Fiber optic adapter metal parts feeding device

Abstract

This invention discloses a feeding device for metal parts of an optical fiber adapter, comprising a vibrator, a hopper, a conveying trough, and a sweeping device. The vibrator is installed in the hopper to vibrate and feed the material. One end of the conveying trough extends into the hopper, and the other end extends outward to feed the material. The sweeping device includes a support assembly, a motor, and a brush. The support assembly is installed above the hopper, and both ends of the brush are rotatably mounted on the support assembly and driven to rotate by the motor. The brush is located above the conveying trough, and its long axis is parallel to the conveying trough. Compared with the prior art, this invention adds a sweeping device to sweep away material that has moved above the conveying trough to prevent it from interfering with normal feeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical fiber adapter manufacturing technology, and in particular to a feeding device for metal parts of optical fiber adapters. Background Technology

[0002] Fiber optic adapters (fiber optic ferrules) mainly consist of a metal sleeve, a ceramic tube sleeve, and an optical fiber. The optical fiber is inserted into the ceramic tube sleeve, which is then inserted into the ceramic sleeve before being installed in the metal sleeve. In automated manufacturing of fiber optic adapters, various components typically require coordinated feeding. Conventional techniques often use vibratory feeders for feeding precision parts. The vibratory feeder uses up-and-down vibration to push and squeeze the components together, achieving feeding. However, the vibratory feeder's inefficient method of relying solely on random material movement combined with a conveyor system is inefficient. For example, Chinese literature with publication number CN 213617945 U discloses an automatic feeding device for air conditioner damper inserts. This device includes a vibratory feeder, guide strips, an L-shaped mounting block, a square slider, cylinder one, cylinder two, and control components. It automatically transports and fills cylindrical metal parts one by one from the vibratory feeder to the inserting device. The length of the feeding chute controls the length of the cylindrical metal parts; parts that are too long or too short will jam the square chute, preventing feeding. Only standard and compliant metal parts can be accurately and automatically fed. Although the vibratory feeder can shake some of the material from the conveyor into the vibratory feeder using vibration, the whole process is still random. The material may fall into other parts or even outside the vibratory feeder. Some material may even move above the material being transported normally in the conveyor and get stuck when it enters the designated feed inlet, causing a malfunction.

[0003] Therefore, in view of the problems existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need to provide a technology that is highly efficient and can effectively prevent problems caused by materials outside the conveyor channel moving together with the materials inside the conveyor channel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a fiber optic adapter metal feeding device that is highly efficient and can effectively prevent problems caused by materials outside the conveying channel moving together with materials inside the conveying channel.

[0005] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] A feeding device for metal parts of an optical fiber adapter is provided, which includes a vibrator, a hopper, a conveying trough and a sweeping device. The vibrator is installed in the hopper to make the hopper vibrate and feed the material. One end of the conveying trough extends into the hopper and the other end extends outward to feed the material.

[0007] The sweeping device includes a support assembly, a motor, and a brush. The support assembly is installed above the hopper, and the two ends of the brush are rotatably installed on the support assembly and driven to rotate by the motor. The brush is located above the conveying trough and its long axis is parallel to the conveying trough.

[0008] Preferably, the bottom plate of the hopper is inclined upward along the feeding direction, with an inclination angle of 1° to 10°.

[0009] Preferably, the bottom plate of the hopper has an inclination angle of 5°.

[0010] Preferably, the conveying trough is inclined downward from the hopper in the conveying direction, with an inclination angle of 1° to 8°, and one end of the conveying trough located inside the hopper is set inside the hopper by a support leg.

[0011] More preferably, the inclination angle of the conveying trough is 3°.

[0012] Preferably, the brush includes a rotating shaft and a brush, one side of which is fixed to the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft is rotatably mounted on a support assembly, and a motor drives the rotating shaft to rotate.

[0013] Preferably, a connecting frame is also provided, the hopper is installed on the connecting frame, and the connecting frame is connected to the vibrator.

[0014] Preferably, the vibrator is a linear vibrator, the main body of the vibrator is installed in the mounting cavity of the support, the tail of the vibrator is connected to a mounting plate, and the mounting plate is locked to the support; one end of the vibrator extends out of the mounting cavity and is connected to the connecting frame.

[0015] Preferably, a shock-absorbing spring is installed between the mounting plate and the inner wall of the mounting cavity.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0017] The fiber optic adapter metal component feeding device of the present invention includes a vibrator, a hopper, a conveying trough, and a sweeping device. The vibrator is installed in the hopper to vibrate and feed the material. One end of the conveying trough extends into the hopper, and the other end extends outward to feed the material. The sweeping device includes a support assembly, a motor, and a brush. The support assembly is installed above the hopper, and both ends of the brush are rotatably installed on the support assembly and driven to rotate by the motor. The brush is located above the conveying trough, and its long axis is parallel to the conveying trough. Compared with the prior art, the present invention adds a sweeping device to sweep away the material that has moved above the conveying trough to prevent it from interfering with normal feeding. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The invention will be further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the contents of the drawings do not constitute any limitation on the invention.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the fiber optic adapter metal part feeding device of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of an embodiment of the fiber optic adapter metal part feeding device of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is another schematic diagram of an embodiment of the fiber optic adapter metal part feeding device of the present invention.

[0022] exist Figures 1 to 3 This includes:

[0023] 1 – Vibrator, 2 – Hopper, 3 – Conveying trough, 4 – Support leg, 5 – Support assembly

[0024] 6 – Motor, 7 – Brush, 8 – Connecting bracket, 9 – Mounting plate, 10 – Mounting cavity

[0025] 11 - Shock-absorbing spring; 12 - Bracket. Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further described in conjunction with the following embodiments. Example

[0027] See Figure 1 and 2 The fiber optic adapter metal component feeding device of this embodiment includes a vibrator 1, a hopper 2, a conveying trough 3, and a sweeping device. The vibrator 1 is installed in the hopper 2 to vibrate and feed the material. One end of the conveying trough 3 extends into the hopper 2 and the other end extends outward to feed the material. The bottom plate of the hopper 2 is inclined upward along the feeding direction at an angle of 1° to 10°. The bottom plate of the hopper 2 has a certain inclination to allow the material (metal tube) to concentrate near the feeding end of the conveying trough 3 for easy feeding. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the bottom plate is 5°. This inclination angle allows the swept material to slide to the lowest point of the bottom plate while ensuring that the height of the conveying trough 3 is not too high for easy feeding, and also eliminates the need to add a large amount of material into the hopper 2. Correspondingly, the conveying trough 3 is inclined downward from the hopper 2 in the conveying direction at an angle of 1° to 8°. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the conveying trough 3 is 3°. The end of the conveying trough 3 located inside the hopper 2 is set inside the hopper 2 by a support leg 4. The up-and-down tilt setting can better achieve the accumulation of materials in the hopper 2 and the smooth feeding of materials into the conveying trough 3.

[0028] During vibratory feeding, some material smoothly enters the conveying trough 3 and moves forward under vibration. However, some material also moves above the conveying trough 3 and moves along with the material inside. If the material above the conveying trough 3 is not swept off in time, it will fall onto other equipment or get stuck at the feed inlet of the next equipment, affecting the normal operation of the equipment. To address this, the present invention provides a sweeping device, which includes a support assembly 5, a motor 6, and a brush 7. The support assembly 5 is installed above the hopper 2. Both ends of the brush 7 are rotatably mounted on the support assembly 5 and driven to rotate by the motor 6. The brush 7 is located above the conveying trough 3, and its long axis is parallel to the conveying trough 3. The brush 7 includes a rotating shaft and a bristle. One side of the bristle is fixed to the rotating shaft, which is rotatably mounted on the support assembly 5. The motor 6 drives the rotating shaft to rotate. When rotating, the brush can sweep all the material above the conveying trough 3 into the hopper 2, preventing it from affecting normal feeding. Example

[0029] See Figure 3 In this embodiment, the fiber optic adapter metal feeding device is further provided with a connecting frame 8. The hopper 2 is installed on the connecting frame 8, and the connecting frame 8 is connected to the vibrator 1. The vibrator 1 is a linear vibrator 1. The main body of the vibrator 1 is installed in the mounting cavity 10 of the support 12, and the tail end of the vibrator 1 is connected to a mounting plate 9, which is locked to the support 12. One end of the vibrator 1 extends out of the mounting cavity 10 and is connected to the connecting frame 8. This facilitates the material to vibrate and move forward in the designated direction, resulting in higher efficiency.

[0030] To reduce vibration of the support, a damping spring 11 is installed between the mounting plate 9 and the inner wall of the mounting cavity 10.

[0031] The main technical solution of this embodiment is basically the same as that of embodiment 1. Features not explained in this embodiment are explained in embodiment 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0032] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the claims. Those skilled in the art should understand, with reference to the preferred embodiments, that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention, but such modifications or substitutions shall fall within the substantially the same scope of protection as the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding device for metal parts of an optical fiber adapter, characterized in that: It includes a vibrator, a hopper, a conveying trough, and a sweeping device. The vibrator is installed in the hopper to make the hopper vibrate and feed the material. One end of the conveying trough extends into the hopper and the other end extends outward to feed the material. The bottom plate of the hopper is inclined upward along the feeding direction at an angle of 5°. The sweeping device includes a support assembly, a motor, and a brush. The support assembly is installed above the hopper, and both ends of the brush are rotatably installed on the support assembly and driven to rotate by the motor. The brush is located above the conveying trough and its long axis is parallel to the conveying trough. The brush includes a rotating shaft and a bristle. One side of the bristle is fixed to the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is rotatably installed on the support assembly. The motor drives the rotating shaft to rotate. The conveying trough is inclined downwards from the hopper in the conveying direction at an angle of 3°. One end of the conveying trough is located inside the hopper via support legs.

2. The fiber optic adapter metal feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It is also equipped with a connecting frame, on which the hopper is installed, and the connecting frame is connected to the vibrator.

3. The fiber optic adapter metal feeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vibrator is a linear vibrator. The main body of the vibrator is installed in the mounting cavity of the support. The tail of the vibrator is connected to a mounting plate, which is locked to the support. One end of the vibrator extends out of the mounting cavity and is connected to the connecting frame.

4. The fiber optic adapter metal feeding device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A shock-absorbing spring is installed between the mounting plate and the inner wall of the mounting cavity.

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