End-of-line packing system

Abstract

An end-of-line packing system, comprising an automatic conveying mechanism (11), an automatic packing system, and a controller. The automatic conveying mechanism (11) is disposed at an outlet of a stamping line (9), and comprises a base (5) and at least two conveying mechanisms disposed parallel to each other in a conveying direction on the base (5), wherein a horizontal movement adjustment mechanism and a vertical lifting adjustment mechanism are disposed below each conveying mechanism and are both connected to the controller. The controller is configured to: on the basis of at least two preset supporting points for a specified part and the relative height between the at least two supporting points, control a sliding mechanism and the vertical lifting adjustment mechanism to adjust the spacing and relative height between the at least two conveying mechanisms. On the basis of the automatic conveying mechanism, the spacing and relative height between belts can be adjusted on the basis of optimal supporting points of parts and the relative height between said supporting points, thereby achieving stable conveying of various special-shaped parts and ensuring positional accuracy of the parts.

Description

A line-end packing system

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This invention claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410788224.7, filed on June 19, 2024, entitled "An End-of-Line Packing System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference and constitute a part of this invention for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This invention belongs to the field of computer-aided manufacturing technology, and particularly relates to an end-of-line packing system. Background Technology

[0004] The statements in this section are merely background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0005] The existing intelligent packing system's process is as follows: a vision system visually locates the parts—an automated conveyor transports the parts—a robot with an end effector picks up the parts—the robot with the end effector places the parts into the bin. When the stamped parts are initially placed on the automated conveyor, although uniformity is ensured, the irregular shapes of some parts and their varying placement patterns (e.g., some parts are placed upright, others horizontally) inevitably lead to angular differences when placed continuously on the automated conveyor. Furthermore, random displacements occur during the placement process, all of which affect the accurate picking and standardized packing of subsequent parts.

[0006] In addition, many irregularly shaped parts exist in automotive stamping, such as fenders and door panels. These parts have a V-shaped shape and discharge posture. When using traditional flat belt conveyors, the support point of the parts is the narrow part inside the parts. During the transmission process, the parts are prone to swaying and shaking. Moreover, some parts have weak support points on their bearing surfaces, which also leads to unstable part posture, making it impossible for the robot that performs the packing to accurately position them.

[0007] To enable the robot to accurately grasp parts, sensors can be directly added to the robot to monitor the relative position between the end effector and the part in real time, thereby adaptively adjusting the robot's posture. This method is more tolerant of the position and posture of the part to be grasped. However, the data transmission of the sensors and the adaptive optimization analysis of the robot's posture will cause a certain delay. That is, each adjustment of the robot is based on the relative position between the end effector and the part at the previous moment, which has a certain impact on the grasping accuracy.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this invention provides an end-of-line packing system. It can adjust the support points of the automatic conveying mechanism according to the shape of the stamped parts to be packed, thereby ensuring stable conveying of the stamped parts and improving the accuracy of robot picking during subsequent packing processes.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, one or more embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0011] An end-of-line packing system includes an automatic conveying mechanism, an automatic packing system, and a controller. The automatic conveying mechanism is located at the exit of the stamping line and includes a base and at least two conveying mechanisms arranged parallel to each other along the conveying direction on the base. Each conveying mechanism has a lateral adjustment mechanism and a lifting adjustment mechanism below it, both of which are connected to the controller. The controller is configured to control the sliding mechanism and the lifting adjustment mechanism to adjust the distance and relative height between the at least two conveying mechanisms based on at least two support points preset for a specified part and the relative height between the at least two support points.

[0012] Based on the aforementioned automatic transmission mechanism, the spacing and relative height between belts can be adjusted according to the optimal support point of the part and the relative height between each support point, which can realize the stable transmission of various irregular parts and ensure the positioning accuracy of parts gripping in the subsequent packing stage.

[0013] In some embodiments, each of the lateral adjustment mechanisms includes a lead screw, a nut, and a motor; the lead screw is mounted on a base between two adjacent conveying mechanisms, one of which is connected to the nut below, and the nut is fitted onto one side of the fixed end of the lead screw; the other end of the lead screw is connected to the motor.

[0014] In some embodiments, the base is provided with at least two parallel guide rails, and each conveying mechanism is provided with a sliding mechanism below it to guide the lateral movement of the conveying mechanism.

[0015] In some embodiments, each of the conveying mechanisms includes a support beam and a belt disposed on the support beam; a transverse support is provided below the support beam, and the conveying mechanism is connected to a nut through the transverse support.

[0016] In some embodiments, a lifting adjustment mechanism is provided between the support beam and the transverse support.

[0017] In some embodiments, of the at least two conveying mechanisms, the upper surfaces of the two conveying mechanisms on both sides are inclined, with the outer side being higher than the inner side.

[0018] In some embodiments, a visual positioning system is also provided at the exit of the stamping line; at least one part-picking robot is provided on at least one side of the automatic transfer mechanism; and an encoder is provided on the automatic transfer mechanism; the controller is further configured to:

[0019] The number of pulses of the encoder is counted;

[0020] Obtain the image of the part to be picked up on the automatic transfer mechanism;

[0021] The part is located based on the part image to obtain the actual position of the part;

[0022] Obtain the teaching image and theoretical teaching position of the part, and calculate the offset vector between the actual position and the theoretical teaching position of the part;

[0023] Based on the real-time counting of the pulses, the real-time displacement vector of the part from the moment the image was captured is calculated;

[0024] The offset vector and the real-time displacement vector are superimposed to obtain the real-time offset vector of the part;

[0025] Based on the real-time offset vector, the pose adjustment parameters of the part picking robot are calculated and sent to the part picking robot.

[0026] By pre-calculating the part offset, i.e., setting the visual positioning upstream of the robot, the offset of the part position is calculated in advance and updated in real time. This allows for more timely calculation of the robot's end-effector's posture adjustment parameters, improving the robot's real-time tracking performance. Calculating the offset of the stamped part solves the problem of large grasping deviations caused by random part placement.

[0027] In some embodiments, calculating the offset vector between the actual position of the part and the taught theoretical position specifically includes:

[0028] Obtain the actual position and the taught theoretical position of the part;

[0029] Using at least two feature points of the part as a reference, the coordinate positions of the at least two feature points in the actual position and the taught theoretical position are obtained respectively;

[0030] Based on the difference in coordinate positions of the at least two feature points, an offset vector is obtained between the actual position of the part and the theoretical position shown in the teaching diagram. The offset vector includes horizontal and vertical displacements, as well as a deflection angle.

[0031] In some embodiments, the automatic transmission mechanism is further provided with a sensing grating connected to the controller to count the number of pulses of the encoder. Specifically, this includes: responding to the sensing signal of the sensing grating, controlling the vision system to capture an image, and simultaneously recording the current number of pulses of the encoder as an initial count, or starting to count the number of pulses of the encoder and converting the count into a distance in real time to obtain a real-time displacement vector.

[0032] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: determine whether the part has reached a preset pickable range based on the real-time offset vector; if it has reached the pickable range, calculate the pose adjustment parameters of the part-picking robot in real time based on the real-time offset vector, and send them to the part-picking robot.

[0033] By converting the pick-up point of a part into a pickable range, the robot sends the part's current position to the robot and updates it in real time when the part reaches the pick-up range. This avoids the cumulative error that may be caused by the robot's repetitive actions and improves the pick-up accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0035] Figure 1 is a diagram of the end-of-line packing system architecture in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 is a front view of an automatic transmission mechanism in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 shows a transverse adjustment mechanism in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the transverse adjustment mechanism structure in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the optimal support point for the fender;

[0040] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the optimal support point for the inner panel of the door.

[0041] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a robot pose adaptive following control method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the actual and theoretical positions of the parts in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of offset vector calculation between the actual position of a part and the theoretical position shown in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] In the diagram: 1. Support beam, 2. Lateral support, 3. Lead screw, 4. Guide rail, 5. Base, 6. Drive mechanism, 601. Motor, 602. Synchronous belt, 7. Bearing housing, 8. Nut, 9. Stamping line, 10. Vision positioning system, 11. Automatic transfer mechanism, 12. Parts picking robot, 13. Material box positioning table. Detailed Implementation

[0045] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further illustration of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0046] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0047] Where there is no conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0048] One or more embodiments of the present invention provide an end-of-line packing system, as shown in FIG1, including a visual positioning system 10, an automatic transmission mechanism 11, an automatic packing system, and a controller, wherein the visual positioning system 10, the automatic transmission mechanism 11, and the automatic packing system are all connected to the controller.

[0049] The automatic transfer mechanism 11 is located between the outlet of the stamping line 9 and the automatic packing system, and is used to transfer the parts produced by the stamping line 9 to the automatic packing system. The automatic packing system is used to pack the parts.

[0050] The visual positioning system 10 is located at the automatic transfer mechanism 11 near the exit of the stamping line 9, and is used to position the parts carried on the automatic transfer mechanism 11.

[0051] The automated packing system also includes one or more parts picking robots 12, located on one side of the automated transfer mechanism 11, for picking up parts transported on the automated transfer mechanism 11 and placing them into bins on the bin positioning platform 13. Each parts picking robot 12 is equipped with a vision camera for acquiring images of the parts on the automated transfer mechanism 11 and sending them to the controller; the controller positions the parts and controls the parts picking robot 12 to pick up the parts and place them into the designated bins.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will understand that the automatic transfer mechanism 11 can be a servo-positioned belt conveyor or other device capable of automatically transferring parts. The parts-picking robot 12 can be placed upright on both sides or in the middle of the end belt conveyor, or it can be inverted, as long as its end can pick up parts. The vision camera can be mounted on the robot or in other areas, as long as its position allows it to image the parts being transferred on the automatic transfer mechanism.

[0053] Because different parts vary greatly in shape and size, irregularly shaped parts, such as fenders (the outer body panels covering the wheels), are prone to wobbling during transport due to the lack of stable support points, which negatively impacts the accuracy of subsequent automated packing. To address this issue, this invention identifies the most stable transport posture for different parts, determines at least two optimal support points, and establishes the height difference between these points. By using multiple narrow servo synchronous belts in the automated transport mechanism, each belt corresponding to one support point, the position and height of each servo synchronous belt can be adjusted according to the shape characteristics of different parts. When changing different parts, the positions of these multiple servo synchronous belts are adjusted to accommodate the requirements of various parts.

[0054] As a specific implementation, as shown in Figure 2, the automatic transmission mechanism includes a base 5 and at least two conveying mechanisms arranged parallel to each other along the conveying direction on the base 5. Each conveying mechanism is provided with a horizontal adjustment mechanism and a lifting adjustment mechanism below it, both of which are connected to a controller. The controller is configured to control the horizontal adjustment mechanism and the lifting adjustment mechanism to adjust the distance and relative height between the at least two conveying mechanisms based on at least two support points preset for a specified part and the relative height between the at least two support points.

[0055] Based on the aforementioned automatic transmission mechanism, the spacing and relative height between belts can be adjusted according to the optimal support point of the part and the relative height between each support point, which can realize the stable transmission of various irregular parts and ensure the positioning accuracy of parts gripping in the subsequent packing stage.

[0056] The base 5 provides support for the automatic transmission mechanism. The base is a frame structure, and adjustable feet and other supports are provided below the base.

[0057] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each of the conveying mechanisms includes a lead screw 3, a nut 8, and a motor 601 for its corresponding lateral adjustment mechanism. A lead screw 3 is provided on the base 5 between every two conveying mechanisms, with a nut 8 connected below one of the conveying mechanisms. The nut 8 is fitted onto one side of the fixed end of the lead screw 3. The other end of the lead screw 3 is the driving end, connected to the shaft of the motor 601 via a synchronous belt 602. The rotation of the motor shaft drives the lead screw 3 to rotate, causing the nut 8 to move the conveying mechanism above it laterally. Bearing seats 7 are provided on the base 5 at both ends of each lead screw 3, connected to the lead screw via bearings.

[0058] The base is provided with at least two parallel guide rails 4. Each conveying mechanism has a sliding mechanism below it, which can be driven by the lateral adjustment mechanism to move laterally along the guide rails 4. The lateral movement is powered by a motor 601 and a lead screw 3, and guided by the guide rails, ensuring the stability of the lateral movement.

[0059] In some embodiments, each of the conveying mechanisms includes a support beam 1 and a conveyor belt disposed on the support beam 1. A transverse support 2 is provided below the support beam 1, and the conveying mechanism is connected to a nut 8 via the transverse support 2. Those skilled in the art will understand that the conveyor belt can be a belt conveyor or a plate chain conveyor.

[0060] The lifting and adjusting mechanism is located between the support beam 1 and the transverse support 2. It is understood that the lifting and adjusting mechanism can be an electric or hydraulic lifting mechanism, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0061] The optimal support point for a part is determined by its most stable posture, which is related to its center of gravity distribution. It's also important to avoid the part's weak points. Generally, for parts with a large V-shape and height, the optimal support points on both sides are not at the same height. Figure 5 shows the optimal support points for a fender; as shown, the fender has two optimal support points at the same height. Figure 6 shows the inner door panel; as shown, the inner door panel has two optimal support points at different heights. By presetting the optimal support points and the relative heights between them for different stamped parts, and converting these into the spacing and relative heights between conveying mechanisms, the automatic conveying mechanism can stably transport parts of different shapes and sizes.

[0062] Furthermore, to further ensure stability and avoid damage to parts caused by vibration during transmission, in some embodiments, the upper surface of the belt is provided with a certain inclination angle; specifically, the support beam has a certain angle with the horizontal plane. When two conveying mechanisms are used, the support beams of the two conveying mechanisms are inclined in opposite directions, with the middle lower and the sides higher, so that the belt maintains a circular arc contact with the irregularly shaped parts, creating a wrapping effect on the irregularly shaped parts. As an example, the included angle can be 45°. For some irregularly shaped parts where it is unavoidable for the belt edge to contact the parts, a 45° angle, by increasing the contact area and avoiding the sharp angle of the belt shape, also reduces the probability of belt damage to some extent.

[0063] Understandably, to ensure the belt maintains a circular contact surface with irregularly shaped parts while maintaining its durability, certain requirements must be placed on the belt material. In some embodiments, a cut-resistant and wear-resistant polyurethane composite material is used, and the belt also incorporates galvanized steel wire, thereby ensuring the overall durability of the belt.

[0064] Based on the aforementioned improvements to the automatic transfer mechanism, adjustments to the conveying mechanism according to the parts to be transferred can ensure the stability of the parts output from the stamping line to the automatic transfer mechanism during the transfer process. However, for the same part, it is impossible to guarantee that the initial pose is completely consistent when output to the automatic transfer mechanism, which affects the picking accuracy of downstream parts.

[0065] To address the aforementioned issues, in one or more embodiments, a certain pose of a part is considered as its initial position through teaching. A visual positioning system is set at the exit of the stamping line. After the part is output to the automatic transfer mechanism, the offset of the part's position is calculated. Then, the position offset is superimposed in real time during the transfer process, thereby controlling the end tool of the robotic arm to make timely and adaptive angle adjustments to accurately grasp the part.

[0066] The automatic transfer mechanism is also equipped with an encoder. The controller is configured to perform the following pose adjustment method, as shown in Figure 7, including:

[0067] S1: Count the number of pulses of the encoder;

[0068] S2: Send an image capture command to the vision positioning system to obtain an image of the part to be picked up on the automatic transmission mechanism;

[0069] S3: Locate the part based on the part image to obtain the actual position of the part;

[0070] S4: Obtain the teaching image and theoretical teaching position of the part, and calculate the offset vector between the actual position and the theoretical teaching position of the part;

[0071] S5: Calculate the real-time displacement vector of the part from the moment the image was captured, based on the real-time counting of the pulses.

[0072] S6: Superimpose the offset vector and the real-time displacement vector to obtain the real-time offset vector of the part;

[0073] S7: Calculate the pose adjustment parameters of the part picking robot based on the real-time offset vector, and send them to the part picking robot.

[0074] The above S1-S7 are merely examples of the execution order; they are not necessarily executed in the above order. The order of some steps can be changed, and some steps can be executed simultaneously.

[0075] In step S3, the part can be located using a recognition model trained on the part to identify its position in the image. It should be noted that the theoretical teaching position refers to the pre-set position of the part as captured by the vision system when the robot performs the picking action. The settings when the vision system captures the theoretical teaching position are consistent with the settings when capturing the actual position of the part.

[0076] The calculation of the offset vector between the actual position and the taught theoretical position of the part in S4 specifically includes:

[0077] S401: Obtain the actual position and the theoretical position of the part;

[0078] S402: Using at least two feature points of the part as a reference, obtain the coordinate positions of the at least two feature points in the actual position and the taught theoretical position, respectively;

[0079] S403: Based on the difference in coordinate positions of the at least two feature points, obtain the offset vector between the actual position of the part and the theoretical position shown in the teaching diagram. The offset vector includes horizontal and vertical displacement, as well as a deflection angle.

[0080] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the coordinate system corresponding to the actual position of the part is denoted as X1o1Y1, and the two feature points are M1(X). M1 ,Y M1 ), N1(X N1 ,Y N1 The coordinate system corresponding to the theoretical position of the teaching demonstration is denoted as X1'o1'Y1', and the two feature points are M1'(X... M1’ ,Y M1’ ), N1'(X N1’ ,Y N1’ The horizontal displacement ΔX, the vertical displacement ΔY, and the deflection angle θ are calculated using the following formulas:

[0081] In some embodiments, the dimensions of the part in the teaching image are associated with its actual dimensions. Based on the offset vector between the actual position and the theoretical position of the part in the teaching image, and combined with the transformation relationship between the part's dimensions in the image and its actual dimensions, the spatial offset vector is obtained.

[0082] The part is grasped at a point on a servo-driven toothed synchronous belt automatic transfer mechanism. The positional change of the part from being photographed and positioned by the vision system to being grasped originates from its movement on the automatic transfer mechanism. Therefore, the total positional change of the part at the grasping point is the sum of the positional offset from the vision photograph and the positional offset vector during the automatic transfer process. The calculation method for the real-time displacement vector in S5 is related to the encoder's counting start time.

[0083] The automatic transmission mechanism is equipped with a sensor grating connected to the controller. When the sensor grating senses a part, it sends a sensing signal to the controller. The controller responds to the sensing signal of the sensor grating and controls the vision system to capture an image. At the same time, it records the current number of pulses of the encoder as an initial count, or starts counting the number of pulses of the encoder.

[0084] As a specific implementation, the encoder is controlled to count pulses from the moment the automatic transmission mechanism begins to move. Based on this implementation, S5, calculating the real-time displacement vector of the part from the moment the image was captured based on the real-time pulse count specifically includes: using a feature point of the part as a reference, obtaining the pulse count of the automatic transmission mechanism from the moment it begins to move to the moment the image was captured, and the real-time pulse count from the moment it begins to move to the moment of grasping; the difference yields the real-time pulse count from the moment the image was captured to the moment of grasping, thereby calculating the real-time displacement of the part from the moment the image was captured. Assume that the X-axis movement of the part's feature point from the standard static part coordinate system to this location is X. 输 (X 输 (This can be automatically calculated from the encoder pulse count of the automatic transfer mechanism); when the actual production part arrives at the gripping point, the X-axis movement from the photographed part coordinate system to the actual gripped point is X. 输1 (X 输1 (This can be automatically calculated from the encoder pulse count of the automatic transfer mechanism). Therefore, the offset between the actual part pose and the taught part pose on the automatic transfer mechanism is: ΔX 输 =X 输1 -X 输 .

[0085] As another specific implementation, the encoder counts in real time from the moment the image is captured to the moment it is picked up. That is, when the camera takes a picture of the part, the encoder is triggered simultaneously, and the encoder records the distance the part travels on the conveyor belt. Specifically, an image capture command is sent to the vision system to acquire the image of the part to be picked up on the automatic transfer mechanism; at the same time, the pulse count of the encoder begins. Based on this implementation, the real-time displacement of the part from the moment the image is captured can be directly calculated in step S5 based on the real-time pulse count.

[0086] In step S6, the offset vector and the real-time displacement vector are superimposed to obtain the real-time offset vector of the part, specifically: the combined offset of the X-axis, Y-axis, and angle in the XY plane are respectively: △X 总 =△X+△X 输 ; △Y 总 =△Y; θ 总 =θ.

[0087] Those skilled in the art will understand that the placement interval of the parts in the automatic conveying mechanism, the transmission speed of the automatic conveying mechanism, and the action time of the parts-picking robot are all determined during the teaching phase. The parts-picking robot cyclically picks up parts from the automatic conveying mechanism and places them into the material box. Each time the parts-picking robot is about to perform a picking action, the part just enters the pickable range. The pickable range is determined during the teaching phase based on the operable space of the parts-picking robot; that is, within the pickable range, the robot can perform the picking action. It is understood that the distance between the sensing grating and the pickable range is fixed, and the real-time displacement vector can be used to determine whether the part has reached the pickable range. By converting the picking point into a picking range, the parts on the automatic conveying mechanism are located in real time. When a part enters the picking range, the current position of the part is sent to the robot and updated in real time. This avoids the cumulative error that may be caused by the robot's actions and improves the picking accuracy.

[0088] In one or more embodiments, during steps S6-S7, while calculating the real-time offset vector of the part, it is also determined whether the part has reached a preset pickable range based on the real-time offset vector. If it has reached the pickable range, the pose adjustment parameters of the part picking robot are calculated in real time based on the real-time offset vector and sent to the part picking robot.

[0089] Since the real-time offset vector includes the angle and position deviation when the part is placed, as well as the displacement from when the part image is acquired to when it is picked up, the system can know the orientation and real-time positioning of the part. When the part enters the pickable range, the real-time positioning is sent, which is timely and improves the accuracy of part picking.

[0090] After the parts-picking robot picks up the parts, it also packs them into boxes. To achieve standardized packing, a mechanical positioning mechanism is provided on the box positioning platform to position the boxes. Furthermore, to unify the robot coordinate system and the box coordinate system, at least three fixed marker points are set on the box positioning platform. Specifically, one point is set as the origin, the line connecting two points forms the X-axis with its direction defined, and the vertical line connecting the other points forms the Y-axis with its direction defined. Since these three fixed marker points define a plane, during teaching, the coordinate transformation relationship between these at least three fixed marker points and the robot's end effector can be established, and the robot's initial packing pose can be determined. The initial packing pose includes the robot arm pose parameters and the end effector pose parameters.

[0091] The method further includes S8: based on the current pose of the part picking robot when picking up the part, controlling the part picking robot to switch from the current pose to the initial pose of packing, and performing packing.

[0092] In addition, a packing strategy is pre-defined based on the size of the parts. The packing strategy includes: if the part is the first part to be packed into the bin, packing is performed based on the initial packing pose; if the part is the second part to be packed into the bin, packing is performed by moving a certain distance along the length or width of the part based on the initial packing pose; and so on.

[0093] Based on the above embodiments which outline the mechanical carrier structure, process positions, and motion relationships of the system, this project further establishes the interrelationships between the visual reference coordinate system and the moving workpiece coordinate system, as well as the robot coordinate system and the material box coordinate system. It also achieves unified coordinate transformation of each part, thereby enabling the robot to automatically complete the process of picking up and placing parts. This solves the problems of random pose of stamped parts, large gripping deviation, and precise placement in multiple modes, and realizes high-precision gripping and accurate placement of stamped parts in the material box.

[0094] While the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A line-end packaging system, characterized in that, The system includes an automatic transfer mechanism, an automatic packing system, and a controller. The automatic transfer mechanism is located at the exit of the stamping line and includes a base and at least two conveying mechanisms arranged parallel to each other along the conveying direction on the base. Each conveying mechanism is provided with a lateral adjustment mechanism and a lifting adjustment mechanism below it, both of which are connected to the controller. The controller is configured to control the lateral adjustment mechanism and the lifting adjustment mechanism to adjust the distance and relative height between the at least two conveying mechanisms based on at least two support points preset for a specified part and the relative height between the at least two support points.

2. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned lateral adjustment mechanisms includes a lead screw, a nut, and a motor; the lead screw is mounted on a base between two adjacent conveying mechanisms, with one of the conveying mechanisms connected to the nut below, and the nut fitted onto one side of the fixed end of the lead screw; the other end of the lead screw is connected to the motor.

3. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The base is provided with at least two parallel guide rails, and each conveying mechanism is provided with a sliding mechanism below it to guide the lateral movement of the conveying mechanism.

4. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Each of the conveying mechanisms includes a support beam and a belt mounted on the support beam; a transverse support is provided below the support beam, and the conveying mechanism is connected to a nut through the transverse support.

5. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A lifting and adjusting mechanism is provided between the support beam and the transverse support.

6. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Of the at least two conveying mechanisms, the upper surfaces of the conveying mechanisms on both sides are inclined, with the outer side being higher than the inner side.

7. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A visual positioning system is also provided at the exit of the stamping line; at least one part-picking robot is provided on at least one side of the automatic transfer mechanism; and an encoder is provided on the automatic transfer mechanism; the controller is also configured to: The number of pulses of the encoder is counted; Obtain the image of the part to be picked up on the automatic transfer mechanism; The part is located based on the part image to obtain the actual position of the part; Obtain the teaching image and theoretical position of the part, and calculate the actual position of the part relative to the teaching image. Offset vector between theoretical positions; Based on the real-time counting of the pulses, the real-time displacement vector of the part from the moment the image was captured is calculated; The offset vector and the real-time displacement vector are superimposed to obtain the real-time offset vector of the part; Based on the real-time offset vector, the pose adjustment parameters of the part picking robot are calculated and sent to the part picking robot.

8. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Calculating the offset vector between the actual position of the part and the taught theoretical position specifically includes: Obtain the actual position and the taught theoretical position of the part; Using at least two feature points of the part as a reference, the coordinate positions of the at least two feature points in the actual position and the taught theoretical position are obtained respectively; Based on the difference in coordinate positions of the at least two feature points, an offset vector is obtained between the actual position of the part and the theoretical position shown in the teaching diagram. The offset vector includes horizontal and vertical displacements, as well as a deflection angle.

9. The end-of-line packaging system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The automatic transmission mechanism is also equipped with a sensing grating connected to the controller to count the number of pulses of the encoder. Specifically, it includes: responding to the sensing signal of the sensing grating, controlling the vision system to capture an image, and recording the current number of pulses of the encoder as an initial count, or starting to count the number of pulses of the encoder, and converting the count into a distance in real time to obtain a real-time displacement vector.

10. The end-of-line packaging system as described in any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to: determine whether the part has reached a preset pickable range based on the real-time offset vector; if it has reached the pickable range, calculate the pose adjustment parameters of the part picking robot in real time based on the real-time offset vector, and send them to the part picking robot.

Images