Track Shoe Placement Line With Detection-Guided Belt Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in accurately and efficiently disposing heavy track shoes on a link belt due to their weight and complexity, leading to increased failure rates, labor costs, and safety concerns when using multi-axis robots.
Innovation Solution
A track-shoe transport system comprising a track-shoe supply unit, detection mechanism, pickup mechanism, transfer device, and disposition mechanism, utilizing a 3-axis and 2-axis orthogonal robots, along with a control device for precise alignment and orientation of track shoes on a link belt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a multi-axis robot is used to place track shoes on the link belt, then the track shoe placement can be automated, but the device complexity increases and the failure occurrence frequency rises
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the track shoe placement task into multiple stages: detection (50B), pickup (50C), transfer (50D), and disposition (50E). Each stage is handled by a specialized component rather than a single complex multi-axis robot, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The orthogonal robots (50C, 50E) are designed with multi-functional capabilities to perform detection, pickup, transfer, and disposition operations. This universal design reduces the need for specialized equipment for each function, simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Extent of automation
If a multi-axis robot is used to place track shoes, then automation is achieved, but the repair time at failure increases and line stop risk rises
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the placement system into separate functional units (detection 50B, pickup 50C, transfer 50D, disposition 50E), the patent enables independent monitoring and maintenance of each component. This modular approach allows faster identification and repair of failures, improving overall system reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If safety measures are taken for multi-axis robot operations, then human safety is protected, but the installation space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transfer device (50D) as an intermediary component between the pickup robot (50C) and the disposition robot (50E). This mediator enables compact spatial arrangement of the robotic systems while maintaining safe operational zones, reducing the overall installation space requirement.
4Device complexity
If manual placement of track shoes is performed, then the system is simpler, but the operation becomes difficult due to the heavy weight of track shoes
Solution Approach 1:
The pickup mechanism (50C) and transfer device (50D) are designed to automatically grasp and transport track shoes without human intervention. The system serves itself by using automated mechanisms to handle the heavy track shoes, eliminating the need for manual lifting and placement operations.
5Productivity
If the track shoe is quickly transported to the bolt-nut fastening device, then productivity increases, but the alignment precision with the link belt becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The detection mechanism (50B) provides real-time feedback on the track shoe position and orientation. This feedback is used by the control device (100) to adjust the pickup (50C) and disposition (50E) operations, ensuring precise alignment with the moving link belt while maintaining high transport speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposition mechanism (50E) is designed with dynamic adjustment capabilities to adapt to the moving link belt. The mechanism can dynamically adjust the track shoe placement position and orientation during the transport process, maintaining precision despite high-speed operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a track shoe transport system capable of accurately placing a track shoe, which is a heavy item loaded on a pallet, on a link belt on a transport line. For that purpose, a track shoe transport system (50) according to the present invention comprises a track shoe supply unit (50A) provided with a pallet on which a track shoe (2) is loaded and a lift device for the pallet, a track shoe detection mechanism (50B) that detects the track shoe supplied from the track shoe supply unit, a control device (100) that determines a state of the track shoe (a front side or rear side and positions of a long side and a short side of the track shoe) detected by the track shoe detection mechanism, a track shoe pickup mechanism (50C) that picks up the track shoe detected by the track shoe detection mechanism, a track shoe transfer device (50D) that transports the track shoe picked up by the track shoe pickup mechanism, a track shoe arranging mechanism (50E) that arranges the track shoe transported by track the shoe transfer device in corporation with a relevant track and in alignment with each partition of the link belt (10), and a link belt transport device that transports the link belt and the track shoe on the link belt.