KR20250045736A - The automatic polishing device capable of the autonomous driving - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an autonomous automatic polishing device.
Specifically, it is characterized by comprising: a grinding unit that performs grinding in a state of contact along a processing surface; an autonomous driving unit that autonomously moves to a point where processing is required while avoiding obstacles while carrying the grinding unit; and a control unit that operates the autonomous driving unit to move autonomously and controls the grinding unit to automatically grind flat and curved surfaces.

Description

The automatic polishing device capable of the autonomous driving

The present invention relates to a polishing device, and more specifically, to an autonomous automatic polishing device that can autonomously drive along the surface of a workpiece to find a machining position and automatically polish along the machining surface.

Polishing refers to the process of smoothing out uneven or poorly finished parts when processing various materials such as glass, metal, and stone.

Therefore, grinders are widely used in various industrial sites for polishing work.

A grinder basically consists of a grinding stone or polishing pad that rotates using a rotating driving means such as a motor.

Typically, a grinding stone or grinding pad is shaped like a circular disk and has a structure with a connecting hole formed in the center so that it can be connected to a motor shaft.

However, the grinding stone or grinding pad performs the work while rotating at high speed, and during the work, the work surface (polishing surface) is covered by the grinding stone and the grinding wheel, making it difficult to check the polishing state.

So, it is common for workers to stop the polishing work, check the machined surface, and then resume the work.

In this case, it is not a problem if done once or twice, but if the processing surface is large and wide, there is a problem that the work is delayed due to numerous processing status checks.

And since the worker must work along the processing surface manually one by one, there is also the problem that the polishing quality varies depending on the worker's skill level. This is because it is a difficult task that requires the pressure and inclination of the grinding stone to be adjusted appropriately for various processing surfaces, such as curved surfaces and corners, in addition to flat surfaces.

In addition, when polishing work is required over a very large area, the worker has to keep moving, which is inconvenient, and exposure to vibrations for long periods of time can lead to problems such as increased fatigue and safety accidents.

Korean Patent No. 10-2548514 (June 22, 2023) "Blasting device with improved workability" Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1381341 (2014.3.28.) "Processing End Point Detection Method, Polishing Method and Polishing Device"

Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an autonomous automatic polishing device capable of performing work while checking the polishing state of a machined surface in real time when polishing a workpiece.

Another purpose is to provide an autonomous automatic polishing device that can perform polishing by lifting and rotating the polishing head forward, backward, left, and right, regardless of the shape of the processing surface, so that it is in close contact with the processing surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous automatic polishing device that can find a machining location by itself and perform work.

In order to achieve these purposes, the autonomous driving automatic polishing device according to the present invention may include: a grinding unit that performs polishing in a state of contact along a processing surface; an autonomous driving unit that autonomously moves to a point where processing is required while avoiding obstacles while carrying the grinding unit; and a control unit that controls the autonomous driving unit to move autonomously and operates the grinding unit to automatically polish flat and curved surfaces.

At this time, the grinding unit may include a circular disk-shaped polishing head that rotates while in contact with the processing surface to perform polishing, a polishing motor that rotates the polishing head, a multi-joint robot arm that is fixed downwardly at the center of the autonomous driving unit and swings the polishing motor and the polishing head back and forth or left and right and raises and lowers them up and down, and a vision sensor that is installed in the autonomous driving unit and detects the processing state of the processing surface.

Preferably, the polishing head has at least one vision groove formed in a shape in which a portion is cut from the outside to the inside, so that the vision sensor can detect the processing surface through the vision groove.

Here, the control unit may include a processing surface judgment unit that processes and analyzes an image or video captured by the vision sensor to determine the state of the processing surface, a robot control unit that controls the operation of the multi-joint robot arm, and a polishing control unit that controls the speed of the polishing motor.

And the autonomous driving unit may be configured to include a driving frame forming a circle, a driving wheel provided at the lower portion of the driving frame, a positioning means provided at the center of the driving frame on which the grinding unit is mounted and capable of horizontally moving the grinding unit forward, backward, or left and right, and an obstacle sensor installed on one or the other side of the driving frame to recognize an obstacle.

Here, the control unit may include a driving control unit that controls the driving and steering of the driving wheels based on the distance from an obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor, and a positioning control unit that controls the positioning means to move the grinding unit to a position requiring processing.

According to the present invention described above, the following effects are achieved.

First, since the work is performed while checking the polishing status of the machining surface in real time through Vision Home, the work time is shortened and the polishing quality is improved.

Second, since the polishing head can be moved in three directions, polishing can be performed in close contact with the surface to be machined regardless of its shape.

Third, since autonomous driving is possible, the machine can find the machining location and perform the work on its own, which saves the processing time for large-area workpieces and also guarantees polishing quality.

Figure 1 is a structural diagram showing a schematic structure of an autonomous automatic polishing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the grinding part of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan view showing the structure of the polishing head of the present invention shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the positioning means of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention are provided for easier understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the embodiments below are provided to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete, and to fully inform a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

And the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated in the phrase. As used in the specification, "comprises" and/or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the mentioned components.

In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification may be used with a meaning that can be commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries shall not be ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly and specifically defined.

In addition, when explaining the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed description may be omitted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an autonomous automatic polishing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention can be largely implemented by a grinding unit (100), an autonomous driving unit (200), and a control unit (300).

First, the grinding unit (100) that directly performs the polishing operation will be described.

The above grinding unit (100) is intended to perform grinding while in contact with the processing surface of the workpiece, and is operated so that it can grind not only flat processing surfaces but also curved surfaces and edges.

Referring to the drawing, the grinding unit (100) may be configured to include a polishing head (110), a polishing motor (120), a multi-joint robot arm (130), and a vision sensor (140).

The above polishing head (110) is formed in a circular disk shape and may be a polishing stone, but is not limited thereto, and may be used by mounting a replaceable polishing pad on the polishing wheel.

The above polishing head (110) performs polishing by rotating while in contact with the processing surface.

And the polishing motor (120) drives the polishing head (110) to rotate at high speed. To this end, the rotational axis of the polishing motor (120) can be coupled to the coupling hole (111) formed in the center of the polishing head (110).

The above multi-joint robot arm (130) raises and lowers the polishing head (110) and adjusts the angle in the forward, backward, left, and right directions to maintain an appropriate incline so that the polishing head (110) can adhere to the shape of the processing surface.

Specifically, the multi-joint robot arm (130) may be configured to include a first arm (131), a first joint motor (132), a second arm (133), a second joint motor (134), and an elevating cylinder (135).

The first arm (131) may be a bar, beam or rod member. Since the first arm (131) must support the weight and vibration of the polishing head (110), a metal material such as steel or aluminum or a reinforced plastic may be used to ensure sufficient rigidity and strength.

At this time, the polishing motor (120) may be installed at the lower part or inside the lower part of the first arm (131).

The above second arm (133) is connected to the upper part of the above first arm (131) and has a shape, structure, and material similar to those of the above first arm (131).

And the first joint motor (132) is installed at a position where the upper part of the first arm (131) and the lower part of the second arm (133) are connected, so that the first arm (131) can swing in one direction (back and forth based on the drawing) relative to the second arm (133). The first joint motor (132) can use a stepping motor.

In addition, the lifting cylinder (135) is coupled to the upper part of the second arm (133).

At this time, the lifting cylinder (135) is installed vertically so that the load is directed downward, and is installed and fixed at the center of the autonomous driving unit (200). Since the upper end of the second arm (133) is coupled to the end of the load (136) of the lifting cylinder (135), the second arm (133), the first arm (131), and the polishing head (110) move up and down by the operation of the lifting cylinder (135).

Here, the second joint motor (134) is installed at a position where the end of the rod (136) of the lifting cylinder (135) and the upper end of the second arm (133) are connected. The second joint motor (134) may also use a stepping motor. Accordingly, the second arm (133) can swing in the other direction (left and right based on the drawing) with respect to the rod (136) of the lifting cylinder (135).

To this end, the second joint motor (134) may be installed in the same direction as the first joint motor (132), but it is preferable to install them in different directions (perpendicular directions).

Accordingly, the first arm (131) and the second arm (133) can be rotated by appropriate driving of the first joint motor (132) and the second joint motor (134), and the polishing head (110) can be controlled to have an appropriate inclination angle.

And, by lifting the polishing head (110) by the lifting cylinder (135), the polishing head (110) can be pressed so that it comes into close contact with the processing surface, or can be brought into a non-contact state when polishing is completed.

The above vision sensor (140) is installed in the autonomous driving unit (200) and detects in real time the processing surface of the workpiece being polished by the polishing head (110). The vision sensor (140) can use a vision camera, etc.

That is, the vision sensor (140) can capture images of the processing surface in real time or at regular time intervals and transmit the images to the control unit. The control unit determines the processing status and controls the operation of the polishing head (110).

For reference, the vision sensor (140) can be positioned in front of the polishing head (110) to allow for preliminary confirmation of the machining surface of the workpiece.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the polishing head (110) has a circular disk shape, and one or more vision grooves (112) may be formed.

The above vision home (112) has a shape cut inward along the outer circumference of the polishing head (110), and may be approximately in a 'U' shape as shown. However, it is not limited thereto, and may be formed in the shape of a through-hole (113).

When the vision sensor (140) is positioned directly above the polishing head (110), there is a problem in that the processing surface currently being polished is blocked by the polishing head (110), and thus cannot be detected by the vision sensor (140).

However, when the vision home (112) is formed, the vision sensor (140) can detect the processing status in real time from the upper side of the polishing head (110), so the polishing work can be performed smoothly and the work status can be easily identified.

Next, the autonomous driving unit (200) will be described.

The above autonomous driving unit (200) is a means for autonomously driving the grinding unit (100) to a location where work is required, and may be configured to include a driving frame (210), driving wheels (220), positioning means (230), and obstacle sensors (240).

The above driving frame (210) forms the main body of the autonomous driving unit (200), and may be approximately polygonal, but may also be formed in the shape of a circular ring or circular plate, like a robot vacuum cleaner.

A plurality of driving wheels (220) are provided on the outer side of the lower surface of the above driving frame (210).

At this time, the driving wheels (220) may be controlled as a whole by the control unit simultaneously or individually. If individually controlled, a driving motor may be installed in each driving wheel (220).

As shown, the above driving motor may be composed of a lifting motor (221) that moves the driving wheel up and down, and a rotation motor (222) that can rotate the driving wheel left and right. The lifting motor (221) and the rotation motor (222) may use a servo motor that can adjust the rotation speed and rotation angle.

And one or more obstacle sensors (240) are installed on the outer side of the upper surface of the driving frame (210).

The above obstacle sensor (240) is a sensor that detects an obstacle located in front of the driving frame (210) when the driving frame (210) is driven in any direction, and may use an ultrasonic sensor.

When an obstacle is detected by the above obstacle sensor (240), the control unit (300) operates the driving wheel (220) at an appropriate steering and speed.

The grinding part (100) is mounted at the center of the above driving frame (210).

For this purpose, the lifting cylinder (135) of the grinding unit (100) can be fixed to the center of the driving frame (210).

However, in the present invention, it is preferable that the positioning means (230) be provided so that the entire grinding unit (100) can move a certain distance forward, backward, left, and right to accurately determine the position to be processed.

The above positioning means (230) may be composed of an X-axis linear guide (231) arranged horizontally along the direction of travel of the driving frame (210), and a Y-axis linear guide (233) coupled to an X-axis slider (232) of the X-axis linear guide (231) and arranged perpendicularly and parallel to the X-axis linear guide (231).

Here, the lifting cylinder (135) of the grinding unit (100) is coupled to the Y-axis slider (234) of the Y-axis linear guide (233), so that the grinding unit (100) can move horizontally in the forward, backward, left, and right directions to position an accurate processing location.

Next, the above control unit (300) will be described.

The above control unit (300) can be largely implemented as a processing surface judgment unit that controls the grinding unit (100), a robot arm control unit, a polishing control unit, a driving control unit that controls the autonomous driving unit (200), and a positioning control unit.

The above control unit (300) can be installed in the autonomous driving unit (200) in the form of a PCB with programmed logic built in.

The above-mentioned processing surface judgment unit receives data on images or videos captured by the vision sensor (140), processes them, analyzes them, and judges the processing status.

And the result judged by the above processing surface judgment unit is transmitted to the robot arm control unit or the polishing control unit. For example, if it is judged that processing is complete, it is sent to the robot arm control unit so that the multi-joint robot arm (130) can be operated to change the position or inclination angle of the polishing head (110), and if it is judged that further processing is necessary, the result is sent to the polishing control unit so that polishing can be continued or the polishing speed can be increased.

The above robot arm control unit controls the first joint motor (132), the second joint motor (134), and the lifting cylinder (135).

For example, when the position requiring machining is reached by the autonomous driving unit (200), the lifting cylinder (135) is controlled to lower the polishing head (110) to approach the machining surface, and the first joint motor (132) and the second joint motor (134) are operated to control the inclination angle of the polishing head (110), thereby allowing the polishing head (110) to come into close contact with the machining surface.

In addition, the polishing control unit can control the speed of the polishing motor (120) or determine the lifespan or replacement time of the polishing head (110).

Meanwhile, the driving control unit is intended to control the operation of the autonomous driving unit (200), and receives an obstacle signal detected by the obstacle sensor (240) to determine the presence or absence of an obstacle, and at the same time, controls the rotational drive, steering, and speed of the driving wheel (220) based on the determination result.

And the above positioning control unit controls the positioning means (230), and controls the X-axis linear guide (231) and the Y-axis linear guide (233) to move the grinding unit (100) horizontally forward, backward, left, and right so that it is accurately positioned at a position where processing is required.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to drawings according to embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will be able to make various applications and modifications within the scope of the present invention based on the above contents.

100 : Grinding section
110: Polishing head 111: Joining hole
112: Vision Home 113: Vision Hall
120: Polishing motor 130: Multi-joint robot arm
131: 1st arm 132: 1st joint motor
133: 2nd arm 134: 2nd joint motor
135: Lifting cylinder 136: Load
140 : Vision Sensor

200: Autonomous Driving Department
210 : Driving frame 220 : Driving wheel
221: Lifting motor 222: Rotating motor
230: Positioning means 231: X-axis linear guide
232: X-axis slider 233: Y-axis linear guide
234: Y-axis slider 240: Obstacle sensor
300 : Control Unit
P: Workpiece

Claims (6)

A grinding section that performs grinding in a state of contact along the processing surface;
An autonomous driving unit that autonomously moves to a point where processing is required while avoiding obstacles while carrying the grinding unit; and
An autonomous driving automatic polishing device characterized by comprising: a control unit that controls the autonomous driving unit to move autonomously and the grinding unit to automatically polish flat surfaces and curved surfaces. In the first paragraph,
The above grinding part,
An autonomous driving automatic polishing device characterized by comprising: a circular disk-shaped polishing head that rotates while in contact with a processing surface to perform polishing; a polishing motor that rotates the polishing head; a multi-joint robot arm that is fixed downwardly at the center of the autonomous driving section and swings the polishing motor and the polishing head back and forth or left and right and raises and lowers them up and down; and a vision sensor that is installed in the autonomous driving section and detects the processing state of the processing surface. In the second paragraph,
An autonomous automatic polishing device characterized in that the polishing head has at least one vision groove formed in a shape in which a portion is cut from the outside to the inside, and the vision sensor can detect a processing surface through the vision groove. In the second paragraph,
The above control unit,
An autonomous automatic polishing device characterized by including a processing surface judgment unit that processes and analyzes an image or video captured by the vision sensor to determine the state of a processing surface, a robot control unit that controls the operation of the multi-joint robot arm, and a polishing control unit that controls the speed of the polishing motor. In the first paragraph,
The above autonomous driving unit,
An autonomous driving automatic grinding device characterized by comprising a driving frame forming a circle, a driving wheel provided at the lower portion of the driving frame, a positioning means provided at the center of the driving frame on which the grinding unit is mounted and which can horizontally move the grinding unit forward, backward, or left and right, and an obstacle sensor installed on one or the other side of the driving frame to recognize an obstacle. In paragraph 5,
The above control unit,
An autonomous driving automatic grinding device characterized by including a driving control unit that controls the driving and steering of the driving wheels based on the distance from an obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor, and a positioning control unit that controls the positioning means to move the grinding unit to a position requiring processing.