Flexible welding equipment and welding workstation

Abstract

This utility model discloses a flexible welding equipment and a welding workstation, comprising: a loading mechanism for accommodating and initially positioning a workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment, and for conveying the workpiece into the flexible welding equipment; a unloading mechanism for placing a workpiece inside the flexible welding equipment and for conveying the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment; a worktable disposed inside the flexible welding equipment, having multiple welding stations on the worktable; a flexible execution mechanism disposed inside the flexible welding equipment, including a transport robot and a welding robot, the transport robot being used to transfer the workpiece conveyed to the flexible welding equipment by the loading mechanism to the welding station and to transfer the workpiece at the welding station to the unloading mechanism; the welding robot being used to perform welding on the workpiece at the welding station; and a flexible gripping mechanism disposed inside the flexible welding equipment, the transport robot also being used to connect to the flexible gripping mechanism to grip the workpiece through the flexible gripping mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of structural component welding technology, and in particular, to a flexible welding device. Furthermore, this utility model also relates to a welding workstation including the aforementioned flexible welding device. Background Technology

[0002] Under the current trend of deepening the application of intelligent manufacturing technology, we are vigorously developing high-end agricultural machinery products. However, the welding process of sheet metal parts and structural parts of agricultural machinery and engineering machinery products still adopts manual welding, which results in low welding efficiency, difficulty in guaranteeing welding quality, and difficulty in improving product precision.

[0003] Currently, existing robotic welding workstations typically use welding robots in conjunction with positioners to achieve automatic positioning and welding. However, given the "small batch, multiple varieties" characteristics of agricultural machinery, using the conventional positioner + tooling approach requires the manufacture of a large number of positioning fixtures to adapt to the production of various workpieces, resulting in high costs, complex model changes, low welding efficiency, and poor welding quality.

[0004] Therefore, the development of highly integrated, flexible, and efficient flexible welding robot systems and devices is of great significance to the agricultural machinery equipment industry and the robot welding industry. Utility Model Content

[0005] This utility model provides a flexible welding equipment and welding workstation to solve the technical problem that existing welding equipment is not suitable for small-batch, multi-variety welding manufacturing of agricultural machinery equipment.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a flexible welding device is provided, comprising:

[0007] The feeding mechanism is used to hold the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment and to initially position the workpiece, as well as to transport the workpiece into the flexible welding equipment.

[0008] The unloading mechanism is used to place the workpiece inside the flexible welding equipment and to transport the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment.

[0009] A workbench is provided inside the flexible welding equipment, and the workbench has multiple welding stations;

[0010] A flexible actuator, disposed within the flexible welding equipment, includes a handling robot and a welding robot. The handling robot is used to transfer workpieces conveyed to the flexible welding equipment by the loading mechanism to the welding station and to transfer workpieces at the welding station to the unloading mechanism. The welding robot is used to perform welding on the workpieces at the welding station.

[0011] A flexible gripping mechanism is disposed within the flexible welding equipment, and the handling robot is also used to connect to the flexible gripping mechanism to grip the workpiece through the flexible gripping mechanism.

[0012] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the flexible welding equipment is also provided with a secondary positioning mechanism for precise positioning of the workpiece; the secondary positioning mechanism includes a first positioning surface and a second positioning surface, and the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are respectively provided with a plurality of end face positioners.

[0013] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the feeding mechanism includes a support frame, an upper slide table slidably connected to the support frame, and a lower slide table slidably connected to the support frame. The upper slide table is positioned higher than the lower slide table. Positioning structures for placing workpieces are evenly distributed on the upper and lower slide tables respectively. The feeding mechanism also includes a transmission mechanism and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is used to drive the lower slide table and the upper slide table to move synchronously in opposite directions via the transmission mechanism.

[0014] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the transmission mechanism includes a gear disposed at the output end of the drive mechanism, a first rack disposed on the lower surface of the upper slide, and a second rack disposed on the upper surface of the lower slide, wherein the gear meshes with the first rack and the second rack respectively.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the flexible gripping mechanism includes a first flexible gripper based on electromagnetic settings and a second flexible gripper based on a clamping jaw.

[0016] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the flexible actuator also includes a laser tracking module disposed on the welding robot, used to detect the welding position of the workpiece and feed it back to the welding robot.

[0017] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the flexible welding equipment also includes a welding ground rail, a sliding plate slidably connected to the welding ground rail, and a drive device disposed on the sliding plate. The welding robot is disposed on the sliding plate, and the drive device is used to drive the sliding plate to move along the welding ground rail.

[0018] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the flexible welding equipment also includes a dust removal device for extracting fumes from the welding station.

[0019] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the dust removal device includes a dust collection host, a mounting bracket, and a ceiling suction mechanism. The mounting bracket is arranged parallel to the direction of the welded ground rail, and the ceiling suction mechanism is slidably connected to the mounting bracket. The ceiling suction mechanism is connected to the dust collection host through an air duct.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, a welding workstation is also provided, which includes the above-described flexible welding equipment.

[0021] This utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] This flexible welding equipment uses a feeding mechanism to load workpieces. Workpieces are placed outside the equipment onto the feeding mechanism, which then performs initial positioning and transports them into the flexible welding equipment. A flexible actuator mechanism utilizes two robots working collaboratively to perform workpiece repositioning and welding. A transport robot, matched to the workpiece, connects to a flexible gripping mechanism to control the corresponding flexible gripping mechanism to grasp and reposition the workpiece, compatible with gripping various products. The transport robot transfers the workpiece from the feeding mechanism to the welding station on the worktable, where the welding robot performs welding. After welding, the transport robot transfers the workpiece from the welding station to the unloading mechanism, which outputs the workpiece outside the welding equipment for subsequent processes. This equipment meets the welding requirements for structural components of high-end agricultural machinery and other "small batch, multi-variety" products, enabling continuous operation and fully automated production, reducing labor intensity and production costs, and improving operational efficiency and quality.

[0023] In addition to the objectives, features, and advantages described above, this utility model has other objectives, features, and advantages. The present utility model will now be described in further detail with reference to the figures. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible gripping mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the secondary positioning mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the dust removal device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the welded ground rail of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Legend:

[0032] 1. Feeding mechanism; 110. Upper slide table; 120. Slide rail; 130. Lower slide table; 140. Drive mechanism; 150. Protective sheet metal; 160. Mechanical limit mechanism; 170. Support frame; 180. Detection device; 2. Flexible gripping mechanism; 210. Placement bracket; 220. First flexible gripper; 230. Second flexible gripper; 3. Flexible execution mechanism; 310. Welding robot; 320. Laser tracking module; 4. Unloading mechanism; 5. Secondary positioning mechanism; 510. Rotation mechanism; 520. Fixed base; 5 30. Fixture base plate; 540. First fixture; 550. Second fixture; 6. Control unit; 7. Control system; 8. Safety light curtain; 9. Workbench; 10. Welding rail; 101. Cable chain; 102. Automatic lubrication device; 103. Drive device; 104. Welding system; 105. Gun cleaning mechanism; 106. Welding wire supply mechanism; 107. Rail base; 108. Protective plate; 11. Safety fence; 12. Dust removal device; 121. Vacuum cleaner; 122. Air duct; 123. Ceiling suction mechanism; 124. Mounting bracket. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different ways as defined and covered below.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible gripping mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the secondary positioning mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the dust removal device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the welded ground rail of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the flexible welding equipment in this embodiment includes:

[0036] The feeding mechanism 1 is used to accommodate the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment and to initially position the workpiece, and to transport the workpiece into the flexible welding equipment.

[0037] The feeding mechanism 4 is used to place the workpiece inside the flexible welding equipment and to transport the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment.

[0038] Workbench 9 is set inside the flexible welding equipment and has multiple welding stations;

[0039] The flexible actuator 3, installed inside the flexible welding equipment, includes a handling robot and a welding robot 310. The handling robot is used to transfer the workpieces conveyed to the flexible welding equipment by the loading mechanism 1 to the welding station and to transfer the workpieces at the welding station to the unloading mechanism 4; the welding robot 310 is used to perform welding on the workpieces at the welding station.

[0040] The flexible gripping mechanism 2 is installed inside the flexible welding equipment. The handling robot is also used to connect with the flexible gripping mechanism 2 to grip the workpiece through the flexible gripping mechanism 2.

[0041] It should be understood that this equipment includes a control unit 6 and a control system 7, which are based on the control unit 6 and control cabinet of the welding robot 310 and the handling robot of the prior art, and will not be described in detail.

[0042] Understandably, this flexible welding equipment uses a feeding mechanism 1 to feed workpieces. Workpieces are placed outside the equipment onto the feeding mechanism 1, which then performs initial positioning and transports the workpieces into the flexible welding equipment. A flexible actuator 3 is used to perform workpiece repositioning and welding through the collaborative work of two robots. A transport robot connects to a flexible gripping mechanism 2 based on the workpiece, controlling the corresponding flexible gripping mechanism 2 to grasp the workpiece and perform repositioning, compatible with gripping multiple products. The transport robot transfers the workpiece from the feeding mechanism 1 to the welding station on the workbench 9, where the welding robot 310 performs welding. After welding, the transport robot transfers the workpiece from the welding station to the unloading mechanism 4, which outputs the workpiece outside the welding equipment to cooperate with subsequent processes. This equipment meets the welding requirements of structural components for high-end agricultural machinery and other "small batch, multi-variety" products, achieving continuous operation and fully automated production, reducing labor intensity and production costs, and improving operational efficiency and quality.

[0043] In this embodiment, the flexible welding equipment is further provided with a secondary positioning mechanism 5 for precise positioning of the workpiece. The secondary positioning mechanism 5 includes a first positioning surface and a second positioning surface. Multiple end face positioners are respectively provided on the first and second positioning surfaces. The workpiece is placed on the first or second positioning surface according to its model, and the end face positioners are used for precise positioning. Specifically, the secondary positioning mechanism 5 includes a rotating mechanism 510, a fixed base 520, a clamping base plate 530, a first clamp 540, and a second clamp 550. The fixed base 520 serves as a structural support and one of the positioning references. The clamping base plate 530 is mounted on the fixed base 520 via the rotating mechanism 510. The rotating mechanism 510 includes a rotating shaft, a bearing seat, and a turntable. The turntable is connected to the outer end of the rotating shaft, and the inner end of the rotating shaft is connected to the clamping base plate 530. 0 connection; the fixture base plate 530 is rotated via a turntable and a rotating shaft; the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are two opposite surfaces of the fixture base plate 530, the first clamp 540 is installed on the first positioning surface, and the second clamp 550 is installed on the second positioning surface. The fixture base plate 530 is rotated 180° by the rotating mechanism 510 to achieve the switching between the first clamp 540 and the second clamp 550, so as to be suitable for the positioning and clamping of different workpieces; the first clamp 540 and the second clamp 550 each adopt independent base plates, and the first clamp 540 and the second clamp 550 are respectively equipped with multiple end face positioners to realize the quick assembly and disassembly of the sub-clamps, improve the system compatibility and flexibility, and adopt the precision positioning method of end face limit and positioning. The end face positioners are controlled by multiple sets of cylinders in a distributed and synchronous manner to achieve precision positioning suitable for a variety of products.

[0044] In this embodiment, the loading mechanism 1 includes a support frame 170, an upper slide 110 slidably connected to the support frame 170, and a lower slide 130 slidably connected to the support frame 170. The upper slide 110 is positioned higher than the lower slide 130. Positioning structures for placing workpieces are evenly distributed on the upper slide 110 and the lower slide 130. The loading mechanism 1 also includes a transmission mechanism and a drive mechanism 140. The drive mechanism 140 drives the lower slide 130 and the upper slide 110 to move synchronously in opposite directions via the transmission mechanism. The loading mechanism 1 is provided with a protective sheet metal 150 to protect the moving mechanism. It should be understood that the upper slide 110 and the lower slide 130 are located at the extreme positions at both ends of the support frame 170, and the drive mechanism 140 drives the upper slide 110 via the transmission mechanism. The upper slide 110 moves from its first extreme position to its second extreme position, simultaneously moving the lower slide 130 from its second extreme position to its first extreme position. This allows the workpiece placed on the upper slide 110 to be transferred into the equipment, while the lower slide 130 moves out of the equipment. The flexible actuator 3 can transfer the workpiece on the upper slide 110 to the welding station for welding, while the lower slide 130 can continue to receive workpieces. After all the workpieces on the upper slide 110 have been transferred, the actuator moves the upper slide 110 out and the lower slide 130 into the equipment, ensuring continuous equipment operation without waiting for workpiece loading and improving efficiency. The upper slide 110 and lower slide 130 are each equipped with positioning structures to initially position the workpiece, ensuring that the handling robot can grasp and transfer the workpiece.

[0045] Specifically, the drive mechanism 140 can be a rotating mechanism such as a motor; the transmission mechanism includes a gear disposed at the output end of the drive mechanism 140, a first rack disposed on the lower surface of the upper slide 110, and a second rack disposed on the upper surface of the lower slide 130. The first rack and the second rack are arranged parallel to the sliding direction of the slide. The gear meshes with the first rack and the second rack respectively. The drive mechanism 140 drives the gear to rotate, which in turn drives the upper slide 110 and the lower slide 130 to slide synchronously in opposite directions. The structure is simplified, the action is simplified, and the number of parts is small.

[0046] Furthermore, a slide rail 120 is provided on the support frame 170, and a support rod is provided at the bottom of the upper slide table 110. The bottom of the support rod is connected to the slider, and the slider is slidably connected to the slide rail 120. The bottom of the lower slide table 130 can be directly connected to the slider, and the slider is slidably connected to the slide rail 120. It should be understood that two sets of slide rails 120 are provided on the support frame 170 corresponding to the upper slide table 110 and the lower slide table 130, respectively. A mechanical limiting mechanism 160 is provided at the end of the slide rail 120, which can be adjusted according to the required movement stroke, resulting in higher working efficiency and more reasonable use, while preventing the slider from disengaging from the slide rail 120.

[0047] Furthermore, a detection device 180 is provided on the support frame 170 to control whether the feeding mechanism 1 has a workpiece placed on it.

[0048] It is understandable that the unloading mechanism 4 and the loading mechanism 1 have the same structure and working principle; the flexible welding equipment includes a safety fence 11 and a safety light curtain 8 to achieve physical isolation and ensure safety and reliability. The loading mechanism 1 and the unloading mechanism 4 are installed through the safety fence 11, so that the upper slide 110 and the lower slide 130 alternately enter and exit.

[0049] In this embodiment, the flexible gripping mechanism 2 includes a first flexible gripper 220 based on electromagnetic attraction and a second flexible gripper 230 based on clamping jaws. Specifically, the flexible gripping mechanism 2 includes a placement bracket 210 for placing the first flexible gripper 220 and the second flexible gripper 230. The handling robot selects the matching gripper according to the workpiece model to accommodate the production of different products. The first flexible gripper 220 grips the workpiece based on electromagnetic attraction, and the second flexible gripper 230 controls its gripper action by adjusting the gripping distance through a servo motor to grip the workpiece.

[0050] In this embodiment, the flexible actuator 3 also includes a laser tracking module 320 disposed on the welding robot 310, which is used to detect the welding position of the workpiece and feed it back to the welding robot 310. Specifically, the laser tracking module 320 is implemented based on existing technology and is disposed on the sixth axis flange of the welding robot 310, so that the welding robot 310 can accurately weld according to the position fed back by the laser tracking system, thereby ensuring welding accuracy and weld quality.

[0051] In this embodiment, the flexible welding equipment also includes a welding ground rail 10, a sliding plate slidably connected to the welding ground rail 10, and a drive device 103 mounted on the sliding plate; the flexible actuator 3 also includes a torch cleaning mechanism 105 mounted on the sliding plate and a welding wire supply mechanism 106 mounted on the sliding plate. The welding robot 310 is mounted on the sliding plate, and the drive device 103 is used to drive the sliding plate to move along the welding ground rail 10. It should be noted that the welding ground rail 10 is arranged along the length of the work platform and is equipped with a drag chain 101 to protect the power cables and signal cables of key components such as the welding robot 310 and the welding system 104 to prevent excessive wear during the reciprocating movement of the welding robot 310, which could lead to safety accidents. The welding ground rail 10 is also equipped with an automatic lubrication device 102 to lubricate the sliding unit of the welding ground rail 10. The sliding mechanism requires no manual maintenance. The drive unit 103 includes a motor, gears, racks, reducers, and other structures to drive the sliding plate of the welding ground rail 10 to move back and forth along the welding ground rail 10. The sheet metal welding and automatic cleaning of the welding torch are completed by the welding system 104, the cleaning torch mechanism 105, the welding wire supply mechanism 106, and the welding robot 310. The welding system 104, the cleaning torch mechanism 105, the welding wire supply mechanism 106, and the welding robot 310 are all based on existing technologies. Among them, protective plates 108 are set on both sides of the welding ground rail 10. The ground rail base 107 for setting the welding ground rail 10 adopts a box beam welding structure + multi-segment splicing technology. The overall mounting surface adopts post-weld processing technology to ensure the movement accuracy of the welding ground rail 10, thereby ensuring the positioning accuracy of the flexible welding robot 310 system and equipment.

[0052] In this embodiment, the flexible welding equipment also includes a dust removal device 12, which is used to extract fumes from the welding station to ensure compliance with environmental protection requirements. Specifically, the dust removal device 12 includes a dust extraction host 121, a mounting bracket 124, and a ceiling suction mechanism 123. The mounting bracket 124 is arranged parallel to the welding ground rail 10. The ceiling suction mechanism 123 is slidably connected to the mounting bracket 124. The ceiling suction mechanism 123 is connected to the dust extraction host 121 through a duct 122. The ceiling suction mechanism 123 moves with the sliding plate of the welding ground rail 10, keeping the ceiling suction mechanism 123 always above the welding robot 310 to ensure the fume treatment effect and meet the equipment's dust removal requirements.

[0053] On the other hand, a preferred embodiment of the present invention also provides a welding workstation that utilizes the aforementioned flexible welding equipment.

[0054] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0055] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0056] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A flexible soldering apparatus characterized by, include: The feeding mechanism (1) is used to accommodate the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment and to initially position the workpiece, and to transport the workpiece into the flexible welding equipment. The unloading mechanism (4) is used to place the workpiece inside the flexible welding equipment and to transport the workpiece outside the flexible welding equipment; the worktable (9) is disposed inside the flexible welding equipment and has multiple welding stations on the worktable (9); A flexible actuator (3) is installed inside the flexible welding equipment, including a handling robot and a welding robot (310). The handling robot is used to transfer the workpieces transported by the loading mechanism (1) to the flexible welding equipment to the welding station and to transfer the workpieces at the welding station to the unloading mechanism (4). The welding robot (310) is used to perform welding on the workpieces at the welding station. A flexible gripping mechanism (2) is provided inside the flexible welding equipment. The handling robot is also used to connect with the flexible gripping mechanism (2) to grip the workpiece through the flexible gripping mechanism (2).

2. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flexible welding equipment is also equipped with a secondary positioning mechanism (5) for precise positioning of the workpiece; the secondary positioning mechanism (5) includes a first positioning surface and a second positioning surface, and the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are respectively provided with a plurality of end face positioners.

3. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The loading mechanism (1) includes a support frame (170), an upper slide (110) slidably connected to the support frame (170), and a lower slide (130) slidably connected to the support frame (170). The upper slide (110) is arranged at a higher height than the lower slide (130). Positioning structures for placing workpieces are evenly distributed on the upper slide (110) and the lower slide (130). The loading mechanism (1) also includes a transmission mechanism and a drive mechanism (140). The drive mechanism (140) is used to drive the lower slide (130) and the upper slide (110) to move synchronously in opposite directions via the transmission mechanism.

4. The flexible welding equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism includes a gear disposed at the output end of the drive mechanism (140), a first rack disposed on the lower surface of the upper slide (110), and a second rack disposed on the upper surface of the lower slide (130), wherein the gear meshes with the first rack and the second rack respectively.

5. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flexible gripping mechanism (2) includes a first flexible gripper (220) based on electromagnetic configuration and a second flexible gripper (230) based on a clamping jaw configuration.

6. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flexible actuator (3) also includes a laser tracking module (320) disposed on the welding robot (310) for detecting the welding position of the workpiece and feeding it back to the welding robot (310).

7. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flexible welding equipment also includes a welding ground rail (10), a sliding plate slidably connected to the welding ground rail (10), and a drive device (103) disposed on the sliding plate. The welding robot (310) is disposed on the sliding plate, and the drive device (103) is used to drive the sliding plate to move along the welding ground rail (10).

8. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flexible welding equipment also includes a dust removal device (12) for extracting fumes from the welding station.

9. The flexible soldering apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The dust removal device (12) includes a vacuum cleaner (121), a mounting bracket (124), and a ceiling suction mechanism (123). The mounting bracket (124) is arranged parallel to the welded ground rail (10). The ceiling suction mechanism (123) is slidably connected to the mounting bracket (124). The ceiling suction mechanism (123) is connected to the vacuum cleaner (121) through a duct (122).

10. A welding station characterized by, The application is made of the flexible welding equipment described in any one of claims 1-9.

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