Handling gripper and placement apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a carrying clamp and a placing device, the carrying clamp comprising a mounting bracket, a clamping jaw assembly, a light source assembly and a vision assembly, the mounting bracket being used for being connected with an output end of a robot; the clamping jaw assembly being connected with the mounting bracket and being used for clamping a workpiece to be placed; the light source assembly being movably connected with the mounting bracket, and the light source assembly being used for illuminating assembly holes on a bottom support from different positions so that the assembly holes are under different illumination angles; and the vision assembly being connected with the mounting bracket, and the vision assembly being used for respectively photographing the assembly holes under the different illumination angles. The carrying clamp ensures high positioning precision, provides reliable guarantee for accurate plug-in assembly of the workpiece to be placed, greatly improves production efficiency, and significantly reduces manual intervention cost and working hour loss due to positioning failure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of production line transportation technology, specifically relating to a handling fixture and placement equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, when users install air conditioners, they need to assemble the drain connector with the outdoor unit. During the air conditioner manufacturing process, both the outdoor unit and the drain connector must be placed in the corresponding assembly holes on the base. In existing technologies, automated equipment uses clamps to pick up and place the drain connector. These clamps often rely on visual photography to locate the assembly holes. Since the base is mostly white, the glare generated during photography can reduce positioning accuracy, causing jamming during assembly and requiring manual correction, resulting in low production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application aims to provide a camera handling fixture and placement device, which at least solves one of the problems of poor positioning accuracy and low efficiency when placing a drain connector on a base.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows: In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a handling fixture, which includes a mounting bracket, a gripper assembly, a light source assembly, and a vision assembly. The mounting bracket is used to connect to the output end of a robot; the gripper assembly is connected to the mounting bracket and is used to grip a workpiece to be placed; the light source assembly is movably connected to the mounting bracket and is used to illuminate the assembly holes on the base from different positions so that the assembly holes are under different illumination angles; the vision assembly is connected to the mounting bracket and is used to take pictures of the assembly holes under different illumination angles.

[0005] Optionally, the light source assembly includes a first driving member and a light source member. The first driving member is mounted on the mounting bracket, and the light source member is connected to the output end of the first driving member. The first driving member is used to drive the light source member to move closer to or further away from the mounting hole in the horizontal direction, so that the mounting hole is at different illumination angles.

[0006] Optionally, the light source is arc-shaped, and when the mounting hole is at one of the illumination angles, the convergence point of the light source coincides with the mounting hole.

[0007] Optionally, the gripper assembly includes a second drive member and at least two clamping members. The second drive member is connected to the mounting bracket, and the at least two clamping members are connected to the output end of the second drive member, so that the at least two clamping members can approach each other and clamp the workpiece to be placed.

[0008] Optionally, the workpiece to be placed includes an arc-shaped portion, and the gripper assembly further includes at least two pressing members. Each of the gripping members is movably connected to one of the pressing members. The pressing member has a pressing arc-shaped surface, which is used to fit against the outer wall of the arc-shaped portion.

[0009] Optionally, the workpiece to be placed further includes a tube extending in a vertical direction, and the gripper assembly further includes a guide structure. The guide structure is connected to the clamping member and disposed below the pressing member, and the tube is used to be inserted into the guide structure.

[0010] Optionally, the guide structure includes at least two clamping blocks, each of the clamping members is provided with one of the clamping blocks, and the clamping blocks are provided with a guide arc surface, which is used to fit against the outer wall of the tube body.

[0011] Optionally, the mounting bracket has two opposing first ends, one of which is provided with the gripper assembly, and the other of which is provided with a connecting flange for movably connecting to the output end of the robot.

[0012] Optionally, the mounting bracket is provided with a mounting hole located between the two first ends, and the vision component is disposed within the mounting hole.

[0013] Secondly, embodiments of this application propose a placement device, which includes a robot and a handling fixture as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the handling fixture is disposed at the output end of the robot.

[0014] Optionally, the robot includes a control module, which is communicatively connected to the robot's output end and the vision component. The control module is used to locate the position of the assembly hole based on the photo captured by the vision component, so as to control the robot's output end and adjust the position of the handling fixture.

[0015] In the embodiments of this application, the handling fixture includes a mounting bracket, a gripper assembly, a light source assembly, and a vision assembly. The mounting bracket is used to connect to the output end of the robot, thus serving as the support and connection structure for the entire handling fixture, enabling the robot to move the handling fixture. The light source assembly is movably connected to the mounting bracket, making its position adjustable to change the illumination angle of the assembly holes on the base. Simultaneously, the vision assembly takes pictures of the assembly holes under different illumination angles. As a recessed structure, the inner wall and edge of the assembly hole form a shadow or light-dark transition that is distinctly different from the surrounding plane, thus clearly highlighting the geometric contour of the assembly hole in the image. Different illumination angles effectively filter out noise interference caused by reflections in a single image, ensuring high positioning accuracy even under poor lighting conditions. This provides a reliable guarantee for the precise insertion and assembly of subsequent workpieces, thereby truly achieving full-process automation, significantly improving production efficiency, and significantly reducing the cost and time lost due to manual intervention caused by positioning failures.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is an isometric drawing of the base provided according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is an isometric view of the handling fixture provided in the embodiments of this application working on the base; Figure 3 This is an isometric drawing of the handling fixture provided according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 It is an isometric drawing of the workpiece to be placed according to the embodiments of this application; Figure 5 This is an isometric view of the handling fixture provided in the embodiments of this application when it clamps the workpiece to be placed.

[0019] Figure label: 1. Base support; 11. Assembly hole; 12. Air conditioner outdoor unit; 13. Workpiece to be placed; 131. Arc-shaped part; 132. Tube body part; 10. Handling fixture; 110. Mounting bracket; 111. Mounting hole; 112. Connecting flange; 1101. First end; 120. Gripper assembly; 121. Second drive component; 122. Clamping component; 123. Pressing component; 124. Pressing arc-shaped surface; 125. Guide structure; 126. Clamping block; 127. Guide arc-shaped surface; 130. Vision component; 131. Fixed bracket; 140. Light source assembly; 141. First drive component; 142. Light source component; 143. Extension bracket; 144. Slide groove; 145. Sliding column. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0022] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, 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.

[0023] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" 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 between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in existing air conditioners, the outdoor unit needs to be placed in the base tray 1 along with the drain connector (i.e., the workpiece 13 in this embodiment) during packaging. The workpiece 13 needs to be precisely positioned and inserted into the mounting hole 11 on the base tray 1. In the prior art, the above process mainly relies on manual positioning and placement, which is costly and inefficient. While some prior art uses industrial cameras for positioning, the base tray 1 is often made of white foam, which can cause glare due to its strong white reflection, resulting in unclear images of the mounting hole 11 and preventing precise positioning. This leads to jamming during automatic assembly, requiring manual adjustment, which also incurs significant labor costs and is inefficient. Therefore, this application provides a handling fixture 10 that can precisely position the mounting hole 11 when holding the workpiece 13, improving the positioning accuracy and installation efficiency of the workpiece 13.

[0025] like Figure 3 As shown in the figure, this application embodiment proposes a handling fixture 10, which includes a mounting bracket 110, a gripper assembly 120, a light source assembly 140, and a vision assembly 130. The mounting bracket 110 is used to connect to the output end of a robot; the gripper assembly 120 is connected to the mounting bracket 110 and is used to grip the workpiece 13 to be placed; the light source assembly 140 is movably connected to the mounting bracket 110 and is used to illuminate the assembly hole 11 on the base 1 from different positions so that the assembly hole 11 is under different illumination angles; the vision assembly 130 is connected to the mounting bracket 110 and is used to take pictures of the assembly hole 11 under different illumination angles.

[0026] The handling fixture 10 in this embodiment includes a mounting bracket 110, a gripper assembly 120, a light source assembly 140, and a vision assembly 130. The mounting bracket 110 is used to connect to the output end of the robot, thus serving as the support and connection structure for the entire handling fixture 10, enabling the robot to move the handling fixture 10. The light source assembly 140 is movably connected to the mounting bracket 110, making its position adjustable to change the illumination angle of the mounting hole 11 on the base 1. Simultaneously, the vision assembly 130 takes pictures of the mounting hole 11 under different illumination angles. As a recessed structure, the inner wall and edge of the mounting hole 11 form a shadow or light-dark transition that is distinctly different from the surrounding plane, thus clearly highlighting the geometric contour of the mounting hole 11 in the image. Different lighting angles can effectively filter out noise interference caused by reflection in a single image, ensuring high positioning accuracy even under poor lighting conditions. This provides a reliable guarantee for the precise insertion and assembly of the workpiece 13 to be placed, thus truly realizing full-process automation, greatly improving production efficiency, and significantly reducing the cost of manual intervention and time loss caused by positioning failure.

[0027] In this embodiment, a fixed bracket 131 is also fixed on the mounting bracket 110. The vision component 130 is specifically an industrial camera. The industrial camera is mounted on the fixed bracket 131 to replace the human eye for measurement and judgment. It captures the target through digital image and converts it into image signals, which are then transmitted to a dedicated image processing system. The image system performs various operations on these signals to extract the features of the target, thereby determining the position of the assembly hole 11 and providing it to the robot. The robot then controls its own equipment movements based on the judgment results and drives the gripper assembly 120 to clamp the workpiece 13 to be placed and move it to the assembly hole 11 for positioning and installation.

[0028] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the aforementioned light source assembly 140 includes a first driving member 141 and a light source member 142. The first driving member 141 is mounted on the mounting bracket 110, and the light source member 142 is connected to the output end of the first driving member 141. The first driving member 141 drives the light source member 142 to move closer to or further away from the mounting hole 11 in the horizontal direction, so that the mounting hole 11 is at different illumination angles. The first driving member 141 is mounted on the mounting bracket 110 and provides a stable, controllable, and repeatable power source for the spatial displacement of the light source member 142. The first driving member 141 can specifically be a servo electric slide or a high-precision linear cylinder. Through the movement of the first driving member 141, the first driving member 141 can drive the light source member 142 to move sequentially to predetermined illumination positions. These illumination positions can be obtained through experiments or simulations and are the optimal illumination positions. These positions are selected based on the reflection of a specific base 1, which can maximize the imaging quality of the mounting hole 11.

[0029] In addition, the automated position control of the first driving component 141 driving the light source component 142 to move to the preset position ensures that the lighting geometry conditions are completely consistent for each photo-taking action, completely eliminating random errors introduced by manual adjustment or accidental changes in ambient light. This results in the positioning results of the vision component 130 having extremely high repeatability and long-term stability, laying a solid foundation for building a highly reliable unmanned automated assembly line.

[0030] In this embodiment, the light source 142 is arc-shaped. When the mounting hole 11 is at one of the illumination angles, the convergence point of the light source 142 coincides with the mounting hole 11. The arc-shaped light source 142 can generate a well-directed, approximately fan-shaped uniform illumination field, and its optical convergence point is precisely aligned with the mounting hole 11 to be identified. This means that the illumination energy is highly concentrated and effectively projected onto the mounting hole 11, achieving the best illumination effect. At the same time, when the convergence point of the light source 142 is on the mounting hole 11, sufficient brightness to meet the exposure requirements of the vision component 130 can be generated at the mounting hole 11 with low power consumption. Furthermore, the generation of global glare and halo is effectively suppressed from the physical source, resulting in a high signal-to-noise ratio of the image captured by the vision component 130. The brightly and uniformly illuminated mounting hole 11, due to its complex structure, exhibits rich texture, thus forming a sharp contrast boundary between it and the relatively dark background area, enabling the vision component 130 to obtain a high-quality image. This high-quality raw image greatly simplifies the complexity of subsequent image processing algorithms, improves the speed and accuracy of operations such as edge detection and circle center fitting, and makes the visual positioning process faster and more reliable.

[0031] Furthermore, the aforementioned gripper assembly 120 includes a second driving member 121 and at least two clamping members 122. The second driving member 121 is connected to the mounting bracket 110, and the at least two clamping members 122 are all connected to the output end of the second driving member 121, so that the at least two clamping members 122 can approach each other and clamp the workpiece 13 to be placed. The second driving member 121 is connected to the mounting bracket 110 and ensures that the output of the clamping force is constant and adjustable, which can adapt to the workpiece 13 to be placed with different materials and weights, ensuring a firm grip while avoiding deformation or damage to the workpiece 13 due to excessive clamping force. At least two of the clamping members 122 are connected to the output end of the second drive member 121, and can approach each other and move synchronously from opposite directions to form a symmetrical clamping force, so that the workpiece 13 to be placed is subjected to balanced force. This effectively prevents the workpiece 13 to be placed from sliding, rotating or vibrating during the robot's high-speed operation, sudden stop or precise positioning. It ensures that the position and orientation of the workpiece 13 to be placed relative to the gripper assembly 120 remain strictly unchanged throughout the entire process from the vision component 130 identifying and positioning the assembly hole 11 to the robot driving the workpiece 13 to be placed to the assembly hole 11, thereby transferring the accuracy of visual positioning to the final assembly action without loss.

[0032] Specifically, the entire gripping and releasing process is entirely controlled by the electrical signals of the robot control system, which will not be elaborated here. This makes it respond quickly and seamlessly integrated with the robot's motion planning and vision processing cycle, forming an efficient and coherent automated workflow that significantly improves installation efficiency.

[0033] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 and Figure 4The workpiece 13 to be placed includes an arc-shaped portion 131, and the gripper assembly 120 further includes at least two pressing members 123. Each of the gripping members 122 is movably connected to one of the pressing members 123. The pressing member 123 has a pressing arc-shaped surface 124, which is used to fit against the outer wall of the arc-shaped portion 131. Each of the gripping members 122 is movably connected to one of the pressing members 123, allowing it to adaptively adjust its angle within a certain range. When the gripper assembly 120 is closed, the pressing arc-shaped surface 124 on the pressing member 123 actively fits against the outer wall of the arc-shaped portion 131 of the workpiece 13 to be placed, forming a large-area wrapping surface contact. This contact method evenly distributes the concentrated clamping force across the entire contact surface, significantly reducing the pressure per unit area and effectively avoiding indentations, scratches, or plastic deformation that may be left on the surface of the workpiece 13 by traditional rigid clamping. This is especially important for protecting the workpiece 13 made of fragile materials such as plastics and coatings. Meanwhile, the contact between the pressed arc-shaped surface 124 and the outer wall of the arc-shaped portion 131 increases the contact area, thereby improving the clamping effect. This makes it difficult for the workpiece 13 to slip or rotate during high-speed movement or impact by inertial forces, thus improving the reliability of clamping. This shape-adaptive contact also reduces the precision requirements for the robot's gripping position and posture, allowing for a certain gripping tolerance, thereby reducing the precision requirements for the upstream feeding station, simplifying the overall system design, and reducing costs.

[0034] Furthermore, when it is necessary to change the mounting orientation of the workpiece 13 to be placed, such as... Figure 1 The opening of the arc-shaped portion 131 of the workpiece 13 to be placed faces outwards, while Figure 2 The opening of the arc-shaped portion 131 of the workpiece 13 to be placed faces inward. In this case, it is only necessary to change the direction of the pressing member 123, thereby changing the direction of the channel opening formed by the pressing arc-shaped surface 124 of the pressing member 123. This eliminates the need for a large-scale movement of the robot's output end to change the position and orientation of the handling fixture 10, thus improving work efficiency. Further details are omitted here. In other optional embodiments, different pressing members 123 can be used to ensure that their pressing arc-shaped surface 124 always aligns with the arc-shaped portion 131 of the workpiece 13 to be placed and the opening of the channel opening formed by the pressing arc-shaped surface 124 of the workpiece 13. Optionally, the workpiece 13 to be placed further includes a tube portion 132 extending vertically, and the gripper assembly 120 further includes a guide structure 125. The guide structure 125 is connected to the clamping member 122 and disposed below the pressing member 123. The tube portion 132 is used to engage with the guide structure 125. The guide structure 125 is connected to the clamping member 122 and disposed below the pressing member 123. When the gripper assembly 120 grips the workpiece 13 to be placed, the tube portion 132 will naturally engage with the guide structure 125. This process is automatically completed when the gripper closes. This is equivalent to pre-aligning the axial direction of the workpiece 13 to be placed with the center line of the guide structure 125 (i.e., the ideal engagement direction) before the final fine engagement action begins. This achieves efficient coarse positioning and eliminates the angular error introduced by the gripping position and posture deviation or its own manufacturing tolerance of the workpiece 13 to be placed.

[0035] When the robot, carrying the handling fixture 10 and the workpiece 13 to be placed, moves above the assembly hole 11 for final alignment, since the axis of the workpiece 13 is already parallel to the target direction, the robot control system only needs to perform relatively simple, translation-based fine adjustments to align the axis of the assembly hole 11 with the axis of the tube body 132, without the need for complex angle rotation compensation. This greatly simplifies the motion trajectory planning of the robot's end effector, shortens the time spent in the precision alignment stage, and improves the overall work cycle. More importantly, the pre-guided function effectively prevents the edge of the tube body 132 from colliding or scraping against the port of the assembly hole 11 due to angular deviation during the initial insertion stage, protecting the workpiece 13 and the base 1, improving the success rate and efficiency of the assembly process, and reducing equipment wear, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0036] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 4 The aforementioned guide structure 125 includes at least two clamping blocks 126, with each clamping member 122 having one clamping block 126. Each clamping block 126 has a guide arc-shaped surface 127, which is used to contact the outer wall of the tube body 132. This split structure is simple, easy to manufacture, and easy to maintain and replace. When the second driving member 121 drives the clamping member 122 to close, the guide arc-shaped surfaces 127 on the two clamping blocks 126 naturally close from both sides, forming a non-closed but well-constrained guide channel. The contact between the guide arc-shaped surface 127 and the outer wall of the tube body 132 effectively guides and corrects the axial direction of the workpiece 13 to be placed, while avoiding cleaning difficulties or interference problems that may arise from complex internal cavity structures.

[0037] The split design also allows the gripper assembly 120 to adapt to tube sections 132 with varying diameters, providing better versatility. Furthermore, the gripper block 126 can be designed separately as a consumable part or an adapter. For workpieces 13 of different diameters, only the corresponding gripper block 126 needs to be replaced without altering the main structure of the entire gripper assembly 120. This greatly improves the modularity and application flexibility of the handling fixture 10, reducing costs and downtime for users when changing to different products.

[0038] In this embodiment, the light source assembly 140 further includes an extension bracket 143. The light source component 142 is mounted on the bottom end of the extension bracket 143. The extension bracket 143 is provided with two sliding grooves 144 extending in the vertical direction. The output end of the first driving component 141 is provided with two sliding posts 145 that are slidably connected to the sliding grooves 144. The sliding posts 145 are slidably connected to the sliding grooves 144, thereby changing the position of the sliding posts 145 in the sliding grooves 144, realizing the height adjustment of the extension bracket 143 and the light source component 142, so that the height of the light source component 142 can correspond to the position of the mounting hole 11. Therefore, the illumination angle of the mounting hole 11 can be adjusted simply by changing the horizontal position of the light source component 142 with the first driving component 141. This will not be described in detail here.

[0039] Furthermore, the aforementioned mounting bracket 110 has two opposing first ends 1101. One of the first ends 1101 is provided with the gripper assembly 120, and the other first end 1101 is provided with a connecting flange 112, which is used for movable connection with the output end of the robot. By placing the gripper assembly 120 on one of the first ends 1101 and the connecting flange 112 for movable connection with the robot's output end on the other first end 1101, a clear lever arm layout is formed. This allows the overall center of gravity of the handling fixture 10 to be designed closer to the connecting flange 112, i.e., closer to the robot's output end, by adjusting the shape and size of the mounting bracket 110, thereby significantly reducing the rotational inertia of the robot's end effector. When the robot drives its end effector handling fixture 10 to accelerate, decelerate, or change direction, it requires less torque, responds more quickly, and moves more smoothly and precisely. It can not only improve the absolute positioning accuracy and repeatability of the robot, but also reduce vibration and overshoot during movement, which is beneficial to maintain the stable imaging of the vision component 130 and the final accurate insertion even under high-speed operation.

[0040] In this embodiment, the mounting bracket 110 has a mounting hole 111 located between the two first ends 1101, and the vision component 130 is disposed within the mounting hole 111. Disposing the vision component 130 within the mounting hole 111 provides an extremely compact and efficient space utilization solution. Furthermore, the position of the mounting hole 111 provides the vision component 130 with an excellent observation point at the center of the handling fixture 10, allowing its field of view to unobstructedly cover the assembly hole 11 of the base 1 below, while also minimizing interference from the moving parts of the handling fixture 10 itself, such as the gripper assembly 120. This built-in design avoids the additional cantilever structure required by externally mounting the vision component 130 to the side or top of the mounting bracket 110, simplifying the overall mechanical design, improving rigidity, and making the handling fixture 10 more streamlined and compact, reducing the risk of interference and collision with other equipment in complex working environments.

[0041] Furthermore, integrating the vision component 130 within the mounting bracket 110 facilitates centralized management and protection of its cables, improving the cleanliness and reliability of the equipment. This integrated design makes the entire handling fixture 10 a fully functional, independent module, allowing for quick assembly, disassembly, and maintenance as a standard end effector.

[0042] Secondly, embodiments of this application propose a placement device, which includes a robot and a handling fixture 10 as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the handling fixture 10 is disposed at the output end of the robot. This placement device uses the handling fixture 10 as described in any of the above embodiments, thereby possessing the beneficial effects of the handling fixture 10 as described in any of the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0043] Specifically, this placement device deeply integrates an intelligent handling fixture 10 with active visual positioning capabilities with a high-precision robot, achieving fully automated operation from identification and positioning to gripping, handling, and precise placement. It not only significantly improves the efficiency and quality consistency of the assembly and installation of the workpiece 13, but also, due to its reliability and adaptability, can be integrated into modern flexible production lines or smart factory systems, becoming a key piece of equipment for realizing intelligent manufacturing. Simultaneously, the movable light source component 140 can provide different illumination angles. These angles effectively filter out noise interference caused by reflections in a single image, ensuring high positioning accuracy even under harsh lighting conditions. This provides a reliable guarantee for the precise insertion and assembly of the workpiece 13, thus truly achieving full-process automation, significantly improving production efficiency, and significantly reducing the cost and time lost due to positioning failures.

[0044] Furthermore, the robot includes a control module, which is communicatively connected to both the robot's output and the vision component 130. The control module is used to locate the position of the assembly hole 11 based on images captured by the vision component 130, thereby controlling the robot's output and adjusting the position of the handling fixture 10. As the system's control center, the control module can control the light source component 140 to adjust the illumination position, thus changing the illumination angle of the assembly hole 11. Simultaneously, it receives images captured by the vision component 130, runs image processing algorithms to locate the position of the assembly hole 11, and controls the robot's output and adjusts the position of the handling fixture 10 based on the coordinates of the assembly hole 11, thereby assembling the workpiece 13 to be placed.

[0045] The control module can be implemented wholly or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented wholly or partially as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, they generate, in whole or in part, the flow or function according to embodiments of this disclosure. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a server, data center, or other data storage device that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0046] The following details the specific workflow of the placement device and handling fixture 10 in this embodiment: First, the robot moves the handling fixture 10 above the base tray 1, and the vision component 130 performs a preliminary imaging of the mounting hole 11 on the base tray 1. Due to the strong reflection on the surface of the base tray 1, the outline of the mounting hole 11 in the initial image may be blurry. At this time, the control module starts the working program of the light source component 140: the first drive member 141 drives the arc-shaped light source component 142 to move horizontally, changing its position relative to the mounting hole 11, thereby illuminating the mounting hole 11 from multiple different angles. Under each specific illumination angle, the vision component 130 takes a picture. Through this dynamic illumination strategy, the high-contrast images obtained under different illumination angles can be combined to comprehensively determine the position of the mounting hole 11, thereby accurately locating the mounting hole 11.

[0047] Subsequently, the control module receives and processes a series of photographs taken under different lighting angles. Using image processing algorithms, it integrates the advantageous features of multiple images, filters out glare noise, and accurately calculates the three-dimensional coordinates and orientation of the assembly hole 11 in space. The positioning information is then converted into motion commands for the robot, guiding the robot's output to adjust its posture so that the handling fixture 10 is aligned with the assembly hole 11.

[0048] Next, the gripper assembly 120 performs a gripping action: the second drive member 121 drives at least two of the gripping members 122 to move closer to each other. Simultaneously, the pressing member 123, movably connected thereto, adaptively and tightly conforms to the arc-shaped portion 131 of the workpiece 13 to be placed via its pressing arc-shaped surface 124, achieving stable and damage-free enveloping gripping. During the gripping process, the tubular portion 132 of the workpiece 13 to be placed is naturally guided and embedded in the guide structure 125 located below the pressing member 123, specifically constrained by the guide arc-shaped surfaces 127 on the two gripping blocks 126, thereby completing the pre-correction of the axis of the workpiece 11 to be placed, aligning it substantially with the ideal insertion direction.

[0049] Finally, based on the acquired precise hole position information, the robot, carrying the handling fixture 10 that has gripped the workpiece 11 to be placed, performs a final precision alignment movement. Thanks to the precise visual positioning and pre-guidance during gripping, the robot only needs to perform minor translational compensation to perfectly align the tube body 132 with the assembly hole 11, and then perform a smooth insertion action to accurately install the workpiece 13 into the assembly hole 11. Thus, fully automatic and highly reliable positioning and assembly of the workpiece 13 can be achieved, and the handling fixture 10 and placement device are suitable for different visual environments and various precision assembly tasks.

[0050] The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0051] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present invention.

[0052] Other configurations of the embodiments of this application, such as ... and ..., and operations, are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0053] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "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 may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0054] The present invention has been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principle and implementation of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core idea of ​​the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation and application scope based on the idea of ​​the present invention. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A handling fixture, characterized in that, include: Mounting bracket (110) is used to connect to the output end of the robot; A gripper assembly (120) is connected to the mounting bracket (110) and is used to grip the workpiece (13) to be placed. A light source assembly (140) is movably connected to the mounting bracket (110). The light source assembly (140) is used to illuminate the mounting hole (11) on the base (1) from different positions so that the mounting hole (11) is under different illumination angles. A vision component (130) is connected to the mounting bracket (110) and is used to take pictures of the assembly hole (11) under different lighting angles.

2. The handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light source assembly (140) includes a first driving member (141) and a light source member (142). The first driving member (141) is mounted on the mounting bracket (110), and the light source member (142) is connected to the output end of the first driving member (141). The first driving member (141) is used to drive the light source member (142) to move closer to or further away from the mounting hole (11) in the horizontal direction, so that the mounting hole (11) is at different illumination angles.

3. The handling fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The light source (142) is arc-shaped, and when the mounting hole (11) is at one of the illumination angles, the convergence point of the light source (142) coincides with the mounting hole (11).

4. The handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper assembly (120) includes a second drive member (121) and at least two grippers (122). The second drive member (121) is connected to the mounting bracket (110), and the at least two grippers (122) are connected to the output end of the second drive member (121) so that the at least two grippers (122) can approach each other and grip the workpiece (13) to be placed.

5. The handling fixture according to claim 4, characterized in that, The workpiece to be placed (13) includes an arc-shaped portion (131), and the gripper assembly (120) further includes at least two pressing members (123). Each of the gripping members (122) is movably connected to one of the pressing members (123). The pressing member (123) has a pressing arc-shaped surface (124), which is used to fit against the outer wall of the arc-shaped portion (131).

6. The handling fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that, The workpiece to be placed (13) also includes a tube portion (132) extending in the vertical direction. The gripper assembly (120) also includes a guide structure (125). The guide structure (125) is connected to the clamping member (122) and disposed below the pressing member (123). The tube portion (132) is used to be inserted into the guide structure (125).

7. The handling fixture according to claim 6, characterized in that, The guide structure (125) includes at least two clamping blocks (126), each of the clamping members (122) is provided with one clamping block (126), the clamping block (126) is provided with a guide arc surface (127), the guide arc surface (127) is used to fit against the outer wall of the tube body (132).

8. The handling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting bracket (110) has two opposing first ends (1101), one of which is provided with the gripper assembly (120), and the other of which is provided with a connecting flange (112) for movably connecting to the output end of the robot.

9. The handling fixture according to claim 8, characterized in that, The mounting bracket (110) has a mounting hole (111) located between the two first ends (1101), and the vision component (130) is disposed in the mounting hole (111).

10. A placement device, characterized in that, The system includes a robot and a handling fixture (10) as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the handling fixture (10) is disposed at the output end of the robot.

11. The placement device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The robot includes a control module, which is communicatively connected to the output end of the robot and the vision component (130). The control module is used to locate the position of the assembly hole (11) based on the photo taken by the vision component (130), so as to control the output end of the robot and adjust the position of the handling fixture (10).

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