Assembly system for automotive lamps and an operating method thereof

Abstract

Assembly system for automotive lamps, including: a bonding station (6), a tray and mask transport station (1), a first optical testing station (2), a second optical testing station (3), a complete lamp sealing performance testing station (4) and a complete lamp transport station (5), they are set up one after the other, an assembly station (7), set up near the gluing station (6) and the tray and mask transport station (1), a total lamp transfer station (8) located near the tray and mask transport station (1) and the first optical inspection station (2), wherein the total lamp transfer station (8) has a workpiece plate comprising at least one loading or unloading position, wherein the workpiece plate rotates at a preset rate, and a tray-transporting robot (9) and a total lamp-transporting robot (10).

Description

Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automotive lamp manufacturing, in particular an assembly system for automotive lamps and an operating method thereof. State of the art

[0002] With the development of science and technology, the automotive industry is also making rapid progress, and increasingly stringent demands are being placed on the performance of automobiles. Functionality, appearance, and cost are key factors influencing the purchase and use of automobiles. As a lighting device for driving, the automotive lamp also serves a decorative purpose, attracting more and more attention. However, the assembly of automotive lamps directly impacts their durability and performance.

[0003] The traditional assembly process of the mask and shell of the automotive lamp mainly involves gluing, optical inspection and testing of the lamp's sealing performance, but each of the above processes runs separately and requires a large number of operations to transport the workpieces; this results in long waiting times between process steps, low process integration and high process costs.

[0004] Document CN 107 504 031 A discloses a system for the assembly and inspection of motor vehicle lamps, comprising front cover bending stations, front cover feeding stations, light type detection stations and air tightness detection stations, further comprising a gluing robot and a gripping robot, wherein the front cover bending stations, the front cover feeding stations, the light type detection stations and the air tightness detection stations are arranged sequentially, wherein the gluing robot and the gripping robot are arranged on the same sides of the said stations, and wherein the said stations each comprise a main support and a tool plate which is movably mounted on the main support, and each tool plate is connected to a tool plate drive pneumatic cylinder. Brief description of the invention

[0005] To solve the aforementioned problems, the invention provides an assembly system for automotive lamps and an operating method thereof, wherein the assembly system comprises: two types of functional robots and numerous functional stations. Through functional robots that transfer the workpieces between different functional stations, the invention achieves automated coating, fastening, and performance testing of the complete lamp, etc., thereby reducing the amount of manual intervention and improving process integration. Furthermore, the invention also provides an assembly system with a simultaneously operating bilateral assembly line, which significantly improves the efficiency of the assembly system.

[0006] Specifically, one aspect of the present invention provides an assembly system for an automotive lamp, wherein the assembly system comprises: a gluing station, a tray and mask transport station, a first optical testing station, a second optical testing station, a complete lamp sealing performance testing station, and a complete lamp transport station, arranged sequentially, and an assembly station located near the gluing station and the tray and mask transport station. a total lamp transfer station, set up near the tray and mask transport station and the optical inspection station, wherein the total lamp transfer station has a workpiece plate comprising at least one loading or unloading position, wherein the workpiece plate rotates at a preset rate, and a tray-carrying robot and a total lamp-carrying robot.

[0007] Preferably, the gluing station, the tray and mask transport station, the assembly station and the total lamp transfer station are located in the working area of ​​the tray-carrying robot, and the total lamp transfer station, the first optical inspection station, the second optical inspection station, the total lamp sealing performance test station and the total lamp transport station are located in the working area of ​​the total lamp transporting robot.

[0008] Alternatively, the tray and mask transport station is a circular transport station and includes at least two loading positions, with a positioning attachment corresponding to the tray or mask being provided at the loading positions.

[0009] Preferably, an adhesive gun and a plasma processing unit are installed at the gluing station.

[0010] Preferably, a nail holder and a nail gun are provided at the assembly station.

[0011] Preferably, a gluing machine is set up near the gluing station.

[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention, it also provides a bilateral assembly system for automotive lamps, wherein the bilateral assembly system comprises: a first assembly line and a second assembly line, each of the first assembly line and the second assembly line comprising the assembly system according to the foregoing assembly system, and the first assembly line and the second assembly line are symmetrical.

[0013] As a further aspect of the present invention, it also presents an operating method of the assembly system for automotive lamps, comprising the following steps: A tray and mask transport station transports a tray of an automotive lamp to a processing location; a tray-carrying robot picks up one of the trays from the tray and mask transport station and moves to a gluing station; The gluing station sprays glue onto the tray; The shell-carrying robot transports and places the shell in the assembly station; The shell and mask transport station transports a mask of an automotive lamp [...] to a processing location, The shell-transporting robot returns to the shell and mask transport station, picks up one of the masks, moves to the assembly station, and attaches the mask to the shell to form a complete lamp. The tray-carrying robot transports the entire lamp to an overall lamp transfer station. The complete lamp conveying robot conveys the complete lamp from the complete lamp transfer station to a first optical inspection station or a second optical inspection station, wherein a workpiece plate rotates at the complete lamp transfer station at a preset rate, and wherein the tray conveying robot conveys the complete lamp at a first frequency to a loading position of the complete lamp transfer station, and the complete lamp conveying robot conveys the complete lamp at a second frequency from the loading position of the complete lamp transfer station to the first optical inspection station or to the second optical inspection station. The first optical testing station or the second optical testing station performs an optical test and adjustment for the entire lamp. The robot transporting the complete lamp transports the complete lamp from the first optical test station or the second optical test station to the complete lamp sealing performance test station. The complete lamp sealing performance test station performs a sealing test for the complete lamp. The complete lamp transporting robot transports the complete lamp from the complete lamp sealing performance testing station to the complete lamp transport station, and the complete lamp waits to be unloaded here.

[0014] Preferably, the tray and mask transport station is a circular transport station, includes at least two loading positions, and trays and masks of automotive lamps are placed alternately at the loading positions; The first loading position with a tray moves to the processing location; the tray-carrying robot grasps the tray. The second loading position with the mask moves towards the processing location, the tray-transporting robot moves back to the tray and mask transport station, while the second loading position arrives at the processing location, the tray-transporting robot picks up the mask from the second loading position.

[0015] Preferably, the steps for spraying adhesive onto the tray include: The tray-transporting robot moves the tray according to a preset route, a plasma processing unit at the gluing station performs surface treatment of the tray's surface, the tray-transporting robot moves the tray according to a preset route, an adhesive gun at the gluing station fills adhesive into the tray's adhesive container.

[0016] Preferably, the steps for attaching the mask to the shell to form a complete lamp include: a nail gun at the assembly station shoots nails into the preset position of the attached shell and mask to secure the shell and mask.

[0017] Preferably, the steps of transporting the complete lamp from the complete lamp transfer station to the first optical inspection station or the second optical inspection station by the complete lamp transporting robot include the complete lamp transporting robot detecting whether a complete lamp is already present in the first optical inspection station or the second optical inspection station, and placing a new complete lamp in the empty first optical inspection station or the second optical inspection station.

[0018] Preferably, a gluing machine is set up near the gluing station, and the gluing machine regularly fills the glue gun with adhesive.

[0019] As a further aspect of the present invention, it also provides an operating method for the bilateral assembly system for automotive lamps, wherein the bilateral assembly system comprises a first assembly line and a second assembly line, wherein the first assembly line and the second assembly line are symmetrical and both operate according to the operation described above.

[0020] Compared to the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: 1) Use of two types of functional robots that coordinate and cooperate and transport the workpieces between functional stations; 2) Performing the automatic gluing, fastening, and optical and sealing performance testing of the entire lamp, etc., significantly reduces the required human intervention and improves the integration level of the process; 3) Establishing a total lamp transfer station and a total lamp transport station to reduce the waiting time caused by the difference in transfer rate between processes; 4) Providing an assembly system, including a bilateral assembly line, which significantly improves work efficiency. Description of the drawings

[0021] Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of an assembly system for an automotive lamp according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a process diagram of an operating procedure of the assembly system for an automotive lamp according to Fig. 1. Reference symbol: 1 tray and mask transport station; 2 first optical inspection station; 3 second optical inspection station; 4 Total lamp sealing performance test station; 5 Total lamp transport stations; 6 gluing stations; 7 Assembly station; 8 Total lamp transfer station; 9 bowl-conveying robots; Robot transporting 10 total lamps; 11 Gluing machine. Specific embodiment

[0022] Together with the drawings and specific embodiments, the advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail below.

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of an assembly system for an automotive lamp. As can be seen from the figure, the assembly system of this embodiment mainly comprises a tray and mask transport station 1, a first optical inspection station 2, a second optical inspection station 3, a complete lamp sealing performance test station 4, and a complete lamp transport station 5. The aforementioned stations are arranged sequentially. A gluing station 6 is located near the tray and mask transport station 1, an assembly station 7 is located near the gluing station 6 and the tray and mask transport station 1, and a complete lamp transfer station 8 is located near the tray and mask transport station 1 and the first optical inspection station 2. This assembly system is further equipped with a tray-carrying robot 9 and a complete lamp-carrying robot 10.

[0024] Consequently, given the above arrangement, the assembly system can perform the following steps: loading the shell and mask using the shell and mask transport station 1, gluing the shell using the gluing station 6, assembling the shell and mask to form the complete lamp using the assembly station 7, testing and adjusting the optical performance of the complete lamp using the first optical test station 2 or the second optical test station 3, testing the sealing performance of the complete lamp using the complete lamp sealing performance test station 4, and transporting the shell, mask, and complete lamp using the shell transport robot 9 and the complete lamp transport robot 10.Furthermore, the complete lamp transfer station 8 is used to adjust the waiting time caused by the rate difference between the fastening assembly process and the subsequent optical and sealing performance testing process. And the complete lamp transport station 5 is used to provide the waiting area for unloading the complete lamp, thereby reducing the urgent need for manual operation during the unloading process.

[0025] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the gluing station 6, the tray and mask transport station 1, the assembly station 7, and the complete lamp transfer station 8 are located in the working area of ​​the tray-transporting robot 9. And the complete lamp transfer station 8, the first optical test station 2, the second optical test station 3, the complete lamp sealing performance test station 4, and the complete lamp transport station 5 are located in the working area of ​​the complete lamp transport robot 10. In view of the design of the embodiment, with reference to Fig. 2. The operating procedure of the assembly system specifically comprises the following steps: The workers place the automotive lamp housing on the loading position of housing and mask transport station 1, then transport the housing and Mask transport station 1: the tray to be processed to the processing location; The tray-carrying robot 9 moves to the location of the tray and mask transport station 1, grabs one of the trays and moves to the gluing station; The gluing station 6 sprays adhesive onto the tray; After the adhesive coating, the shell-carrying robot 9 transports the shell to the assembly station 7.

[0026] Meanwhile, the workers place the automotive lamp housing on the loading position of housing and mask transport station 1. Housing and mask transport station 1 transports the automotive lamp housing to the processing location; The shell-carrying robot 9 returns to the shell and mask transport station 1 and picks up one of the masks, then moves to the assembly station 7 and attaches the mask to the shell to form a complete lamp;

[0027] Then the tray-carrying robot 9 removes the assembled lamp from the assembly station 7 and transfers it to the total lamp transfer station 8, where it waits to be processed.

[0028] The tray-carrying robot 10 then transports the complete lamp to the complete lamp transfer station 8; The complete lamp-carrying robot 10 transports the complete lamp from the complete lamp transfer station 8 to the first optical testing station 2 or to the second optical testing station 3; The first optical testing station 2 or the second optical testing station 3 performs the optical testing of the complete lamp and adjusts the complete lamp according to the optical data for good optical performance;

[0029] After the optical inspection, the complete lamp transporting robot 10 transports the complete lamp from the first optical inspection station 2 or the second optical inspection station 3 to the complete lamp sealing performance test station 4; The complete lamp sealing performance test station 4 performs the sealing test of the complete lamp; After the sealing test, the complete lamp transporting robot 10 transports the complete lamp from the complete lamp sealing performance test station 4 to the complete lamp transport station 5, and the complete lamp waits to be unloaded here.

[0030] It can be seen from the design of the foregoing embodiment that two functional robots, used to coordinate the work, contribute to the degree of automation of the assembly process; meanwhile, the total lamp transfer station 8 is added to this embodiment so that the total lamp, which is integrated into the preceding process, can remain in the total lamp transfer station 8, thus significantly improving the efficiency of the assembly process by avoiding an assembly process block and the occupancy of various other functional stations or robots caused by the inconsistent rate between the preceding process and the subsequent process.Furthermore, in this embodiment a total lamp transport station is also provided, so that the tested total lamp can wait to be unloaded in the total lamp transport station, and the requirement for the unloading rate of the total lamp is also slowed down, and the pressure of manual unloading is reduced, in particular, waiting time of the equipment caused by manual removal can be avoided.

[0031] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tray and mask transport station 1 is a circular transport station comprising at least two loading positions. Positioning fixtures for the tray or mask are provided at the loading positions. When the tray or mask is placed on the loading position, the positioning fixture secures the tray or mask to prevent it from tipping or being deflected during transport to the processing location, thus preventing the tray or mask from being gripped incorrectly by the tray-transporting robot. The specific processing steps of the tray and mask transport station 1 include: The first loading position, with a tray attached, moves to the processing location preset by the tray-carrying robot 9. The tray-carrying robot then picks up the tray from the first loading position. The second loading position, with a mask, moves to the processing station. When the tray-carrying robot returns to the tray and mask transport station, the second loading position moves to the processing location preset by the tray-carrying robot 9, and the tray-carrying robot 9 picks up the tray from the second loading position. The aforementioned design utilizes a single transport station to perform the alternating loading of the tray and mask, thereby reducing the occupancy of the functional station, fully utilizing the varying operating time of the tray-carrying robot, and significantly improving the work efficiency of the assembly system.

[0032] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gluing station 6 consists of an adhesive gun and a plasma processing unit. The plasma processing unit is used to perform surface treatment on the adhesive reservoir in the automotive lamp; and then the adhesive gun sprays an adhesive coating onto the lamp to improve the tightness of the assembly. The specific processing steps include: The shell-transporting robot 9 moves the shell according to a preset route. The plasma processing unit at the gluing station 6 performs surface treatment on the surface of the automotive lamp shell. The shell-transporting robot 9 then moves the shell according to a preset route, and the adhesive gun at the gluing station 6 fills the adhesive reservoir of the shell with adhesive. Depending on the shape of the adhesive reservoir, different routes can be set up for the shell-transporting robot 9; consequently, in this embodiment, the robot's route can be adjusted to fit a different shell shape.

[0033] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the assembly station 7 comprises a nail gun and a nail holder, which can fix the position of the shell on the assembly station 7 and, after fastening, staple the shell to the mask. It is guaranteed that the shell will not be displaced during the nailing process, and the accuracy of the stapling nails is ensured.

[0034] According to the invention, the complete lamp transfer station 8 comprises a workpiece plate that rotates at a preset rate and includes at least one loading or unloading position, which may be located at the same or separate locations. The tray-carrying robot 9 can then place the workpieces at the loading or unloading position, and the complete lamp-carrying robot 10 can remove the workpieces from the loading or unloading position. For example, the workpiece plate may include three loading or unloading positions evenly distributed across the workpiece plate, and the mask-carrying robot 9 loads or unloads the workpiece with each rotation of the workpiece plate by one-third of its circumference.And the robot handling the entire lamp assembly, 10, can effectively adjust its working speed and pick up a workpiece at a slower rate, for example, one workpiece per rotation of the workpiece plate, thus effectively correcting the problem of the difference in working rate between the preceding and subsequent processes. The specific processing steps then include: The tray-carrying robot 9 moves at a first frequency and transports the complete lamp after it has been attached to the loading position of the complete lamp transfer station 8; then the complete lamp-carrying robot 10 moves at a second frequency and transports the complete lamp from the unloading position of the complete lamp transfer station 8 to the first optical inspection station or the second optical inspection station.

[0035] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the above-described assembly-lamp conveying robot, when moving the assembly lamp to the optical inspection station, first detects at the first optical inspection station 2 and the second optical inspection station 3 whether the assembly lamp is already present, and places the new assembly lamp at the empty first optical inspection station 2 or the second optical inspection station 3. Consequently, in this embodiment, by using two optical inspection stations that operate alternately, the work efficiency of the assembly system can be significantly improved, and the influence of the duration of the optical inspection on the overall assembly process can be avoided.

[0036] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a gluing machine 11 is also arranged upstream of the gluing station 6. In this embodiment, the gluing machine 11 can be configured to periodically fill the glue gun in the gluing station 6 with adhesive mixture. For example, the gluing machine and the glue gun can be connected by columns; then the gluing machine automatically fills the glue gun with adhesive at a preset time. It is no longer necessary for a person to estimate the remaining adhesive in the gun, and it can be ensured that there is always sufficient adhesive in the glue gun to avoid assembly errors caused by insufficient adhesive.

[0037] In summary, the present invention provides an assembly system for automotive lamps and an operating method thereof, wherein the assembly system comprises: two types of functional robots and numerous functional stations. Through functional robots that transfer the workpieces between different functional stations, the invention achieves automated coating, fastening, and performance testing of the complete lamp, etc. This reduces the amount of manual intervention and improves process integration. Simultaneously, the invention also provides an assembly system with a simultaneously operating bilateral assembly line, which significantly improves the efficiency of the assembly system.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention also provides an assembly system with a bilateral assembly line, which utilizes a bilateral assembly line to operate simultaneously, thus significantly improving the work efficiency of the lamp arrangement. Specifically referring to Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a further assembly system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from the figure, the assembly system in this embodiment comprises a first assembly line and a second assembly line, each of which includes the assembly system in the preceding embodiments. It is mirror-symmetrical, meaning that each of its functional stations is arranged in the same position and sequence. Furthermore, the first and second assembly lines can also operate according to the operating procedures of the preceding embodiments.

[0039] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to divide a gluing machine between two assembly lines, and the gluing machine simultaneously conveys the adhesive to the adhesive guns of the two assembly lines, thereby avoiding the simultaneous occupancy of space by the two gluing machines and reducing cost waste.

[0040] The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but only by way of example; the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. For a person skilled in the art, all equivalent modifications and substitutions to the invention are also within the scope of protection of the invention. Accordingly, equivalent changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

[1] Assembly system for automotive lamps, comprising: a bonding station (6), a tray and mask transport station (1), a first optical testing station (2), a second optical testing station (3), a complete lamp sealing performance testing station (4) and a complete lamp transport station (5), they are set up one after the other, an assembly station (7), set up near the gluing station (6) and the tray and mask transport station (1), a total lamp transfer station (8) located near the tray and mask transport station (1) and the first optical inspection station (2), wherein the total lamp transfer station (8) has a workpiece plate comprising at least one loading or unloading position, wherein the workpiece plate rotates at a preset rate, and a tray-transporting robot (9) and a total lamp-transporting robot (10). [2] Assembly system for automotive lamps according to claim 1, wherein the gluing station (6), the tray and mask transport station (1), the assembly station (7) and the complete lamp transfer station (8) are located in the working area of ​​the tray conveying robot (9), and the complete lamp transfer station (8), the first optical test station (2), the second optical test station (3), the complete lamp sealing performance test station (4) and the complete lamp transport station (5) are located in the working area of ​​the complete lamp conveying robot (10). [3] Assembly system for automotive lamps according to claim 1, wherein the shell and mask transport station (1) is a circular transport station and comprises at least two loading positions, and a positioning attachment corresponding to the shell or mask is provided at the loading positions. [4] Assembly system for automotive lamps according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive gun and a plasma processing unit are provided at the gluing station (6). [5] Assembly system for automotive lamps according to claim 1, wherein a nail fixing and a nail gun are provided at the assembly station (7). [6] Assembly system for automotive lamps according to claim 1, wherein a gluing machine (11) is arranged near the gluing station (6). [7] Assembly system for automotive lamps, comprising a first assembly line and a second assembly line, wherein each of the first assembly line and the second assembly line comprises the assembly system according to any one of claims 1-6, and The first assembly line and the second assembly line are symmetrical. [8] Operating procedure of an assembly system for automotive lamps, comprising [the steps]: A shell and mask transport station (1) transports a shell of an automotive lamp to a processing location, wherein a shell-carrying robot (9) picks up one of the shells from the shell and mask transport station (1) and moves to a gluing station (6); The gluing station (6) fills the tray with adhesive, The shell-transporting robot (9) transports and places the shell at an assembly station (7), The tray and mask transport station (1) transports a mask of an automotive lamp to a processing location, the shell-transporting robot (9) returns to the shell and Mask transport station (1), grabs one of the masks and moves to the assembly station (7) and attaches the mask to the shell to form a complete lamp, The tray-carrying robot (9) transports the entire lamp to an entire lamp transfer station (8), The complete lamp conveying robot (10) conveys the complete lamp from the complete lamp transfer station (8) to a first optical inspection station (2) or a second optical inspection station (3), wherein a workpiece plate rotates at the complete lamp transfer station (8) at a preset rate, and wherein the tray-carrying robot (9) transports the complete lamp at a first frequency to a loading position of the complete lamp transfer station (8), and a complete lamp-carrying robot (10) transports the complete lamp at a second frequency from the loading position of the complete lamp transfer station (8) to the first optical inspection station (2) or to the second optical inspection station (3), The first optical testing station (2) or the second optical testing station (3) performs an optical test and an adjustment for the entire lamp, The complete lamp conveying robot (10) conveys the complete lamp from the first optical test station (2) or the second optical test station (3) to a complete lamp sealing performance test station (4), The complete lamp sealing performance test station (4) performs a sealing test for the complete lamp, The complete lamp conveying robot (10) conveys the complete lamp from the complete lamp sealing performance test station (6) to a Total lamp transport station (5), and the total lamp is waiting to be unloaded here. [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein the shell and mask transport station (1) is a circular transport station, includes at least two loading positions and alternately places shells and masks of automotive lamps at the loading positions, the first loading position with a tray moves to the processing location, with the tray-carrying robot (9) grasping the tray, As the second loading position with the mask moves towards the processing location, the tray-transporting robot (9) moves back to the tray and mask transport station (1), while the second loading position arrives at the processing location, the tray-transporting robot (9) picks up the mask from the second loading position. [10] Operating method according to claim 8, wherein the steps in which the gluing station (6) sprays adhesive onto the tray comprise: The tray conveying robot (9) transports the tray according to a preset route, a plasma processing unit at the gluing station (6) performs a surface treatment of the surface of the tray, the tray conveying robot (9) transports the tray according to a preset route, an adhesive gun at the gluing station (6) fills adhesive into the adhesive container of the tray. [11] Operating method according to claim 8, wherein the steps comprise attaching the mask to the shell to form an overall lamp: A nail gun at the assembly station (7) shoots nails into the preset position of the attached shell and mask to secure the shell and mask. [12] Operating method according to claim 8, wherein the steps of transporting the complete lamp from the complete lamp transfer station (8) to the first optical inspection station (2) or to the second optical inspection station (3) by the complete lamp transporting robot (10) comprise: The robot (10) transporting the total lamp detects whether a total lamp is already present in the first optical inspection station (2) or the second optical inspection station (3), and places a new total lamp in the empty first optical inspection station (2) or second optical inspection station (3). [13] Operating method according to claim 8, wherein a gluing machine (11) is set up near the gluing station (6), and the gluing machine (11) regularly fills the glue gun with adhesive. [14] Operating method of an assembly system for automotive lamps, wherein the assembly system comprises a first assembly line and a second assembly line, the first assembly line and the second assembly line being symmetrical and both operating according to the operating method of one of claims 8-13.

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