An industrial robot conveyor test machine

Abstract

The application discloses an industrial robot conveying test machine, which comprises a supporting mechanism, a conveying mechanism and a visual identification mechanism; the supporting mechanism comprises a rack, the rack is provided with robot mounting positions, the robot mounting positions comprise seat-mounted robot mounting positions and hoisted robot mounting positions; the conveying mechanism comprises at least two conveying lines which are independently arranged and pass through the inside of the rack, each conveying line is provided with a belt, a driving motor and a belt tracker; the robot can be fixed to the robot mounting positions and moves relative to the conveying lines; the visual identification mechanism is correspondingly arranged above each conveying line. By arranging the universal and efficient test platform, various types of industrial robots can be compatible, a standardized test environment can be quickly constructed, the test verification period is shortened, the test cost is reduced, and the problems of complicated test platform construction and strong speciality in the prior art are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of robot testing technology, specifically relating to an industrial robot conveying testing machine. Background Technology

[0002] Industrial robots, as core equipment in the field of automation, have been widely used in numerous industries such as material sorting, precision assembly, packaging, and logistics. Different industry application scenarios place diverse demands on the performance of industrial robots, such as motion accuracy, cycle time, trajectory tracking capabilities, and collaborative operation capabilities. Therefore, before selecting an industrial robot model and developing an automation solution for a specific application scenario, thorough preliminary testing and verification are crucial to ensure that the robot's performance meets actual production needs.

[0003] Currently, the common practice in the industry for conducting such testing and verification is to temporarily build dedicated testing environments for specific test projects (such as visual grasping, tracking grasping, and accuracy testing). However, this method of testing and verification is characterized by long setup cycles and high costs. Each testing platform requires mechanical structure design, processing, installation, and debugging from scratch, involving a large amount of non-standard design and manufacturing work, consuming significant human, material, and time resources. Furthermore, the equipment utilization rate is low. After completing specific testing tasks, dedicated testing platforms are often left idle or dismantled, and their core components (such as conveyor lines and vision systems) are difficult to directly reuse for other testing projects, resulting in low overall equipment utilization and return on investment.

[0004] Because testing standards are not uniform across different application scenarios, data comparability is poor, and the mechanical layout, control system, and testing methods of different testing environments are not entirely the same, test data collected at different times for different robots lacks a consistent benchmark, making it difficult to conduct effective horizontal comparison and analysis. This may lead to repeated testing and reduce verification efficiency.

[0005] Furthermore, this approach lacks flexibility in customized testing and cannot quickly respond to diverse testing needs. The testing platform is typically designed for only one or a few robot types (such as supporting only six-axis robots or only SCARA robots), lacking versatility. When testing new types of industrial robots (such as parallel robots) or conducting multi-robot collaborative operation tests, the platform must be rebuilt, which cannot be quickly adapted and severely restricts the verification and implementation speed of automation solutions.

[0006] Therefore, existing application scenario testing suffers from the aforementioned problems of long testing cycles, high costs, low efficiency, and inconsistent standards. Utility Model Content

[0007] This application provides an industrial robot conveying and testing machine that solves at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0008] The technical solution adopted in this application is as follows:

[0009] An industrial robot conveying and testing machine, comprising:

[0010] The support mechanism includes a frame, the frame being provided with robot mounting positions, the robot mounting positions including a seated robot mounting position and a hoisting robot mounting position;

[0011] The conveying mechanism includes at least two independently set conveyor lines that pass through the inside of the frame. Each conveyor line is equipped with a belt, a drive motor, and a belt tracker. The robot is fixed to the robot mounting position and moves relative to the conveyor line.

[0012] It also includes visual recognition mechanisms, which are respectively installed above each conveyor line.

[0013] Preferably, the top of the frame has at least two accommodating areas for setting the mounting positions of the hoisting robot, and there is a clearance space between the two belts for setting the mounting positions of the seated robot, and the mounting positions of the seated robot are respectively set in the space below the accommodating areas.

[0014] Preferably, there are two conveyor lines, and the portions of the two belts located within the frame are arranged in parallel.

[0015] Preferably, there are two mounting positions for the seated robot, and the two mounting positions are staggered along the moving direction of the conveyor line so that they are adjacent to different conveyor lines.

[0016] Preferably, the support mechanism further includes a mounting frame for supporting the conveyor line, the mounting frame being arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the conveyor line, at least one set of the conveyor lines being provided with a material tray, and both the material tray and the visual recognition mechanism being arranged on the mounting frame.

[0017] Preferably, the visual recognition mechanism includes a visual lightbox assembly, each of the visual lightbox assemblies including a camera with a lens mounted thereon and one or more switchable light sources for illuminating the camera, and the mounting bracket is provided with a plurality of mounting positions along the axial direction for fixing the visual recognition mechanism.

[0018] Preferably, the mounting frame is provided with adjustable legs, and the adjustable legs are provided with height adjustment components. The height adjustment components drive the mounting frame to rise or fall vertically to adapt to the robot located at the seated robot mounting position.

[0019] Preferably, the adjustable outrigger includes a support section and an adjustment section, and the height adjustment assembly includes a handwheel and a lead screw disposed in the adjustment section.

[0020] Preferably, the robot includes a seated robot located at the seated robot mounting position and a hoisting robot located at the hoisting robot mounting position, wherein the seated robot and / or the hoisting robot operate on at least one of the conveyor lines.

[0021] Preferably, the belt tracker is a rotary encoder structure, which is configured to detect the rotation angle or number of revolutions of the belt drive shaft to track the position of the material on the belt.

[0022] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows:

[0023] This application integrates the support mechanism, conveying mechanism, and visual recognition mechanism into a unified system, enabling rapid application of the testing environment. Compared to existing technologies that require the temporary design, fabrication, and assembly of non-standard components for each test, this application provides a standardized testing framework. When customers raise different handling scenario testing requirements, there is no need to build the mechanical structure from scratch. Simply install the robot under test into the preset robot mounting position, and the testing and debugging phase can be quickly initiated. This greatly shortens the test environment setup cycle, avoids repetitive design and manufacturing investments, and significantly reduces the overall cost of testing and verification.

[0024] The support mechanism, including "mounting positions for both seated and suspended robots," and the conveying mechanism, comprising "at least two independently configured conveyor lines," in this application achieve versatility and compatibility for the equipment. It doesn't merely set up a dedicated platform for a specific type of robot; instead, it is compatible with all categories of industrial robots, including parallel robots (typically suspended), SCARA robots (which can be suspended or seated), and six-axis serial robots (typically seated). This improves equipment utilization and return on investment, allowing a single device to meet the needs of most robot selection and testing for enterprises, avoiding the resource waste caused by repeatedly purchasing and building dedicated test benches for different types of robots.

[0025] Meanwhile, this application's integrated approach lays the foundation for establishing unified testing standards. Since all robots are tested on the same platform, using the same conveyor line and visual recognition mechanism, the performance data obtained (such as grasping cycle time, positioning accuracy, and tracking stability) are highly comparable. This helps solve the problem of data incomparability caused by differences in testing platforms, providing a reliable basis for objective evaluation and horizontal comparison of robot performance, reducing redundant verification work caused by inconsistent standards, and improving the scientific rigor and efficiency of testing and verification.

[0026] This application proposes a dual-conveyor system integrated with robots and a vision system to create a flexible, miniature environment that simulates real-world production. It not only enables simple single-machine grasping tests but also supports complex multi-robot collaborative operations, cross-workstation material transfer, and vision-guided tracking—advanced testing methods. The high degree of environmental fidelity in this application's solution makes the test results more instructive for the feasibility of the final automation solution, accelerating the decision-making process for automation solutions and the implementation of industrial robots. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the testing machine in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a top view of the testing machine in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adjustable support leg in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0032] 1-Rack, 101-Parallel robot hoisting position, 102-Scara robot hoisting position, 103-Scara robot mounting position, 104-Six-axis robot mounting position, 105-Accommodation area;

[0033] 2-Conveyor line A, 201-Belt A, 202-Belt tracker A, 203-Motor A, 204-Adjustable support leg, 2041-Support section, 2042-Adjustable section, 2043-Handwheel, 2044-Screw, 205-Positioning tray, 206-Mounting frame;

[0034] 3-Conveyor line B, 301-Belt B, 302-Belt tracker B, 303-Motor B;

[0035] 4-Visual Recognition Agency A;

[0036] 5-Visual recognition agency B. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the overall concept of this application, a detailed explanation is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of this application and the features thereof can be combined with each other.

[0039] Furthermore, it should be understood in the description of this application that the terms "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0040] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0041] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the "above" or "below" of the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0042] This application provides an industrial robot conveying and testing machine, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, it includes:

[0043] The support mechanism includes a frame 1, which is provided with robot mounting positions, including a seated robot mounting position and a hoisting robot mounting position.

[0044] The conveying mechanism includes at least two independently set conveyor lines that pass through the inside of the frame 1. Each conveyor line is equipped with a belt, a drive motor and a belt tracker. The robot is fixed to the robot mounting position and moves relative to the conveyor line.

[0045] It also includes visual recognition mechanisms, which are respectively installed above each conveyor line.

[0046] This application integrates the support mechanism, conveying mechanism, and visual recognition mechanism into a unified system, enabling rapid application of the testing environment. Compared to existing technologies that require the temporary design, fabrication, and assembly of non-standard components for each test, this application provides a standardized testing framework. When customers raise different handling scenario testing requirements, there is no need to build the mechanical structure from scratch. Simply install the robot under test into the preset robot mounting position, and the testing and debugging phase can be quickly initiated. This greatly shortens the test environment setup cycle, avoids repetitive design and manufacturing investments, and significantly reduces the overall cost of testing and verification.

[0047] The support mechanism, including "mounting positions for both seated and suspended robots," and the conveying mechanism, comprising "at least two independently configured conveyor lines," in this application achieve versatility and compatibility for the equipment. It doesn't merely set up a dedicated platform for a specific type of robot; instead, it is compatible with all categories of industrial robots, including parallel robots (typically suspended), SCARA robots (which can be suspended or seated), and six-axis serial robots (typically seated). This improves equipment utilization and return on investment, allowing a single device to meet the needs of most robot selection and testing for enterprises, avoiding the resource waste caused by repeatedly purchasing and building dedicated test benches for different types of robots.

[0048] Meanwhile, this application's integrated approach lays the foundation for establishing unified testing standards. Since all robots are tested on the same platform, with the same conveyor line and vision system configuration, the performance data obtained (such as grasping cycle time, positioning accuracy, and tracking stability) are highly comparable. This helps solve the problem of data incomparability caused by differences in testing platforms, providing a reliable basis for objective evaluation and horizontal comparison of robot performance, reducing redundant verification work caused by inconsistent standards, and improving the scientific rigor and efficiency of testing and verification.

[0049] This application proposes a dual-conveyor system integrated with robots and a vision system to create a flexible, miniature environment that simulates real-world production. It not only enables simple single-machine grasping tests but also supports complex multi-robot collaborative operations, cross-workstation material transfer, and vision-guided tracking—advanced testing methods. The high degree of environmental fidelity in this application's solution makes the test results more instructive for the feasibility of the final automation solution, accelerating the decision-making process for automation solutions and the implementation of industrial robots.

[0050] In one embodiment, the top of the frame 1 is provided with at least two accommodating areas 105 for setting up the mounting positions of the hoisting robot, and there is a clearance space between the two belts for setting up the mounting positions of the seated robot. The mounting positions of the seated robot are respectively set in the space below the accommodating areas 105.

[0051] By placing the mounting position within the clearance space below the two lifting position accommodating areas 105, the vertical space of the frame 1 is fully utilized. This allows the workspaces of the lifting robot and the mounting robot to overlap without interfering with each other, significantly reducing the equipment's floor space. Simultaneously, it provides structural possibilities for collaborative operations between the upper and lower robots (such as the lifting robot loading materials and the mounting robot performing finishing work), enriching the testing scenarios. It is understood that the space below the accommodating area 105 here refers to the space within the frame 1 below the lifting position.

[0052] In addition, the clearance space between the two belts can reserve installation positions for other mechanical devices in the customer's actual production, avoiding interference and ensuring compatibility with more application scenarios.

[0053] Preferably, the belt tracker is a rotary encoder structure, which is configured to detect the rotation angle or number of revolutions of the belt drive shaft to track the position of the material on the belt.

[0054] The encoder can detect belt displacement with high precision and high response speed, and feed the signal back to the robot controller in real time, thereby realizing precise tracking and grasping and tracking placement functions, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of data when testing the robot's dynamic performance.

[0055] Preferably, there are two conveyor lines, and the portions of the two belts located within the frame 1 are arranged in parallel.

[0056] Simulating parallel or dual-line production modes commonly found in modern production lines, a single testing machine can simultaneously perform two different testing processes or simulate material flow between two workstations. Only one of the two conveyor lines can be used depending on actual needs, further improving testing efficiency and the platform's simulation accuracy. The parallel arrangement of the two conveyor lines optimizes the layout of components within frame 1, resulting in a more organized structure and preventing interference between components.

[0057] Furthermore, there are two mounting positions for the seated robot, and the two mounting positions are staggered along the direction of movement of the conveyor line so that they are adjacent to different conveyor lines.

[0058] Understandably, in this approach, the two mounted robot installation positions are positioned close to different conveyor lines, allowing each mounted robot to more conveniently serve the conveyor line closest to it. This optimizes the robot's working radius, reduces unnecessary movement, and thus more realistically reflects the robot's cycle time and performance in the actual production line layout during testing, improving the accuracy and practicality of the test data.

[0059] Furthermore, both seated robots and hoisting robots can operate between different conveyor lines, and the specific configuration can be set according to actual production needs.

[0060] In one embodiment, the support mechanism further includes a mounting frame 206 for supporting the conveyor lines. The mounting frame 206 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the conveyor lines. At least one set of conveyor lines is provided with a material tray. Both the material tray and the visual recognition mechanism are arranged on the mounting frame 206.

[0061] Each conveyor line is independently mounted on its own mounting frame 206 and integrated with the material tray and vision mechanism, making each conveyor line a functional module that can be independently adjusted, maintained, and even replaced. This improves the convenience of equipment assembly, debugging, and maintenance, and also enhances the configurability of the equipment.

[0062] Furthermore, the visual recognition mechanism includes visual lightbox assemblies, each of which includes a camera with a lens mounted on it and one or more switchable light sources that provide illumination to the camera. The mounting bracket 206 is provided with a plurality of mounting positions along the axial direction for fixing the visual recognition mechanism.

[0063] With switchable light sources and multiple assembly positions, the visual lighting scheme and camera field of view can be quickly adjusted according to the color, reflective properties of the material being tested, and testing requirements. This ensures the stability and recognition accuracy of the vision system in different testing scenarios and enhances the equipment's ability to handle diverse testing tasks.

[0064] Furthermore, in this application, the belts of different conveyor lines can be set to different colors for differentiation. Also, the installation methods of the material trays and visual recognition mechanisms in this application can be achieved using existing technology and will not be elaborated here. Their specific installation positions, compared to the belts, can be determined based on the simulated production scenario required for actual needs.

[0065] Preferably, the mounting frame 206 is provided with adjustable legs 204, and the adjustable legs 204 are provided with height adjustment components. The height adjustment components drive the mounting frame 206 to rise or fall vertically to adapt to the robot located at the seated robot mounting position.

[0066] Preferably, the adjustable support leg 204 includes a support section 2041 and an adjusting section 2042. The height adjustment assembly includes a handwheel 2043 and a lead screw 2044 disposed on the adjusting section 2042. The support section is disposed on the ground or platform to support the overall structure, and a belt is disposed on the top of the adjusting section 2042 to move with the adjusting section 2042 to achieve height adjustment. Since the belt has a long extension length, multiple adjustable support legs 204 can be disposed at intervals.

[0067] The adjustable conveyor height allows the equipment to flexibly adapt to different models and sizes of desktop robots. Whether it's a small desktop SCARA robot or a large six-axis robot, adjusting the conveyor height ensures the robot's end effector is at an optimal gripping height, guaranteeing the rationality of testing conditions and the validity of data. The adjustment mechanism using handwheel 2043 and lead screw 2044 is simple, reliable, and cost-effective.

[0068] In addition, the conveyor height is adjustable, meaning the belt height is adjustable, which allows it to avoid other components that customers need to install in production, further improving compatibility.

[0069] Preferably, the robot includes a seated robot located at a seated robot mounting position and a hoisting robot located at a hoisting robot mounting position, the seated robot and / or the hoisting robot operating on at least one conveyor line.

[0070] This application solution, based on customer needs, can achieve various working modes, including single-robot single-line, single-robot dual-line, dual-robot collaborative single-line, and dual robots each performing their own tasks. This makes the testing methods of this equipment highly flexible and comprehensive in practical applications.

[0071] For example, two conveyor lines are set up, denoted as conveyor line A2 and conveyor line B3 respectively.

[0072] Conveyor line A2 includes: belt A201, vision inspection mechanism A4, and belt tracker A202;

[0073] Conveyor line B3 includes: belt B301, vision inspection mechanism B5, and belt tracker B302.

[0074] The applicable scenarios for this test machine are specified, and the permitted testing procedures include, but are not limited to:

[0075] Scenario 1: The material is placed at the feeding end of the conveyor belt A201 and moves with the conveyor belt A201 to the corresponding visual recognition mechanism A4 for recognition. At the same time, the corresponding conveyor belt tracker A202 monitors the material. One of the robots is set to grab the material on the conveyor line A2 and place the material on the tray or a designated location for subsequent manual unloading.

[0076] Scenario 2: The material is placed at the feeding end of the conveyor belt A201 and moves with the conveyor belt A201 to the corresponding vision recognition mechanism A4 for identification. At the same time, the corresponding belt tracker A202 monitors the material. One robot is set to grab the material on the conveyor line A2 and transfer it to the conveyor line B3. The vision recognition mechanism on the conveyor line B3 identifies the material. Another robot operates on the conveyor line B3 to grab the material and place it at the designated position on the conveyor line B3 for manual unloading.

[0077] Scenario 3: Materials are placed at the feeding end of conveyor belt A201 and move with conveyor belt A201 to the corresponding vision recognition mechanism A4 for identification. At the same time, the corresponding belt tracker A202 monitors the process. One robot is set to grab the material on conveyor line A2 and transfer it to conveyor line B. The vision recognition mechanism on conveyor line B3 performs material flow identification, while another robot operates on conveyor line B3 to grab the material. Afterward, the robot places the material on conveyor belt B201 as required. It should be noted that when the robot transfers the material from conveyor line A2 to conveyor line B3, the material flow may be disordered. The other robot will grab the material on conveyor line B3 and sort it according to the requirements. The specific situation can be set according to the customer's actual production needs. Belt B301 carries the placed material to the next process to ensure that the material meets the feeding requirements of the next process.

[0078] To illustrate further, in one application scenario, the top of the rack 1 has two hoisting robot mounting positions: a parallel robot hoisting position 101 and a Scara robot hoisting position 102. The internal mounting positions have another Scara robot mounting position 103 and a six-axis robot mounting position 104. Each mounting position has a robot of the corresponding model. When the above-mentioned robots complete the testing process, the specific actions are allocated according to the customer's actual production needs.

[0079] For any parts not mentioned in this application, existing technologies may be used or referenced.

[0080] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0081] The above are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. An industrial robot conveying and testing machine, characterized in that, include: The support mechanism includes a frame, the frame being provided with robot mounting positions, the robot mounting positions including a seated robot mounting position and a hoisting robot mounting position; The conveying mechanism includes at least two independently set conveyor lines that pass through the inside of the frame. Each conveyor line is equipped with a belt, a drive motor, and a belt tracker. The robot is fixed to the robot mounting position and moves relative to the conveyor line. It also includes visual recognition mechanisms, which are respectively installed above each conveyor line.

2. The testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the frame is provided with at least two accommodating areas for setting up the hoisting robot mounting positions, and there is a clearance space between the two belts for setting up the seated robot mounting positions. The seated robot mounting positions are respectively set in the space below the accommodating areas.

3. The testing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conveyor line has two lines, and the corresponding two belts are arranged in parallel within the frame.

4. The testing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The seated robot mounting position is provided in two places, and the two seated robot mounting positions are staggered along the moving direction of the conveyor line so that they are adjacent to different conveyor lines.

5. The testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support mechanism also includes a mounting frame for supporting the conveyor line. The mounting frame is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the conveyor line. At least one set of the conveyor lines is equipped with a material tray. The material tray and the visual recognition mechanism are both arranged on the mounting frame.

6. The testing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The visual recognition mechanism includes a visual light box assembly, each of which includes a camera with a lens mounted on it and one or more switchable light sources that provide illumination to the camera. The mounting bracket is provided with a plurality of mounting positions along the axial direction for fixing the visual recognition mechanism.

7. The testing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The mounting frame is equipped with adjustable legs, and the adjustable legs are equipped with height adjustment components. The height adjustment components drive the mounting frame to rise or fall vertically to adapt to the robot located at the seated robot mounting position.

8. The testing machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The adjustable outrigger includes a support section and an adjustment section, and the height adjustment assembly includes a handwheel and a lead screw disposed in the adjustment section.

9. The testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot includes a seated robot located at the seated robot mounting position and a hoisting robot located at the hoisting robot mounting position, wherein the seated robot and / or the hoisting robot operate on at least one of the conveyor lines.

10. The testing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The belt tracker is a rotary encoder structure, which is configured to detect the rotation angle or number of revolutions of the belt drive shaft to track the position of the material on the belt.

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