Automatic loading and unloading machine

Abstract

This utility model relates to the technical field of laminating machine equipment, and in particular to an automatic loading and unloading machine, comprising: an infeed conveyor line and an outfeed conveyor line, the infeed conveyor line being used to transport stacked trays carrying products to directly below the material to be picked up position, and the outfeed conveyor line being used to transport stacked empty trays to the outside of the automatic loading and unloading machine; a lifting mechanism, with lifting mechanisms installed between the product pull line and the infeed conveyor line, and between the product pull line and the outfeed conveyor line, the lifting mechanism being used to lift the top layer of stacked trays carrying products to the material to be picked up position; a product picking and placing mechanism, used to grab products from the material to be picked up position and place them on the product pull line; and a tray picking and placing mechanism, used to grab empty trays from the material to be picked up position and place them on the outfeed conveyor line for stacking. By using a bottom-lifting stacked tray, after the product picking and placing mechanism picks up one tray of products, the tray picking and placing mechanism removes the top empty tray and stacks it, thus achieving the loading of products into the stacked trays.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of laminating machine equipment, and in particular to an automatic loading and unloading machine. Background Technology

[0002] Automatic loading and unloading machines are a collective term for automatic feeding machines and automatic unloading machines. Automatic feeding machines and automatic unloading machines have the same structure but opposite operating procedures.

[0003] An automatic feeder is an automated device that automatically removes mobile phone cases (or other thin-film shells) from a stack of full trays and places them inside or outside the machine's production line, allowing the products to flow into the next process. An automatic unloading machine is an automated device that picks up products from inside or outside the machine's production line, places them onto trays, and stacks the full trays.

[0004] Existing equipment, such as the material tray unloading device proposed in the patent application number CN201610099681.0, uses a material tray locking mechanism in conjunction with the skirt on the edge of the material tray to separate the material tray from the bottom. This method has certain requirements for the material tray, requiring a skirt to separate the material tray. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides an automatic loading and unloading machine, which aims to solve the problem that existing equipment generally adopts the method of separating the material tray from the bottom, but this method has certain requirements for the material tray, requiring a skirt to separate the material tray.

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic loading and unloading machine, comprising: The tray conveying mechanism includes an infeed conveyor line and an outfeed conveyor line. The infeed conveyor line is used to convey stacked trays containing products to the position to be picked up. The outfeed conveyor line is used to convey stacked empty trays to the outside of the automatic loading and unloading machine. The lifting mechanism is provided between the product pull line and the feeding conveyor line, and between the product pull line and the discharging conveyor line. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the top layer of the stacked trays carrying products to the material waiting position. The product pick-and-place mechanism is used to pick up the product at the designated location and place it on the product conveyor line. The material tray picking and placing mechanism is used to grab empty material trays from the material to be picked up and place them on the discharge conveyor line for stacking.

[0007] Optionally, it also includes a sensor and a controller, both of which are electrically connected to the controller; the sensor is used to send an electrical signal to the controller when it senses that the material tray on the feeding conveyor line has been delivered to the correct position; the controller is adapted to control the movement of the lifting mechanism when it receives the electrical signal from the sensor.

[0008] Optionally, the product picking and placing mechanism is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is adapted to control the movement of the product picking and placing mechanism to grab the product after receiving the electrical signal from the sensor.

[0009] Optionally, the height of each movement of the lifting mechanism is equal to the height of one material tray.

[0010] Optionally, the tray picking and placing mechanism is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is adapted to control the tray picking and placing mechanism to move and grab an empty tray after receiving an electrical signal from the sensor.

[0011] Optionally, both the feeding conveyor line and the discharging conveyor line include two conveyor belts, and the lifting mechanism includes a vertically lifting pallet located between the two conveyor belts; when the conveyor belts convey the material trays, the upper surface of the pallet is lower than the upper surface of the conveyor belts.

[0012] Optionally, the pallet is provided with a baffle for stopping the material tray.

[0013] Optionally, the product picking and placing mechanism includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail. The first guide rail extends along the conveying direction of the material tray, and the second guide rail extends along the arrangement direction of multiple rows of products on the material tray. A first slide is provided on the first guide rail, and the second guide rail is fixed on the first slide. A second slide is provided on the second guide rail, and a product gripping mechanism is provided on the second slide.

[0014] Optionally, the tray picking and placing mechanism includes a third guide rail, which spans the feeding conveyor line and the discharging conveyor line. A third slide is provided on the third guide rail, and a tray gripping mechanism is provided on the third slide.

[0015] Optionally, the feeding conveyor line and the discharging conveyor line are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the product pulling line.

[0016] The technical solution of this utility model has the following advantages: The system employs a bottom-lifting stacking tray. After the product picking and placing mechanism picks up a tray of products, the empty tray at the top is removed and stacked. This cycle is repeated to load products into the stacked trays. Individual trays can be separated from a stack of trays within a certain size range without the trays needing to have skirts. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a top view of the automatic loading and unloading machine in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the automatic loading and unloading machine in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the automatic loading and unloading machine in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0021] In the diagram: 1. Material tray conveying mechanism, 11. Feeding conveyor line, 12. Discharge conveyor line, 1a. Lifting mechanism, 2. Pallet, 22. Baffle, 3. Product picking and placing mechanism, 31. First guide rail, 311. Second guide rail, 32. Second slide, 321. Vertical guide rail, 33. Product gripping mechanism, 34. Material tray picking and placing mechanism, 4. Third guide rail, 41. Third slide, 411. Material tray gripping mechanism, 42. Long arm, 421. Cylinder, 422. Suction cup, 423. Sensor, 5. Second sensor, 6. Third sensor, 7. Product pull line 100, material waiting position 200. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The specific embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the description of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0023] Unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms based on the specific circumstances.

[0024] The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are used only for the convenience of description and simplification, 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0025] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used merely to distinguish elements with similar attributes, not to indicate or imply relative importance or a specific order.

[0026] The terms “include,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, which includes not only the elements listed but also other elements not expressly listed.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 1 This utility model provides an automatic loading and unloading machine, including a tray conveying mechanism 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a product picking and placing mechanism 3 and a tray picking and placing mechanism 4 located next to the product pull line 100.

[0028] The tray conveying mechanism 1 includes an infeed conveyor line 11 and an outfeed conveyor line 12. Multiple trays (carrying products) are stacked from bottom to top on the infeed conveyor line 11. The infeed conveyor line 11 transports the stacked trays from outside the automatic loading and unloading machine to the material waiting position 200. Figure 1 The area indicated by the dashed box (within the specified length and width) is directly below the product; next, the product picking and placing mechanism 3 picks up the product at the picking position 200 and places it on the product pull line 100; then, the tray picking and placing mechanism 4 picks up the empty tray at the picking position 200 and places it on the discharge conveyor line 12 for stacking.

[0029] Lifting mechanisms 2 are installed between the product pull line 100 and the feeding conveyor line 11, and between the product pull line 100 and the discharging conveyor line 12. After the top empty tray of the stacked trays on the feeding conveyor line 11 is removed and placed on the discharging conveyor line 12, the height of the stacked trays decreases. The product on the top of the stacked trays has not yet entered the waiting position 200. At this time, the lifting mechanism 2 needs to lift the top layer of the stacked trays containing products to the waiting position 200, that is, the stacked trays are raised by one tray height, so that the product on the top layer of the stacked trays can enter the waiting position 200.

[0030] Because the tray picking and placing mechanism 4 has a limited vertical movement range for placing empty trays, it cannot directly place empty trays on the lower-positioned discharge conveyor line 12. Therefore, the lifting mechanism 2 at the discharge conveyor line 12 needs to first rise to a higher position to receive the empty trays. After the lifting mechanism 2 receives one empty tray, it descends by the height of one tray, and the tray picking and placing mechanism 4 can release the empty trays at a fixed height. After the lifting mechanism 2 receives a certain number of empty trays, it will descend to the lowest position. At this time, the discharge conveyor line 12 takes over from the lifting mechanism 2 to support all the stacked empty trays and transports the stacked empty trays to the outside of the automatic loading and unloading machine.

[0031] Furthermore, the automatic loading and unloading machine also includes a sensor 5 and a controller. The sensor 5 and the lifting mechanism 2 are both electrically connected to the controller. The sensor 5 is used to send an electrical signal to the controller when it senses that the material tray on the feeding conveyor line 11 has been delivered to the correct position. The controller is adapted to control the movement of the lifting mechanism 2 when it receives the electrical signal from the sensor 5.

[0032] The feeding conveyor line 11 extends from the outside of the automatic loading and unloading machine to the inside of the automatic loading and unloading machine. Outside the automatic loading and unloading machine, stacked trays are placed onto the feeding conveyor line 11 by manual labor or a robotic arm. After the feeding conveyor line 11 is started, it transports the stacked trays into the automatic loading and unloading machine. A sensor 5 is installed inside the automatic loading and unloading machine. The sensor 5 is located near the material waiting position 200. When the stacked trays are transported to the material waiting position 200, the sensor 5 is triggered. After the sensor 5 is triggered, it sends an electrical signal to the controller. After receiving the electrical signal, the controller controls the lifting mechanism 2 at the feeding conveyor line 11 to move. The lifting mechanism 2 lifts the stacked trays and raises them so that the product on the top of the stacked trays enters the material waiting position 200 so that the product picking and placing mechanism 3 can pick up the product.

[0033] Furthermore, the product picking and placing mechanism 3 is also electrically connected to the controller. The controller is adapted to control the product picking and placing mechanism 3 to move and grab the product after receiving the electrical signal from the sensor 5. After the sensor 5 is triggered, the controller first sends an electrical signal A to the lifting mechanism 2, and then sends an electrical signal B to the product picking and placing mechanism 3 after a delay. The function is that when the sensor 5 is triggered, the lifting mechanism 2 at the feeding conveyor line 11 immediately raises the stacked trays, so that the product on the top tray enters the waiting position 200. The time required for this action is, for example, 1 second. Then, the controller sends an electrical signal B after a 1-second delay so that the product picking and placing mechanism 3 grabs the product that has entered the waiting position 200 and places it on the product pull line 100.

[0034] Furthermore, the tray picking and placing mechanism 4 is also electrically connected to the controller, which is adapted to control the tray picking and placing mechanism 4 to move and grab empty trays after receiving the electrical signal from the sensor 5. After sensor 5 is triggered, the controller first sends an electrical signal A to the lifting mechanism 2, then sends an electrical signal B to the product pick-and-place mechanism 3 after a delay, and then sends an electrical signal C to the tray pick-and-place mechanism 4 after another delay. The function is: when sensor 5 is triggered, the lifting mechanism 2 at the feeding conveyor line 11 immediately lifts the stacked trays, so that the products on the top tray enter the waiting position 200. The time required for this action is, for example, 1 second. Then, after a 1-second delay, the product pick-and-place mechanism 3 picks up the products that have entered the waiting position 200 and places them on the product pull line 100. For example, if the time required for the product pick-and-place mechanism 3 to pick up the products from the waiting position 200 to leave the waiting position 200 is 1 second, then the controller sends an electrical signal C after a 2-second delay so that the tray pick-and-place mechanism 4 picks up the empty trays of the waiting position 200 and places them on the discharge conveyor line 12.

[0035] Furthermore, in addition to sensor 5 being installed at the feeding conveyor line 11, a second sensor 6 can also be installed at the discharging conveyor line 12. The second sensor 6 is used to sense when the bottom layer of the stacked empty trays reaches the lowest position and triggers it, sending an electrical signal to the controller. When the controller receives the electrical signal from the second sensor 6, it means that the stacked empty trays on the discharging conveyor line 12 are full, and the controller controls the discharging conveyor line 12 to start and transport the stacked empty trays to the outside of the automatic loading and unloading machine.

[0036] Further, please refer to Figure 2 A third sensor 7 can also be installed next to the material waiting position 200. When the top material tray of the stacked trays on the feeding conveyor line 11 enters the material waiting position 200, it sends an electrical signal to the controller, so that the controller controls the lifting mechanism 2 to stop the stacked trays from rising. At the same time, the controller controls the product picking and placing mechanism 3 to grab the product in the material waiting position 200.

[0037] Specifically, both the feeding conveyor line 11 and the discharging conveyor line 12 have two horizontal conveyor belts 1a, which are parallel and spaced at a certain distance. The lifting mechanism 2 includes a vertically lifting pallet 21 driven by a motor, for example, an electric cylinder. The pallet 21 is located between the two conveyor belts 1a, and the bottom layer of the stacked trays is supported by both conveyor belts 1a simultaneously. Please refer to... Figure 2 When the upper surface of the pallet 21 is lower than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 1a, the conveyor belt 1a supports the pallet and can transport the pallet; when the upper surface of the pallet 21 is higher than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 1a, the pallet is detached from the conveyor belt 1a, the pallet 21 supports the pallet and can lift the pallet.

[0038] Furthermore, a baffle 22 is provided at one end of the pallet 21 near the product pull line 100. The baffle 22 is used to stop the material tray. When the conveyor belt 1a conveys the stacked material tray into the automatic loading and unloading machine, the material tray is finally stopped by the baffle 22. At this time, the material tray can trigger the sensor 5, and the material tray is located directly below the material to be picked up position 200.

[0039] Specifically, please refer to Figure 2 The product picking and placing mechanism 3 includes a first guide rail 31 and a second guide rail 32. The first guide rail 31 extends along the conveying direction of the material tray, and the second guide rail 32 extends along the arrangement direction of multiple rows of products on the material tray, that is, the second guide rail 32 extends in a direction perpendicular to the first guide rail 31. A first slide block 311 is provided on the first guide rail 31, and the second guide rail 32 is fixed on the first slide block 311. A second slide block 321 is provided on the second guide rail 32, and a vertical guide rail 33 is fixed on the second slide block 321. A product gripping mechanism 34 is provided at the bottom end of the vertical guide rail 33.

[0040] Each tray has multiple rows and columns of products. The product gripping mechanism 34 can move along the first guide rail 31 to grip the products on the tray row by row. The product gripping mechanism 34 can move along the second guide rail 32 to grip the products on the tray column by column. The product gripping mechanism 34 can move along the vertical guide rail 33 to adjust the height of the gripped products.

[0041] Please refer to the reference. Figure 3 and Figure 1 The material tray picking and placing mechanism 4 includes a third guide rail 41, which spans the feeding conveyor line 11 and the discharging conveyor line 12. Preferably, the third guide rail 41 is perpendicular to the first guide rail 31. A third slide block 411 is provided on the third guide rail 41, and a material tray gripping mechanism 42 is provided on the third slide block 411, such as the cooperation of a vertically arranged cylinder 422 and a suction cup 423. Specifically, a horizontal long arm 421 is fixed on the third slide block 411. Preferably, the long arm 421 is parallel to the first guide rail 31. A cylinder 422 is fixed at the end of the long arm 421. The piston rod of the cylinder 422 is vertically downward, and a bracket is fixed at the bottom of the piston rod. Multiple suction cups 423 are mounted on the bracket.

[0042] The material tray gripping mechanism 42 moves back and forth between the feeding conveyor line 11 and the discharging conveyor line 12 along the guide of the third guide rail 41 to transport empty material trays; the piston rod stroke of the cylinder 422 is adjustable, thereby controlling the lifting position of the suction cup 423; after the suction cup 423 adsorbs the material tray above the feeding conveyor line 11, the piston rod of the cylinder 422 retracts, separating the empty material tray from the lower material tray, and then the material tray gripping mechanism 42 moves along the third guide rail 41 to above the discharging conveyor line 12, the piston rod of the cylinder 422 extends, the suction cup 423 releases the empty material tray, so that the empty material tray is stacked on the discharging conveyor line 12.

[0043] The feeding conveyor line 11 and the discharging conveyor line 12 are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the product pulling line 100. It is optimal that both the feeding conveyor line 11 and the discharging conveyor line 12 are perpendicular to the product pulling line 100.

[0044] The automatic loading and unloading machine proposed in this utility model has the following working process and principle: Manually or robotically, stacked pallets are placed on pallet conveying mechanism 1, which automatically transports them to the inner part. Sensor 5 receives a signal, and lifting mechanism 2 of feeding conveyor line 11 lifts the stacked pallets, raising the upper pallet to the waiting position 200. Third sensor 7 receives a signal, and product picking and placing mechanism 3 moves to grab the product to the inner product pull line 100 or the external assembly line to achieve feeding. After the product in the top pallet is removed, pallet picking and placing mechanism 4 moves to remove the top empty pallet and place it on lifting mechanism 2 of discharge conveyor line 12. Lifting mechanism 2 of discharge conveyor line 12 descends a certain distance (the thickness of an empty pallet when the pallets are not stacked, or the thickness of each layer when the pallets are stacked), and lifting mechanism 2 of feeding conveyor line 11 rises a certain distance, starting this cycle until all the products in the stacked pallets on feeding conveyor line 11 are removed. Manual or robotic arms then place the stacked material trays onto the feeding conveyor line 11 and repeat the above-mentioned large cycle process.

[0045] The automatic unloading machine operates in the reverse order of the loading machine. After the product is stopped and positioned, the product pick-up and placement mechanism 3 moves to pick up the product from the product pull line 100 and place it into the empty tray that has been lifted into place on the feeding conveyor line 11 (the waiting position 200 of the automatic unloading machine becomes the waiting position for placement). After a tray is full, the tray pick-up and placement mechanism 4 picks up the top tray and places it onto the lifting mechanism 2 of the discharge conveyor line 12. The discharge conveyor line 12 then transports the product to the outside of the automatic unloading machine. This cycle is repeated to achieve product unloading.

[0046] The automatic loading and unloading machine proposed in this utility model has a compact structure and occupies little space; it has no requirements on the form of the material tray and basically meets the requirements of all material trays on the market.

[0047] The above description is only a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An automatic loading and unloading machine, characterized in that, include: The tray conveying mechanism includes an infeed conveyor line and an outfeed conveyor line. The infeed conveyor line is used to convey stacked trays containing products to the position to be picked up. The outfeed conveyor line is used to convey stacked empty trays to the outside of the automatic loading and unloading machine. The lifting mechanism is provided between the product pull line and the feeding conveyor line, and between the product pull line and the discharging conveyor line. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the top layer of the stacked trays carrying products to the material waiting position. The product pick-and-place mechanism is used to pick up the product at the designated location and place it on the product conveyor line. The material tray picking and placing mechanism is used to grab empty material trays from the material to be picked up and place them on the discharge conveyor line for stacking.

2. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a sensor and a controller, both of which are electrically connected to the controller; the sensor is used to send an electrical signal to the controller when it senses that the material tray on the feeding conveyor line has been delivered to the correct position; the controller is adapted to control the movement of the lifting mechanism when it receives the electrical signal from the sensor.

3. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The product picking and placing mechanism is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is adapted to control the movement of the product picking and placing mechanism to grab the product after receiving the electrical signal from the sensor.

4. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The height of each movement of the lifting mechanism is equal to the height of one material tray.

5. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tray picking and placing mechanism is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller is adapted to control the tray picking and placing mechanism to move and grab an empty tray after receiving an electrical signal from the sensor.

6. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the feeding conveyor line and the discharging conveyor line include two conveyor belts. The lifting mechanism includes a vertically lifting pallet, which is located between the two conveyor belts. When the conveyor belts transport the material trays, the upper surface of the pallet is lower than the upper surface of the conveyor belts.

7. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pallet is equipped with a baffle, which is used to stop the material tray.

8. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The product picking and placing mechanism includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail. The first guide rail extends along the conveying direction of the material tray, and the second guide rail extends along the arrangement direction of multiple rows of products on the material tray. A first slide is provided on the first guide rail, and the second guide rail is fixed on the first slide. A second slide is provided on the second guide rail, and a product gripping mechanism is provided on the second slide.

9. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material tray picking and placing mechanism includes a third guide rail, which spans the feeding conveyor line and the discharging conveyor line. A third slide is provided on the third guide rail, and a material tray gripping mechanism is provided on the third slide.

10. The automatic loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding conveyor line and the discharging conveyor line are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the product pulling line.

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