Mobile robotic trolley-based processing system and mobile robotic trolley thereof

• US 9,465,386 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hongfujin Precision Electronics Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hongfujin Precision Electronics Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Su, Tai-Jui, Huang, Chiu-Fong
• Primary Examiner(s): COYER, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US14/187,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 700/113
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/022 Cleaning travelling work B08B3/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4189 characterised by the transport system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 End effector

Abstract

A mobile robotic trolley-based processing system includes a conveyor platform including a conveying track, air supply valves arranged along the conveying track, a gantry support unit providing a catenary and a water supply unit, mobile robotic trolleys each including a wheeled trolley chassis movable along the conveying track, connectors connectable to the air supply valves for collecting compressed air, a pantograph kept in contact with the catenary for collecting electrical power, a robot arm for transferring profile materials individually, a cleaner having a water inlet pipe connectable to the water supply unit for collecting water or cleaning solution and a drive control system for controlling the operation of the robot arm and the cleaner, and machine tools for processing profile materials being transferred by the robot arm of each mobile robotic trolley.

Claims

1. A mobile robotic trolley-based processing system, comprising:

a conveyor platform comprising a conveying track, a plurality of air supply valves arranged along said conveying track and connected to a gas supply pipeline, a gantry support unit, said gantry support unit comprising a catenary suspending above said conveying track, a water supply unit having a plurality of water nozzle tubes and at least one conveyer extending along said conveying track for delivering profile materials;

at least one machine tool provided at one side of said conveying track for processing profile materials; and

at least one mobile robotic trolley, each said mobile robotic trolley comprising a trolley chassis supported on and movable along said conveying track, a plurality of connectors connectable to said air supply valves for conveying air, a pantograph mounted at said trolley chassis and kept in contact with said catenary for collecting power supply from said catenary, a drive control system mounted at said trolley chassis, said drive control system comprising a transmission module linkable to an external central control system for receiving control signals from said external central control system, a cleaner mounted at said trolley chassis and controllable by said drive control system to clean profile materials, said cleaner comprising a cleaner tank for cleaning profile materials and a water inlet pipe connectable to one said water nozzle tube of said water supply unit, and a robot arm mounted at said trolley chassis and controllable by said drive control system to transfer profile materials among said conveyers, said cleaner and said machine tools, and wherein said air supply valves are arranged along two opposite lateral sides of said conveying track;

said gantry support unit comprises a plurality of gantry supports spaced along said conveying track;

said catenary is suspended from said gantry supports above said conveying track; and

said water nozzle tubes are respectively mounted at said gantry supports.

2. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said conveyer comprises a rack and a conveying module mounted at said rack;

said conveyor platform further comprises a water discharge facility, said water discharge facility comprising a water pipe mounted in the rack of each said conveyer below the respective said conveying module;

each said mobile robotic trolley further comprises a drain pipe pivotally mounted in a bottom side of said cleaner tank for discharging water out of said cleaner tank into said water pipe of said water discharge facility.

3. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said conveying module of each said conveyer comprises a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted in the rack thereof, a conveying belt wound around said rollers, and a power drive mounted in the rack thereof and controllable to rotate said rollers in moving said conveying belt.

4. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each said mobile robotic trolley further comprises a pneumatic cylinder horizontally mounted outside said cleaner tank and coupled to said drain pipe and controllable to move said drain pipe within a predetermined angle.

5. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said conveyor platform further comprises a plurality of lift mechanisms respectively provided above the conveying belt of the conveying module of each said conveyer, each said lift mechanism comprising two pairs of swinging arms respectively pivotally mounted at two opposite lateral sides of the rack of one respective said conveyer and turnable relative to the respective said conveyer within a predetermined angle, a linking plate coupled between said two pairs of swinging arms and suspending above the conveying belt of the respective said conveyer for curve shifting, a reciprocating moving device mounted at said linking plate and adapted for moving a lifting plate thereof upward or downward to lift or release a profile material.

6. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said conveyor platform further comprises a turnover mechanism mounted in one said conveyer adjacent to one said lift mechanism, said turnover mechanism comprising a rotary drive, a rotating member suspending above the conveying belt of the respective said conveyer and rotatable by said rotary drive, and a plurality of suction heads mounted at said rotating member and controllable to suck up a profile material from said lifting plate of said reciprocating moving device.

7. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said mobile robotic trolley further comprises a plurality of trolley wheels pivotally mounted at a bottom side of said trolley chassis and rotatably supported on said conveying track and movable along said conveying track, and a connection device connected to a top side of each said connector and adapted for moving the respective said connector up and down relative to said trolley chassis.

8. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said robot arm of each said mobile robotic trolley is selected from the group of articulated robot arm, polar robot arm, cylindrical robot arm, Cartesian robot arm and SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robot arm, comprising a pick-and-place device equipped with a set of suction heads for picking up a profile material.

9. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cleaner of each said mobile robotic trolley further comprises a bracket having a swinging connector connected to said cleaner tank adjacent to a top open side of said cleaner tank, a cover plate connected to said bracket at a predetermined angle, a drive mounted outside said cleaner tank and adapted for driving said swinging connector to move said bracket and said cover plate within a predetermined angle between a close position where said cover plate closes the top open side of said cleaner tank and an open position where said cover plate opens the top open side of said cleaner tank, and a spray nozzle mounted in said cleaner tank for spraying compressed air and cleaning solution.

10. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmission module of said drive control system comprises an interface selected from the group of wired network interface, wireless Bluetooth interface, RF (radio frequency) communication interface, Wi-Fi interface and Zigbee interface for communication with said an external central control system.

11. The mobile robotic trolley-based processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said machine tool is selected from the group of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine tools and NC (Numerical Control) machine tools for shaping and machining metal and rigid materials.