Active feeding hopper and feeding method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an active feeding hopper and feeding method, characterized by comprising a hopper, a collection wheel, and a first drive mechanism. The hopper comprises a drop zone, a collection zone, and an inclined surface, wherein the drop zone is higher than the collection zone, and the inclined surface connects the drop zone and the collection zone. The collection wheel is connected to the hopper at a vertical or predetermined angle, and is connected to the first drive mechanism. The lower edge of the circumferential wall of the collection wheel is disposed in the collection zone and abuts the lowest edge of the inclined surface. A plurality of blades are provided on the circumferential wall of the collection wheel. The present invention has the beneficial effects of a compact structure, stable operation, and high efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of material conveying, and in particular relates to a hopper and a feeding method for actively feeding materials during the conveying of rods with hanging heads such as screws and rivets. Background Art

[0002] Screw assembly has evolved from traditional manual tightening to today's automatic screw machines, increasing efficiency hundreds or even thousands of times. Automatic screw machines, including screw arranging machines, screw aligning machines, and screw feeders, primarily transport screws to designated removal locations. The prior art provides a device for separating and supplying headed rods. This device comprises a hopper portion capable of storing numerous headed rods, such as screws; a separator plate disposed at the bottom of the hopper portion, capable of freely rotating from horizontal to tilted at a predetermined angle, with multiple equally spaced support holes for the headed rods arranged on its outer circumference; and air intake holes for drawing air from the support holes of the separator plate. The separator plate is driven by a motor to intermittently rotate according to the spacing of the support holes. Furthermore, two air intake holes are provided: one for drawing air when the support holes of the separator plate are near their lowest position, and another for drawing air when the support holes are at their highest position. Furthermore, air is sucked in from the support holes near the lowest position, and the rods with heads stored in the hopper section are attracted and held in the support holes. In addition, by sucking in air from the support holes at the highest position, the pressure change in the air suction path can be confirmed, thereby confirming whether the rods with heads are held in the support holes. If the rods with heads are held in the support holes at this highest position, once the motor drive stops, the intermittent rotation of the separation plate stops. Furthermore, the rods with heads held in the support holes at the highest position are removed by a removal machine such as a screwdriver. The disadvantage is that the rods with heads are passively stirred and sucked in the hopper section by the rotation and suction of the separation plate, resulting in poor stirring uniformity and a low success rate of nail suction, which affects the nail removal mechanism and the rhythm of subsequent production. Summary of the Invention

[0003] 1. Technical problems to be solved

[0004] In view of the problem in the prior art that the rods with hanging heads are passively stirred and sucked in the hopper by the rotation and attraction of the separation plate, resulting in poor stirring uniformity and low nail suction success rate, which affects the nail removal mechanism and subsequent production rhythm, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an active feeding hopper and feeding method with a compact structure, stable operation and high work efficiency.

[0005] It should be noted that the "rods with heads" and "stepped shaft parts" that appear in the prior art have the same meaning as the "rods with hanging heads" mentioned in the present invention, namely, parts such as screws and rivets.

[0006] 2. Technical solution

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A hopper for active feeding, characterized by comprising a hopper, a gathering wheel and a first driving mechanism; the hopper comprises a dropping area, a gathering area and an inclined surface, the dropping area is higher than the gathering area, and the inclined surface connects the dropping area and the gathering area; the gathering wheel is connected to the hopper vertically or at a predetermined angle, and the gathering wheel is connected to the first driving mechanism; the lower edge of the circumferential wall of the gathering wheel is arranged in the gathering area and connected to the lowest edge of the inclined surface; a plurality of blades are arranged on the circumferential wall of the gathering wheel.

[0009] Furthermore, the gathering wheel includes a bottom surface and a circumferential wall connected to the bottom surface, and a toothed disk is provided on the outer side of the circumferential wall; blades are provided on the inner side of the circumferential wall, and the blades are arc-shaped, connecting the inner side of the circumferential wall and the bottom surface, forming a semi-closed structure, and the end of the blade away from the circumferential wall is inclined, so that the rods with hanging heads fall evenly during the movement from high to low; the gathering wheel is connected to the hopper through a baffle plate, and a through hole with the same diameter as the bottom surface is provided on the baffle plate, the blades are on the inner side of the hopper, and the toothed disk is on the outer side of the hopper; a pressure wheel assembly rotatably connected to the gathering wheel is provided on the baffle plate; the output shaft of the first driving mechanism is engaged with the toothed disk.

[0010] Furthermore, the pressure wheel assembly includes a nut and bolt assembly, a rotating shaft, a pressure wheel and a gasket. The rotating shaft is in a boss shape and a through hole is arranged inside. The inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the bolt rod. The bottom of the rotating shaft is arranged on the material baffle plate. The pressure wheel is passed through the rotating shaft. The bolt passes through the gasket and then passes through the through hole, so that the gasket presses the pressure wheel, and the pressure wheel presses the gear disk. The nut passes through the through hole from the other side of the material baffle plate and is tightened with the bolt rod. The inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the bolt rod, that is, a gap is reserved between the rotating shaft and the screw. When the pressure wheel is worn or the processing accuracy requirement is reduced, the relative position of the pressure wheel and the gear disk is adjusted by the gap to achieve precise connection.

[0011] Furthermore, the gathering area and the dropping area are arranged in the radial direction of the gathering wheel, and the inclined surface is a spherical arc surface; the hopper also includes a feeding slide, and the feeding slide is arranged from high to low along the gathering area to the dropping area.

[0012] Furthermore, a material receiving lug is provided on the feeding slide plate, and the material receiving lug extends into the collecting wheel.

[0013] Furthermore, the feeding slide plate is in the shape of a right triangle, the longer right-angled side is connected to the receiving ear plate, the shorter right-angled side is arranged above the blanking area, and a material blocking folding plate is arranged on the oblique side.

[0014] Furthermore, the gathering area and the dropping area are arranged along the axial direction of the gathering wheel, and the inclined surface is a cylindrical arc surface; the hopper also includes a feeding slide, and the feeding slide is arranged from high to low along the gathering area to the dropping area; one end of the feeding slide extends into the gathering wheel, and the other end is arranged above the dropping area, and the feeding slide is provided with a plurality of slide grooves along the dropping direction.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a feeding method, which is characterized in that the material in the hopper is transported from a low place to a high place, and in the process of transporting from a high place to a low place, the material falls onto the feeding slide, and the material falls onto the conveying mechanism along the feeding slide. Part of the material is picked up by the conveying mechanism in a specific posture, and the picked up material is conveyed by the conveying mechanism, and the material not picked up is returned to the hopper, and the above action is repeated; the material is a rod with a hanging head.

[0016] Furthermore, the conveying mechanism includes a turntable, a mounting seat and a driving mechanism, the turntable is arranged on the mounting seat at a horizontal to predetermined inclined angle, and the turntable is provided with a number of supporting holes that can be fitted with the rods with hanging heads at equal intervals along the circumference; the mounting seat is provided with an air suction part at the lower part of the supporting hole for sucking air from the supporting hole of the turntable, the air suction part is connected to a vacuum device, and the turntable is connected to a second driving mechanism; the vacuum device provides negative pressure for the air suction part and the supporting hole, the rods with hanging heads are sucked by the supporting hole during the falling process, the rod body is inserted into the supporting hole, the head is supported by the turntable outside the supporting hole, and the turntable is driven to rotate by the second driving mechanism to realize the conveying of the rods with hanging heads.

[0017] During use, the bars with hanging heads enter the hopper and are concentrated on the inclined surface to the gathering area under the action of gravity. The gathering wheel rotates, and the bars with hanging heads enter the blades near the lowest position. The gathering wheel continues to rotate. Near the highest position, the bars with hanging heads begin to fall, fall on the feeding slide, slide to the dropping area, and are picked up by the conveying mechanism. Those that are not picked up fall on the inclined surface and return to the gathering area.

[0018] 3. Beneficial effects

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. The present invention increases the movement of the bars with heads in the hopper by arranging a collecting wheel inside the hopper, thereby increasing the circulation rate of the bars with heads in the hopper and greatly increasing the probability of each bar with heads being successfully attracted.

[0021] 2. The present invention provides a gathering wheel, which reduces the function of the separation plate in stirring the bars with hanging heads, greatly reducing the design difficulty of the separation plate and its driving mechanism and facilitating maintenance.

[0022] 3. The present invention is provided with a feeding slide to overcome the size limitation between the collecting wheel and the separation plate. At the same time, the feeding slide makes the rods with hanging heads falling on it evenly distributed in a surface shape on each supporting hole in the blanking area, avoiding the linear concentrated falling of the rods with hanging heads above a certain supporting hole, thereby improving the suction probability and high feeding efficiency.

[0023] 4. The pressure wheel assembly of the present invention reserves a gap between the rotating shaft and the screw. When the pressure wheel is worn or the processing accuracy requirement is reduced, the relative position of the pressure wheel and the gear disc is adjusted through the gap to achieve precise connection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hopper structure in which the turntable is horizontally arranged in Example 1 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the aggregate wheel of embodiment 1 / 2 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the collecting wheel and hopper of embodiment 1 / 2 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a 1 / 2 pressure wheel assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the hopper structure in which the turntable is tilted at a predetermined angle in Example 1 of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the hopper and conveying mechanism of Example 2 of the present invention.

[0031] In the figure: 1- blanking area 2- gathering area 3- inclined surface 4- blade 5- bottom surface 6- circumferential wall 7- toothed disc 8- baffle plate 9- first driving mechanism 10- rotating shaft 11- pressure wheel 12- gasket 13- bolt 14- nut 15- feeding slide 16- receiving ear plate 17- baffle folding plate 18- slide 19- conveying mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solution of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only a portion of the embodiments of the invention, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are also within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0033] In the description of the invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the invention.

[0034] In the description of the invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] An active feeding hopper is characterized by comprising a hopper, a gathering wheel and a first driving mechanism 9; the hopper comprises a dropping area 1, a gathering area 2 and a slope 3, the dropping area 1 is higher than the gathering area 2, and the slope 3 connects the dropping area 1 and the gathering area 2; the gathering wheel is connected to the hopper vertically or at a predetermined angle, and the gathering wheel is connected to the first driving mechanism 9; the lower edge of the circumferential wall 6 of the gathering wheel is arranged in the gathering area 2 and is connected to the lowest edge of the slope 3; a plurality of blades 4 are arranged on the circumferential wall 6 of the gathering wheel.

[0037] The gathering wheel includes a bottom surface 5, a circumferential wall 6 connected to the bottom surface 5, and a toothed disc 7 is arranged on the outer side of the circumferential wall 6; a blade 4 is arranged on the inner side of the circumferential wall 6, and the blade 4 is arc-shaped, connecting the inner side of the circumferential wall 6 and the bottom surface 5, forming a semi-closed structure, and the end of the blade 4 away from the circumferential wall 6 is inclined, so that the rods with hanging heads fall evenly in the process of moving from a high place to a low place; the gathering wheel is connected to the hopper through a baffle plate 8, and a through hole with the same diameter as the bottom surface 5 is provided on the baffle plate 8, the blade 4 is on the inner side of the hopper, and the toothed disc 7 is on the outer side of the hopper; a pressure wheel assembly connected to the rotation of the gathering wheel is provided on the baffle plate 8; the output shaft of the first driving mechanism 9 is engaged with the toothed disc 7.

[0038] The pressure wheel assembly includes a nut 14 bolt 13 assembly, a rotating shaft 10, a pressure wheel 11 and a gasket 12. The rotating shaft 10 is in a boss shape and has a through hole inside. The inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the bolt 13 rod. The bottom of the rotating shaft 10 is set on the baffle plate 8. The pressure wheel 11 is passed through the rotating shaft 10. The bolt 13 passes through the through hole after passing through the gasket 12, so that the gasket 12 presses the pressure wheel 11, and the pressure wheel 11 presses the gear disk 7. The nut 14 passes through the through hole from the other side of the baffle plate 8 and is tightened with the rod of the bolt 13; the inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the rod of the bolt 13, that is, a gap is reserved between the rotating shaft 10 and the screw. When the pressure wheel 11 is worn or the processing accuracy requirement is reduced, the relative position of the pressure wheel 11 and the gear disk 7 is adjusted by the gap to achieve precise connection.

[0039] The material collection area 2 and the material drop area 1 are arranged in the radial direction of the material collection wheel, and the inclined surface 3 is a spherical arc surface. At this time, the conveying mechanism 19 is in the radial direction of the material collection wheel;

[0040] The hopper further includes a feeding slide 15 , which is arranged from high to low along the material collecting area 2 to the material dropping area 1 .

[0041] A material receiving lug plate 16 is provided on the feeding slide plate 15 and extends into the collecting wheel.

[0042] The feeding slide 15 is in the shape of a right triangle, with the longer right-angled side connected to the receiving ear plate 16, and the shorter right-angled side is arranged above the blanking area 1 and close to the conveying mechanism 19, and a material blocking folding plate 17 is arranged on the oblique side.

[0043] During use, the rods with heads enter the hopper and, under the action of gravity, are concentrated on the inclined surface 3 to the gathering area 2. The gathering wheel rotates, and the rods with heads enter the blades 4 near the lowest position. The gathering wheel continues to rotate, and near the highest position, the rods with heads begin to fall, fall on the feeding slide 15, and slide to the dropping area 1, and are picked up by the conveying mechanism. Those that are not picked up fall on the inclined surface 3 and return to the gathering area 2. The conveying mechanism includes a turntable, a mounting seat and a driving mechanism. The turntable is arranged on the mounting seat at a predetermined angle from horizontal to inclined. The turntable is provided with a number of supporting holes that can fit the rods with hanging heads at equal intervals along the circumference; the mounting seat is provided with an air suction part at the lower part of the supporting hole for sucking air from the supporting hole of the turntable, the air suction part is connected to a vacuum device, and the turntable is connected to a second driving mechanism; the vacuum device provides negative pressure for the air suction part and the supporting hole, and the rods with hanging heads are attracted by the supporting hole during the falling process, the rod body is inserted into the supporting hole, and the head is supported by the turntable outside the supporting hole. The turntable is driven to rotate by the second driving mechanism to realize the conveying of the rods with hanging heads.

[0044] Example 2

[0045] Based on Example 1, the collection area 2 and the drop area 1 are arranged along the axial direction of the collection wheel, and the inclined surface 3 is a cylindrical arc surface. In this case, the conveying mechanism 19 is located in the axial direction of the collection wheel and is relatively far away from the collection wheel. One end of the feed slide 15 extends into the collection wheel, and the other end is located above the drop area 1 near the conveying mechanism 19. The feed slide 15 is provided with a plurality of chutes 18 along the drop direction. The bar with a hanging head falls from the blades of the collection wheel into the chutes 18 on the feed slide 17, and then falls along the chutes 18 onto the conveying mechanism.

[0046] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0047] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An active feeding hopper, characterized in that: The invention comprises a silo, a material collecting wheel and a first driving mechanism; the silo comprises a material dropping area, a material collecting area and an inclined surface, the material dropping area is higher than the material collecting area, and the inclined surface connects the material dropping area and the material collecting area; the material collecting wheel is vertically connected to the silo and connected to the first driving mechanism; the lower edge of the circumferential wall of the material collecting wheel is arranged in the material collecting area and is connected to the lowest edge of the inclined surface; a plurality of blades are arranged on the circumferential wall of the material collecting wheel; The hopper further includes a conveying mechanism, which includes a turntable, a mounting seat, and a driving mechanism. The turntable is tilted and arranged on the mounting seat. The turntable is provided with a plurality of support holes that can fit the rods with hanging heads at equal intervals along the circumference. The mounting seat is provided with an air suction portion at the lower part of the support hole for sucking air from the support hole of the turntable. The air suction portion is connected to a vacuum device. The turntable is connected to a second driving mechanism. The hopper also includes a feeding slide. The feeding slide is arranged from high to low along the material collection area to the material drop area. One end of the feeding slide extends into the material collection wheel, and the other end is arranged above the material drop area close to the conveying mechanism. The collecting wheel includes a bottom surface and a circumferential wall connected to the bottom surface, and a toothed disc is arranged on the outer side of the circumferential wall; the collecting wheel is connected to the hopper through a baffle plate, and a through hole with the same diameter as the bottom surface is arranged on the baffle plate, the blades are on the inner side of the hopper, and the toothed disc is on the outer side of the hopper; a pressure wheel assembly rotatably connected to the collecting wheel is arranged on the baffle plate; the output shaft of the first driving mechanism is engaged with the toothed disc.

2. The active feeding hopper according to claim 1, characterized in that: A blade is arranged on the inner side of the circumferential wall. The blade is arc-shaped and connects the inner side of the circumferential wall and the bottom surface to form a semi-closed structure. The end of the blade away from the circumferential wall is inclined.

3. The active feeding hopper according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pressure wheel assembly includes a nut and bolt assembly, a rotating shaft, a pressure wheel and a gasket. The rotating shaft is in a boss shape and has a through hole inside. The bottom of the rotating shaft is set on the baffle plate. The pressure wheel is passed through the rotating shaft. The bolt passes through the gasket and then passes through the through hole, so that the gasket presses the pressure wheel, and the pressure wheel presses the gear plate. The nut passes through the through hole from the other side of the baffle plate and is connected to the rod body of the bolt and tightened. The inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the bolt rod body, that is, a gap is reserved between the rotating shaft and the screw. When the pressure wheel is worn or the processing accuracy requirement is reduced, the relative position of the pressure wheel and the gear plate is adjusted by the gap to achieve precise connection.

4. The active feeding hopper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The material collecting area and the material dropping area are arranged in the radial direction of the material collecting wheel, and the inclined surface is a spherical arc surface.

5. The active feeding hopper according to claim 4, characterized in that: A material receiving lug is provided on the feeding slide plate, and the material receiving lug extends into the collecting wheel.

6. The active feeding hopper according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding slide plate is in the shape of a right triangle, the longer right-angled side is connected to the material receiving ear plate, the shorter right-angled side is arranged above the blanking area, and a material blocking folding plate is arranged on the oblique side.

7. The active feeding hopper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The material collecting area and the material dropping area are arranged along the axial direction of the material collecting wheel, and the inclined surface is a cylindrical arc surface; the feeding slide plate is provided with a plurality of sliding grooves along the material dropping direction.

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