A feeding mechanism for a valve needle

Abstract

The present invention discloses a feeding mechanism for valve needles, comprising: a vibrating bowl for arranging the valve needles one by one; a detection mechanism for judging the forward and reverse directions and the qualified products of the valve needles arranged by the vibrating bowl, and selecting the forward and qualified valve needles to be sent to the feeding mechanism; the feeding mechanism for feeding the valve needles into subsequent equipment; the present invention is a special equipment for valve needles, which overcomes the problem that the valve needles are too thin to be fed by the way of being grabbed by a robotic arm, and cleverly uses the air power method to inject the valve needles into the subsequent equipment through a feeding pipe, greatly saving the labor cost and improving the feeding efficiency. Secondly, an obtuse angle is formed between the axial direction of the feeding pipe and the storage hole, and a commutation device can quickly commutate the valve needles. In addition, a guiding block is arranged at the inlet end of the feeding pipe, and an open guiding groove is arranged on the guiding block, which can better make the valve needles change from a horizontal state to an inclined state so as to smoothly enter the feeding pipe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of valve needle processing, and particularly relates to a feeding mechanism for a valve needle. Background Art

[0002] As an important component in automotive parts, the valve needle has a needle-like structure, with one end protruding and the other end recessed. However, due to the small diameter of the valve needle, it cannot be fed by means of a robotic arm grasping, and can only be fed into the processing equipment manually. This will increase labor costs and result in low production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aiming at the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art, the main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, and discloses a feeding mechanism for a valve needle, including:

[0004] A vibrating bowl feeder for arranging the valve needles one by one;

[0005] A detection mechanism for judging the forward and reverse directions and the qualified products of the valve needles arranged by the vibrating bowl feeder, and selecting the forward and qualified valve needles to be sent to the feeding mechanism;

[0006] The feeding mechanism for feeding the valve needles into subsequent equipment;

[0007] The feeding mechanism includes a mounting bracket, a feed pipe, a device for feeding one by one, a commutation device, a conveying device, a delivery pipe and a blowing device. The commutation device, the conveying device and the delivery pipe are arranged on the mounting bracket. The feed pipe connects the detection mechanism and the commutation device. The device for feeding one by one is arranged at the feed pipe to control the valve needles to enter the commutation device one by one. The commutation device is used to make the valve needles fall into the conveying device. The conveying device is used to send the valve needles below the delivery pipe. The blowing device is used to blow the valve needles into the subsequent equipment through the delivery pipe.

[0008] Further, the device for feeding one by one includes a fixed bracket, a first cylinder, a second cylinder and a pressing head. The fixed bracket is arranged on the mounting bracket. The feed pipe is obliquely fixed on the mounting bracket, and a first opening and a second opening are formed on the side wall of the feed pipe. The first cylinder and the second cylinder are arranged on the fixed bracket and correspond to the first opening and the second opening. The pressing head is arranged on the first cylinder and the second cylinder, and alternately controls the first cylinder and the second cylinder to control the pressing head to move towards the feed pipe.

[0009] Further, a supporting part is arranged below the first opening and the second opening of the feed pipe.

[0010] Further, the feeding device one by one further includes a material guiding block, a material guiding groove is recessed on the material guiding block, and the inlet end of the feeding pipe is butted against the material guiding groove.

[0011] Further, the reversing device includes a reversing housing, a motor, and a reversing inner core. The reversing housing is recessed with a cylindrical installation cavity. A first feeding hole and a first discharging hole are provided on the side wall of the reversing housing. The first feeding hole is connected to the feeding pipe, and the first discharging hole is connected to the conveying device. The reversing inner core is a cylindrical structure matching the installation cavity, and a through accommodating hole is radially provided. The reversing inner core is rotatably arranged in the installation cavity, and the motor is used to drive the reversing inner core to rotate; during feeding, the accommodating hole is aligned with the first feeding hole; during discharging, the motor is used to drive the reversing inner core to rotate until the accommodating hole is aligned with the first discharging hole.

[0012] Further, a first installation hole communicating with the accommodating hole is provided on the reversing inner core, and a photoelectric sensor is arranged in the first installation hole to sense whether the valve needle is in the accommodating hole.

[0013] Further, the conveying device includes a fixed block, a moving block, and a driver. A sliding groove is horizontally arranged on the fixed block, the moving block is arranged in the sliding groove, and the driver is used to drive the moving block to reciprocate along the sliding groove; a second feeding hole, a second discharging hole, and an air inlet hole are provided on the fixed block. A storage hole is vertically arranged on the moving block. The second feeding hole is connected to the first discharging hole, the second discharging hole is connected to the air inlet hole through the storage hole, the second discharging hole is connected to the feeding pipe, and the air inlet hole is connected to the blowing device.

[0014] Further, a second installation hole communicating with the storage hole is provided on the moving block, and a photoelectric sensor is arranged in the second installation hole to sense whether the valve needle is in the storage hole.

[0015] Further, the detection mechanism includes a belt conveyor, side plates, a solenoid valve, a storage box, and a camera. The belt conveyor is connected to the vibrating disk and the feeding mechanism, and a part of the belt conveyor is located inside the vibrating disk and another part is located outside the vibrating disk. The side plates are arranged on one side of the belt conveyor, the storage box is arranged on the other side. A first air hole and a second air hole are provided on the side plates, and the first air hole is located inside the vibrating disk, and the second air hole corresponds to the storage box. The solenoid valve is connected to the air source; the camera is arranged above the belt conveyor to detect the positive and negative directions and the external contour of the valve needle.

[0016] Further, one side of the belt conveyor away from the side plate is higher than the other side.

[0017] Beneficial effects achieved by the present invention:

[0018] The present invention is a special device for valve needles, which overcomes the problem that the valve needles are too thin to be loaded by means of a robotic arm. It ingeniously uses the air power method to inject the valve needles into the subsequent equipment through the feeding pipe, greatly saving labor costs and improving the feeding efficiency. Secondly, the feeding pipe forms an obtuse angle with the axis of the storage hole, and a commutation device can quickly commutate the valve needles. In addition, a guiding block is provided at the inlet end of the feeding pipe, and an open guiding groove is provided on the guiding block, which can better make the valve needles change from a horizontal state to an inclined state to smoothly enter the feeding pipe. Description of the drawings

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the valve needle;

[0020] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a feeding mechanism for a valve needle of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding mechanism;

[0022] Figure 4 is a top view of;

[0023] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a cross-sectional view taken along A-A in;

[0024] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of the conveying device;

[0025] Figure 7 is Figure 6 a top view of;

[0026] Figure 8 is Figure 7 a cross-sectional view taken along B-B of;

[0027] Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the cooperation between the vibrating bowl and the detection mechanism;

[0028] The reference signs are as follows:

[0029] 1. Vibration bowl, 2. Detection mechanism, 3. Feeding mechanism, 4. Photoelectric sensor, 9. Valve needle, 21. Belt conveyor, 22. Side plate, 23. Solenoid valve, 24. Storage box, 25. Motor, 221. First air hole, 222. Second air hole, 31. Mounting bracket, 32. Feed pipe, 33. Individual discharging device, 34. Reversing device, 35. Conveying device, 36. Feeding pipe, 37. Blowing device, 321. First opening, 322. Second opening, 331. Fixed bracket, 332. First cylinder, 333. Second cylinder, 334. Pressing head, 335. Support part, 336. Guide block, 337. Guide groove, 341. Reversing housing, 342. Motor, 343. Reversing inner core, 3411. First feed hole, 3412. First discharge hole, 3431. Accommodating hole, 351. Fixed block, 352. Moving block, 353. Driver, 354. Second feed hole, 355. Second discharge hole, 356. Air inlet hole, 3511. Chute, 3521. Storage hole for materials. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0031] A feeding mechanism for a valve needle, as Figure 1 shown, includes:

[0032] A vibration bowl 1 for arranging the valve needles 9 one by one;

[0033] A detection mechanism 2 for judging the forward and reverse directions and the qualified products of the valve needles arranged by the vibration bowl 1, and selecting the forward and qualified valve needles to send them to the feeding mechanism;

[0034] A feeding mechanism 3 for sending the valve needles 9 into subsequent equipment;

[0035] Specifically:

[0036] As Figure 1-8 shown, the feeding mechanism 3 includes a mounting bracket 31, a feed pipe 32, an individual discharging device 33, a reversing device 34, a conveying device 35, a feeding pipe 36 and a blowing device 37. The reversing device 34, the conveying device 35 and the feeding pipe 36 are arranged on the mounting bracket 31. The feed pipe 32 is connected to the detection mechanism 2 and the reversing device 34, and the valve needles 9 enter the feed pipe 32 and slide into the reversing device 34. The individual discharging device 33 is arranged at the feed pipe 32 to control the valve needles 9 to enter the reversing device 34 one by one. The reversing device 34 is used to make the valve needles 9 fall into the conveying device 35. The conveying device 35 is used to send the valve needles 9 to the lower part of the feeding pipe 36, and the blowing device 37 is used to send the valve needles 9 into the subsequent equipment through the feeding pipe 36.

[0037] In one embodiment, as Figure 1-8 shown, the individual feeding device 33 includes a fixed bracket 331, a first cylinder 332, a second cylinder 333 and a pressing head 334. The fixed bracket 331 is arranged on the mounting bracket 31. The feeding pipe 32 is obliquely fixed on the mounting bracket 31, and a first opening 321 and a second opening 322 are formed on the side wall of the feeding pipe 32. The first cylinder 332 and the second cylinder 333 are arranged on the fixed bracket 331 and correspond to the first opening 321 and the second opening 322. The pressing head 334 is arranged on the first cylinder 332 and the second cylinder 333, and the first cylinder 332 and the second cylinder 333 are alternately controlled to control the pressing head 334 to move towards the feeding pipe 32. That is, when the second cylinder 333 drives the pressing head 334 to press down, the blocking valve needle 9 slides downwards; then the first cylinder 332 drives the pressing head 334 to press the previous valve needle 9 tightly, the second cylinder 333 resets, and the valve needle 9 slides along the feeding pipe 32 to the commutation device 34, repeating the above actions to achieve this feeding. Preferably, since the first cylinder 332 fixes the valve needle 9 in a pressing manner, a supporting part 335 is arranged below the first opening 321 and the second opening 322 of the feeding pipe 32 to support the feeding pipe 32 and prevent the feeding pipe 32 from bending after long-term use, so that the valve needle 9 cannot pass through smoothly.

[0038] In the above embodiment, as Figure 1-8 shown, the valve needle 9 is a needle-shaped mechanism with a small diameter. Obviously, in order to arrange the valve needles 9 one by one in the feeding pipe 32, the inner diameter of the feeding pipe 32 is also very small; the valve needle 9 is relatively long and is in a horizontal state before entering the feeding pipe 32. Also, because the feeding pipe 32 needs to be obliquely placed, at this time, there is an obtuse angle between the valve needle 9 and the feeding pipe 32, and the valve needle 9 cannot enter the feeding pipe 32; therefore, how to send the valve needle 9 detected by the detection mechanism 2 into the feeding pipe 32 will also be a difficult point. In order to ensure that the valve needle 9 can be smoothly sent into the feeding pipe 32, the individual feeding device 33 further includes a guiding block 336. A guiding groove 337 is recessed on the guiding block 336, and the inlet end of the feeding pipe 32 is butted against the guiding groove 337. The guiding groove 337 is an open groove, and the valve needle 9 has enough space to change from a horizontal state to an inclined state; and slides into the feeding pipe 32 along the guiding groove 337.

[0039] In one embodiment, as Figure 1-8As shown, the commutation device 34 includes a commutation housing 341, a motor 342, and a commutation inner core 343. The commutation housing 341 is recessed with a cylindrical installation cavity. A first feed hole 3411 and a first discharge hole 3412 are provided on the side wall of the commutation housing 341. The first feed hole 3411 is connected to the feed pipe 32, and the first discharge hole 3412 is connected to the conveying device 35. The commutation inner core 343 is a cylindrical structure that fits the installation cavity, and a through accommodation hole 3431 is radially provided. The commutation inner core 343 is rotatably arranged in the installation cavity, and the motor 342 is used to drive the commutation inner core 343 to rotate. During feeding, the accommodation hole 3431 is aligned with the first feed hole 3411. During discharging, the motor 342 is used to drive the commutation inner core 343 to rotate until the accommodation hole 3431 is aligned with the first discharge hole 3412. Preferably, a first installation hole communicating with the accommodation hole 3431 is provided on the commutation inner core 343, and a photoelectric sensor 4 is arranged in the first installation hole to sense whether there is a valve needle 9 in the accommodation hole 3431. The photoelectric sensor 4 is arranged at the tail end of the accommodation hole 3431, so as to be able to detect whether the valve needle 9 is in place at the same time. During use, the valve needle 9 enters the accommodation hole 3431 along the feed pipe 32. When the photoelectric sensor 4 senses the valve needle 9, the motor 342 drives the commutation inner core 343 to rotate, so that the accommodation hole 3431 is aligned with the first discharge hole 3412, and the valve needle 9 falls into the conveying device 35 along the first discharge hole 3412. Then the motor 342 resets and waits to convey the next valve needle 9.

[0040] In an embodiment, as Figure 1-8 shown, the conveying device 35 includes a fixed block 351, a moving block 352, and a driver 353. A chute 3511 is horizontally arranged on the fixed block 351, the moving block 352 is arranged in the chute 3511, and the driver is fixedly arranged on one side of the fixed block 351. The driver 353 is used to drive the moving block 351 to reciprocate along the chute 3511. A second feed hole 354, a second discharge hole 355, and an air inlet hole 356 are provided on the fixed block 351. A storage hole 3521 is vertically arranged on the moving block 352. The second feed hole 354 is connected to the first discharge hole 3412, the second discharge hole 355 is connected to the air inlet hole 356 through the storage hole 3521, the second discharge hole 355 is connected to the feed pipe 36, and the air inlet hole 356 is connected to the blowing device 37. When the valve needle 9 enters the storage hole 3521 through the second feed hole 354, the driver 353 is used to drive the moving block 352 to move towards the second discharge hole 355 until the second discharge hole 355, the storage hole 3521, and the air inlet hole 356 are aligned, and the blowing device 37 is used to make the valve needle 9 enter the subsequent processing equipment along the feed pipe 36. Among them, the driver 353 can be a cylinder, and the contraction and extension positions of the cylinder are the feeding position and the discharging position of the moving block 352.

[0041] Of course, in order to improve production efficiency, as Figure 1-8As shown, feeding can also be performed by two valve needles simultaneously; that is, two feeding pipes 36 are provided, and storage holes 3521 corresponding to the positions of the feeding pipes 36 are provided on the moving block 352, and a single reversing device 34 can be shared. That is, after the moving block 352 moves, one valve needle 9 falls into the storage hole 3521, and then it moves to one side through the driver 353, so that another storage hole 3521 is aligned with the reversing device 34, and one valve needle 9 falls into the storage hole 3521. Then, the moving block is driven to move to one side again through the driver 353, so that the two storage holes 3521 are respectively aligned with the second discharge holes 355. In this embodiment, the driver 353 can be arranged by stacking two cylinders, that is, one cylinder is arranged on the telescopic rod of the other cylinder, so as to achieve three position pauses.

[0042] In one embodiment, as Figure 1-8 shown, a second installation hole communicating with the storage hole 3521 is provided on the moving block 352, and a photoelectric sensor 4 is arranged in the second installation hole to sense whether there is a valve needle 9 in the storage hole 3521.

[0043] In addition, using the structure of the valve needle 9, one end of which protrudes from the end face and has a relatively small diameter. Therefore, the diameter of the air inlet hole 356 is smaller than the diameter of the body of the valve needle 9. First, it can prevent the valve needle from falling into the air inlet hole 356. Second, the valve needle 9 blocks the air inlet hole 356 by its own weight, making it easier for the blowing device 37 to send the valve needle 9 into the subsequent equipment.

[0044] In one embodiment, as Figure 1 and 9As shown in the figure, the detection mechanism 2 includes a belt conveyor 21, side plates 22, solenoid valves 23, a storage box 24, and a camera 25. The belt conveyor 21 is connected to the vibrating disk 1 and the feeding mechanism 3, and a part of the belt conveyor 21 is located inside the vibrating disk 1, and the other part is located outside the vibrating disk 1. The side plates 22 are arranged on one side of the belt conveyor 24, and the storage box 24 is arranged on the other side of the belt conveyor 21. The first air holes 221 and the second air holes 222 are arranged on the side plates 22, and the first air holes 221 are located inside the vibrating disk 1, and the second air holes 222 correspond to the storage box 24. The first air holes 221 and the second air holes 222 are respectively connected to the air source through the solenoid valves 23. The solenoid valves are used to control the high-speed gas ejected from the first air holes 221 and the second air holes 222 to blow the valve pins 9 on the belt conveyor 21 away. The camera 25 is arranged above the belt conveyor 21 to detect the forward and reverse directions and the external contour of the valve pins 9. Among them, the uniform transmission of the belt conveyor 21 is faster than the moving speed of the vibrating disk. By using the speed difference between the two, there is an interval between adjacent valve pins 9, enabling the camera 25 to better detect the valve pins 9 and avoiding mutual influence between adjacent valve pins 9. When the valve pin 9 is in the reverse direction, the first air hole 221 is controlled to blow air, and the valve pin 9 is blown back into the vibrating disk 1 again. When the valve pin 9 is qualified after the forward and reverse direction detection, the second air hole does not act; when it is qualified, the second air hole 222 blows air to blow the unqualified products into the storage box 24. Among them, the method of detecting by the camera 25 through pictures is a prior art and will not be elaborated here too much.

[0045] In the above embodiment, as Figure 1 and 9 shown, and the side of the belt conveyor 21 away from the side plate is higher than the other side. In this way, the valve pin 9 adheres to the side plate 22 and moves to ensure that when the valve pin 9 moves to the end, it is docked with the feeding mechanism 3, ensuring that the valve pin 9 smoothly enters the feeding mechanism 3.

[0046] The air blowing device 37 includes a solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve is connected to the air inlet hole 356 and the air source, and then controls the gas to be sprayed into the feeding pipe 36 to send the valve pin 9 into the subsequent equipment.

[0047] When the present invention is in use, as Figure 1-9As shown, the valve needle 9 is poured into the vibrating bowl 1. The vibrating bowl 1 arranges the valve needles 9 one by one and feeds them into the detection mechanism 2. Due to the speed difference between the belt conveyor 21 and the vibrating bowl 1 in feeding, the valve needles 9 are conveyed one by one through the belt conveyor 21. At the same time, the camera 25 takes pictures of the valve needles 9 one by one for comparison to determine whether the valve needles 9 are in the correct orientation and whether their outer contours are the same as the standard shape, and controls the first air hole 221 and the second air hole 222 to perform corresponding actions. The valve needles 9 that are in the correct orientation (the convex part is to the right) and have qualified outer shapes enter the feeding mechanism 3. The valve needles 9 are fed into the reversing device 34 through the feeding pipe 32. The motor drives the inner core 343 inside the reversing device to rotate the valve needles 9 from an inclined state to a vertical state. The valve needles 9 fall into the conveying device 35. The valve needles are sent to the feeding pipe 36 through the moving block 32, and the valve needles 9 are sent into the subsequent device through the air blowing device 37.

[0048] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention; if the present invention is modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it should be covered by the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding mechanism for a valve needle, characterized in that, Including: A vibrating bowl feeder for arranging the valve needles one by one; A detection mechanism for judging the forward and reverse directions and the qualified products of the valve needles arranged by the vibrating bowl feeder, and selecting the forward and qualified valve needles to be sent to the feeding mechanism; The feeding mechanism for feeding the valve needles into subsequent equipment; The feeding mechanism includes a mounting bracket, a feed pipe, a device for discharging one by one, a commutation device, a conveying device, a delivery pipe and a blowing device. The commutation device, the conveying device and the delivery pipe are arranged on the mounting bracket. The feed pipe connects the detection mechanism and the commutation device. The device for discharging one by one is arranged at the feed pipe to control the valve needles to enter the commutation device one by one. The commutation device is used to make the valve needles fall into the conveying device. The conveying device is used to send the valve needles below the delivery pipe. The blowing device is used to blow the valve needles into the subsequent equipment through the delivery pipe; The device for discharging one by one includes a fixed bracket, a first cylinder, a second cylinder and a pressing head. The fixed bracket is arranged on the mounting bracket. The feed pipe is obliquely fixed on the mounting bracket, and a first opening and a second opening are formed on the side wall of the feed pipe. The first cylinder and the second cylinder are arranged on the fixed bracket and correspond to the first opening and the second opening. The pressing head is arranged on the first cylinder and the second cylinder to alternately control the first cylinder and the second cylinder to control the pressing head to move towards the feed pipe; The commutation device includes a commutation housing, a motor and an inner commutation core. The commutation housing is recessed with a cylindrical installation cavity. A first feed hole and a first discharge hole are arranged on the side wall of the commutation housing. The first feed hole is connected with the feed pipe, and the first discharge hole is connected with the conveying device. The inner commutation core is a cylindrical structure matched with the installation cavity, and a through accommodating hole is radially arranged. The inner commutation core is rotatably arranged in the installation cavity, and the motor is used to drive the inner commutation core to rotate; during feeding, the accommodating hole is aligned with the first feed hole; during discharging, the motor is used to drive the inner commutation core to rotate until the accommodating hole is aligned with the first discharge hole; The conveying device includes a fixed block, a moving block and a driver. A chute is horizontally arranged on the fixed block. The moving block is arranged in the chute, and the driver is used to drive the moving block to reciprocate along the chute; a second feed hole, a second discharge hole and an air inlet hole are arranged on the fixed block. A storage hole is vertically arranged on the moving block. The second feed hole is connected with the first discharge hole. The second discharge hole is connected with the air inlet hole through the storage hole. The second discharge hole is connected with the delivery pipe, and the air inlet hole is connected with the blowing device; The detection mechanism includes a belt conveyor, side plates, solenoid valves, a storage box, and a camera. The belt conveyor is connected to the vibrating bowl and the feeding mechanism, and a part of the belt conveyor is located inside the vibrating bowl and another part is located outside the vibrating bowl. The side plates are arranged on one side of the belt conveyor, the storage box is arranged on the other side, the side plates are provided with a first air hole and a second air hole, and the first air hole is located inside the vibrating bowl, the second air hole corresponds to the storage box, and the solenoid valves are connected to a gas source; the camera is arranged above the belt conveyor to detect the forward and reverse directions and the external contour of the valve needle.

2. The feeding mechanism of a valve needle according to claim 1, characterized in that The feeding pipe is provided with a support portion below the first opening and the second opening.

3. The feeding mechanism of a valve needle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The one-by-one feeding device further includes a guiding block, a guiding groove is recessed on the guiding block, and the inlet end of the feeding pipe is docked with the guiding groove.

4. The feeding mechanism for a valve needle according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first mounting hole communicating with the receiving hole is provided on the inner core for reversing, and a photoelectric sensor is arranged in the first mounting hole to sense whether the valve needle is in the receiving hole.

5. The feeding mechanism of a valve needle according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second mounting hole communicating with the storage hole is provided on the moving block, and a photoelectric sensor is arranged in the second mounting hole to sense whether the valve needle is in the storage hole.

6. The feeding mechanism of a valve needle according to claim 1, characterized in that, And one side of the belt conveyor away from the side plate is higher than the other side.

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