WO2024235137A1 - Silicon rod loading and unloading system - Google Patents

Abstract

A silicon rod loading and unloading system, arranged along a conveyor line (80) for silicon rods. Wire cutting machines are provided on two sides of the conveyor line (80). The automatic silicon rod loading and unloading system comprises a conveying platform (10), a robot (30), a loading device (50), and an unloading device (70); the conveying platform (10) is arranged along the conveyor line (80); the robot (30) is arranged on the conveying platform (10), moves along the conveying platform (10), and is used for performing loading and unloading on the wire cutting machines; the loading device (50) is arranged on the conveying platform (10) and is used for removing silicon rods from the conveyor line (80), for the robot (30) to pick up the silicon rods; and the unloading device (70) is arranged on the conveying platform (10) and is used for receiving the silicon rods unloaded by the robot (30) and conveying the unloaded silicon rods to an unloading conveyor line. The system achieves automatic loading and unloading of silicon rods, improves the production efficiency, and reduces potential safety hazards.

Description

Silicon rod loading and unloading system

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on May 12, 2023, with application number 202321140338.8 and invention name “A Silicon Rod Automatic Loading and Unloading System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present application relate to but are not limited to the field of photovoltaic silicon wafer manufacturing technology.

Background Art

As traditional energy sources are depleted, research on renewable energy sources has received more attention. Solar energy has the advantages of large reserves, safety and cleanliness, and has become one of the main energy sources in the future. With the joint support of factors such as rapid industrial development and technological progress, the photovoltaic power generation industry has a rapid growth momentum.

In the manufacturing process of photovoltaic silicon wafers, silicon rod slicing is a key link in the entire silicon wafer production process and plays a significant role. Among them, silicon rod loading and unloading is an important link to improve slicing efficiency.

Application Contents

The present application provides a silicon rod loading and unloading system, which is arranged along a silicon rod conveying line, and wire cutting machines are arranged on both sides of the conveying line. The silicon rod loading and unloading system includes:

A transport platform is arranged along the conveyor line;

A robot, arranged on the transport platform, moves along the transport platform, and is used for loading and unloading materials to the wire cutting machine;

A loading tool, arranged on the transport platform, for moving the silicon rods away from the conveyor line body so as to allow the robot to pick up the materials;

The unloading tool is arranged on the transport platform and is used to receive the unloaded silicon rods from the robot and transport the unloaded silicon rods to the unloading conveyor line.

Optionally, the transport platform is provided with a track, and the robot can move along the track.

Optionally, the robot is provided with a gripper, and the gripper is used to load and unload materials to the wire cutting machine.

Optionally, the gripper comprises:

A frame, the top of which is connected to the robot;

A guide plate, symmetrically arranged above the interior of the frame, and used for hooking the material seat of the silicon rod;

A dragging mechanism, disposed inside the frame, capable of moving and dragging the silicon rod along the guide plate;

The first driving device is arranged on the top of the frame and is used for driving the dragging mechanism to move.

Optionally, the dragging mechanism includes:

A first clamping arm and a second clamping arm are symmetrically arranged above the interior of the frame and below the guide plate, the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm can move along the guide plate, and the distance between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm can be adjusted;

A lead screw is arranged in the frame along the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm. One end of the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm located on the same side is connected to the moving nut of the lead screw. The first driving device drives the screw of the lead screw to rotate, thereby driving the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm to move along the guide plate.

Optionally, a second driving device is provided at the connection ends of the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm and the lead screw, for adjusting the distance between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm.

Optionally, a slider is provided at the connection end between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm and the lead screw, the slider is provided with the second driving device, the slider is connected to the moving nut of the lead screw, the frame is provided with a guide rail, and the slider can move along the guide rail.

Optionally, a buffer table is further included, which is arranged on the transport platform and is used for caching the silicon rods for loading and unloading. The buffer table is provided with a buffer cavity, and a clamping mechanism is provided on the top of the buffer cavity.

Optionally, the clamping mechanism comprises:

A third clamping arm and a fourth clamping arm are arranged in the buffer cavity in pairs;

The positioning device is arranged at one end of the third clamping arm and the fourth clamping arm, and is positioned by a positioning pin.

Optionally, rollers are provided on inner sides of the third clamping arm and the fourth clamping arm, and the rollers are arranged along the length direction of the third clamping arm and the fourth clamping arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transport platform for a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a silicon rod loading and unloading system robot structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a gripper structure of a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a gripper of a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application from another perspective;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a dragging mechanism of a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a buffer table of a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the interior of a buffering platform of a silicon rod loading and unloading system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

In the figure: 10, transport platform; 11, column; 12, diagonal brace; 13, crossbeam; 14, stairs; 15, platform plate; 16, fence; 20, track;

30. Robot; 31. Tray;

40. gripper; 41. frame; 42. drag mechanism; 421. first clamping arm; 422. second clamping arm; 423. lead screw; 424. second driving device; 425. slider; 426. guide rail; 43. first driving device; 44. flange; 45. water tray; 46. guide plate;

50. Loading tooling;

60. Cache table; 61. Cache chamber; 62. Frame; 63. Water receiving plate; 64. Clamping mechanism; 641. Third clamping arm; 642. Fourth clamping arm; 643. Positioning device; 644. Roller;

70. Unloading tooling; 80. Conveyor line body.

Embodiments of the present invention

An embodiment of the present application provides a silicon rod loading and unloading system, and the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "top", "bottom", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set" and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection between the two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood by specific circumstances.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the embodiment of the present application provides a silicon rod loading and unloading system, which is arranged along the conveyor line 80 of the silicon rod, and wire cutting machines are arranged on both sides of the conveyor line 80. The silicon rod loading and unloading system includes a transportation platform 10, a robot 30, a loading tool 50 and a unloading tool 70. The conveyor line 80 is composed of a frame, a roller, and a conveying motor. It is a prior art and is not described here. The function is to transport the silicon rod with a material seat from the curing warehouse to the transportation platform 10. The transportation platform 10 is arranged along the conveyor line 80. In this embodiment, the transportation platform 10 is welded by a square tube and a patterned steel plate. The main function is to overhead the loading and unloading equipment, which is convenient for personnel to operate the wire cutting machine and the material transportation on the ground. The transportation platform 10 is welded by beams 13, and platform plates 15 are arranged between the beams 13. The bottom is supported by columns 11. In order to increase the strength, diagonal braces 12 are arranged between the columns 11 and the beams 13. Stairs 14 are arranged between the transportation platform 10 and the ground. Fences 16 can be arranged on both sides of the transportation platform 10 as needed. The robot 30 is arranged on the transport platform 10 and moves along the transport platform 10 to load and unload materials to the wire cutting machine. The loading jig 50 is arranged on the transport platform 10 to move the silicon rods from the conveyor line body 80 for the robot 30 to pick up the materials. The unloading jig 70 is arranged on the transport platform 10 to receive the unloaded silicon rods, i.e. the cut silicon rods, from the robot 30 and convey the unloaded silicon rods to the unloading conveyor line. There is no limit to the number of loading jigs 50 and unloading jigs 70. In this embodiment, 12 wire cutting machines are arranged on each side of the transport platform 10, and 2 sets of robots 30, 2 sets of loading jigs 50 and 2 sets of unloading jigs 70 are arranged on the transport platform 10. The loading jig 50 is arranged close to the conveyor line body 80, and the unloading jig 70 is arranged close to the unloading conveyor line.

Specifically, as shown in FIG3 , a track 20 is laid along the transport platform 10, and the robot 30 can move along the track 20. In this embodiment, in order to ensure the range of motion of the robot 30, the track 20 is laid in the middle of the transport platform 10, and a carriage 31 is provided at the bottom of the robot 30, and the carriage 31 can drive the robot 30 to move along the track 20. In this embodiment, the robot 30 is a six-axis robot.

In order to facilitate loading and unloading, a gripper 40 is installed on the robot 30 to perform specific loading and unloading operations. In this embodiment, the loading jig 50 moves the silicon rod from the conveyor line body 80, adjusts the angle and lifts the silicon rod to the gripping height of the gripper 40, the gripper 40 takes the silicon rod out of the loading jig 50, the robot 30 moves to the position of the wire cutting machine, and the gripper 40 pushes the silicon rod into the wire cutting machine. After the silicon rod cutting is completed, the gripper 40 grabs the cut silicon rod from the wire cutting machine, the robot 30 moves to the unloading jig 70, the gripper 40 pushes the cut silicon rod into the unloading jig 70, and the unloading jig 70 conveys the cut silicon rod to the unloading conveyor line. The loading jig 50 and the unloading jig 70 are prior art and will not be described in detail here.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the gripper 40 includes a frame 41, a guide plate 46, a drag mechanism 42 and a first drive device 43. In this embodiment, the frame 41 is rectangular, and a connecting flange 44 is welded on the top of the frame 41 to connect with the robot 30. The guide plate 46 is symmetrically arranged above the inside of the frame 41 and arranged along the length direction of the frame 41. The bottom of the guide plate 46 is provided with a horizontal bend for hooking the material seat of the silicon rod. The drag mechanism 42 is arranged inside the frame 41, and can move and drag the material seat of the silicon rod along the guide plate 41, thereby dragging the silicon rod. A water receiving tray 45 is provided at the bottom of the frame 41, and the water receiving tray 45 is set as an inclined surface. A first drive device 43 is provided at the top of the frame 41. In this embodiment, the first drive device 43 is a drag motor, which drives the drag mechanism 42 to move.

As shown in FIG6 , the dragging mechanism 42 includes a first clamping arm 421, a second clamping arm 422 and a lead screw 423. The first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422 are symmetrically arranged above the inside of the frame 41, below the guide plate 46, and arranged along the direction of the guide plate 46. The first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422 can move along the guide plate 46, and the distance between the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422 can be adjusted. The lead screw 423 is arranged above the inside of the frame 41 along the length direction of the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422, that is, the frame 41. The ends of the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422 on the same side are connected to the moving nut of the lead screw 423. The first driving device 43 drives the screw of the lead screw 423 to rotate, thereby driving the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422 to move along the frame 41 to drag the silicon rod.

A second driving device 424 is provided at the connection end of the first clamping arm 421, the second clamping arm 422 and the lead screw 423, and is used to adjust the distance between the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422. In this embodiment, the second driving device 424 is a cylinder, and the movable end of the cylinder is connected to the end of the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422. The distance between the first clamping arm 421 and the second clamping arm 422 is adjusted by contraction of the cylinder, so as to clamp or loosen the silicon rod.

In order to facilitate the installation of the second driving device 424, a slider 425 is provided at the connection end between the first clamping arm 421, the second clamping arm 422 and the lead screw 423. The second driving device 424 is installed on the slider 425. The slider 425 is fixed to the moving nut of the lead screw 423. A guide rail 426 is provided at the upper part of the interior of the frame 41, and the slider 425 can move along the guide rail 426. In this embodiment, the guide rails 426 are symmetrically provided on both sides of the lead screw 423, and the lead screw 423 can drive the slider 425 to move along the two guide rails 426 at the same time.

In order to maintain the continuity of loading and unloading and the working efficiency of the robot 30, a buffer table 60 is also provided on the transport platform 10 for caching the loading and unloading materials. As shown in FIG7 , the buffer table 60 is welded by a frame 62. The buffer table 60 is provided with a buffer cavity 61, and a clamping mechanism 64 is provided at the top of the buffer cavity 61 for clamping or loosening the silicon rod, and a water receiving plate 63 is provided at the bottom of the buffer cavity 61. The number of buffer cavities 61 is not limited. In the present embodiment, a buffer table 60 is provided with two buffer cavities 61, and each buffer cavity 61 is provided with two sets of clamping mechanisms 64, and each buffer table 60 can hold four silicon rods. In the present embodiment, 24 wire cutting machines are provided, six loading buffer tables 60, and two unloading buffer tables 60 are provided.

Specifically, as shown in FIG8 , the clamping mechanism 64 includes a third clamping arm 641, a fourth third clamping arm 642 and a positioning device 643. The third clamping arm 641 and the fourth third clamping arm 642 are arranged in pairs in the cache cavity 61. The positioning device 643 is arranged at one end of the third clamping arm 641 and the fourth third clamping arm 642. The material seat of the silicon rod is fixed by a positioning pin. In this embodiment, the positioning pin is driven by a cylinder for positioning. When the gripper 40 pushes the silicon rod into the cache cavity 61, the cylinder extends, driving the positioning pin to clamp the positioning hole on the silicon rod material seat to position the silicon rod. When the gripper 40 takes the silicon rod out of the cache cavity 61, the cylinder contracts, driving the positioning pin to retract, and the silicon rod can be taken out.

In order to facilitate the silicon rod to be pushed into the buffer cavity 61, rollers 644 are provided on the inner sides of the third clamping arm 641 and the fourth third clamping arm 642, and the rollers 644 are evenly arranged along the length direction of the third clamping arm 641 and the fourth third clamping arm 642. When the gripper 40 pushes the silicon rod into the buffer cavity 61, the rollers 644 rotate, which is more conducive to the movement of the silicon rod.

Workflow: The conveyor 80 transports the silicon rod with the material holder from the curing warehouse to the position of the loading fixture 50. The loading fixture 50 clamps the silicon rod, adjusts the angle and lifts the silicon rod to the height for the gripper 40 to grab. The robot 30 moves along the track 20 to the loading fixture 50. The gripper 40 grabs the silicon rod from the loading fixture 50. The robot 30 moves to the loading buffer table 60. The gripper 40 pushes the silicon rod into the buffer cavity 61. The gripper 40 grabs the cut silicon rod from the wire cutting machine. The robot 30 moves to the unloading buffer table 60. The gripper 40 pushes the cut silicon rod into the buffer cavity 61. The robot 30 moves to the loading buffer table 60. The gripper 40 grabs the silicon rod from the buffer cavity 61. The robot 30 moves to the loading buffer table 60. The gripper 40 grabs the silicon rod from the buffer cavity 61. The robot 30 moves to the wire cutting machine position. The gripper 40 pushes the silicon rod into the wire cutting machine. The robot 30 moves to the material unloading buffer table 60, the gripper 40 grabs the cut silicon rods from the buffer cavity 61, and the robot 30 moves to the material unloading fixture 70, the gripper 40 pushes the cut silicon rods into the material frame of the material unloading fixture 70, and the material unloading fixture 70 conveys the silicon rods to the material unloading conveyor line.

The solution in this application realizes the automation of silicon rod loading and unloading, improves production efficiency and reduces safety hazards.

The embodiments of the present application are described in detail above, but the contents are only preferred embodiments of the present application and cannot be considered to limit the scope of implementation of the present application. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present application shall still fall within the scope of the patent coverage of the present application.

Claims (11)

A silicon rod loading and unloading system, wherein the silicon rod loading and unloading system is arranged along a silicon rod conveying line, and wire cutting machines are arranged on both sides of the conveying line. The silicon rod loading and unloading system comprises: A transport platform is arranged along the conveyor line; A robot, disposed on the transport platform and moving along the transport platform, the robot being configured to load and unload materials to the wire cutting machine; A loading tool, disposed on the transport platform, and configured to move the silicon rods away from the conveyor line body for the robot to pick up the materials; A material unloading tool is arranged on the transport platform, and the material unloading tool is configured to receive the unloaded silicon rods of the robot and transport the unloaded silicon rods to the material unloading conveyor line. According to the automatic silicon rod loading and unloading system of claim 1, wherein the transport platform is provided with a track, and the robot can move along the track. An automatic silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the robot is provided with a gripper, and the gripper is configured to load and unload the wire saw. A silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 3, wherein the gripper comprises: A frame, the top of which is connected to the robot; A guide plate, symmetrically arranged above the interior of the frame, the guide plate being configured to hook a material seat for hanging the silicon rod; A dragging mechanism, disposed inside the frame, capable of moving and dragging the silicon rod along the guide plate; The first driving device is arranged on the top of the frame, and the first driving device is configured to drive the dragging mechanism to move. A silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 4, wherein the dragging mechanism comprises: A first clamping arm and a second clamping arm are symmetrically arranged above the interior of the frame and below the guide plate, the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm can move along the guide plate, and the distance between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm can be adjusted; A lead screw is arranged in the frame along the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm. One end of the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm located on the same side is connected to the moving nut of the lead screw. The first driving device drives the screw of the lead screw to rotate, thereby driving the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm to move along the guide plate. A silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 5, wherein a second driving device is provided at the connection ends of the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm and the lead screw, and the second driving device is configured to adjust the distance between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm. A silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 6 is characterized in that: a slider is provided at the connection end between the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm and the lead screw, the second driving device is provided on the slider, the slider is connected to the moving nut of the lead screw, the frame is provided with a guide rail, and the slider can move along the guide rail. A silicon rod loading and unloading system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: A cache table is arranged on the transport platform, and is configured to cache the silicon rods for loading and unloading. The cache table is provided with a cache cavity, and a clamping mechanism is provided on the top of the cache cavity. A silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 8, wherein the clamping mechanism comprises: A third clamping arm and a fourth clamping arm are arranged in the buffer cavity in pairs; A positioning device is arranged at one end of the third clamping arm and the fourth clamping arm, and the positioning device is configured to fix the silicon rod. According to a silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 9, the positioning device includes a driving cylinder and a positioning pin, and the driving cylinder drives the positioning pin to be plugged and matched with the silicon rod material seat. According to a silicon rod loading and unloading system according to claim 9 or 10, rollers are provided on the inner sides of the third clamping arm and the fourth clamping arm, and the rollers are arranged along the length direction of the third clamping arm and the fourth clamping arm.