounded 14, and the other corner is chamfered 15. The rounded corner 14 and chamfered 15 are distributed adjacent to each other. This design can be used as an identification feature of the base 1.

[0032] Optionally, the base 1 may also be provided with a circular hole 16, which is located near the rounded corner 14. The circular hole 16 can be used to fit with an external mounting body 22 (e.g., a hook, a column, etc.) to realize the storage of the entire calibration tooling.

[0033] In this embodiment, the calibration element 2 is disposed on the base 1, the calibration element 2 and the calibration area 11 are located on the same side of the base 1, and the calibration element 2 is located outside the calibration area 11.

[0034] Optionally, the calibration fixture also includes a housing 4, which is disposed on the top surface of the base 1 and located outside the calibration area 11. The calibration component 2 is detachably disposed on the housing 4 and protrudes upward from the housing 4. Exemplarily, the housing 4 is connected to the base 1 by fasteners, such as screws or bolts. The base 1 may also be provided with a top-opening slot 13, which engages with the housing 4 to improve the connection stability between the housing 4 and the base 1.

[0035] Specifically, the calibration component 2 includes a mounting body 22, and the housing 4 is provided with a mounting hole 41. The lower part of the mounting body 22 is inserted into the mounting hole 41 and threadedly connected to the housing 4 to realize the detachable connection between the calibration component 2 and the housing 4.

[0036] The calibration component 2 also includes a calibration body 21, which is disposed on the top of the mounting body 22 and has a spherical surface. The calibration body 21 may be spherical. In other embodiments, the calibration body 21 may also be hemispherical, in which case the spherical surface of the calibration body 21 is located on the side facing away from the mounting body 22, that is, the calibration body 21 is arranged on the top of the mounting body 22 with its spherical surface facing upwards.

[0037] In this embodiment, the calibration needle 3 is used to connect with the robot's tool, and the calibration needle 3 is used to make electrical contact with the calibration area 11 to form an electrical signal path. Alternatively, the calibration needle 3 is used to contact the calibration component 2 to perform the robot's tool center calibration operation. The calibration needle 3 can move relative to the calibration area 11 or the calibration component 2 under the robot's own action to change its contact position with the calibration area 11 or the calibration component 2.

[0038] It should be noted that the connection between the calibration needle 3 and the robot's tool includes both physical and electrical connections. When the calibration needle 3 is connected to the robot's tool, it can represent the robot's positive terminal. That is, when the calibration needle 3 is in contact with the calibration area 11, the positive terminal of the external power supply, the robot's tool, the calibration needle 3, the calibration area 11, other areas 12, the external fixed object, and the negative terminal of the external power supply are sequentially electrically connected to form an electrical signal circuit.

[0039] For example, in practical applications, when the tool to be calibrated by the robot is a welding torch, the calibration needle 3 is used to make electrical contact with any position within the calibration area 11 to transmit electrical signals, so as to identify the position where the calibration needle 3 contacts the calibration area 11. When the tool to be calibrated by the robot is a camera, the calibration needle 3 is used to make contact with any position on the spherical surface of the calibration component 2. In this case, there may not be an electrical connection between the calibration needle 3 and the calibration component 2, and the image can be directly captured by the camera to identify the position where the calibration needle 3 contacts the spherical surface of the calibration component 2. Of course, in other embodiments, there may also be an electrical connection between the calibration needle 3 and the calibration component 2 to transmit electrical signals.

[0040] In other words, in this application, the calibration fixture integrates the calibration area 11 and the calibration component 2 into one unit, which can meet the central calibration requirements of various robot tools and improve the versatility of the calibration fixture.

[0041] In this design, the calibration needle 3 has point-to-surface contact with the calibration area 11 and the spherical surface of the calibration component 2. In practical applications, when calibrating the tool center of a robot, a coordinate system is often established to determine the location of the robot's tool center. The above design facilitates the feedback of the robot's tool center coordinates by determining the coordinates of the contact points between the calibration needle 3 and the spherical surface of the calibration area 11 and the calibration component 2.

[0042] The calibration needle 3 includes a needle body 31 and a first connecting body 32 disposed at one end of the needle body 31. The cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body 31 gradually decreases in the direction away from the first connecting body 32, and the end of the needle body 31 away from the first connecting body 32 is used to contact the calibration area 11 or the calibration component. That is, in this embodiment, the needle body 31 is conical. Specifically, the cone angle of the needle body 31 is 45°.

[0043] The first connector 32 is used for detachable connection with the robot's tool. Specifically, the outer periphery of the first connector 32 is provided with an external thread, which matches the internal thread on the robot. The first connector 32 and the robot's tool are connected by the engagement of the external and internal threads.

[0044] The calibration needle 3 may also include a second connector 33, which is connected between the needle body 31 and the first connector 32, and is used for detachable connection with the housing 4.

[0045] Optionally, the housing 4 is provided with a receiving groove 42 for receiving the needle body 31 and the second connecting body 33 of the calibration needle 3. This design allows the calibration needle 3 to be inserted into the receiving groove 42 with the needle body 31 facing the housing 4 when not in use, so that the needle body 31 and the second connecting body 33 are contained within the receiving groove 42, preventing damage to the needle body 31 or loss of the calibration needle 3, thus protecting the calibration needle 3. The inner peripheral wall of the receiving groove 42 is provided with an internal thread, and the second connecting body 33 is provided with an external thread. The internal thread is used to engage with the external thread to achieve a threaded connection between the second connecting body 33 and the housing 4, thereby locking the calibration needle 3 onto the housing 4 and preventing accidental dislodgement.

[0046] In this embodiment, the calibration needle 3 also includes a holding part 34, which is located between the first connecting body 32 and the second connecting body 33. The outer periphery of the holding part 34 is provided with knurling, which can play an anti-slip role, making it convenient for the operator to hold and rotate the calibration needle 3 stably, so that the first connecting body 32 and the robot's tool or the second connecting body 33 and the housing 4 can be threaded together under the action of rotation.

[0047] In this embodiment, the calibration needle 3 is made of a conductive material, for example, steel, so that the robot and the calibration area 11 can make electrical contact and realize the transmission of electrical signals.

[0048] In this embodiment, the calibration fixture may further include a conductive block 5, which is disposed on the base 1. Specifically, the conductive block 5 is detachably disposed on the housing 4.

[0049] The conductive block 5 is used to connect to the grounding wire to ground the calibration fixture and discharge the static electricity of the calibration fixture to the ground.

[0050] In practical applications, the conductive block 5 can also be used for electrical connection with an external power source. In this case, the other areas 12 of the base 1 are electrically connected to the conductive block 5, so that a current path is formed between the conductive block 5, the housing 4, and the base 1. Specifically, the conductive block 5 is electrically connected to the negative terminal of the external power source, so that the positive terminal of the external power source, the robot's tools, the calibration component 2, the calibration area 11, the other areas 12, the conductive block 5, and the negative terminal of the external power source are sequentially electrically connected to form an electrical signal loop. The housing 4 is made of a conductive material, such as steel, so that the housing 4 can realize the transmission of electrical signals between the conductive block 5 and the other areas 12 of the base 1.

[0051] It should be noted that in actual use, one of the conductive block 5 and the external fixture is electrically connected to the negative terminal of the external power supply. Specifically, when there is poor contact between the bottom surface of the base 1 and the external fixture, preventing the formation of a good electrical signal circuit, the conductive block 5 can serve as a backup option to form an electrical signal circuit, ensuring that the robot's tool center calibration operation can be performed normally.

[0052] In this embodiment, the conductive block 5 is made of copper, which gives it good conductivity.

[0053] Optionally, the calibration fixture also includes a connector 6, which is used for detachable connection with an external fixing object. Specifically, the base 1 has a through hole 17 at the bottom of the housing 4, which communicates with the slot 13. The housing 4 has a receiving groove 43 with a bottom opening, which communicates with the through hole 17. The connector 6 is received in the receiving groove 43 and the through hole 17. The connector 6 is a magnetic component, which is magnetically fixed to the external fixing object to fix the position of the calibration fixture relative to the external fixing object, improve the stability of the calibration fixture, and avoid positional shift during the tool center calibration process of the robot, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the robot's tool center calibration.

[0054] Optionally, the connector 6 includes a main body 61 and guide portions 62 located at opposite ends of the main body 61. The housing 4 has an opening on the side away from the calibration region 11, which communicates with the receiving groove 43. Furthermore, guide holes 44 communicating with the receiving groove 43 are provided on opposite sides of the housing 4, and the axial direction of the guide holes 44 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the opening on the side of the housing 4 away from the calibration region 11. The receiving groove 43 is used to receive the main body 61, and each guide hole 44 is used to receive a guide portion 62. The through hole 17 opens on the side away from the calibration region 11. Specifically, the side of the housing 4 away from the calibration region 11 is located on the same side of the base 1 as the chamfer 15 and the rounded corner 14.

[0055] Optionally, each guide hole 44 opens on the side of the housing 4 opposite to the calibration area 11. The guide hole 44 is oblong, and its length is parallel to the axial direction of the opening on the side of the housing 4 opposite to the calibration area 11. The guide hole 44 is used for sliding engagement with the guide part 62. In actual use, the main body 61 of the connector 6 can be aligned with the openings of the through hole 17 and the receiving groove 43 on the side opposite to the calibration area 11, and the two guide parts 62 can be aligned with the openings of the two guide holes 44 on the side opposite to the calibration area 11. By pushing the connector 6, the main body 61 can slide into the through hole 17 and the receiving groove 43, while the guide part 62 slides into the guide hole 44, thus guiding the installation of the connector 6. At the same time, the cooperation of the through hole 17, the receiving groove 43, and the guide hole 44 can limit the connection of the connector 6, preventing it from falling off and improving its stability.

[0056] Optionally, the connector 6 and the housing 4 are also connected and fixed by a fastener. Specifically, the top of the housing 4 is provided with a through hole 46 communicating with the receiving groove 43, and the main body 61 of the connector 6 is provided with a through hole 611. The fastener passes through the through hole 46 and the through hole 611, and the fastener is screwed to at least one of the housing 4 and the connector 6 to fix the relative position between the connector 6 and the housing 4, enhance the stability of the connector 6, and at the same time facilitate the removal of the fastener from the housing 4 and the connector 6 to disconnect the connection between the connector 6 and the housing 4, so as to facilitate the removal of the connector 6 from the housing 4 and the base 1.

[0057] Optionally, the calibration fixture also includes a level 7, which is mounted on the housing 4. The level 7 is used to detect the levelness of the base 1 so as to ensure that the top surface of the base 1, which is fixed to the surface of the external fixture, is in a horizontally extended state, thereby extending the calibration area 11 horizontally, reducing the error of the robot's tool center calibration, and improving the accuracy of the robot's tool center calibration.

[0058] Specifically, the housing 4 is provided with a mounting groove 45 with a top opening, and the level 7 is located in the mounting groove 45. The level 7 is distributed parallel to the top surface of the base 1 to ensure that the levelness detected by the level 7 is the levelness of the base 1, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection.

[0059] It should be noted that the main purpose of this application is to provide a calibration fixture for calibrating the tool center of a robot, and the principle method for calibrating the tool center of a robot can be referred to the prior art.

[0060] As can be seen from the above technical solution, this utility model has at least the following advantages and positive effects: In this application, the calibration area and calibration component on the base can be used to cooperate with the calibration pin to achieve the tool center calibration of the robot. This allows any form of tool center calibration to be selected as needed in practical applications, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the robot's tool center point and improving the precision of the robot's operation. In other words, the calibration fixture of this application can meet the tool center calibration operation of various robots and has high versatility.

[0061] Although the present invention has been described with reference to several typical embodiments, it should be understood that the terminology used is descriptive and exemplary, and not restrictive. Since the present invention can be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims. Therefore, all variations and modifications falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A calibration tool for tool center calibration of a robot, characterized in that, The calibration fixture includes: The base has a calibration area on its top surface; A calibration component is disposed on the base and located outside the calibration area; A calibration pin is used to connect to the robot's tool. The calibration pin is used to make electrical contact with the calibration area to form an electrical signal path, or the calibration pin is used to contact the calibration component to perform a tool center calibration operation on the robot.

2. The calibration tool of claim 1, wherein, The robot's tool is electrically connected to an external power source, and the calibration needle is electrically connected to the robot's tool; the base, excluding the calibration area, comprises other areas, and the calibration area is electrically connected to the other areas. The bottom surface of the base is used to contact and adhere to an external fixture to achieve electrical connection between the other areas and the external fixture, which is electrically connected to an external power source.

3. The calibration tool of claim 2, wherein, The calibration fixture also includes a conductive block, which is disposed on the base and is used to be electrically connected to the external power supply. The other areas are electrically connected to the conductive block. The conductive block is also used to connect to the grounding wire.

4. The calibration tool of claim 3, wherein, The calibration fixture also includes a housing, which is disposed on the top surface of the base; The conductive block is detachably mounted on the housing, and a current path is formed between the conductive block, the housing, and the base.

5. The calibration tool of claim 4, wherein, The calibration element is detachably mounted on the housing and protrudes upward from the housing; The calibration component includes a calibration body and a mounting body. The calibration body is located on the top of the mounting body and has a spherical surface for contacting the calibration needle. The housing has a mounting hole, and the lower part of the mounting body is inserted into the mounting hole and threadedly connected to the housing.

6. The calibration tool of claim 4, wherein, The calibration needle includes a needle body and a first connector at one end of the needle body. The cross-sectional area of ​​the needle body gradually decreases in the direction away from the first connector. The end of the needle body away from the first connector is used to contact the calibration area or the calibration component. The first connector is used to be detachably connected to the tool of the robot. The calibration needle further includes a second connector, which is connected between the needle body and the first connector, and is used for detachable connection with the housing.

7. The calibration tool of claim 6, wherein, The housing is also provided with a receiving groove for receiving the needle body of the calibration needle and the second connecting body; The inner circumferential wall of the receiving groove is provided with an internal thread, and the second connecting body is provided with an external thread. The internal thread is used to screw into the external thread to realize the connection between the second connecting body and the shell.

8. The calibration tool of claim 4, wherein, The calibration fixture also includes a connector for detachably connecting to the external fixture. The base has a through hole below the housing, and the housing has a receiving groove with a bottom opening. The receiving groove communicates with the through hole, and the connector is received in the receiving groove and the through hole. The connector is a magnetic component, and it is magnetically fixed to the external fixture.

9. The calibration tool of claim 4, wherein, The calibration fixture also includes a level, which is mounted on the housing and is used to detect the levelness of the base.

10. The calibration fixture of claim 1, wherein, The center of the calibration area is marked; One corner of the base is provided with a fillet, and the other corner of the base is provided with a chamfer, and the fillet and the chamfer are adjacent to each other. The base is provided with a fillet at one corner and a chamfer at another corner, and the fillet and the chamfer are adjacent to each other.

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