CN111792388B - Automatic folding mechanism and automatic folding method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic folding mechanism and an automatic folding method, wherein the automatic folding mechanism comprises the following steps: the rack is fixedly arranged; the transverse moving piece is transversely movably connected to the frame; the vertical moving piece is vertically and movably connected to the rack and used for driving a plurality of stacked objects to move; the transmission assembly is used for driving one side of the transverse moving piece to switch positions at the upper side and the lower side of the lowest article when the vertical moving piece moves vertically. Through the mode, the invention can avoid damaging the object.

Description

Automatic folding mechanism and automatic folding method

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of conveying equipment, and particularly relates to an automatic folding mechanism and an automatic folding method.

Background

In production, many products are transported and transported on pallets. For example, in the lithium battery module assembly process, the end plates of the battery modules are placed in trays and transported to a set station by a transport assembly.

In order to improve the transfer efficiency of the trays, a plurality of trays (which may be provided with components such as the end plates of the above-described battery modules) are generally stacked vertically to form a tray group and then transported. The automatic folding mechanism is used for vertically stacking a plurality of trays to form a tray group or splitting the trays in the tray group one by one.

Currently, automatic folding mechanisms include: the tray conveying mechanism, the lifting component in the vertical direction of the tray conveying mechanism and the tray cutting mechanism positioned above the lifting component comprise clamping mechanisms which can horizontally and oppositely stretch. When the second tray counted from the lifting assembly is aligned with the clamping mechanism of the tray cutting mechanism, the lifting assembly stops, the clamping mechanism extends out oppositely and clamps the aligned second tray, the first tray counted from the lifting assembly is lifted by the lifting assembly to move downwards and falls onto the tray conveying mechanism, and one-time splitting action is completed.

The clamping mechanism clamps the tray from both sides of the tray group, and the tray is easily damaged.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly solves the technical problem of providing an automatic folding mechanism and an automatic folding method, which can avoid clamping objects from two sides when the objects are split or stacked, thereby avoiding damaging the objects.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts a technical scheme that: there is provided an automatic stacking mechanism comprising:

the rack is fixedly arranged;

The transverse moving piece is transversely movably connected to the frame;

the vertical moving piece is vertically and movably connected to the rack and used for driving a plurality of stacked objects to move;

The transmission assembly is used for selectively converting the first vertical motion of the vertical moving piece into the first transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving piece in the process that the vertical moving piece moves from the first position to the second position, so that one side of the transverse moving piece is arranged below the lowest one of the stacked objects, and the object enters between the two objects after avoiding the lowest one; or (b)

In the process of moving from the second position to the first position, the second vertical motion of the vertical moving piece is selectively converted into the second transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving piece, so that one side of the transverse moving piece is led to enter below the lowest object after avoiding the lowest object from between the lowest two objects in the plurality of stacked objects;

Wherein, one side of the transverse moving member is used for supporting the object above the two lowest objects after entering between the two lowest objects or entering below the lowest object.

Further, the transmission assembly includes:

The transmission rod is provided with a matching surface at one side in the vertical direction, the transverse height of the matching surface is provided with a fall, the transmission rod is driven by the vertical moving part to vertically move, and the transmission rod can be selectively moved to the movement path of the transverse moving part in the vertical moving process;

The elastic element is connected between the transverse moving part and the frame and is used for generating an elastic force so that when the transmission rod moves to a motion path of the transverse moving part, the transverse moving part always collides with the matching surface of the transmission rod and is in a transmission matching state;

The transmission assembly is used for converting the first vertical motion of the vertical moving piece into the first transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving piece in the process that the vertical moving piece moves from the first position to the second position when the transmission rod and the transverse moving piece are in transmission fit; or (b)

And converting the second vertical motion of the vertical moving piece into the second transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving piece in the process of moving from the second position to the first position.

Further, the matching surface of the transmission rod is positioned at one side facing away from the vertical moving piece and is in a convex shape;

The elastic force generated by the elastic element enables the transverse moving piece to always keep the trend of moving towards the vertical moving piece.

Further, the mating surface includes a first plane, a second plane, and a third plane that are sequentially connected, wherein the second plane is parallel to the vertical direction, and the first plane and the third plane extend from two ends of the second plane in the vertical direction, and are disposed obliquely to the vertical moving member direction relative to the second plane.

Further, the transmission assembly includes:

The first connecting piece is fixedly connected with the vertical moving piece;

The second connecting piece is movably connected with the first connecting piece, and the transmission rod is fixed on the second connecting piece;

The second driver is used for driving the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece to move relatively, so that the second connecting piece drives the transmission rod to move, and the transmission rod can be selectively moved to a movement path of the transverse moving piece.

Further, the second connecting piece is movably connected with the first connecting piece in a direction perpendicular to the transverse direction and the vertical direction.

Further, the automatic folding mechanism further includes:

The roller is rotatably arranged on the transverse moving part around the axis of the roller, and the transverse moving part is abutted against the matching surface of the transmission rod through the roller.

Further, the automatic folding mechanism further includes:

the guide rod is fixed on the transverse moving piece;

the fixed block is fixed on the frame and is in sliding connection with the guide rod;

the limiting block is fixed on the guide rod.

Further, the automatic folding mechanism further includes:

and the third driver is used for driving the transverse moving piece to move back to the vertical moving piece.

Further, the automatic folding mechanism further includes:

and the locating pin is fixed on the transverse moving piece.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: there is provided an automatic stacking method comprising:

The vertical moving piece is moved from a first position to a second position, the first vertical movement of the vertical moving piece is selectively converted into first transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving piece, and one side of the transverse moving piece is enabled to enter between the two bottommost objects after avoiding the bottommost object from the lower part of the plurality of stacked objects; or (b)

And the vertical moving piece is moved from the second position to the first position, the second vertical movement of the vertical moving piece is selectively converted into the second transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving piece, and one side of the transverse moving piece is enabled to avoid the lowest one article from between the lowest two articles in the plurality of stacked articles and enter below the lowest article.

Further, before moving the vertical mover from the first position to the second position, the method further includes:

And moving the vertical moving piece from the lowest position to the first position, so that the vertical moving piece jacks up a plurality of stacked objects from the transverse moving piece.

Further, after moving the vertical mover from the first position to the second position, the method further includes:

and moving the vertical moving piece from the second position to the lowest position, so that the vertical moving piece lifts the lowest object to move downwards until the object falls onto the conveying assembly, and the rest objects fall onto the transverse moving piece.

Further, before moving the vertical mover from the second position to the first position, the method further includes:

And the vertical moving piece is moved from the lowest position to the second position, so that the vertical moving piece jacks up the objects to be stacked from the conveying assembly and lifts the objects to be stacked to move upwards, and the objects to be stacked and the rest objects falling on the transverse moving piece are stacked to form a plurality of stacked objects.

Further, after moving the vertical mover from the second position to the first position, the method further includes:

The vertical moving piece is moved from the first position to the lowest position, so that the vertical moving piece lifts the stacked objects to move downwards, and the stacked objects fall on the transverse moving piece.

The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows: in the invention, one side of the transverse moving member switches positions at two sides of the lowest article in the process of splitting or stacking the articles, and the articles above the transverse moving member are supported by the transverse moving member after the single splitting operation or stacking operation is finished, so that the articles are prevented from being damaged.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an automatic folding mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present application, in which a vertical moving member is located at a first position;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an automatic folding mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present application, in which a vertical moving member is located at a second position;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an automatic folding mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present application, in which the vertical moving member is located at the lowest position;

FIG. 4 is a partial top view of a first embodiment of the automated folding mechanism of the present application;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a partial view A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a transfer assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the automated folding mechanism of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a part of a second embodiment of an automatic folding mechanism according to the present application;

Fig. 8 is a partial schematic view of a third embodiment of the automated folding mechanism of the present application.

In the drawing the view of the figure,

20. A tray set;

1000. An automatic folding mechanism;

100. A transmission assembly;

110. a transmission unit 111, a frame body 112, a driving wheel 113, a driven wheel 114, a conveyor belt,

120. A drive shaft 130;

200. A jacking assembly;

210. vertical shifter 220. First driver 221. First cylinder 222. First piston rod;

300. A holding assembly;

310. The device comprises a transverse moving part 311, a locating pin 320, a rack 330, a sliding block 340 and a sliding rail 350.

The roller wheel, 360, the guide rod, 370, the fixed block, 380, the limiting block, 390 and the third driver;

400. a transmission assembly;

401. Elastic element 402, drive rod 4021, mating surface 40211, first plane 40212.

Second plane 40213 third plane 403 first connector 404 second connector 405.

Slide block 406, guide rail 407, second driver;

2000. an automatic folding mechanism;

2100. the driving rod 2200, the lateral moving member 2110, the mating surface 2111, the first plane,

2112. A second plane, 2113;

3000. an automatic folding mechanism;

3100. a driving rod 3200, a lateral moving member 3110, a mating surface 3120,

3300. And a roller.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is evident that the embodiments described are only some, but not all embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

It should be noted that, if directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear … …) are included in the embodiments of the present invention, the directional indications are merely used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement conditions, etc. between the components in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the specific posture is changed, the directional indications are correspondingly changed.

In addition, if there is a description of "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the description of "first", "second", etc. is for descriptive purposes only and is not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, the technical solutions of the embodiments may be combined with each other, but it is necessary to base that the technical solutions can be realized by those skilled in the art, and when the technical solutions are contradictory or cannot be realized, the combination of the technical solutions should be considered to be absent and not within the scope of protection claimed in the present invention.

The embodiment of the invention provides an automatic folding mechanism. The automatic folding mechanism comprises: the rack is fixedly arranged; the transverse moving piece is transversely movably connected to the frame; the vertical moving piece is vertically and movably connected to the rack and used for driving a plurality of stacked objects to move; the transmission assembly is used for selectively converting the first vertical motion of the vertical moving piece into the first transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving piece in the process that the vertical moving piece moves from the first position to the second position, so that one side of the transverse moving piece is arranged below the lowest one of the stacked objects, and the object enters between the two objects after avoiding the lowest one; or in the process of moving from the second position to the first position, the second vertical movement of the vertical moving member is selectively converted into the second transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving member, so that one side of the transverse moving member is led to enter below the lowest one article from among the plurality of stacked articles after avoiding the lowest one article, wherein one side of the transverse moving member is used for supporting the articles above the lowest two articles after entering between the lowest two articles or entering below the lowest one article.

The embodiment of the invention provides an automatic piece folding method, which comprises the following steps: the vertical moving piece is moved from a first position to a second position, the first vertical movement of the vertical moving piece is selectively converted into first transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving piece, and one side of the transverse moving piece is enabled to enter between the two bottommost objects after avoiding the bottommost object from the lower part of the plurality of stacked objects; or the vertical moving piece is moved from the second position to the first position, and the second vertical movement of the vertical moving piece is selectively converted into the second transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving piece, so that one side of the transverse moving piece is led to enter below the lowest one after avoiding the lowest one from the two lowest objects in the plurality of stacked objects.

The automatic folding mechanism and the automatic folding method provided by the invention are described in detail below with reference to the embodiments, and the above-mentioned objects may be trays, and the description is given below taking the trays as an example.

Embodiment one:

As shown in fig. 1 to 6, the present application provides an automatic stacking mechanism 1000 for stacking M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 … and 10-M in order to form a tray group 20, or splitting the tray group 20 into M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 and … and 10-M, wherein M is an integer greater than 1. The automatic folding mechanism 1000 includes: the transfer assembly 100, the jacking assembly 200, the two holding assemblies 300, and the two transmission assemblies 400.

The conveying path of the conveying assembly 100 includes a first station, a second station, and a third station. In the case of stacking trays, the conveying assembly 100 is configured to sequentially convey M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M from a first station to a second station, sequentially stack the M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, …, 10-M at the second station to form the tray set 20, and convey the tray set 20 to a third station by the conveying assembly 100. In the case of splitting trays, the transport assembly 100 is used to transport the tray set 20 from the first station to the second station, where the tray set 20 is split into M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M in sequence, and each tray 10-1 …, 10-M is transported to the third station by the transport assembly 100 after being split.

The transmission assembly 100 may include two parallel and spaced transmission units 110, a transmission shaft 120, and a driver 130, each transmission unit 110 includes a frame body 111, a driving wheel 112, a plurality of driven wheels 113, and a transmission belt 114, the frame body 111 is fixedly disposed and extends along a transmission path, the driving wheel 112 and the plurality of driven wheels 113 are spaced on the frame body 111 along the transmission path, and the transmission belt 114 is disposed around the driving wheel 112 and the plurality of driven wheels 113. The transmission shaft 120 is fixedly connected to the driving wheel 112 in each transmission unit 110, and is used for driving the driving wheel 112 to rotate under the driving of the driver 130, so as to drive the conveyor belt 114 to rotate circularly, thereby conveying each tray 10-1 … -10-M or tray group 20 placed on the conveyor belt 114. The driver 130 may be a motor.

The two transmission units 110 in the transmission assembly 100 are arranged at intervals, so that the jacking assembly 200 can be conveniently arranged, and the description of the jacking assembly 200 is specifically provided below.

The above-described transfer assembly 100 and its specific structure are provided only to more fully describe the operation of the automated stacking mechanism 1000 and are not limiting of the present application.

The two holding assemblies 300 may be disposed on two sides of the transmission assembly 100, each holding assembly 300 includes a lateral moving member 310 and a rack 320, the rack 320 is fixedly disposed, and may be fixed on the frame body 111 of the transmission unit 110 or fixed on the ground, and the lateral moving member 310 is movably connected to the rack 320 in a lateral direction.

The specific structure of the transverse moving member 310 movably connected to the frame 320 in the transverse direction is as follows:

Each holding assembly 300 further includes a sliding block 330 and a sliding rail 340, the sliding rail 340 is fixed on a surface of the frame 320 facing the lateral moving member 310 and extends in a lateral direction, and the sliding block 330 is fixed on a surface of the lateral moving member 310 facing the frame 320 and is clamped on the sliding rail 340, and is slidably matched with the sliding rail 340, so as to slide reciprocally relative to the sliding rail 340.

In the present embodiment, two holding assemblies 300 are disposed on two sides of the conveying assembly 100 to stably support the tray 10-1 … -10-M thereon. In other embodiments, one holding assembly 300, or more than 3 holding assemblies 300 may be provided. The arrangement position of the holding assembly 300 can also be determined according to the specific situation. The number and arrangement of the holding components 300 in this embodiment is not a limitation of the present application.

The jacking assembly 200 may be disposed between two transmission units 110 of the transmission assembly 100, where the jacking assembly 200 includes a vertical shifter 210 and a first driver 220, and the first driver 220 is fixedly disposed for driving the vertical shifter 210 to reciprocate vertically. The first driver 220 may be a first cylinder or a first cylinder, and includes a first cylinder 221 and a first piston rod 222, wherein the first cylinder 221 may be fixed on the frame 320, and an end of the first piston rod 222 is fixedly connected to a lower surface of the vertical mover 210. In this embodiment, the first driver 220 drives the vertical moving member 210 to move vertically, and in other embodiments, other structures may be implemented, for example, a motor lead screw nut set, which is a prior art and will not be described herein. The first driver 220 does not constitute a limitation of the present application.

The two transmission assemblies 400 are respectively in one-to-one correspondence with the two holding assemblies 300, and each transmission assembly 400 is used for selectively converting the first vertical motion of the vertical moving member 210 into the first transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving member 310 in the process that the vertical moving member 210 moves from the first position to the second position, so that one side (close to the outer edge of the vertical moving member 210) of the transverse moving member 310 enters between the two lowermost trays after avoiding the lowermost tray from the lower part of the lowermost tray in the stacked trays; or in moving from the second position to the first position, the second vertical motion of the vertical moving member 210 is optionally converted into the second horizontal reciprocating motion of the horizontal moving member 310, so that one side of the horizontal moving member 310 is avoided from between the two bottom trays in the stacked trays, and then enters below the bottom tray.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the vertical height of the first position is H1, and the vertical height of the second position is H2, where H1 > H2.

The process of moving the vertical mover 210 from the first position to the second position is part of the process of disassembling the tray, and the process of moving the vertical mover 210 from the second position to the first position is part of the process of stacking the tray.

Specifically, the transmission assembly 400 includes a transmission rod 402 and an elastic element 401.

The driving rod 402 is provided with a matching surface 4021 on one side in the vertical direction, the transverse height of the matching surface 4021 has a drop (height fluctuation), the driving rod 402 is driven by the vertical moving member 210 to vertically move, and the driving rod 402 can be selectively moved to the movement path of the transverse moving member 310 in the vertical moving process.

The elastic element 401 is connected between the traverse 310 and the frame 320, and is used for generating an elastic force, so that when the transmission rod 402 moves to the motion path of the traverse 310, the traverse 310 always abuts against the matching surface 4021 of the transmission rod 402, and is in a transmission matching state. The elastic element 401 may be a spring, a rubber pad.

In this embodiment, there is a drop in the lateral height of the mating surface 4021, and the lateral moving member 310 is still abutted against the mating surface 4021 under the action of the elastic member 401, so that the drop in the lateral height of the mating surface 4021 is converted into the lateral movement (the first lateral reciprocating movement and the second lateral reciprocating movement) of the lateral moving member 310, thereby forming a driving engagement.

In other embodiments, the elastic element 401 may be omitted, and other driving engagement structures may be used, see, in particular, the third embodiment.

Further, the mating surface 4021 of the transmission rod 402 is located on a side facing away from the vertical shifter 210 and is in a convex shape. The elastic force generated by the elastic member 401 keeps the lateral mover 310 moving toward the vertical mover 210 all the time.

In other embodiments, the mating surface 4021 may also be located on the side facing the vertical mover 210, see in particular embodiment two.

Further, the mating surface 4021 includes a first plane 40211, a second plane 40212, and a third plane 40213 connected in sequence, wherein the second plane 40212 is parallel to the vertical direction, and the first plane 40211 and the third plane 40213 extend from two ends of the second plane 40212 in the vertical direction and are disposed obliquely to the direction of the vertical shifter 210 with respect to the second plane 40212.

Wherein, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, a length L3 > L1 of the vertical projection of the first plane 40211 in the lateral direction is a depth of the lateral shifter 310 under the lateral insertion tray. The length L2 > L1 of the vertical projection of the third plane 40213 in the lateral direction. The length L4 < L0 of the transverse projection of the mating surface 4021 in the vertical direction, L0 being the spacing of two adjacent trays.

In the state that the transmission rod 402 is in transmission engagement with the lateral moving member 310, during the process that the vertical moving member 210 moves from the first position to the second position, the movement process of the lateral moving member 310 is as follows:

The lateral moving member 310 abuts against the third plane 40213, and is driven by the third plane 40213 to move along the lateral direction back to the vertical moving member 210, which can be regarded as the process that the lateral moving member 310 withdraws from the vertical projection area of the tray;

The lateral moving member 310 is abutted against the second plane 40212, and during the abutting against the second plane 40212, the lateral position is unchanged, and in the process, the lateral moving member 310 is completely withdrawn from the vertical projection area of the tray so as to avoid the vertical movement of the tray;

the lateral moving member 310 abuts against the first plane 40211, and is driven by the first plane 40211 to move along the lateral direction towards the vertical moving member 210, which can be regarded as that the lateral moving member 310 is reinserted into the tray in the vertical projection area so as to support the tray above the lateral moving member 310.

In the state that the transmission rod 402 is in transmission engagement with the lateral moving member 310, during the process that the vertical moving member 210 moves from the second position to the first position, the movement process of the lateral moving member 310 is as follows:

The lateral moving member 310 abuts against the first plane 40211, and is driven by the first plane 40211 to move along the lateral direction back to the vertical moving member 210, which can be regarded as the process that the lateral moving member 310 withdraws from the vertical projection area of the tray;

The lateral moving member 310 is abutted against the second plane 40212, and during the abutting against the second plane 40212, the lateral position is unchanged, and in the process, the lateral moving member 310 is completely withdrawn from the vertical projection area of the tray so as to avoid the vertical movement of the tray;

the lateral moving member 310 abuts against the third plane 40213, and is driven by the third plane 40213 to move towards the vertical moving member 210 along the lateral direction, which can be regarded as the process of reinserting the tray into the vertical projection area by the lateral moving member 310 to support the tray above the lateral moving member 310.

In other embodiments, the mating surface 4021 may be other shapes, such as arcuate.

In addition, the following is a specific scheme of the transmission rod 402 selectively moving to the motion path of the lateral moving member 310 during the vertical movement:

The transmission assembly 400 further includes a first coupling 403, a second coupling 404, and a second driver 407. The first connecting piece 403 is fixedly connected with the vertical moving piece 210, the second connecting piece 404 is movably connected with the first connecting piece 403, the transmission rod 402 is fixed on the second connecting piece 404, and the second driver 407 is used for driving the first connecting piece 403 and the second connecting piece 404 to move relatively, so that the second connecting piece 404 drives the transmission rod 402 to move, and further, the transmission rod 402 can be selectively moved to a movement path of the transverse moving piece 310.

The first connecting member 403 is substantially U-shaped, with one end connected to the second connecting member 404 and the other end connected to the vertical mover 210. The U-shaped structure may avoid interference of the first link 403 with the frame 320 during vertical movement following the vertical movement 210.

The second driver 407 may be a second cylinder or a second air cylinder, and includes a second cylinder body and a second piston rod, where the second cylinder body and the second piston rod are respectively fixed on the first connecting piece 403 and the second connecting piece 404, and when the second cylinder body and the second piston rod move relatively, the first connecting piece 403 and the second connecting piece 404 are driven to move relatively. In other embodiments, the second driver 407 may also be a motor lead screw nut set.

The specific scheme of the movable connection between the second connecting piece 404 and the first connecting piece 403 is as follows:

The second connecting piece 404 is fixed with a slider 405 towards the side surface of the first connecting piece 403, the first connecting piece 403 is fixed with a guide rail 406 towards the side surface of the second connecting piece 404, and the slider 405 is clamped on the guide rail 406 and is in sliding fit with the guide rail 406, so that the slider can slide back and forth in the extending direction of the guide rail 406.

Further, the second connecting member 404 is movably connected with the first connecting member 403 in a direction perpendicular to the lateral and vertical directions. That is, the direction of extension of the rail 406 is perpendicular to the lateral and vertical directions.

In order to make the transmission engagement between the transmission rod 402 and the lateral moving member 310 smoother, the holding assembly 300 further includes a roller 350, wherein the roller 350 is rotatably disposed on the lateral moving member 310 around an axis thereof, and the lateral moving member 310 abuts against the engagement surface 4021 of the transmission rod 402 through the roller 350. The roller 350 may be a bearing having an inner race fixedly coupled to the traverse 310 and an outer race configured to abut the mating surface 4021 of the drive rod 402.

When the lateral moving member 310 directly collides with the matching surface 4021, a sliding friction force is generated, and when the roller 350 collides with the matching surface 4021, a rolling friction force is generated, wherein the rolling friction force is smaller than the sliding friction force, so that the transmission rod 402 and the lateral moving member 310 can be in transmission fit more smoothly by arranging the roller 350.

In this embodiment, when the transmission assembly 400 is not in transmission, that is, when the lateral moving member 310 is not in transmission engagement with the transmission rod 402, the lateral moving member 310 will be drawn toward the vertical moving member 210 under the elastic force of the elastic element 401. A limit structure is provided to limit the position of the traverse 310. To this end, the holding assembly 300 further includes a guide rod 360, a fixing block 370 and a stopper 380. The guide rod 360 is fixed on the transverse moving member 310, the fixed block 370 is fixed on the frame 320 and is in sliding connection with the guide rod 360, and the limiting block 380 is fixed on the guide rod 360 and is positioned on the side, facing away from the elastic element 401, of the fixed block 370. When the transmission assembly 400 is not in transmission, the limiting block 380 abuts against the fixed block 370 to limit the continuous movement of the lateral moving member 310 along the direction of the elastic force generated by the elastic element 401.

In addition, when the drive assembly 400 is not driving, a portion of the lateral mover 310 is located within the vertical projection area of the tray. In the split tray scenario, the tray set 20 needs to be lifted above the traverse member 310, supported by the traverse member 310, and then split into M trays 10-1 … -M in sequence. During lifting, the lateral movement member 310 blocks the vertical movement of the tray set 20. Similarly, in a stacked tray scenario, the stacked tray set 20 needs to be dropped onto the transfer assembly 100 and transported by the transfer assembly 100 to the third station. The lateral movement member 310 blocks the vertical movement of the tray set 20 during the falling process. To eliminate obstruction, the lateral movement member 310 needs to be driven back to the vertical movement member 210 to avoid the tray set 20. For this purpose, the holding assembly 300 further includes a third driver 390, where the third driver 390 is configured to drive the lateral shifter 310 to move away from the vertical shifter 210. The third driver 390 removes the driving force after driving the traverse 310 to move away from the vertical traverse 210, so as to avoid obstructing the subsequent traverse 310 from moving in the lateral direction.

Specifically, the third driver 390 may be a third cylinder or a third oil cylinder, including a third cylinder body and a third piston rod, where the third cylinder body and the third piston rod are respectively and fixedly connected to the lateral moving member 310 and the frame 320, so as to drive the lateral moving member 310 to move relative to the frame 320. When the third driver 390 is a third cylinder, the third cylinder drives the transverse moving member 310 to move away from the vertical moving member 210, i.e. no longer ventilates, so as to achieve the purpose of removing the driving force.

In other embodiments, the third driver 390 may be a motor lead screw nut assembly that drives the traverse 310 relative to the frame 320 via a motor.

In order to make the lateral moving member 310 more stably support the tray thereon, the holding assembly 300 further includes a positioning pin 311, and the positioning pin 311 is fixed to the lateral moving member 310. Correspondingly, each tray 10-1 … -M is provided with a positioning hole matched with the positioning pin 311.

In other embodiments, the positioning holes may be formed in the traverse 310, or both the positioning holes and the positioning pins may be formed in the traverse 310.

The working processes of the automatic folding mechanism of the present embodiment for separating the tray and stacking the tray are described below.

The process of splitting the tray set 20 into M trays 10-1 … 10-M specifically includes the following steps:

s101: the transfer assembly 100 operates to transfer the tray stack 20 from the first station to the second station.

In this step, the tray set 20 is located above the vertical mover 210 when it is located at the second station.

S102: the vertical mover 210 moves upward to the first position, and at the same time, the third driver 390 drives the lateral mover 310 to move away from the vertical mover 210, thereby avoiding the tray set 20.

In this step, when the vertical mover 210 is located at the first position, the bottom surface of the bottommost tray is higher than the lateral mover 310.

S103: the vertical mover 210 moves downward from the first position to the second position while the select drive link 402 is in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

One side of the traverse member 310 passes from below the lowermost tray of the tray set 20, out of the lowermost tray and between the lowermost trays.

S104: the vertical mover 210 moves downward from the second position to the lowest position while the select drive link 402 is not in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

In this step, the vertical height at the lowest position is H3 (see fig. 1), and the upper surface of the vertical mover 210 is lower than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 114 of the transfer assembly 100, and the vertical mover 210 can lift up the tray located on the transfer assembly 100. The lowest positions hereinafter all mean the same as the lowest positions herein.

In this step, the lowermost tray falls onto the conveyor assembly 100 following the vertical movement and the remaining trays fall onto the lateral movement 310.

S105: the transfer assembly 100 conveys the tray dropped on the transfer assembly 100 to the third station.

S106: the vertical mover 210 is moved upward to the first position while the select drive link 402 is not in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

In this step, the reason why the driving engagement state is not selected is that the tray is placed above the vertical mover 210 during the upward movement of the vertical mover 210 to the first position, and the vertical mover 210 is not laterally movable during this process.

S107: and repeating the steps 103 to 106 until all the trays in the tray group 20 are detached.

The splitting operation is performed once every time the steps 103 to 105 are repeated.

Taking the split tray 10-N as an example, a split operation is described, wherein N is 1,2 and 3 … … M.

When N is 1:

In step S103, during the process of moving the vertical moving member 210 from the first position to the second position, the control transmission assembly 400 converts the first vertical movement of the vertical moving member 210 into the first transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving member 310, and one side of the transverse moving member 310 enters between the trays 10-1 and 10-2 after avoiding the tray 10-1 from below the tray 10-1. During the movement of the vertical mover 210 from the second position to the lowermost position, the stacked trays 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M are landed on the lateral mover 310, supported by the lateral mover 310.

In step S104, the tray 10-1 moves downward following the vertical mover 210 until it falls onto the transfer assembly 100.

In step S105, the transfer assembly 100 transfers the tray 10-1 to the third station.

In step S106, the stacked trays 10-2, 10-3 … -M are lifted off the lateral mover 310 during the vertical movement of the vertical mover 210.

When N is 2, 3 … … M-1:

in step S103, during the process of moving the vertical moving member 210 from the first position to the second position, the control transmission assembly 400 converts the first vertical movement of the vertical moving member 210 into the first transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving member 310, and one side of the transverse moving member 310 enters between the trays 10-N and 10- (n+1) after avoiding the tray 10-N from below the tray 10-N. During the movement of the vertical mover 210 from the second position to the lowermost position, the stacked trays 10- (n+1), 10- (n+2) … -M are landed on the lateral mover 310, supported by the lateral mover 310.

In step S104, the tray 10-N moves downward following the vertical mover 210 until it falls onto the transfer assembly 100.

In step S105, the transfer assembly 100 transfers the tray 10-N to a third station.

In step S106, the stacked trays 10- (n+1), 10- (n+2) … -M are lifted off the traverse 310 during the vertical movement of the vertical mover 210.

When N is M:

In step S103, during the process of moving the vertical moving member 210 from the first position to the second position, the control transmission assembly 400 converts the first vertical movement of the vertical moving member 210 into the first transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving member 310, and one side of the transverse moving member 310 moves from below the tray 10-M, and enters above the tray 10-M after avoiding the tray 10-M. During the movement of the vertical mover 210 from the second position to the lowermost position, there is no tray above the lateral mover 310.

In step S104, the tray 10-M moves downward following the vertical mover 210 until it falls onto the transfer assembly 100.

In step S105, the transfer assembly 100 transfers the tray 10-M to the third station.

In step S106, the vertical mover 210 is vertically moved without a load above.

The process of stacking M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M together to form tray group 20 specifically includes the steps of:

S201: the transfer assembly 100 transfers the trays from the first station to the second station.

In this step, the tray is located above the vertical mover 210 when in the second station.

S202: the vertical mover 210 moves upward from the lowermost position to the second position while the select drive link 402 is not in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

In this step, the tray is lifted up by the vertical shifter 210, and is driven to rise by the vertical shifter 210.

S203: the vertical mover 210 moves upward from the second position to the first position while the select drive link 402 is in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

In this step, one side of the traverse member 310 passes from between the lowermost two trays among the stacked trays to the lowermost one tray and then passes under the lowermost one tray.

S204: the vertical mover 210 moves down to the lowest position while the select drive link 402 is not in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

In this step, the tray is placed over the traverse 310.

S205: the steps S201-S204 are repeated until M trays 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 … and 10-M are stacked to form the tray group 20.

The stacking operation is performed once every time the steps S201 to S204 are repeated.

Taking the stacking tray 10-N as an example, a stacking operation will be described, where N is 1, 2, 3 … … M.

When N is 1:

In step S201, the transfer assembly 100 transfers the tray 10-1 from the first station to the second station.

In step S202, the vertical mover 210 lifts the tray 10-1 off the transport assembly 100 and lifts the tray 10-1 during the vertical movement.

In step S203, one side of the traverse member 310 is moved from above the tray 10-1 to below the tray 10-1 after being retracted from the tray 10-1.

In step S204, the tray 10-1 is placed on the traverse 310 and supported by the traverse 310.

When N is 2, 3 … … M:

In step S201, the transfer assembly 100 transfers the tray 10-N from the first station to the second station.

In step S202, the vertical mover 210 lifts the tray 10-N off the transport assembly 100 and lifts the tray 10-N during vertical movement.

In step S203, one side of the traverse member 310 is retracted from the middle of the trays 10- (N-1), 10-N, and then enters the lower portion of the tray 10-N after being retracted from the tray 10-N.

In step S204, the stacked trays 10-1, 10-2 …, 10-N are dropped onto the traverse 310, supported by the traverse 310.

S206: the vertical mover 210 is moved upward to the first position while the select drive link 402 is not in driving engagement with the lateral mover 310.

In this step, the vertical mover 210 moves upward to the first position, lifting up the tray set 20, so that the tray set 20 is separated from the lateral mover 310.

S207: the vertical mover 210 is driven to move downward to the lowest position, and at the same time, the third driver 390 drives the lateral mover 310 to move away from the vertical mover 210, thereby avoiding the tray set 20.

In this step, the tray set 20 is dropped onto the transfer assembly 100.

S208: the transfer assembly 100 conveys the pallet group 20 to the third station.

In this embodiment, during the process of splitting or stacking the trays, one side of the transverse moving member 310 switches positions at two sides of the lowermost tray, and after a single splitting operation or stacking operation is completed, the tray above the transverse moving member 310 is supported, so that damage to the tray is avoided.

Meanwhile, the transmission assembly 400 converts the vertical motion of the vertical moving member 210 into the transverse motion of the transverse moving member 310, so that the transverse position of the transverse moving member 310 is associated with the vertical position of the vertical moving member 210, one side of the transverse moving member 310 can be ensured to be accurately inserted above or below the lowermost tray, and the tray is prevented from being damaged by insertion.

Embodiment two:

As shown in fig. 7, the present application provides an automatic folding mechanism 2000, and in comparison with the first embodiment, another scheme of the transmission assembly is provided in this embodiment.

Specifically, the automated folder mechanism 2000 includes a vertical-facing mover (not shown), a lateral mover 2200, a transmission lever 2100, and an elastic member (not shown). The mating surface 2110 of the drive rod 2100 is located on the side facing the vertical mover and is in the form of a groove. The elastic force generated by the elastic element keeps the lateral mover 2200 always moving away from the vertical mover (to the left in fig. 8).

Further, the mating surface 2110 includes a first plane 2111, a second plane 2112, and a third plane 2113 connected in sequence, wherein the second plane 2112 is parallel to the vertical direction, and the first plane 2111 and the third plane 2113 extend from both ends of the second plane 2111 in the vertical direction, respectively, and are disposed obliquely to the vertical direction of the mover with respect to the second plane 2112.

In the state that the transmission lever 2100 is in transmission engagement with the lateral moving member 2200, the movement process of the lateral moving member 2200 in moving the vertical moving member from the first position to the second position is as follows:

The transverse moving member 2200 is abutted against the third plane 2113, and is driven by the third plane 2113 to move along the transverse direction back to the vertical moving member 210; the lateral movement 2200 again collides with the second plane 2112, and the position in the lateral direction is unchanged during the collision with the second plane 2112; the lateral moving member 2200 is further abutted against the first plane 2111, and is driven by the first plane 2111 to move towards the vertical moving member along the lateral direction.

In the state that the transmission lever 2100 is in transmission engagement with the lateral moving member 2200, the movement process of the lateral moving member 2200 in moving the vertical moving member from the second position to the first position is as follows:

The transverse moving piece 2200 is abutted against the first plane 2111, and is driven by the first plane 2111 to move along the transverse back vertical moving piece; the lateral movement 2200 again collides with the second plane 2112, and the position in the lateral direction is unchanged during the collision with the second plane 2112; the lateral moving member 2200 is further abutted against the third plane 2113, and is driven by the third plane 2113 to move towards the vertical moving member along the lateral direction.

From the above analysis, the transmission assembly of the second embodiment can achieve the effect of the transmission assembly of the first embodiment.

This embodiment only describes the differences from the first embodiment, and the rest is referred to the first embodiment

In this embodiment, during the process of disassembling or stacking the trays, one side of the traverse member 2200 is switched to the two sides of the lowermost tray, and after the single disassembling operation or stacking operation is completed, the stacked trays above the traverse member 2200 are supported, so that damage to the trays is avoided.

Embodiment III:

as shown in fig. 8, the present application provides an automatic folding mechanism 3000, and in comparison with the first embodiment, another solution of the transmission assembly is provided in this embodiment.

Specifically, the automatic folding mechanism 3000 includes a vertically-oriented mover (not shown), a laterally-oriented mover 3200, and a drive rod 3100. The lateral mover 3200 is provided with a roller 3300. The transmission lever 3100 is provided with opposite mating surfaces 3110 and 3120, wherein the mating surface 3110 is concave and the mating surface 3120 is convex. In the state where the traverse 3200 and the transmission rod 3100 are in driving engagement, the roller 3300 is sandwiched between the engagement surfaces 3110, 3120 and rolls relative to the transmission rod 3100.

As can be seen from the analysis of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the transmission assembly of the third embodiment can achieve the effect of the transmission assembly of the first embodiment.

In addition, the transmission assembly in the third embodiment may not use an elastic member.

This embodiment only describes the differences from the first embodiment, and the rest is referred to the first embodiment

In this embodiment, during the process of disassembling or stacking the trays, one side of the traverse member 3200 is switched to the two sides of the lowermost tray, and after the single disassembling operation or stacking operation is completed, the tray above the traverse member 3200 is supported by the traverse member, so that the damage to the tray is avoided.

Embodiment four:

the present embodiment provides an automatic stacking method, which can be understood in combination with the automatic stacking mechanism of the first embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, an automatic stacking method includes an automatic splitting method and an automatic stacking method, wherein the automatic splitting method includes the following steps:

S1101: the vertical mover 210 is moved from the lowermost position to the first position such that the vertical mover 210 lifts the tray set 20 from the lateral mover 310.

S1102: moving the vertical mover 210 from the first position to the second position selectively converts the first vertical motion of the vertical mover 210 into a first lateral reciprocation of the lateral mover 310, thereby causing one side of the lateral mover 310 to enter between the lowermost two trays 10-1 and 10-2 from below the lowermost one of the trays 10-1 in the tray set 20, avoiding the tray 10-1.

S1103: the vertical mover 210 is moved from the second position to the lowermost position such that the vertical mover 210 lifts the tray 10-1 down until it is dropped onto the transfer assembly 100 and such that the trays 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M are dropped onto the lateral mover 310.

In this step, since one side of the traverse 310 is located between the tray 10-1 and the tray 10-2, during the downward movement of the tray group 20 following the vertical mover 210, the tray 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M is first dropped onto the traverse 310, and then the tray 10-1 is separated from the tray 10-2, 10-3 …, 10-M, and the tray 10-1 follows the vertical mover 210 downward until it is dropped onto the transfer assembly 100.

The steps S1101 to S1103 complete a splitting operation, and repeating the steps S1101 to S1103 may complete a plurality of splitting operations.

The automatic stacking method comprises the following steps:

s1201: the vertical mover 210 is moved from the lowermost position to the second position such that the vertical mover 210 lifts the trays 10-1 to be stacked from the conveyor assembly 100 and lifts the trays 10-1 upward, thereby stacking the trays 10-1 with the trays 10-2, 10-3 … 10-M dropped on the lateral mover 310 to form the tray group 20.

S1202: the vertical moving member 210 is moved from the second position to the first position, and the second vertical movement of the vertical moving member 210 is selectively converted into the second transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving member 310, so that one side of the transverse moving member 310 is avoided from between the two lowest trays 10-1 and 10-2 in the tray set 20, and enters below the tray 10-1 after avoiding the lowest tray 10-1.

S1203: the vertical mover 210 is moved from the first position to the lowermost position such that the vertical mover 210 lifts the tray set 20 downward, thereby causing the tray set 20 to fall on the lateral mover 310.

The above steps S1201 to S1203 complete one stacking operation, and repeating steps S1201 to S1203 may complete a plurality of stacking operations.

In this embodiment, during the process of splitting or stacking the trays, one side of the transverse moving member 310 switches positions at two sides of the lowermost tray, and after a single splitting operation or stacking operation is completed, the tray above the transverse moving member 310 is supported, so that damage to the tray is avoided.

The foregoing is only the embodiments of the present application, and therefore, the patent scope of the application is not limited thereto, and all equivalent structures or equivalent processes using the descriptions of the present application and the accompanying drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the application.

Claims (13)

1. An automatic stacking mechanism, comprising:

the rack is fixedly arranged;

the transverse moving piece is transversely movably connected to the frame;

The vertical moving piece is vertically and movably connected to the rack and is used for driving a plurality of stacked objects to move;

the transmission assembly is used for selectively converting the first vertical movement of the vertical moving piece into the first transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving piece in the process that the vertical moving piece moves from the first position to the second position, so that one side of the transverse moving piece is arranged below the lowest one of the stacked objects, and the object enters between the two lowest objects after avoiding the lowest one of the objects; or (b)

Optionally converting a second vertical motion of the vertical mover into a second lateral reciprocation of the lateral mover during movement from the second position to the first position, thereby causing the one side of the lateral mover to avoid between the lowermost two of the stacked articles, the lowermost one of the articles entering below the lowermost one of the articles;

Wherein said one side of said lateral movement member is adapted to support said articles above it after entering between or below said lowermost two said articles;

The transmission assembly includes:

The transmission rod is provided with a matching surface at one side, the transverse height of the matching surface has a fall, the transmission rod is driven by the vertical moving piece to vertically move, and the transmission rod can be selectively moved to the movement path of the transverse moving piece in the vertical moving process;

The elastic element is connected between the transverse moving piece and the frame and is used for generating an elastic force, so that when the transmission rod moves to a motion path of the transverse moving piece, the transverse moving piece always collides with the matching surface of the transmission rod, and then the transmission rod is in a transmission matching state;

The transmission assembly is used for converting the first vertical motion of the vertical moving piece into the first transverse reciprocating motion of the transverse moving piece in the process that the vertical moving piece moves from a first position to a second position when the transmission rod and the transverse moving piece are in transmission fit; or (b)

Converting the second vertical motion of the vertical mover into the second lateral reciprocation of the lateral mover during movement from the second position to the first position; the automatic folding piece mechanism further comprises a positioning pin, and the positioning pin is fixed on the transverse moving piece.

2. The automated stacking mechanism of claim 1, wherein,

The matching surface of the transmission rod is positioned at one side facing away from the vertical moving piece and is in a convex shape;

The elastic force generated by the elastic element enables the transverse moving member to always keep the movement trend towards the vertical moving member.

3. The automated stacking mechanism of claim 2, wherein the mating surface comprises a first plane, a second plane, and a third plane connected in sequence, wherein the second plane is parallel to the vertical direction, the first plane and the third plane extend from the second plane at respective ends of the vertical direction and are disposed obliquely to the vertical direction of the vertical mover relative to the second plane.

4. The automated fold-away mechanism of claim 1, wherein the drive assembly comprises:

the first connecting piece is fixedly connected with the vertical moving piece;

The second connecting piece is movably connected with the first connecting piece, and the transmission rod is fixed on the second connecting piece;

The second driver is used for driving the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece to move relatively, so that the second connecting piece drives the transmission rod to move, and the transmission rod can be selectively moved to a movement path of the transverse moving piece.

5. The automated folding mechanism of claim 4, wherein the second link is movably coupled to the first link in a direction perpendicular to the lateral and vertical directions.

6. The automated folding mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

The roller is rotatably arranged on the transverse moving part around the axis of the roller, and the transverse moving part is in contact with the matching surface of the transmission rod through the roller.

7. The automated folding mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

the guide rod is fixed on the transverse moving piece;

The fixed block is fixed on the frame and is in sliding connection with the guide rod;

The limiting block is fixed on the guide rod.

8. The automated folding mechanism of claim 1, further comprising:

and the third driver is used for driving the transverse moving part to move relative to the frame.

9. An automatic stacking method, applied to the automatic stacking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:

Moving a vertical moving member from a first position to a second position, and selectively converting the first vertical movement of the vertical moving member into first transverse reciprocating movement of a transverse moving member, so that one side of the transverse moving member is arranged below the lowest one of a plurality of stacked objects, and the object enters between the two lowest objects after avoiding the lowest one; or (b)

And moving the vertical moving piece from the second position to the first position, and selectively converting the second vertical movement of the vertical moving piece into the second transverse reciprocating movement of the transverse moving piece, so that one side of the transverse moving piece is avoided from between the bottommost two articles in the stacked plurality of articles, and enters the position below the bottommost one article.

10. The automated stacking method of claim 9, wherein prior to moving the vertical mover from the first position to the second position, further comprising:

And moving the vertical moving member from the lowest position to the first position so that the vertical moving member lifts the stacked plurality of articles from the lateral moving member.

11. The automated stacking method of claim 9, wherein after moving the vertical mover from the first position to the second position, further comprising:

And moving the vertical moving piece from the second position to the lowest position, so that the vertical moving piece lifts the lowest next article to move downwards until the article falls on a conveying assembly, and the rest articles fall on the transverse moving piece.

12. The automated stacking method of claim 9, wherein prior to moving the vertical mover from the second position to the first position, further comprising:

And moving the vertical moving piece from the lowest position to the second position, so that the vertical moving piece jacks up the objects to be stacked from the conveying assembly and lifts the objects to be stacked to move upwards, and accordingly the objects to be stacked and the rest objects falling on the transverse moving piece are stacked to form a plurality of stacked objects.

13. The automated stacking method of claim 9, wherein after the moving the vertical mover from the second position to the first position, further comprising:

The vertical mover is moved from the first position to a lowermost position such that the vertical mover lifts the stacked items for downward movement such that the stacked items rest on the lateral mover.