A tray conveying line

Abstract

A tray conveying line is provided with a feeding station, a taking material station, a taking object station, a stacking station and a recycling station in sequence along the tray conveying direction; the feeding station is provided with a first transferring device at the bottom, the taking material station is provided with a first lifting device and a second transferring device, the taking object station is provided with a taking object device and a third transferring device, and the stacking station is provided with a second lifting device and a fourth transferring device, wherein the first lifting device is used for continuously lifting the tray at the top of the taking material station to a first designated position, and the second lifting device is used for continuously lowering the tray at the top of the stacking station to a second designated position. The utility model realizes automatic feeding of the tray filled with materials in a stacked state, automatic taking away of the materials, automatic recycling of the empty tray stacked again, reduces the labor intensity, realizes the automation of manual feeding, improves the automation level, meets the demand of continuous production, and improves the production capacity and production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automated production line technology, and in particular to a pallet conveyor line. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of small parts in a factory, materials to be processed are typically placed on pallets, and the pallets are then automatically transferred to the corresponding process equipment. To save manpower and increase the time interval between material loading, multiple stacked pallets are usually loaded at once. However, in actual production, it is currently necessary to manually separate several stacked pallets, remove the materials from each pallet, and re-stack the empty pallets. This entire process consumes a lot of manpower, has low production efficiency, and affects subsequent production capacity. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a tray conveyor line.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] A pallet conveyor line has a loading station, a picking station, a picking station, a stacking station and a recycling station arranged sequentially along the pallet conveying direction;

[0006] The bottom of the loading station is provided with a first transfer device, which is used to transfer several pallets stacked in the loading station to the unloading station;

[0007] The material picking station is equipped with a first lifting device for continuously lifting the tray located at the top of the material picking station to a first designated position. The material picking station is also equipped with a second transfer device for transferring the tray located at the first designated position to the material picking station.

[0008] The picking station is equipped with a picking device for removing materials from the tray. The picking device is a robotic arm, and the moving end of the robotic arm is equipped with several suction parts that correspond one-to-one with each of the materials. The picking station is also equipped with a third transfer device for pushing the tray to the stacking station.

[0009] The stacking station is equipped with a second lifting device for continuously lowering the pallet at the top of the stacking station to a second designated position; the bottom of the stacking station is also equipped with a fourth transfer device for pushing each of the pallets that are stacked again in the stacking station to the recycling station.

[0010] Furthermore, the second and third transfer devices each include a first push cylinder and a second push cylinder. The output ends of the first and second push cylinders are respectively connected to a first push plate and a second push plate. Each push cylinder drives the corresponding push plate to push the corresponding tray to perform a translational movement.

[0011] Furthermore, the first lifting device includes a first lifting cylinder and a first base provided at the output end of the first lifting cylinder, and each of the pallets located at the material picking station is placed on the first base; the second lifting device includes a second lifting cylinder and a second base provided at the output end of the second lifting cylinder, and each of the pallets located at the stacking station is placed on the second base.

[0012] Furthermore, the first and fourth transfer devices are conveyor belts, the first and second base supports are placed on the corresponding conveyor belts, and the middle of the two conveyor belts is provided with a clearance groove for avoiding the corresponding lifting cylinder.

[0013] Furthermore, the suction part is a suction cup, and the suction cup channel is connected to a negative pressure device, through which a suction force is generated at the suction cup.

[0014] Furthermore, the loading station is equipped with a sensing device for sensing whether the tray exists at the loading station. The sensing device is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is electrically connected to the first transfer device. The controller determines whether to start the first transfer device based on the sensing signal from the sensing device.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0016] 1. This utility model proposes a pallet conveyor line, which sequentially includes a loading station, a picking station, a picking station, a stacking station, and a recycling station along the pallet conveying direction. The loading station is equipped with a first bottom conveying device; the picking station is equipped with a first lifting device and a second conveying device; the picking station is equipped with a picking device and a third conveying device; and the stacking station is equipped with a second lifting device and a fourth conveying device. The first lifting device continuously lifts the pallet at the top of the picking station to a first designated position, and the second lifting device continuously lowers the pallet at the top of the stacking station to a second designated position. This utility model enables the automatic feeding of multi-layered, stacked pallets filled with materials, automatic material removal, and automatic recycling of newly stacked empty pallets. This reduces manual labor intensity, automates manual loading, improves the level of automation, meets the needs of continuous production, and simultaneously increases production capacity and efficiency.

[0017] 2. The pallet conveyor proposed in this utility model has a robotic arm as the picking device. The moving end of the robotic arm is provided with several suction parts that correspond one-to-one with each object. The suction parts are suction cups. The suction cup pipes are connected to a negative pressure device. The negative pressure device generates a suction force at the suction cups. The combination of the suction parts and the negative pressure device makes it easy to pick up several materials in the pallet without damaging the surface of the materials. The operation is simple and the structure is simple. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a tray conveyor line according to the present invention;

[0020] In the diagram, 10 is the loading station; 20 is the unloading station; 30 is the retrieval station; 40 is the stacking station; 50 is the recycling station; 601 is the robotic arm; and 602 is the suction unit. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following is combined Figure 1 This utility model will be described in detail.

[0022] A pallet conveyor line has a loading station 10, a picking station 20, a picking station 30, a stacking station 40 and a recycling station 50 arranged sequentially along the pallet conveying direction.

[0023] The bottom of the loading station 10 is equipped with a first transfer device, which is used to transfer several pallets stacked in the loading station 10 to the picking station 20.

[0024] The picking station 20 is equipped with a first lifting device for continuously lifting the pallet located at the top of the picking station 20 to a first designated position. The picking station 20 is also equipped with a second transfer device for transferring the pallet located at the first designated position to the picking station 30.

[0025] The picking station 30 is equipped with a picking device for taking out materials from the pallet. The picking device is a robot arm 601. The moving end of the robot arm 601 is equipped with several suction parts 602 that correspond one-to-one with each material. The picking station 30 is also equipped with a third transfer device for pushing the pallet to the stacking station 40.

[0026] The stacking station 40 is equipped with a second lifting device for continuously lowering the pallet at the top of the stacking station 40 to a second designated position; the bottom of the stacking station 40 is also equipped with a fourth transfer device for pushing each pallet that is stacked again in the stacking station 40 to the recycling station 50.

[0027] Specifically, after the first transfer device moves several pallets to the picking station 20, the first lifting device of the picking station 20 lifts the pallet at the top of the picking station 20 until its lower end is flush with the table surface of the picking station 30. After flushing, the second transfer device pushes the top pallet to the picking station 30. This process is repeated continuously, with each lifting distance equal to the height of a single pallet. The second lifting device works on the same principle as the first lifting device, but in the opposite direction, from upward to downward. The structure and principle of the robotic arm 601 can be referenced from existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0028] In this embodiment, the second and third transfer devices each include a first push cylinder and a second push cylinder. The output ends of the first and second push cylinders are respectively connected to a first push plate and a second push plate. Each push cylinder drives the corresponding push plate to push the corresponding tray to perform a translational movement. The second and third transfer devices can also adopt other common structures in the prior art, as long as they can move the tray located at a certain position horizontally to another position on the same horizontal plane.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first lifting device includes a first lifting cylinder and a first base plate located at the output end of the first lifting cylinder, with each pallet at the material handling station 20 placed on the first base plate; the second lifting device includes a second lifting cylinder and a second base plate located at the output end of the second lifting cylinder, with each pallet at the stacking station 40 placed on the second base plate. The first and second lifting devices can also employ other common structures found in the prior art, as long as they can drive the first and second base plates to perform linear lifting or stopping motion in the vertical direction.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first transfer device and the fourth transfer device are conveyor belts, the first base and the second base are placed on the corresponding conveyor belts, and the middle of the two conveyor belts is provided with a clearance groove for avoiding the corresponding lifting cylinder.

[0031] The first and fourth transfer devices can also use linear power output mechanisms such as cylinders, or drive mechanisms composed of motors, lead screws, and linear modules, to drive the first and second base supports to make linear translational movements or stop in the front-to-back direction.

[0032] In this embodiment, the suction part 602 is a suction cup, and the suction cup pipe is connected to the negative pressure device, which generates an attractive force at the suction cup.

[0033] Specifically, the suction cup generates suction based on the physical phenomenon of vacuum suction. When the air inside the suction cup is removed, a low-pressure area, or vacuum state, is formed inside. Because the pressure inside the suction cup is lower than the external atmospheric pressure, according to the principle of pressure difference, the external atmospheric pressure presses the suction cup against the object's surface, thus creating an adsorption effect. This adsorption force allows the suction cup to be firmly fixed to the object, achieving the purpose of handling or fixing. Its application in production lines has advantages such as not damaging the object's surface, simple operation, and being environmentally friendly and pollution-free.

[0034] Each tray is divided into two large compartments, each containing a number of materials neatly arranged. The moving end of the robotic arm 601 is equipped with a base, the shape and size of which are the same as those of each large compartment. The base has several suction cups, each positioned to correspond to the location of the materials within the large compartment. Each tray requires two suction cycles to remove all the materials from each large compartment.

[0035] The retrieval station 30 may be equipped with a fixing device to secure the pallet containing the material to be retrieved to the retrieval station 30, facilitating the removal of the material. The fixing device may consist of a drive component and a fixing block connected to the output end of the drive component. The drive component drives the fixing block to clamp the sides of the pallet or press the top edge of the pallet. The drive component adopts a linear power output mechanism such as a cylinder.

[0036] In this embodiment, the loading station 10 is equipped with a sensing device for detecting whether a tray exists at the loading station 10. The sensing device is electrically connected to a controller, and the controller is electrically connected to a first transfer device. Based on the sensing signal from the sensing device, the controller determines whether to activate the first transfer device. The sensing device can be a sensing probe or other common sensing structures in the prior art. Here, the sensing probe is referred to as the first sensing probe.

[0037] The material handling station 20 is equipped with a second sensing probe, which is electrically connected to a controller. The controller is electrically connected to a first lifting device. When the second sensing probe detects that the topmost tray in the material handling station 20 has not yet been lifted to the first designated position, it sends a signal to the controller, which then controls the first lifting device to begin lifting. Simultaneously, the controller is electrically connected to a second transfer device. When the second sensing probe detects that the topmost tray in the material handling station 20 has been lifted to the first designated position, it sends a signal to the controller, which then controls the second transfer device to begin transferring the material.

[0038] The retrieval station 30 is equipped with a third sensor probe, which is electrically connected to a controller. The controller is electrically connected to a fixing device. When the third sensor probe detects a tray being pushed into the retrieval station 30, it sends a signal to the controller, which then controls the fixing device to secure the tray. Simultaneously, the controller is electrically connected to the retrieval device and the third transfer device. After the retrieval device completes retrieval, it sends a signal to the controller, which then controls the third transfer device to begin transferring the item.

[0039] The stacking station 40 is equipped with a fourth sensing probe, which is electrically connected to a controller. The controller is electrically connected to a second lifting device. When the fourth sensing probe detects that the topmost pallet in the stacking station 40 has not yet descended to the second designated position, it sends a signal to the controller, which then controls the second lifting device to begin descending. Simultaneously, the controller is electrically connected to a fourth transfer device. When the fourth sensing probe detects that the total height of the stacked pallets in the stacking station 40 has reached a preset height (the total number of pallets initially delivered multiplied by the height of a single pallet), it sends a signal to the controller, which then controls the fourth transfer device to begin transferring.

[0040] The recycling station 50 may be equipped with a fifth sensor probe and an alert device electrically connected to the controller. After the fifth sensor probe detects the presence of a tray at the recycling station 50, it transmits the information to the controller, which then activates the alert device to sound an audible alarm. The alert device is a buzzer. Workers will come to the recycling station 50 to collect the empty tray after hearing the buzzer.

[0041] In addition to the above-mentioned scheme of using multiple sensors, it is also possible to assign a worker to operate the corresponding moving device or object-retrieving device according to the current situation. The controller mentioned above can be a single controller or multiple corresponding controllers.

[0042] The working principle of the pallet conveyor line proposed in this utility model is as follows:

[0043] When a worker places several pallets filled with materials and stacked in the loading station 10, the first sensor in the loading station 10 will automatically detect and identify the presence of the pallets. Upon detection, the sensor transmits the information to the controller, which then controls the first transfer device to push the pallets to the picking station 20. The first lifting device at the picking station 20 will automatically lift the top pallet to a designated position. Then, the second transfer device will move the top pallet to the picking station 30 (one pallet at a time). The fixing device at the picking station 30 secures the pallet, and the picking device begins operation. The robotic arm rotates several suction cups above the fixed pallet. Then, the negative pressure device activates, using the principle of vacuum suction to draw in the materials from the pallets. Finally, the robotic arm rotates to the designated area and releases the materials.

[0044] Initially, the upper surface of the second base of the stacking station 40 is flush with the table surface of the retrieval station 30. After all the material in the pallet is removed, the third transfer device sends the empty pallet to the second base of the stacking station 40. The second base descends a certain distance under the action of the second lifting cylinder, which is the height of a single pallet, so that the upper surface of the top pallet of the stacking station 40 is flush with the table surface of the retrieval station 30. After a single operation is completed, the first lifting device of the preceding retrieval station 20 continues to work, repeating the cycle until all pallets are retrieved and automatically stacked. After completion, the fourth transfer device automatically pushes the pallets, which are now stacked again in the stacking station 40, to the recycling station 50, where workers retrieve them.

[0045] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of this utility model, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of this utility model should be covered within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A pallet conveyor line, characterized in that, Along the pallet conveying direction, there are sequentially arranged loading station, unloading station, retrieval station, stacking station, and recycling station; The bottom of the loading station is provided with a first transfer device, which is used to transfer several pallets stacked in the loading station to the unloading station; The material picking station is equipped with a first lifting device for continuously lifting the tray located at the top of the material picking station to a first designated position. The material picking station is also equipped with a second transfer device for transferring the tray located at the first designated position to the material picking station. The picking station is equipped with a picking device for removing materials from the tray. The picking device is a robotic arm, and the moving end of the robotic arm is equipped with several suction parts that correspond one-to-one with each of the materials. The picking station is also equipped with a third transfer device for pushing the tray to the stacking station. The stacking station is equipped with a second lifting device for continuously lowering the pallet at the top of the stacking station to a second designated position; the bottom of the stacking station is also equipped with a fourth transfer device for pushing each of the pallets that are stacked again in the stacking station to the recycling station.

2. A pallet conveyor line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second and third transfer devices each include a first push cylinder and a second push cylinder. The output ends of the first and second push cylinders are respectively connected to a first push plate and a second push plate. Each push cylinder drives the corresponding push plate to push the corresponding tray to perform a translational movement.

3. A pallet conveyor line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first lifting device includes a first lifting cylinder and a first base provided at the output end of the first lifting cylinder, and each of the pallets located at the material picking station is placed on the first base; the second lifting device includes a second lifting cylinder and a second base provided at the output end of the second lifting cylinder, and each of the pallets located at the stacking station is placed on the second base.

4. A pallet conveyor line as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first and fourth transfer devices are conveyor belts, and the first and second base supports are placed on the corresponding conveyor belts. The middle of the two conveyor belts is provided with a clearance groove for avoiding the corresponding lifting cylinder.

5. A pallet conveyor line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The suction part is a suction cup, and the suction cup pipe is connected to a negative pressure device, which generates a suction force at the suction cup.

6. A pallet conveyor line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The loading station is equipped with a sensing device for detecting whether the tray exists at the loading station. The sensing device is electrically connected to a controller, which is electrically connected to the first transfer device. The controller determines whether to start the first transfer device based on the sensing signal from the sensing device.

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