An automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of automated component assembly technology, specifically to an automated assembly device for automotive wheel hub end caps. The device includes a worktable with a central opening. At both ends of the worktable along the length of the opening are respectively located end cap hoppers and valve body hoppers. A pressing cylinder with a piston shaft pointing vertically downwards is mounted between the two hoppers via a vertical frame. Valve body receiving fixtures and end cap receiving fixtures, located on the same horizontal plane, are slidably positioned on the worktable between the two hoppers. These fixtures are connected to conveying cylinders and can be driven by the conveying cylinders to engage with the pressing cylinders directly below them. The valve body receiving fixture is equipped with a gripper mechanism for releasing the valve body. This invention enables automated loading and unloading of materials and automates wheel hub end cap assembly, improving assembly efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic assembly technology for parts, and specifically to an automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the assembly of automotive wheel hub end caps is generally done manually with the help of simple tools. First, the valve body end cap is placed on one side, and the valve body is placed on the other side, and then the assembly is carried out.

[0003] Manual assembly is not only inefficient and labor-intensive, but also cannot meet the assembly speed requirements. Therefore, designing an automatic assembly device for wheel hub end caps with storage and automatic feeding functions is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automatic assembly device for automotive wheel hub end caps, which can automatically load and unload materials and automate the assembly of wheel hub end caps, thereby improving assembly efficiency.

[0005] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: An automatic assembly device for automotive wheel hub end caps is provided, including a worktable with an opening in the middle. End cap hoppers and valve body hoppers are respectively provided at both ends of the worktable along the length of the opening. A pressing cylinder with a piston shaft pointing vertically downwards is mounted between the two hoppers via a vertical frame. A valve body receiving fixture and an end cap receiving fixture are slidably arranged on the worktable between the two hoppers on the same horizontal plane. The valve body receiving fixture and the end cap receiving fixture are respectively connected to a conveying cylinder and can be driven by the conveying cylinder to fit into a gap directly below the pressing cylinder. A gripper mechanism for releasing and releasing valve bodies is installed on the valve body receiving fixture.

[0006] Furthermore, two parallel guide rails are installed on both sides of the workbench along the length of the opening, and an end cover connecting support for supporting the end cover hopper and a valve body connecting support for supporting the valve body hopper are respectively mounted above the two ends of the guide rails. A support plate extending to the bottom of the valve body hopper discharge port is fixed on the valve body connecting support, and a top material mechanism for controlling the discharge of individual valve bodies is installed at the bottom discharge port of the valve body hopper on the valve body connecting support.

[0007] The valve body hopper is mounted on the working platform via a valve body connecting support, and the end cap hopper is mounted on the working platform via an end cap connecting support. The two are respectively set at both ends of the guide rail, which facilitates the valve body receiving work and the end cap receiving fixture to move towards each other on the guide rail to the middle to achieve press-fit assembly. The top material mechanism is used to control the valve body unloading, so that it is unloaded one by one.

[0008] Furthermore, a U-shaped component is bolted to one side of the valve body connecting support along its length. The valve body hopper is located inside the U-shaped component. The material-lifting mechanism includes a material-lifting cylinder and a material-lifting block. The material-lifting cylinder is fixed to the valve body connecting support on one side of the U-shaped component via a mounting seat. The piston rod of the material-lifting cylinder is perpendicular to the guide rail. The material-lifting block is an L-shaped block. One end of the L-shaped block is perpendicularly connected to the piston rod of the material-lifting cylinder, and the other end of the L-shaped block passes through one side of the U-shaped component and extends into the bottom discharge port of the valve body hopper.

[0009] The valve body hopper is fixed to one side of the valve body connecting support by a U-shaped component. The discharge port at the bottom of the hopper protrudes and is blocked by a top material block. One end of the L-shaped block of the top material block passes through the U-shaped component and extends into the discharge port to block the valve body. The piston rod of the top material cylinder pulls the L-shaped block to move laterally. When the L-shaped block is pulled out of the discharge port, the material falls. When the L-shaped block is inserted into the discharge port, the material is blocked.

[0010] Furthermore, the valve body receiving fixture includes a valve body plate and a mounting vertical plate. The valve body plate is positioned between the workbench and the valve body connecting support and is slidably connected to the two guide rails via a slider. A first positioning plate extends from the side of the valve body plate opposite the end cap receiving fixture, and an insertion port is formed at the end of the first positioning plate. The mounting vertical plate is positioned inside the through port and is equipped with the aforementioned gripper mechanism. The two grippers of the gripper mechanism are located on both sides above the support plate.

[0011] The valve body plate of the valve body receiving fixture is slidably connected to the guide rail via a slider. It can be controlled to slide on the guide rail in conjunction with the piston rod of the conveying cylinder. The socket formed at the end of the first positioning plate can be positioned in conjunction with the plug of the end cover receiving fixture. The support plate is used to receive the valve body falling from the valve body hopper. The gripper mechanism is set above the support plate and clamps and fixes the falling valve body, so that the valve body moves with the valve body receiving fixture on the guide rail to the bottom of the pressing cylinder to complete the pressing fit.

[0012] Furthermore, a vertical baffle is provided on the side of the end cap connecting support near the press-fit cylinder on the moving path of the end cap receiving tool, and a receiving slide is installed at the opening of the worktable directly below the baffle.

[0013] A baffle plate is installed on one side of the end cap connecting support. After the press-fit assembly is completed, when the end cap receiving fixture returns to its original position, the baffle plate will block the assembled hub cap from the opening into the receiving slide, thus completing the automatic unloading.

[0014] Furthermore, the end cap receiving fixture includes a receiving plate, which is set between the workbench and the end cap connecting support and is slidably connected to two guide rails via a slider. A second positioning plate is formed on the side of the receiving plate facing the valve body plate. Both sides of the second positioning plate are respectively formed with the receiving plate to avoid the gripper. A plug that is mated with the socket is formed at the end of the second positioning plate. A pressing groove for accommodating the end cap is formed on the upper surface of the plug on the second positioning plate. A horizontal push plate located directly below the end cap hopper discharge port is also connected to the surface of the receiving plate.

[0015] The receiving plate is slidably connected to the guide rail via a slider, and can be controlled to slide on the guide rail in conjunction with the piston rod of the conveying cylinder. The second positioning plate on the receiving plate is set to form a plug, which is positioned to fit the insertion gap with the socket on the first positioning plate of the valve body receiving fixture, so that the end cap on the receiving fixture and the valve body are directly below the pressing cylinder, ensuring the smooth completion of pressing.

[0016] Furthermore, the horizontal push plate has an arc-shaped push opening on the end face near the pressure groove, the first positioning plate has a groove on the upper surface of the insertion port and a fixing plate is fixed in the groove, and the fixing plate has an arc-shaped receiving opening that can cooperate with the push opening to limit and clamp the end cap.

[0017] When the horizontal push plate moves with the end cap receiving fixture, it can use the push opening at the end to push out an end cap when passing the bottom discharge port of the end cap hopper and bring it directly below the pressing cylinder. At the same time, in conjunction with the receiving opening on the fixing plate of the valve body receiving fixture, the end cap can be positioned and clamped in the clamping port formed by the splicing of the two openings, so as to realize the positioning and clamping of the end cap and ensure the stability and accuracy of the assembly.

[0018] Furthermore, it also includes a frame, with the workbench installed in the middle of the frame. Protective partitions are installed on the left, right, rear, and top sides of the workbench on the upper part of the frame, and an openable and closable safety light curtain is installed on the front of the workbench. An electrical cabinet and a receiving box connected to the receiving slide are installed at the lower part of the frame.

[0019] By setting up a frame and using protective partitions, a protective isolation function is achieved. The safety light curtain can be opened and closed for material replenishment. The electrical cabinet is used to provide power to the assembly device. The receiving box can receive finished assembly parts falling from the receiving slide, realizing the material collection function. The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention enables automated assembly of automotive wheel hub end caps, solving the technical challenge of automating wheel hub end cap assembly. It utilizes separate material storage in valve body and end cap hoppers, with automatic feeding via valve body and end cap receiving fixtures. A press-fit cylinder achieves pressing assembly at a fixed position, and automatic unloading occurs when the end cap receiving fixture returns to its original position. This significantly improves production efficiency and creates greater social value. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the workbench in this invention.

[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A three-dimensional image.

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Top view.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the insertion and mating of the end cap receiving fixture and the valve body receiving fixture in this invention.

[0025] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram of its breakdown.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the valve body connecting support and the valve body receiving fixture in this invention.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the valve body connecting support and the valve body hopper in this invention.

[0028] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A bottom view.

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the end cap connecting support and the end cap receiving fixture in this invention.

[0030] As shown in the figure: 1. End cap hopper; 2. Valve body hopper; 3. Pressing cylinder; 4. Ejecting mechanism; 5. End cap receiving fixture; 6. Valve body receiving fixture; 7. Valve body conveying cylinder; 8. End cap conveying cylinder; 9. Stand; 10. Workbench; 11. Buffer; 12. Valve body connecting support; 13. Guide rail; 14. End cap connecting support; 15. Receiving slide; 16. Gripper; 17. Gripper adjustment device; 18. Baffle plate; 19. Frame; 20. Safety light curtain; 21. Horizontal push plate; 22. 23. Second positioning plate, 24. Clearance groove, 25. End cap, 26. U-shaped piece, 27. Top material cylinder, 28. Top material block, 29. Push opening, 30. Receiving plate, 31. Pressing groove, 32. First positioning plate, 33. Valve body plate, 34. Fixing plate, 35. Plug, 36. Receiving opening, 37. Socket, 38. Clamp, 39. Mounting vertical plate, 40. Support plate, 41. Valve body discharge port, 42. End cap discharge port, 43. Through port, 44. Protective partition, 45. Receiving box. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, the following detailed implementation method will be used to explain the solution.

[0032] An automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps includes a frame 19, a worktable 10 installed in the middle of the frame 19, an opening 42 in the middle of the worktable 10, protective partitions 43 installed on the left, right, rear and top sides of the worktable 10 on the upper part of the frame 19, and an openable and closable safety light curtain 20 installed on the front of the worktable 10.

[0033] The workbench 10 has end cap hopper 1 and valve body hopper 2 at both ends of the length of the opening 42. A pressing cylinder 3 with a piston shaft pointing vertically downward is installed between the two hoppers via a stand 9. A valve body receiving fixture 6 and an end cap receiving fixture 5 are slidably installed on the workbench 10 between the two hoppers and are located on the same horizontal plane. The valve body receiving fixture 6 and the end cap receiving fixture 5 are respectively connected to the conveying cylinder and can be driven by the conveying cylinder to fit into the gap directly below the pressing cylinder 3. The workbench 10 has a buffer 11 installed at the end of the path of the two conveying cylinders to ensure the consistency of the extension of the piston rod of the conveying cylinder. A gripper mechanism for loosening and clamping the valve body is installed on the valve body receiving fixture 6. The gripper mechanism is a pneumatic gripper mechanism, including two gripping fingers and a gripper cylinder for driving the two gripping fingers to move laterally closer to grip the valve body. The two gripping fingers 16 are located on both sides of the support plate 39 and can be gripped by moving towards each other. The two gripping fingers 16 have arc-shaped gripping grooves on their opposite sides to fit the protrusions at the bottom of the valve body.

[0034] Two parallel guide rails 9 are installed on both sides of the workbench 10 along the length of the opening 42. An end cover connecting support 14 for supporting the end cover hopper 1 and a valve body connecting support 12 for supporting the valve body hopper 2 are respectively mounted above the two ends of the guide rails 9. A support plate 39 extending to the bottom of the discharge port 40 of the valve body hopper 2 is fixed on the valve body connecting support 12. A top material mechanism 4 for controlling the discharge of individual valve bodies is installed on the valve body connecting support 12 at the bottom discharge port 40 of the valve body hopper 2.

[0035] The valve body receiving fixture 6 includes a valve body plate 32 and a mounting vertical plate 38. The valve body plate 32 is positioned between the workbench 10 and the valve body connecting support 12 and is slidably connected to two guide rails 9 via a slider. A first positioning plate 31 extends from the side of the valve body plate 32 opposite to the end cap receiving fixture 5, and an insertion slot 36 is formed at the end of the first positioning plate 31. The mounting vertical plate 38 is positioned within the through-hole 42 and is equipped with the aforementioned gripper mechanism. The two grippers 16 of the gripper mechanism are located on both sides above the support plate 39. The gripper mechanism is connected to the mounting vertical plate 38 via a gripper 16 adjustment device. The vertical position of the gripper mechanism can be adjusted using the gripper adjustment device 17 to adjust the clamping position, thus adapting to the assembly of different accessories.

[0036] To achieve automatic material unloading, a vertical baffle plate 18 is installed on the side of the end cap connecting support 14 near the pressing cylinder 3 along the moving path of the end cap receiving fixture 5. A receiving slide 15 is installed at the opening 42 of the worktable 10 directly below the baffle plate 18. An electrical cabinet and a receiving box 44 communicating with the receiving slide 15 are provided at the lower part of the frame 19.

[0037] The end cap receiving fixture 5 includes a receiving plate 29, which is set between the workbench 10 and the end cap connecting support 14 and is slidably connected to the two guide rails 9 via a slider. A second positioning plate 22 is formed on the side of the receiving plate 29 facing the valve body plate 32. Both sides of the second positioning plate 22 are respectively formed with the receiving plate 29 to avoid the gripper 16. A plug 34 is formed at the end of the second positioning plate 22 to be inserted and cooperated with the socket 36. A pressing groove 30 for accommodating the end cap 24 is formed on the upper surface of the plug 34 of the second positioning plate 22. A horizontal push plate 21 located directly below the end cap hopper discharge port 41 is also connected to the surface of the receiving plate 29.

[0038] The horizontal push plate 21 has an arc-shaped push opening 28 on its end face near the pressure groove 30. The first positioning plate 31 has a groove on the upper surface of the insertion port 36 and a fixing plate 33 is fixed in the groove. The fixing plate 33 has an arc-shaped receiving opening 35 that can cooperate with the push opening 28 to limit and clamp the end cap.

[0039] The working process of this invention: After stacking the end caps 24 one on top of the other, put them into the end cap hopper 1. Stack the valve bodies one on top of the other and put them into the valve body hopper 2. After loading is complete, start the equipment.

[0040] The top material mechanism 4 at the bottom discharge port of the valve body hopper 2 retracts by controlling the piston rod of the top material cylinder, and the L-shaped block is pulled out of the valve body discharge port 40 of the valve body hopper, so that the top material mechanism 4 is released, and a valve body falls onto the support plate 39 on the valve body connecting support 12. At the same time, the two grippers 16 of the gripper mechanism clamp the falling valve body from both sides above the support plate 39. The piston rod of the top material cylinder 26 of the top material mechanism 4 extends and is inserted into the valve body discharge port 40 again through the top material block 27 to tighten the valve body and prevent it from falling. The valve body conveying cylinder 7 retracts, driving the valve body receiving fixture 6 to move on the two guide rails 9. At the same time, the valve body held by the gripper 16 moves together to the assembly position directly below the pressing cylinder 3. After the valve body is in position, the end cap conveying cylinder 8 retracts, and the end cap receiving fixture 5 moves to the assembly position directly below the pressing cylinder 3. During the lateral movement of the horizontal push plate 21 on the receiving plate 29 of the end cap receiving fixture 5, when it passes the end cap discharge port 41 at the bottom of the end cap hopper 1, it uses the push opening 28 to push the bottom end cap out of the end cap hopper 1 and move to the assembly position together with the end cap receiving fixture 5. The plug 34 at the end of the second positioning plate 22 of the end cap receiving fixture 5 and the insertion port 36 at the end of the first positioning plate 31 of the valve body receiving fixture 6 are fitted with a gap to ensure that both reach the assembly position. At this time, the push opening 28 of the horizontal push plate 32 and the receiving opening 35 of the fixed plate 33 are combined to form The end cap is secured by a limiting clamping groove to maintain its stability. At this time, the valve body held by the gripper 16 is positioned directly above the end cap, and both are coaxially and vertically stacked directly below the piston rod of the pressing cylinder 3. The pressing cylinder 3 starts and moves to the pre-pressing position. The piston rod of the pressing cylinder 3 extends in the pre-pressing position to complete the initial assembly of the end cap and valve body. Then, the gripper 16 releases the valve body, and the pressing cylinder 3 extends fully to the pressing position, completely pressing the valve body into the end cap. At this point, the pressed end cap and valve body are on the end cap receiving fixture 5. The end cap conveying cylinder 8 carries the valve end cap receiving fixture 5 to the picking position. During the movement, the baffle 18 pushes the assembled end cap and valve body into the receiving slide 15 and collects it into the receiving box 44. Simultaneously, the valve body conveying cylinder 7 extends, carrying the gripper 16 to the picking position. The above steps are repeated to complete the assembly of the valve body and end cap.

[0041] This invention can achieve the assembly of wheel hub end caps of different sizes by changing product tooling, adjusting the top material mechanism and the pneumatic gripper adjustment mechanism.

[0042] Of course, the above description is not limited to the examples above. Technical features not described in this invention can be implemented by or using existing technology, and will not be repeated here. The above embodiments and drawings are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this invention and are not intended to limit this invention. This invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of this invention do not depart from the spirit of this invention and should also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. An automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps, characterized in that: The system includes a worktable with a central opening. At each end of the worktable along the length of the opening are an end cap hopper and a valve body hopper. A pressing cylinder with a piston shaft pointing vertically downwards is mounted between the two hoppers via a vertical frame. A valve body receiving fixture and an end cap receiving fixture are slidably mounted on the worktable between the two hoppers, both located on the same horizontal plane. These fixtures are connected to conveying cylinders and can be driven by the conveying cylinders to fit into the pressing cylinder directly below. The valve body receiving fixture is equipped with a gripper mechanism for releasing the valve body. The worktable extends along the length of the opening... Two parallel guide rails are installed on both sides, and above each end of the guide rails are an end cover connecting support for the end cover hopper and a valve body connecting support for the valve body hopper. A support plate extending directly below the valve body hopper's discharge port is fixed to the valve body connecting support. A top-feeding mechanism for controlling individual valve body discharge is installed at the bottom discharge port of the valve body hopper on the valve body connecting support. The valve body receiving fixture includes a valve body plate and a mounting vertical plate. The valve body plate is positioned between the workbench and the valve body connecting support and is slidably connected to the two guide rails via a slider. A support plate extends from the side of the valve body plate opposite the end cover receiving fixture. A first positioning plate has an insertion port at its end; a mounting plate is installed inside the port and a gripper mechanism is installed thereon, with two grippers of the gripper mechanism located on both sides above the support plate; the end cap receiving fixture includes a receiving plate, which is positioned between the workbench and the end cap connecting support and is slidably connected to two guide rails via a slider; a second positioning plate is formed on the middle of the side of the receiving plate facing the valve body plate; the two sides of the second positioning plate have clearance grooves formed with the receiving plate to avoid the grippers; the end of the second positioning plate has a plug that engages with the insertion port; and the upper surface of the plug of the second positioning plate is formed with... The platen has a groove for accommodating end caps, and a horizontal push plate is connected to the surface of the receiving plate, which is located directly below the end cap material outlet. The end face of the horizontal push plate near the groove has an arc-shaped push opening. The first positioning plate has a groove on the upper surface of the insertion port and a fixing plate is fixed in the groove. The fixing plate has an arc-shaped receiving opening that can cooperate with the push opening to limit and clamp the end cap. When the horizontal push plate moves laterally, it will push the bottom end cap out of the end cap material outlet at the bottom of the end cap material outlet using the push opening, and move to the assembly position together with the end cap receiving fixture.

2. The automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: A U-shaped component is bolted to one side of the valve body connecting support along its length. The valve body hopper is located inside the U-shaped component. The material-lifting mechanism includes a material-lifting cylinder and a material-lifting block. The material-lifting cylinder is fixed to the valve body connecting support on one side of the U-shaped component via a mounting seat. The piston rod of the material-lifting cylinder is perpendicular to the guide rail. The material-lifting block is an L-shaped block. One end of the L-shaped block is perpendicularly connected to the piston rod of the material-lifting cylinder. The other end of the L-shaped block passes through one side of the U-shaped component and extends into the bottom discharge port of the valve body hopper.

3. The automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: A vertical baffle is installed on the side of the end cap connecting support near the press-fit cylinder on the moving path of the end cap receiving tool. A receiving slide is installed at the opening of the worktable directly below the baffle.

4. The automatic assembly device for automobile wheel hub end caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a frame, with the workbench installed in the middle of the frame. Protective partitions are installed on the left, right, rear, and top sides of the workbench on the upper part of the frame, and an openable and closable safety light curtain is installed on the front of the workbench. An electrical cabinet and a receiving box connected to the receiving slide are installed at the lower part of the frame.

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