A wireless communication valve island automation control system

Abstract

The utility model provides a wireless communication valve island automation control system, including work island body, be provided with mobile part, mechanical arm and control cabinet on work island body, be provided with PLC in control cabinet, still be provided with a plurality of wireless communication module on work island body, set up on mobile part and mechanical arm, be used for the communication between control cabinet and mobile part and mechanical arm, still be provided with UPS power module in control cabinet, and UPS power module is connected with wireless communication module electricity, and UPS power module includes: battery, MCU, charging circuit and switching circuit, charging circuit is connected with battery electricity, and switching circuit is controlled by MCU. The utility model discloses through setting up UPS power module, and the power switching problem mentioned in background art is solved accurately. When mechanical arm or mobile part is in switching and leads to external power supply instantaneous interruption, and the MCU control switching circuit of UPS power module switches to battery power supply immediately, ensures that wireless communication module always maintains the electric on -line state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automation control, specifically a wireless communication valve island automation control system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, these connections primarily rely on wired networks (such as network cables) and wired connectors. However, this approach has significant drawbacks: First, the high-frequency movement and dragging of moving parts such as industrial robots and sliding tables during automated operation makes network cables prone to twisting, fatigue, and wear, eventually leading to breakage. Second, network connectors and power connectors used for tool switching are susceptible to wear, oxidation, or poor contact due to low positioning accuracy after frequent plugging and unplugging. These problems can cause communication interruptions or power supply failures, resulting in unplanned production stoppages and severely impacting production efficiency.

[0003] Furthermore, an often overlooked issue is the power switching that occurs during robot tool or slide changes. This momentary power switch can cause a power outage in network communication modules (such as valve islands) mounted on the tool or slide. Although the outage may be brief, it is sufficient to trigger a network reconnection. Network reconnection typically requires several seconds of recovery time, which can accumulate into significant production losses in high-speed, high-cycle automated production. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art and provide a wireless communication valve island automation control system, which aims to solve the reliability problem caused by wired connection (cable, pin), especially the problem of communication module power failure and reconnection caused by power switching of moving parts.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A wireless communication valve island automation control system includes a working island, on which at least a moving part, a robotic arm, and a control cabinet are mounted. A PLC is housed within the control cabinet. Several wireless communication modules are also mounted on the moving part and the robotic arm, used for communication between the control cabinet and the moving part and the robotic arm. A UPS power supply module is also housed within the control cabinet and electrically connected to the wireless communication modules. The UPS power supply module includes a battery, an MCU (microcontroller unit), a charging circuit, and a switching circuit. The charging circuit is electrically connected to the battery. The switching circuit is controlled by the MCU. The UPS power supply module also includes an external power source, comprising a first branch and a second branch. The first branch is electrically connected to the battery via the charging circuit, and the second branch is electrically connected to the wireless communication module via the switching circuit.

[0006] Through the above technical solution, this utility model uses a wireless communication module to replace the traditional wired network cable and network pins, fundamentally avoiding the problems of cable fatigue and wear and poor pin contact. More importantly, by setting up a UPS power module, when the external power supply is momentarily interrupted due to the switching of the robotic arm or moving parts (such as changing tools), the MCU controls the switching circuit to immediately switch the power source from the second branch of the external power supply to the internal battery. Due to the seamless intervention of the battery, the wireless communication module always remains powered online and will not experience power outage reconnection.

[0007] This perfectly solves the "network reconnection waiting" problem caused by power switching mentioned in the background technology, eliminating the need to wait for several seconds for network recovery time, thus ensuring the high pace and continuity of automated production and significantly improving production efficiency.

[0008] Preferably, the UPS power module is further provided with a wake-up circuit, which is electrically connected to the MCU and is used to manage the power status and wake-up logic of the MCU.

[0009] Preferably, the moving component includes a first gripper, a second gripper, a first welding station, and a second welding station to adapt to complex multi-station automation tasks.

[0010] Preferably, the first welding station is slidably mounted on the working island via a linear sliding module to increase its working range or to cooperate with a robotic arm for workpiece transfer.

[0011] Preferably, the wireless communication module and the UPS power supply module are electrically connected using an M12 A-CODE connector. The M12 connector is a mature and reliable standard component in the industry, offering good protection and vibration resistance, ensuring the reliability of the power connection.

[0012] Preferably, the working island is also provided with a manual feeding area to facilitate manual feeding or handling of abnormal workpieces.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages: First, by using a wireless communication module to replace the traditional wired network cable and network connector, the fatigue, wear, and breakage problems caused by the high-frequency movement and dragging of cables mentioned in the background technology are fundamentally solved. At the same time, communication interruptions and unplanned outages caused by wear, oxidation, or poor contact of the connector are avoided, which significantly improves the hardware reliability of the system and reduces maintenance costs.

[0014] More importantly, this invention precisely solves the power switching problem mentioned in the background art by incorporating a UPS power supply module. When the external power supply is momentarily interrupted due to the switching of the robotic arm or moving parts (such as changing tools), the MCU control switching circuit of the UPS power supply module immediately switches to battery power, ensuring that the wireless communication module always remains powered and online. This completely avoids "network reconnection" caused by momentary power outages, eliminates the "several seconds of recovery waiting time" mentioned in the background art, thereby ensuring the high cycle time and continuity of automated production, effectively preventing "serious capacity loss," and significantly improving overall production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0015] 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, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of a UPS power supply module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Working island; 21. First gripper; 22. Second gripper; 23. First welding station; 24. Second welding station; 25. Linear sliding module; 3. Robotic arm; 4. Control cabinet; 5. Wireless communication module; 6. UPS power supply module; 61. Battery; 62. MCU; 63. Charging circuit; 64. Switching circuit; 65. External power supply; 651. First branch; 652. Second branch; 66. Wake-up circuit; 7. Manual feeding area. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent. To better illustrate this embodiment, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual dimensions of the product.

[0019] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the accompanying drawings. The technical solution of this utility model will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] Example 1 See Figure 1-2 This utility model provides a wireless communication valve island automation control system. The system is installed on a working island 1 and is used to perform automated tasks such as welding and handling.

[0021] A control cabinet 4 is installed on the work island 1, and the core controller PLC is installed inside the cabinet. At least one robotic arm 3 and several moving parts are also deployed on the work island 1.

[0022] In this embodiment, the moving components may include a first gripper 21 and a second gripper 22 for gripping workpieces, and a first welding table 23 and a second welding table 24 for processing workpieces. The first welding table 23 can slide on the work island 1 via a linear sliding module 25 to achieve workstation switching or coordinate with the actions of the robotic arm 3. A manual loading area 7 may also be provided on the work island 1.

[0023] To enable the PLC to control the robotic arm 3 and acquire data from each moving part 2, this system employs wireless communication. Wireless communication modules 5 (e.g., wireless modules integrating valve island functions) are installed on the robotic arm 3, the first gripper 21, the second gripper 22, the first welding station 23, and the second welding station 24. The PLC communicates with these wireless communication modules 5 through its wireless gateway (integrated within the control cabinet 4). This design replaces traditional follower cables and connector pins, avoiding cable wear and poor pin contact.

[0024] The core of this embodiment lies in solving the power outage problem of the wireless module during power switching. A UPS power module 6 is installed inside the control cabinet 4, which supplies power to the wireless communication module 5 installed on the moving part 2 and the robotic arm 3.

[0025] The UPS power module 6 includes a battery 61, an MCU 62, a charging circuit 63, and a switching circuit 64.

[0026] The UPS power module 6 is connected to an external power supply 65 (e.g., the workstation's 24V main power supply). This external power supply 65 is split into two paths: The first branch 651 is electrically connected to the battery 61 via the charging circuit 63. Its function is to charge the battery 61 when the external power supply 65 is normal.

[0027] The second branch 652 is electrically connected to the wireless communication module 5 via the switching circuit 64. Its function is to directly power the wireless communication module 5 when the external power supply 65 is normal.

[0028] The output of battery 61 is also connected to switching circuit 4.

[0029] The entire switching loop 64 is intelligently controlled by MCU62.

[0030] The system works as follows: During normal operation: External power supply 65 is normal. The second branch 652 supplies power to the wireless communication module 5 through the switching circuit 64; at the same time, the first branch 651 charges the battery 61 through the charging circuit 63, keeping it fully charged and ready for use.

[0031] During power switching: MCU62 detects that the second branch 652 of the external power supply 65 has lost power and immediately controls the switching circuit 64 to seamlessly switch the power source of the wireless communication module 5 from the second branch 652 to the battery 61.

[0032] Because of the millisecond-level intervention of battery 61, the wireless communication module 5 remains powered throughout the entire power switching process, and its network connection is uninterrupted. This avoids the network reconnection waiting time of several seconds mentioned in the background art, ensuring production continuity. When the external power supply 65 is restored, MCU 62 controls the switching circuit 64 to switch back to the external power supply 65, and simultaneously starts the charging circuit 63 to recharge battery 61.

[0033] In addition, the UPS power module 6 may also include a wake-up loop 66, which is electrically connected to the MCU 62, to wake up the MCU (62) or the entire module under specific conditions (such as receiving a bus signal) to achieve more refined power management.

[0034] In this embodiment, the electrical connection between the wireless communication module 5 and the UPS power module 6 preferably uses an M12 A-CODE connector to ensure the stability and protection of the connection in the industrial field.

[0035] In summary, this utility model effectively solves the problems of cable reliability for moving parts and network outage waiting caused by power switching in industrial automation by combining wireless communication with UPS uninterruptible power supply design. The system has high reliability and significantly improves production efficiency.

[0036] Obviously, the above embodiments of this utility model are merely examples for clearly illustrating this utility model, and are not intended to limit the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can make other variations or modifications based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively describe all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A wireless communication valve island automation control system, characterized in that, It includes a work island, on which at least a moving part, a robotic arm, and a control cabinet are provided, and a PLC is provided inside the control cabinet; The working island is also equipped with several wireless communication modules, which are installed on the moving parts and the robotic arm for communication between the control cabinet and the moving parts and the robotic arm. The control cabinet is also equipped with a UPS power module, which is electrically connected to the wireless communication module. The UPS power module includes a battery, an MCU, a charging circuit, and a switching circuit. The charging circuit is electrically connected to the battery, and the switching circuit is controlled by the MCU. The UPS power module also includes an external power supply, which includes a first branch and a second branch. The first branch is electrically connected to the battery through the charging circuit, and the second branch is electrically connected to the wireless communication module through the switching circuit.

2. The wireless communication valve island automation control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The UPS power module is also equipped with a wake-up circuit, which is electrically connected to the MCU.

3. The wireless communication valve island automation control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving component includes a first gripper, a second gripper, a first welding table, and a second welding table.

4. The wireless communication valve island automation control system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first welding station is slidably mounted on the working island via a linear sliding module.

5. The wireless communication valve island automation control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless communication module is electrically connected to the UPS power supply module using an M12 A-CODE connector.

6. The wireless communication valve island automation control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The work island also has a manual feeding area.

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