Robot system for automatic drilling and screw placement, and automatic drilling and screw placement method therefor

Abstract

A robot system (10) for automatic drilling and screw placement, and an automatic drilling and screw placement method therefor. The robot system (10) comprises: a first mechanical arm (11), which is designed to be coupled to a drilling tool (13) and to drive the drilling tool (13) to move; a second mechanical arm (12), which is designed to be coupled to a screw driver (14) and to drive the screw driver (14) to move; a positioning and navigation system, which is designed to perform positioning and navigation on the first mechanical arm (11), the second mechanical arm (12), and a target part (31), which is to be subjected to drilling and screw placement, of an object (30) to be subjected to drilling and screw placement; an analysis control device (15), which is used for controlling the first mechanical arm (11) and the second mechanical arm (12) to perform automatic drilling and screw placement; the screw driver (14), which is designed to be coupled to a screw (21) for screw placement; and the drilling tool (13), which is configured to machine on the target part (31) a hole (32) for automatic screw placement and to machine an introduction portion (33), through which the screw (21) is introduced, in the section of the hole (32) close to the surface of the target part (31), the diameter of the introduction portion being greater than the diameter of the hole (32).

Description

Robotic system for automatic drilling and nail placement and method for automatic drilling and nail placement

[0001] For all purposes, this application claims priority to Chinese Application No. 202311075515.3, filed on August 24, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a robot system for automatic drilling and nail placement and a method for automatic drilling and nail placement. Background Art

[0003] Robots used for automated drilling and nailing require high screw placement accuracy. Placing screws in the wrong or suboptimal position can impact the effectiveness of these robotic systems. Currently, robotic drilling and nailing systems are not highly automated, with most steps still requiring manual effort. This includes aligning the robot's drilling tool with the desired location on the object and aligning the robot's nailing tools, particularly the screwdriver, with the corresponding holes. However, due to the monotonous and repetitive nature of the work, workers can easily become fatigued, leading to errors in nail placement.

[0004] To enable automated drilling and screw placement using robots, these systems typically require a computer-based pre-planning guidance system to assist workers in screw placement. This significantly improves accuracy and reduces the risk of misplaced screws. However, because automated drilling and screw placement require high-precision navigation technology, existing robots still rely on manual nail placement, making it difficult to improve efficiency.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a robot system for automatic drilling and nail placement and a method for automatic drilling and nail placement, by which the error rate of nail placement can be reduced and the efficiency of drilling and nail placement can be greatly improved.

[0007] The technical problem is solved on the one hand by a robotic system for automatic drilling and nailing, the robotic system comprising:

[0008] - a first robotic arm, which is designed to be coupled to the drilling tool and drive the drilling tool to move;

[0009] - a second robotic arm, which is designed to be coupled to the nailing device and drive the nailing device to move;

[0010] - A positioning and navigation system, which is designed to locate and navigate the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the target area of ​​the object to be drilled and nailed;

[0011] -Analysis and control equipment for controlling the automatic drilling and nailing of the first and second robotic arms;

[0012] - a nailing device, which is designed to be coupled with a screw for nailing;

[0013] - a drilling tool configured to machine a hole for automatic nail placement at the target site and to machine an introduction portion for introducing a screw in a section of the hole close to the surface of the target site, the introduction portion having a diameter larger than that of the hole.

[0014] The inventors have found that the actual position of the screw in the object to be drilled and nailed, especially the position of its axis relative to the axis of the hole pre-drilled for the screw, greatly affects the stability of the screw on the object. If the screw is not placed in the correct position, especially if the axis of the screw placed in the object to be drilled and nailed deviates from the axis of the hole opened, the screw placed in the object to be drilled and nailed can easily loosen. According to the present disclosure, by providing an introduction portion at the target part of the object to be drilled and nailed, the possibility of the screw being correctly placed in the target part can be increased, thereby allowing the positioning and navigation system of the robot system to have a certain navigation error, that is, allowing the second robot arm to have a larger range of motion for nail placement. Therefore, the introduction portion can improve the efficiency of the robot system for automatic drilling and nail placement. On the other hand, even if the robot's positioning and navigation system causes a small deviation in the alignment of the nailer with the target position, due to the presence of the introduction portion, the screw can still be placed in the correct position, that is, the target position for drilling and nailing, which can improve the efficiency of the robot system for automatic drilling and nailing.

[0015] It is more conducive for the nail setter to put the screw into the correct position when the axis of the introduction portion coincides with the axis of the hole and the diameter of the introduction portion gradually decreases in the direction away from the surface of the target part until it is equal to the diameter of the hole.

[0016] According to another development of the present disclosure, it may be provided that the analysis and control device is configured to determine the maximum diameter of the introduction portion according to the thread diameter of the screw and determine the depth of the introduction portion in the object to be drilled and nailed according to the length of the tip of the screw.

[0017] According to another extension of the present disclosure, the maximum diameter of the lead-in portion may be slightly smaller than the screw thread diameter. By setting the maximum diameter of the lead-in portion smaller than the screw thread diameter, the screw can be more tightly connected to the object and thus more securely fixed to the object to be drilled and nailed. This also ensures that the screw can be correctly positioned even if there are certain errors in the positioning and navigation of the nailing device. Additionally or alternatively, the depth of the lead-in portion in the object to be drilled and nailed can be designed to be equivalent to the length of the screw tip.

[0018] In order to improve drilling efficiency, especially the efficiency of machining a hole with an introduction portion, the analysis and control device is configured to determine a machining trajectory for the drilling tool to machine the introduction portion according to the maximum diameter and depth.

[0019] A solution that is conducive to subsequently driving the screw into the object to be drilled and nailed is that the analysis and control device is configured to control the first robotic arm to drive the drilling tool to extend into the object to be drilled and nailed to a position at least twice the depth, thereby drilling the hole.

[0020] In order to reduce idle travel time and improve processing efficiency, according to another development of the present disclosure, it may be provided that the analysis and control device is configured to cause the drilling tool to be withdrawn from the hole to the depth.

[0021] What is further beneficial to improving the processing efficiency is that the analysis and control device is configured to cause the drilling tool to process the lead-in portion at the depth according to the processing trajectory.

[0022] In order to make the robot system of the present disclosure more automated, the analysis and control device is configured so that the second robot arm drives the nail setter to place the screw into the introduction portion.

[0023] In order to simplify the processing and achieve a better nail placement effect, it is preferred that the introduction portion is designed to be conical or morning glory shaped.

[0024] The advantages of the above-mentioned various technical solutions in the robot system for automatic drilling and nail placement are also applicable to the various technical solutions in the method for automatic drilling and nail placement using the aforementioned robot system.

[0025] On the other hand, the technical problem is solved by a method for automatically drilling and placing nails using the aforementioned robot system, the method comprising the following steps:

[0026] - controlling the first robotic arm to drive the drilling tool to drill a hole for automatic nail placement at the target site;

[0027] - machining an introduction portion for introducing a screw, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the hole, close to the surface of the target site using the drilling tool;

[0028] - Navigate the second robotic arm to the target site and align the screw on the nailing device with the lead-in part;

[0029] - The screw is automatically screwed by the screw driver to complete automatic screw placement.

[0030] According to an extension of the disclosed method, it may be provided that the maximum diameter of the introduction portion is determined according to the thread diameter of the screw and the depth of the introduction portion in the object to be drilled is determined according to the length of the screw tip.

[0031] According to another extension of the disclosed method, it can be provided that the maximum diameter of the lead-in portion is smaller than the thread diameter of the screw. As a supplement or alternative, the depth of the lead-in portion in the object to be drilled and nailed is equivalent to the length of the screw tip.

[0032] According to another embodiment of the disclosed method, provision can be made for determining a machining path for machining the insertion portion by the drilling tool as a function of the maximum diameter and the depth.

[0033] According to another extension of the method disclosed herein, it may be provided that when machining the hole, the drilling tool is aligned with the target location and extended into the object to be drilled and nailed to a position at least twice greater than the depth.

[0034] In order to shorten the processing route, reduce the idle travel time and improve the processing efficiency, it is advantageous to withdraw the drilling tool of the robot system from the drilled hole to a position of the depth of the lead-in part in the object to be drilled and nailed, for example, which is previously predetermined by the analysis and control device, and to process the lead-in part at this depth so that the diameter of the lead-in part gradually expands along the axis of the hole toward the surface of the target part to the maximum diameter of the lead-in part.

[0035] The embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more details and advantages of the embodiments described in detail here will become clear. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment of a robotic system for automatic drilling and nail placement according to the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG2 schematically shows a flow chart of a non-limiting embodiment of a method for automatic drilling and nail placement using a robotic system according to the present disclosure;

[0038] 3a-3c schematically illustrate a non-limiting embodiment of method steps for automated drilling by a robotic system;

[0039] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a screw and a hole with a lead-in portion in an automatic nail placement step according to the present disclosure.

[0040] With reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the several views, the drawings primarily illustrate various elements, such as the positional relationships, connection relationships, fit relationships, and size relationships between components and members, and are not intended to limit the dimensions and specific implementation forms of these elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] It should be understood that the present disclosure may employ various alternative variations and step sequences, unless expressly specified otherwise. It should also be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification are merely illustrative and non-limiting embodiments or aspects.

[0042] As used in the specification and claims, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are not intended to limit the order but only to indicate the objects referred to. For example, robotic arms, steps, etc. are different. For example, the first robotic arm for a drilling tool can also be called the second robotic arm, and the second robotic arm for a nail setter can also be called the first robotic arm.

[0043] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a non-limiting embodiment of a robotic system 10 for automatic drilling and nail placement according to the present disclosure. The robotic system 10 for automatic drilling and nail placement includes a first robotic arm 11, a second robotic arm 12, a drilling tool 13, a nail inserter 14, an analysis and control device 15, and an unlabeled positioning and navigation system. The first robotic arm 11 is designed to couple with the drilling tool 13 and drive the drilling tool 13 to move; the second robotic arm 12 is designed to couple with the nail inserter 14 and drive the nail inserter 14 to move; the positioning and navigation system is designed to locate and navigate the first robotic arm 11, the second robotic arm 12, and a target area 31 of an object 30 to be drilled and nailed; and the nail inserter 14 is designed to couple with a screw 21 to be inserted into the target area to achieve nail placement. The coupling mentioned above can be implemented in either a mechanical or electromagnetic manner. The drilling tool 13 can be configured to machine a hole 32 for inserting the screw 21 and other structures that are beneficial for screw placement at the target site 31 , especially an introduction portion 33 that will be described in detail later.

[0044] The analysis and control device 15 of the robot system 10 can be configured to control the first robot arm 11 and the second robot arm 12 and further position and orient the robot's drilling tool 13 and nailer 14. The motion trajectories of the first robot arm 11 and the second robot arm 12, the drilling trajectory for the drilling tool 13, and the nailing trajectory for the nailer 14 can be obtained from the analysis and control device 15 respectively. The positioning and navigation system can be configured to monitor and guide the operation of the drilling tool 13 and the nailer 14 of the first robot arm 11 and the second robot arm 12 in real time to ensure precise control of the drilling tool 13 on the first robot arm 11 for drilling and the nailer 14 on the second robot arm 12 for nailing.

[0045] FIG2 schematically shows a flow chart of a non-limiting embodiment of a method for automatically drilling and placing nails using the robotic system 10 of the present disclosure. The method for automatically drilling and placing nails using the robotic system 10 of the present disclosure includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0046] First, the first step 41 is performed: the first robot arm 11 is controlled to drive the drilling tool 13 to process the hole 32 for automatic nail placement at the target part 31, wherein, before the drilling tool 13 processes the hole 32, the analysis and control system controls the first robot arm 11 to move above the target part 31 with the help of the positioning and navigation system and align it with the target part 31, especially the axis BB of the hole 32.

[0047] After the hole 32 is machined, a second step 42 is performed: the drilling tool 13 is caused to machine an introduction portion 33 for introducing the screw 21 close to the target site surface 34. The introduction portion 33 has a diameter greater than the diameter of the hole 32. In particular, the diameter of the introduction portion 33 gradually increases from the depth portion 52 of the introduction portion 33 along the axis of the hole toward the target site surface (see FIG. 4 ). After the introduction portion 33 is machined, the movement of the drilling tool 13 is paused and the first robotic arm 11 is controlled to move away from the hole 32 and, therefore, away from the introduction portion 33. By providing an introduction portion 33 at the target site 31 of the object 30 to be drilled and nailed, the probability of the screw 21 being correctly placed in the target site 31 is increased. In particular, when the nailing device 14 is aligned with the target site 31, the introduction portion 33 allows the positioning navigation system to have a certain error in the navigation of the second robotic arm 12 because it allows the screw 21 to be positioned within the maximum diameter D of the introduction portion 33. max The correct nail placement position can be smoothly placed within the range, thereby improving the efficiency of nail placement of the robot system 10 for automatic drilling and nail placement.

[0048] After the first robotic arm and its drilling tool 13 leave the target site 31, a third step 43 is performed: the second robotic arm 12 is navigated above the target site 31 and the nailing device 14 coupled to the second robotic arm 12, particularly the screw 21 coupled thereto, is aligned with the axis BB of the hole 32. In particular, the axis of the screw 21 is kept aligned with the axis BB of the hole 32, and thus the screw 21 is also aligned with the lead-in portion 33. Because the axis of the inserted screw 21 is aligned with the axis BB of the hole 32, the trajectory of the screw's drilling into the object 30 to be drilled and nailed completely covers the hole 32. Therefore, this third step 43 ensures that the screw 21 is securely fastened to the object 30 to be drilled and nailed, preventing it from loosening even after prolonged use.

[0049] Finally, the fourth step 44 is performed: the analysis control system controls the movement of the second robot arm 12 and controls the nailing device 14 to automatically screw the screw 21 to finally complete the automatic nailing.

[0050] Of course, the above steps can be performed in a different order as long as it does not conflict with the basic purpose of the present disclosure. The method of the present disclosure can be used in a more efficient manner, especially to allow the drilling tool 13 to drill the hole 32 with the lead-in portion 33 without any idle travel, and to achieve a higher efficiency and success rate for nail placement.

[0051] Figures 3a-3c illustrate a non-limiting embodiment of steps for a method of automatically drilling a hole using the robotic system 10. Figure 3a illustrates a non-limiting embodiment of the first step of automatically drilling a hole using the drilling tool 13 of the robotic system 10. In this first step, the first robotic arm 11 is controlled to align the drilling tool 13 with a target portion 31 of an object 30 to be drilled and nailed. The drilling tool 13 is then inserted into the object 30 to a first depth 51, thereby drilling a hole 32. The vertical distance from the target portion surface 34 to the first depth 51 is the depth T of the hole 32, which in turn depends on the length L of the screw 21. The movement of the drilling tool 13 in this first step can be various forms of motion that are conducive to drilling, such as rotation, translation, or a combination thereof.

[0052] FIG3 b shows a non-limiting embodiment of the second step of automatic drilling by the drilling tool 13 of the robotic system 10. In order to avoid idle strokes during the drilling process and thus simplify the drilling steps, the drilling tool 13 may not be completely withdrawn immediately after drilling the hole 32 of the depth T. Instead, the second step of automatic drilling is performed directly in the hole 32. In the second step, the drilling tool 13 is withdrawn from the first depth 51 of the hole 32 to the second depth 52 of the lead-in portion 33 in the object 30 to be drilled and nailed, and then paused. After the pause, the drilling tool 13 is moved according to a machining trajectory that helps to machine the lead-in portion 33. The machining trajectory is based on the maximum diameter D of the lead-in portion 33. max and depth t, and preferably can be designed in a spiral ascending manner so that a hole with depth t and maximum diameter D is machined. max The introduction portion 33 can be advantageously designed to be conical or trumpet-shaped in order to reduce the processing difficulty and thus reduce the processing cost.

[0053] FIG3 c shows a non-limiting embodiment of the third step of automatic drilling by the drilling tool 13 of the robot system 10. When the drilling tool 13 has completed the second step of drilling, in particular, when the drilling tool 13 has machined the maximum diameter D of the lead-in portion 33, max When, preferably when the drilling tool 13 runs to this position, at which the free end of the drilling tool 13 just contacts the edge of the target part surface 34, the third step of drilling can be performed, in particular immediately performed: stopping the movement of the drilling tool 13 for machining the introduction part 33 and preferably completely moving the drilling tool 13 away from the target part surface 34.

[0054] FIG4 schematically illustrates a screw 21 and a hole with an introduction portion 33 during the automated nail placement process according to the present disclosure, illustrating the dimensional relationship between the screw 21, the hole 32, and the introduction portion 33. As shown in this figure, the screw 21 is positioned above the object 30 to be drilled and nailed during the automated nail placement process, about to be inserted into the object 30. The screw 21 has a screw head and a shank with a length L and a thread diameter D1, which is designed to fully extend into the object 30. The shank includes a cylindrical body 36 and a tapered tip 35. A hole 32 machined in the object 30 has a diameter D2 and an axis BB. The hole 32 has a depth T in the object 30. The introduction portion 33 is located at the end of the hole 32, near the target site surface. The introduction portion 33 has an axis AA and a depth t in the object 30. The axis AA coincides with the axis BB of the hole 32. The diameter of the lead-in portion 33 gradually increases from the diameter of the hole 32 along the axis BB of the hole 32 toward the target site surface 34 to a maximum diameter D max In other words, the diameter of the lead-in portion 33 gradually decreases in the direction away from the target surface 34 until it becomes equal to the diameter of the hole 32. According to the present disclosure, in order to achieve interference fit between the screw and the object to be drilled and nailed 30 to prevent the inserted screw from loosening, the thread diameter D1 is designed to be slightly larger than the maximum diameter D of the lead-in portion 33. max Since the diameter of the tip 35 of the screw 21 is larger than the maximum diameter D of the lead-in portion 33, max When the robot system 10 performs the screw placement operation, as long as the positioning navigation system can navigate the screw 21 to the maximum diameter D of the introduction portion 33, the screw 21 can be placed to the maximum diameter D of the introduction portion 33. max The screw 21, especially the tip 35 of the screw, can be smoothly introduced into the hole 32 within the range of 0.1°. To simplify the processing of the introduction portion 33, it is advantageous that the depth T of the hole 32 in the object 30 to be drilled and nailed is much greater than the depth t of the introduction portion 33 in the object 30 to be drilled and nailed, and in particular, greater than at least twice the depth t of the introduction portion 33 in the object 30 to be drilled and nailed.

[0055] According to the present disclosure, the depth T of the hole 32 in the object 30 to be drilled and nailed can be predetermined according to the length L of the screw 21, and the depth t of the lead-in portion 33 in the object 30 to be drilled and nailed can be predetermined according to the length of the tip 35 of the screw 21, preferably equivalent to the length of the tip 35 of the screw 21, and the maximum diameter D of the lead-in portion 33 max It can be predetermined according to the thread diameter D1 of the screw 21, wherein the maximum diameter D of the lead-in portion 33 is max smaller than the thread diameter D1 of the screw 21 so that the maximum diameter D maxThe tolerance is provided to enable smooth insertion of the tip 35 of the screw 21 .

[0056] Although examples of the present disclosure are provided in the foregoing description, those skilled in the art may modify and change these examples without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, it should be understood that the features of the embodiments herein may be applicable to other embodiments described herein. Therefore, the description is intended to illustrate rather than to limit. The disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and all changes to the disclosure that fall within the meaning and equivalent scope of the claims will be included within their scope.

Claims

1. A robot system for automatic drilling and nail placement, the robot system comprising: - a first robot arm, which is designed to be coupled to the drilling tool and drive the drilling tool to move; - a second mechanical arm, which is designed to be coupled with the nail setter and drive the nail setter to move; - A positioning and navigation system, which is designed to perform positioning and navigation on the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the target part of the object to be drilled and nailed; -Analysis and control equipment for controlling the automatic drilling and nailing of the first and second robotic arms; - a nailing device, which is designed to be coupled with a screw for nailing; - A drilling tool configured to process a hole for automatic nail placement at the target site and to process an introduction portion for introducing a screw in a section of the hole close to the surface of the target site, the introduction portion having a diameter larger than that of the hole.

2. The robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The axis of the introduction portion coincides with the axis of the hole, and the diameter of the introduction portion gradually decreases in a direction away from the surface of the target site until it becomes equal to the diameter of the hole.

3. The robot system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The analysis and control device is configured to determine the maximum diameter of the lead-in portion according to the thread diameter of the screw and to determine the depth of the lead-in portion in the object to be drilled and nailed according to the length of the tip of the screw.

4. The robot system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The maximum diameter of the lead-in portion is slightly smaller than the thread diameter of the screw.

5. The robot system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The analyzing and controlling device is configured to determine a machining trajectory for machining the lead-in portion with the drilling tool according to the maximum diameter and the depth.

6. The robot system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The analysis and control device is configured to control the first robot arm to drive the drilling tool to extend into the object to be drilled and nailed to a position at least twice greater than the depth, thereby drilling the hole.

7. The robot system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The analysis and control device is configured to cause the drilling tool to be withdrawn from the hole to a position at the depth.

8. The robot system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The analysis and control device is configured to cause the drilling tool to process the lead-in portion at the depth according to the processing trajectory.

9. The robot system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The analysis and control device is configured so that the second robot arm drives the nail setter to place the screw into the introduction portion.

10. The robot system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The introduction portion is designed to be conical or morning glory shaped.

11. A method for automatically drilling and placing nails using a robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising the following steps: - Controlling the first robot arm to drive the drilling tool to process a hole for automatic nail placement at the target site; - machining an introduction portion for introducing a screw close to the surface of the target site with the drilling tool, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the hole; - Navigate the second robotic arm to the top of the target site and align the screw on the nailing device with the lead-in part; - The screw is automatically screwed by the screw driver to complete automatic screw placement.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The evaluation and control device determines the maximum diameter of the lead-in portion according to the thread diameter of the screw and determines the depth of the lead-in portion in the object to be drilled and nailed according to the length of the screw tip.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The maximum diameter of the lead-in portion is smaller than the thread diameter of the screw.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that A machining trajectory for the drilling tool to machine the lead-in portion is determined according to the maximum diameter and the depth.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that When machining the hole, the drilling tool is aligned with the target position and inserted into the object to be drilled and nailed to a position at least one time greater than the depth of the introduction portion.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The drilling tool is pulled out from the drilled hole to the depth, and the lead-in portion is processed at the depth according to the processing trajectory, so that the diameter of the lead-in portion gradually expands along the axis of the hole toward the surface of the target part to the maximum diameter of the lead-in portion.

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