Variable distance rotary pick-up fixture

Abstract

The utility model discloses a variable distance rotary material taking clamp, including taking material variable distance subassembly, rotating subassembly, taking material variable distance subassembly includes support body, the multiple connecting seat of arranging in X axle direction is equipped on support body, the connecting seat of the most front end is fixed on support body, the rest connecting seat can be along X axle direction equidistance removal activity connection on support body, and the connecting seat between adjacent is equipped with equidistance removal's traction connecting mechanism, and the connecting seat of last end is connected with first drive cylinder, and every connecting seat is equipped with through -hole, and the through -hole is equipped with the material taking head of passing, rotating subassembly includes the movable push -plate of parallel setting in support body below along Y axle direction, the second drive cylinder of drive push -plate and move along Y axle direction, the rotating torsion arm of the sleeve setting in every material taking head lower extreme, the long slot hole of extending along X axle direction on push -plate, the rear end of every rotating torsion arm is equipped with cam bearing follower, and the cam of cam bearing follower inserts long slot hole.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of material handling fixtures for automated equipment, and more particularly to a variable pitch rotary material handling fixture. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, injection molded products are produced using molds with a row of cavities. After injection molding, the row of products is removed according to the original cavity spacing and placed on a testing device. However, the spacing between the testing heads, which are arranged in a row, is larger than the cavity spacing. Therefore, the spacing needs to be increased after removing the mold to allow the gripped products to be conveyed to the testing head. In addition to meeting the testing device's product spacing requirements, each gripped product also needs to be rotated circumferentially by a certain angle before entering the testing fixture below the testing head. Existing technologies automatically remove the injection molded products using a material handling fixture, but then manually place them onto the testing fixture, which requires significant labor costs. Automation solutions utilize industrial cameras and four-axis robots for visual recognition and accurate rotation of the injection molded products to the testing fixture; however, the material handling equipment for this solution is expensive. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and design a simple, reasonable, and low-cost variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture that can automatically clamp rows of products, increase the spacing between them, and then rotate the clamped rows of products circumferentially to a certain angle. Utility Model Content

[0003] To overcome the limitations of existing technologies, this technical solution proposes a variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture that enables row material handling, equidistant movement with variable pitch, and rotation angle.

[0004] The specific technical solution of this utility model is as follows: a variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture, including a material handling variable-pitch component and a rotary component. The material handling variable-pitch component includes a support body and a plurality of connecting seats arranged along the X-axis on the support body. The foremost connecting seat is fixed to the support body, and the remaining connecting seats are movably connected to the support body by moving back and forth at equal distances along the X-axis. An equidistant traction connection mechanism is provided between adjacent connecting seats. The rearmost connecting seat is connected to a first drive cylinder. Each connecting seat has a through hole through which a material handling head passes, and the material handling head can rotate circumferentially within the through hole. The rotary component includes a push plate arranged parallel to the lower part of the support body and movable back and forth along the Y-axis, a second drive cylinder that drives the push plate to move back and forth along the Y-axis, and a rotary torsion arm sleeved at the lower end of each material handling head. The push plate has a long slot extending along the X-axis. A cam bearing follower is provided at the rear end of each rotary torsion arm, and the cam of the cam bearing follower is inserted into the long slot.

[0005] Furthermore, the bracket body is provided with an X-axis guide rail arranged along the X-axis direction, and each of the multiple connecting seats except for the frontmost connecting seat is connected to an X-axis movable slider on its back, and the X-axis movable slider is slidably mounted on the X-axis guide rail.

[0006] Furthermore, the left and right ends of the bracket body are provided with side bracket plates perpendicular to the bracket body. Each side bracket plate has a Y-axis guide rail on its inner side facing each other. The Y-axis guide rail is provided with a Y-axis movable slider. The left and right ends of the push plate are provided with connecting side arms, which are correspondingly connected and fixed to the Y-axis movable slider. A connecting plate is provided at the center of the rear side of the bracket body, and the second drive cylinder is fixedly connected to the connecting plate.

[0007] Furthermore, the traction connection mechanism includes an equidistant movable position on the top of the connecting seat and multiple traction connecting strips connected to the equidistant movable positions of adjacent connecting seats. Each traction connecting strip is a square strip body. The bottom of the left and right ends of the square strip body are respectively provided with a downwardly protruding front edge and a rear edge. The rear edge is provided with a through hole that runs through the top and bottom. The equidistant movable position is provided with a front stop edge and a rear stop edge on the top of the frontmost connecting seat. The top of the other connecting seats, excluding the frontmost connecting seat, is provided with an internal threaded hole at the front end and a rear stop edge at the rear end. The front edge of the square strip body is fastened to the equidistant movable position. The traction connecting strip is threaded to the internal threaded hole by inserting a screw through the through hole.

[0008] Preferably, a positioning groove is provided on the rear side of the internal threaded hole at the front end of the top of the other connecting seats excluding the foremost connecting seat, and a positioning protrusion is provided on the rear side of the rear convex edge of the square strip body, which is fitted into the positioning groove.

[0009] Furthermore, the material handling head includes a hollow straight tube and a vacuum suction cup or vacuum gripper located at the lower end of the hollow straight tube. The inner walls of the upper and lower ports of the through hole of the connecting seat are provided with stepped holes. The hollow straight tube is fitted with a ball bearing, which is embedded in the stepped hole.

[0010] Preferably, the connecting seat has symmetrical screw connection holes at the outer edges of the upper and lower ports near the through hole. The screw connection holes are equipped with headed screws, and the bottom side of the head of the headed screw is used to lock the ball bearing in the stepped hole.

[0011] Preferably, the lower end of the hollow straight tube has at least one straight cross-section on its outer wall, and the rotating torsion arm is a block-shaped body. The front end of the block-shaped body has a matching fitting hole for the hollow straight tube with the straight cross-section. A screw hole is provided on the outside of the fitting hole. The rotating torsion arm is locked to the straight cross-section of the hollow straight tube by inserting a screw through the screw hole.

[0012] Compared to existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture designed in this solution, composed of a material handling variable-pitch component and a rotating component, primarily achieves automated removal of products from the molding cavities of injection molds arranged in a row. It then linearly widens the spacing between the removed products, and the entire row is synchronously rotated to a certain angle. Specifically, a second drive cylinder pushes a push plate to move back and forth along the X-axis. The elongated slot of the push plate drives a cam bearing follower to rotate a rotating torsion arm by a certain angle, which is then released onto the detection fixture of the detection equipment. The variable-pitch and rotation actions are achieved by the first and second drive cylinders, respectively, resulting in an ingenious overall fixture design. Integrating these actions into a single fixture device driven by cylinders reduces the cost of structural components compared to automated material handling retrofits using a four-axis robot, making it suitable for widespread use. Attached Figure Description

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are included in and form part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of this disclosure together with the specification and serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the variable pitch rotary material handling fixture structure disclosed in the embodiment of this utility model.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the overall assembly structure of the variable pitch rotary material handling fixture disclosed in the embodiment of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the traction connection mechanism of the variable pitch rotary material handling fixture disclosed in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the assembly structure of the variable pitch rotary material handling fixture connecting seat and the material handling head disclosed in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a rear-view structural diagram of the variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture disclosed in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a bottom view structural diagram of the variable pitch rotary material handling fixture disclosed in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture vacuum suction cup picking up injection molded products and the connecting seat with the increased spacing as disclosed in the embodiments of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the rotation angle of the injection molded product after the distance between the connecting seat of the variable pitch rotary material handling fixture and the material handling machine is increased.

[0022] The following are explanations of the reference numerals in the attached figures: 01. Injection Molded Product; 1. Bracket Body; 2. Connecting Seat; 201. Front Baffle; 202. Rear Baffle; 203. Internal Threaded Hole; 204. Positioning Groove; 3. Traction Connecting Mechanism; 31. Traction Connecting Strip; 311. Front Baffle; 312. Rear Baffle; 313. Through Hole; 314. Positioning Protrusion; 4. First Drive Cylinder; 5. Material Picking Head; 51. Hollow Straight Tube; 52. Vacuum Suction Cup; 53. Ball Bearing; 6. Push Plate; 601. Long Slot Hole; 61. Connecting Side Arm; 7. Second Drive Cylinder; 8. Rotating Torsion Arm; 801. Socket Hole; 802. Side Screw Hole; 9. Cam Bearing Follower; 11. X-Axis Guide Rail; 12. X-Axis Moving Slider; 13. Side Bracket Plate; 14. Y-Axis Guide Rail; 15. Y-Axis Moving Slider; a. Slide Groove. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are also within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0024] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 This is a specific embodiment of a variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture disclosed in this technical solution. In this embodiment, the variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture includes a material handling variable-pitch component and a rotary component. The material handling variable-pitch component includes a support body 1 and a plurality of connecting seats 2 arranged along the X-axis on the support body 1. The foremost connecting seat 2 is fixed to the support body 1, and the remaining connecting seats 2 are movably connected to the support body 1 by moving back and forth at equal distances along the X-axis. An equidistant traction connection mechanism 3 is provided between adjacent connecting seats 2. The rearmost connecting seat 2 is connected to a first... The drive cylinder 4, each connecting seat 2 is provided with a through hole, through which a material picking head 5 passes, and the material picking head 5 can rotate circumferentially within the through hole; the rotating assembly includes a push plate 6 that is parallel to the lower part of the support body 1 and can move back and forth along the Y-axis, a second drive cylinder 7 that drives the push plate 6 to move back and forth along the Y-axis, and a rotating torsion arm 8 sleeved at the lower end of each material picking head 5. The push plate 6 has a long slot 601 extending along the X-axis, and the rear end of each rotating torsion arm 8 is provided with a cam bearing follower 9, the cam of the cam bearing follower 9 being inserted into the long slot 601.

[0025] Reference Figure 7 , Figure 8This embodiment achieves automated removal of injection-molded products 01 from the molding cavities of injection molds arranged in a row. The spacing between the removed products is then increased linearly, and the entire row is synchronously rotated to a certain angle. Specifically, the second drive cylinder 7 pushes the push plate 6 to move back and forth along the X-axis. The elongated slot 601 of the push plate 6 drives the cam bearing follower 9 to rotate the rotating torsion arm 8 by a certain angle, which is then released onto the detection fixture of the detection equipment. The pitch change and rotation of the above actions are achieved by the first drive cylinder 4 and the second drive cylinder 7, respectively, resulting in an ingenious overall fixture design. Integrating these actions into a single fixture device, driven by cylinders, reduces the cost of structural components compared to automated material handling retrofitting using a four-axis robot. Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 In this embodiment, the bracket body 1 is provided with an X-axis guide rail 11 arranged along the X-axis direction. Each of the multiple connecting seats 2, except for the foremost connecting seat 2, has an X-axis movable slider 12 connected to its back. The X-axis movable slider 12 is slidably mounted on the X-axis guide rail 11. By setting the X-axis guide rail 11 and the X-axis movable slider 12 for the installation and movement guidance of the connecting seats 2, a smoother and more stable movement of the connecting seats 2 along the X-axis is achieved when driven back and forth by the first drive cylinder 4.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 In this embodiment, the left and right ends of the bracket body 1 are provided with side bracket plates 13 perpendicular to the bracket body 1. Each side bracket plate 13 has a Y-axis guide rail 14 facing inward. The Y-axis guide rail 14 is provided with a Y-axis moving slider 15. The left and right ends of the push plate 6 are provided with connecting side arms 61. The connecting side arms 61 are correspondingly connected and fixed to the Y-axis moving slider 15. A connecting plate is provided at the center of the rear side of the bracket body 1. The second drive cylinder 7 is fixedly connected to the connecting plate.

[0027] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 7In this embodiment, the traction connection mechanism 3 includes an equidistant movable position on the top of the connecting seat 2 and multiple traction connecting strips 31 connected to the equidistant movable positions of adjacent connecting seats 2. The traction connecting strip 31 is a square strip body. The bottom of the left and right ends of the square strip body are respectively provided with a downwardly protruding front edge 311 and a rear edge 312. The rear edge 312 is provided with a through hole 313 that runs through the top and bottom. The equidistant movable position is provided with a front stop edge 201 and a rear stop edge 202 at the front and rear ends of the top of the connecting seat 2 at the front end, respectively. The other connecting seats 2, excluding the front end of the connecting seat 2, are provided with an internal threaded hole 203 at the front end and a rear stop edge 202 at the rear end. The front edge 311 of the square strip body is fastened to the equidistant movable position. The traction connecting strip 31 is threaded to the internal threaded hole 203 by inserting a screw through the through hole 313. The foremost connecting seat 2 has a groove a between its front flange 201 and rear flange 202, allowing the front flange 311 of the traction connecting strip 31 to move. Similarly, on other connecting seats 2, the rear end of the rear flange 312 of the traction connecting strip 31 and its corresponding front flange 201 form a groove a between them. Therefore, when the first driving cylinder 4 (e.g., a pen-shaped push rod cylinder) pulls the last connecting seat 2, the traction connecting strip 31 on the last connecting seat 2 sequentially pulls the front connecting seats 2 up to the foremost connecting seat 2, thus increasing the distance between each connecting seat 2 and achieving variable spacing. Conversely, when the push rod of the first driving cylinder 4 is pushed out, the distance between each connecting seat 2 is reduced to a preset minimum distance.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, a positioning groove 204 is provided on the rear side of the internal threaded hole 203 at the front end of the top of each of the other connecting seats 2 (excluding the foremost connecting seat 2). A positioning protrusion 314, which is fitted into the positioning groove 204, is provided on the rear side of the rear protrusion 312 of the square strip body. By setting the positioning groove 204 and the positioning protrusion 314, the traction connecting strip 31 can be quickly positioned and installed. After the positioning protrusion 314 and the positioning groove 204 are aligned and connected, the through hole 313 of the traction connecting strip 31 and the internal threaded hole 203 of the connecting seat 2 can be quickly aligned.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 4In this embodiment, the material handling head 5 includes a hollow straight tube 51 and a vacuum suction cup 52 located at the lower end of the hollow straight tube 51. The inner walls of the upper and lower ports of the through hole of the connecting seat 2 are provided with stepped holes. The hollow straight tube 51 is fitted with a ball bearing 53, which is embedded in the stepped holes. The upper end of the hollow straight tube 51 is connected to a vacuum generator through an air pipe. It should be understood that the vacuum generator is connected to a solenoid valve and a PLC controller, and the first drive cylinder 4 and the second drive cylinder 7 are connected to an air pump, a solenoid valve, and a PLC controller to achieve automated operation. This is an existing mature technology for realizing the operation of the vacuum suction cup 52 and the first drive cylinder 4 and the second drive cylinder 7, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 Preferably, the connecting seat 2 is provided with symmetrical screw connection holes at the outer edges of the upper and lower ports near the through hole. The screw connection holes are provided with headed screws. The bottom side of the head of the headed screw is used to lock the ball bearing 53 in the stepped hole. This solution reduces the manufacturing tolerance requirements of the hole diameter for installing the ball bearing 53 in the stepped hole in the through hole.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 The lower outer wall of the hollow straight tube 51 has at least one straight cross-section. The rotating torsion arm 8 is a block-shaped body. The front end of the block-shaped body is provided with a matching sleeve hole 801 for the hollow straight tube 51 with the straight cross-section. A side screw hole 802 is provided on the outside of the sleeve hole 801. The rotating torsion arm 8 is locked with the straight cross-section of the hollow straight tube 51 by inserting a screw through the side screw hole 802. This helps to better lock the sleeve hole 801 of the rotating torsion arm 8 with the hollow straight tube 51 and makes it less prone to slippage when rotating the hollow straight tube 51 at a certain angle.

[0032] The parts not described in detail in this technical solution specification are obvious to those skilled in the art and can be understood based on existing technical knowledge. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture, characterized in that, This includes a material handling pitch control assembly and a rotating assembly, among which, The material handling variable pitch assembly includes a support body and multiple connecting seats arranged along the X-axis on the support body. The foremost connecting seat is fixed on the support body, and the remaining connecting seats can be moved equidistantly to the support body along the X-axis. An equidistant traction connection mechanism is provided between adjacent connecting seats. The last connecting seat is connected to a first drive cylinder. Each connecting seat has a through hole through which a material handling head passes. The material handling head can rotate circumferentially within the through hole. The rotating assembly includes a push plate that is parallel to the support body and can move back and forth along the Y-axis, a second drive cylinder that drives the push plate to move back and forth along the Y-axis, and a rotating torsion arm sleeved at the lower end of each material picking head. The push plate has a long slot extending along the X-axis. Each rotating torsion arm has a cam bearing follower at its rear end, and the cam of the cam bearing follower is inserted into the long slot.

2. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bracket body is provided with an X-axis guide rail arranged along the X-axis direction. Except for the frontmost connecting seat, each of the multiple connecting seats is connected to an X-axis movable slider on its back. The X-axis movable slider is slidably mounted on the X-axis guide rail.

3. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support body has side support plates perpendicular to the support body at both ends. Each side support plate has a Y-axis guide rail on its inner side. The Y-axis guide rail has a Y-axis movable slider. The push plate has connecting side arms at both ends. The connecting side arms are connected and fixed to the Y-axis movable slider. A connecting plate is located at the center of the rear side of the support body. The second drive cylinder is fixedly connected to the connecting plate.

4. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The traction connection mechanism includes equidistant movable positions on the top of the connecting seat and multiple traction connecting strips connected to the equidistant movable positions of adjacent connecting seats. Each traction connecting strip is a square strip body. The bottom of the left and right ends of the square strip body are respectively provided with a downward-protruding front edge and a rear edge. The rear edge is provided with a through hole running through the top and bottom. The equidistant movable positions are provided with a front stop edge and a rear stop edge on the top of the frontmost connecting seat, respectively. The top of the other connecting seats, excluding the frontmost connecting seat, is provided with an internal threaded hole at the front end and a rear stop edge at the rear end. The front edge of the square strip body is fastened to the equidistant movable position. The traction connecting strip is threaded to the internal threaded hole by inserting a screw through the through hole.

5. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 4, characterized in that, A positioning groove is provided on the rear side of the internal threaded hole at the front end of the top of the other connecting seats, excluding the frontmost connecting seat. A positioning protrusion is provided on the rear side of the rear convex edge of the square strip body, which is fitted into the positioning groove.

6. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material handling head includes a hollow straight tube and a vacuum suction cup or vacuum gripper located at the lower end of the hollow straight tube. The inner walls of the upper and lower ports of the through hole of the connecting seat are provided with stepped holes. The hollow straight tube is fitted with a ball bearing, which is embedded in the stepped hole.

7. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connector has symmetrical screw connection holes at the outer edges of the upper and lower ports near the through hole. The screw connection holes are equipped with headed screws, and the bottom side of the head of the headed screw is used to lock the ball bearing in the stepped hole.

8. The variable-pitch rotary material handling fixture according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lower end of the hollow straight tube has at least one straight cross-section on its outer wall. The rotating torsion arm is a block-shaped body. The front end of the block-shaped body has a matching fitting hole for the hollow straight tube with the straight cross-section. A screw hole is provided on the outside of the fitting hole. The rotating torsion arm is locked to the straight cross-section of the hollow straight tube by inserting a screw through the screw hole.

Images