A fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment, belonging to the technical field of caster production equipment. The present invention includes a ball silo and a material taking component. A ball tray is provided in the ball silo, a ball groove is provided on the top of the ball tray, a turntable is provided on the side of the ball silo, and the material taking component can take out the balls in the ball groove and transfer them to the end cover on the turntable. The material taking component includes a material taking body, a vertical slide is provided on the material taking body, a material taking head is equipped in the vertical slide, a moving part is also provided on the material taking body, and the moving part is connected to the material taking head through a first elastic part. A ball storage cavity is provided on the material taking body, and a ball channel is connected to the bottom of the ball storage cavity. A locking structure is provided at each ball channel. When the material taking head descends to an empty stroke, the locking structure can be triggered to release the balls in the corresponding ball channel. The present invention can automatically fill the empty ball groove with balls to avoid insufficient balls, and the caster obtained is of good quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of caster production equipment, and in particular to a fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment. Background Art

[0002] Casters are installed in existing luggage, office chairs and other daily products to make such products easy to move, improve their portability and mobility, and make them more convenient to use. One of the steps in the caster processing process is to install balls in the end cap. The method of installing balls in the prior art is usually to use a ball conveying pipe to inject a set number of balls into the end cap. This method requires manual and precise control of the number of balls delivered. During the installation process, the number of balls injected into the end cap is often too much or too little. If the number of balls injected into the end cap is too much, the extra balls need to be manually selected out. If the number of balls injected into the end cap is insufficient, the missing balls need to be added into the end cap. This ball installation method is more troublesome to operate.

[0003] In the prior art, there is also an installation method that uses a ball installation device to take out a set number of balls at a time and then transfer the taken out balls to the end cover, such as a production device for a caster bracket assembly disclosed in the patent with authorization announcement number CN208359832U. The ball installation device in the device includes a silo, and a lifting plate that can move relative to it is movably arranged inside the silo. Ball grooves for accommodating balls are evenly arranged on the lifting plate in the circumference. A suction cup that can approach or move away from the ball loading station is arranged above the lifting plate, and the suction cup can suck up the balls located on the ball grooves. Using the ball installation device to install balls in the end cover can keep the number of balls taken out each time consistent, and can effectively improve the installation efficiency compared with the method of injecting balls into the end cover using a ball conveying channel.

[0004] However, during the use of the ball installation device, if the number of balls in the silo is relatively small, there may be a situation where there are no balls in some ball grooves on the lifting plate after the lifting plate is lifted from the silo. In this way, the number of balls removed by the suction cup is insufficient, resulting in insufficient number of balls finally installed in the end cover of the roller, which will eventually make the manufactured caster rotate poorly, and the caster will generate vibration and noise when rotating. At the same time, due to the decrease in the number of balls, the pressure on a single ball becomes greater, which will also cause the balls in the manufactured caster to wear faster, shortening the service life of the caster. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a fully automatic caster production and assembly device to solve the technical problem that the device for installing balls in the caster production and assembly device in the prior art may not remove enough balls when in use, resulting in poor quality and short service life of the manufactured roller.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment adopting the following technical solutions:

[0007] A fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment, comprising:

[0008] A ball silo is provided with a ball tray capable of lifting and lowering movement, the top of the ball tray is provided with ball grooves evenly distributed in the circumference, and a turntable for conveying the end cover is provided on the side of the ball silo;

[0009] A material taking assembly capable of moving toward or away from the ball bearing tray to take out the balls in the ball bearing grooves and transfer them to the end cap on the turntable;

[0010] The material taking assembly comprises a material taking body, on which a vertical slideway corresponding to the ball grooves is arranged, in which a material taking head is slidably mounted, and on which a moving part is arranged, and the moving part is connected to each material taking head through a first elastic part, so that when a ball is missing from the ball groove, the corresponding material taking head has an empty stroke to continue to descend;

[0011] The material taking body is provided with an annular ball storage cavity, and the bottom of the ball storage cavity is connected with a ball channel corresponding to each vertical slideway one by one;

[0012] Each ball channel is provided with a locking structure for releasing or blocking the balls in the ball channel. When the material picking head descends to the empty stroke, the locking structure can be triggered to release the balls in the corresponding ball channel. After the material picking head goes up again, the balls fall into the corresponding ball grooves.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, a ball storage chamber is set on the material picking body. When the ball tray rises from the silo, if there are no balls in the ball grooves, the material picking head will not be blocked by the balls when it moves downward with the moving part, so that it can continue to move downward to trigger the locking structure, so that the locking structure switches to the unlocked state, and the balls in the ball channel are released. The released balls move to the bottom of the material picking head and are sucked by the material picking head, thereby realizing automatic replenishment of the ball grooves without balls, avoiding the situation where insufficient balls are taken out at one time, ensuring that a qualified number of balls can be loaded into the end cover, so that the manufactured roller has better quality and longer service life.

[0014] Furthermore, the locking structure includes a locking plate slidably arranged on the material picking body, the locking plate can slide back and forth between the vertical slide and the ball channel, a second elastic member is connected between the locking plate and the material picking body, the second elastic member applies an elastic force toward the vertical slide to the locking plate, and when the material picking head is located above the idle stroke, the locking plate can be pushed into the ball channel to block the balls, and when the material picking head descends to the idle stroke, the top surface of the material picking head can move to the bottom of the locking plate, so that the second elastic member pushes the locking plate to move toward the vertical slide to release the balls; the top of the material picking head is conical, so that when the material picking head moves upward from the bottom of the locking plate, it can push the locking plate to move toward the ball channel.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, when the material picking head has not moved to the bottom of the locking plate in the vertical slide, it pushes the locking plate to insert into the ball channel, and the locking plate blocks the balls in the ball channel. When the material picking head moves to the bottom of the locking plate, the locking plate can move toward the vertical slide under the action of the second elastic member, thereby releasing the balls. Such a locking structure is convenient for switching between unlocking and locking states, has a simple structure, and is easy to assemble.

[0016] Furthermore, a stopping structure is provided in the ball channel below the locking structure, and a accommodating space for accommodating a single ball is formed between the stopping structure and the locking structure. The stopping structure is used to block the released ball when the locking structure releases the ball, and release the ball in the accommodating space after the locking structure blocks the ball above the accommodating space again.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, a stopping structure is provided below the locking structure, and the balls released by the locking structure can be stopped by the stopping structure. The accommodating space formed between the locking structure and the stopping structure can only accommodate one ball, that is, only one ball can be stopped by the stopping structure. When the locking structure blocks the balls above the accommodating space again, the stopping structure can release the one ball in the accommodating space, so that only one ball can fall out of the ball channel at a time, avoiding multiple balls from accumulating at the exit of the ball channel and falling at the same time to cause a series of problems.

[0018] Furthermore, the ball channel includes a vertical channel section and an inclined channel section arranged in sequence from top to bottom, the inclined channel section is inclined from top to bottom toward the vertical slideway, the locking structure is correspondingly arranged at the vertical channel section, and the stopping structure is correspondingly arranged at the inclined channel section.

[0019] Furthermore, the stopping structure includes a stopping block and a movable body, the stopping block is slidably provided on the material taking body in a direction perpendicular to the inclined channel section, the movable body is slidably provided on the material taking body in a direction parallel to the axis of the inclined channel section, a third elastic member is connected between the stopping block and the material taking body, the third elastic member is used to apply an elastic force toward the inclined channel section to the stopping block, and a fourth elastic member is connected between the movable body and the material taking body, the fourth elastic member is used to apply an elastic force toward the vertical slideway to the movable body;

[0020] The movable body and the stop block are both provided with a pushing inclined surface, and the movable body and the stop block fit each other through the pushing inclined surface, so that when the movable body moves toward the vertical slide, it can drive the stop block to slide back to the vertical channel section; the fourth elastic member can push the movable body into the vertical slide when the material picking head moves above the movable body, so as to drive the stop block to move back to the inclined channel section to release the balls in the accommodating space.

[0021] Furthermore, the material picking body is provided with a plurality of ball baffles corresponding to the positions of each material picking head, and the ball baffles are movably installed on the material picking body. The ball baffles are used to move into the interior of the material picking body when the material picking head moves toward the ball tray, and move to the bottom of the corresponding ball after the material picking head takes out the ball, so that the taken out ball is clamped between the material picking head and the ball baffle.

[0022] By adopting the above technical solution, after the material picking head takes out the balls, the ball baffle moves to the bottom of the material picking head, so that the balls taken out by the material picking head are clamped between the material picking head and the ball baffle. The ball baffle supports the balls upwards, which can prevent the balls from falling off the material picking head during the transfer from the ball tray to the turntable.

[0023] Furthermore, the ball baffle is inclined from top to bottom toward the corresponding material taking head, and the bottom end of the ball baffle extends to below the center of the ball.

[0024] By adopting the above technical solution, the ball baffle is inclined toward the material taking head, and the bottom end of the ball baffle extends to below the center of the ball, which can better support the ball and prevent it from falling off.

[0025] Furthermore, the bottom of the material picking body is provided with a plurality of accommodating grooves corresponding to each vertical slide, the accommodating grooves are arranged on the inner side of the corresponding vertical slides along the radial direction of the material picking body, and a guide slide is provided on the inner side wall of the accommodating groove, the guide slide comprises a vertical groove section and an inclined groove section arranged in sequence from top to bottom, the inclined groove section is inclined from top to bottom along the radial direction of the material picking body toward the corresponding material picking head; a sliding connecting column is connected to the ball baffle plate, and the sliding connecting column is inserted in the guide slide; a sliding body is inserted in the accommodating groove along the up and down directions, and the ball baffle plate is assembled on the sliding body along the radial guide sliding of the material picking body, and the bottom end of the sliding body extends to below the bottom end of the ball baffle plate; a fifth elastic member is connected between the sliding body and the bottom of the accommodating groove, and the fifth elastic member is used to apply a downward elastic force to the sliding body; when the sliding body moves upward, it drives the ball baffle plate to move upward along the guide slide and be retracted into the accommodating groove.

[0026] By adopting the above technical solution, when the material picking body moves toward the ball tray to take out the balls, the bottom end of the sliding body first contacts the ball tray, and the ball tray pushes the sliding body to move upward, thereby driving the ball baffle to move along the inclined groove section first, so that the ball baffle leaves the bottom of the material picking head and moves to the side of the material picking head. Thereafter, the sliding body continues to move upward and is stored in the accommodating groove, while driving the ball baffle to move upward along the vertical groove section and is stored in the accommodating groove, without affecting the contact between the material picking body and the ball tray.

[0027] Furthermore, the bottom of the material taking head has a hemispherical material taking groove.

[0028] By adopting the above technical solution, when the material taking head sucks the ball, the ball is more firmly connected to the material taking head, which is convenient for taking the material.

[0029] The fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: during the material taking process of the material taking component, a ball can be automatically added to the empty ball groove, effectively avoiding the situation where the number of balls taken out is insufficient, and the caster produced has better quality and longer service life. At the same time, the ball baffle can be provided to support the taken out ball, effectively avoiding the ball falling off during the ball transfer process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] By reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily understood. In the accompanying drawings, several embodiments of the present invention are shown in an exemplary and non-limiting manner, and the same or corresponding reference numerals represent the same or corresponding parts, wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment provided by the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 2A schematic diagram of the structure of a fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment provided by the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a ball silo in a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a material taking body in a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure enlargement at the center A;

[0036] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a material taking component in a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure enlarged at B in the middle;

[0038] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure enlarged at C in the middle;

[0039] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the assembly relationship between a movable body and a stop block in a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention;

[0040] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a stop block in a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention;

[0041] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the assembly relationship between a sliding body and a ball baffle in a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention.

[0042] Description of reference numerals:

[0043] 1. Frame; 2. Support; 3. Support frame; 4. Ball silo; 5. Ball tray; 501. Ball groove; 6. Drive screw; 7. Nut slider; 8. First lifting cylinder; 9. Mounting plate; 10. Second lifting cylinder; 11. Material taking body; 1101. Outer sleeve; 1102. Inner support block; 1103. Annular sliding groove; 1104. Annular connecting block; 1105. Ball storage chamber; 1106. Vertical slideway; 1107. Accommodating groove; 1108. Ball channel; 1109. Guide slideway; 1110. Horizontal slideway; 1111. Mounting groove; 1112. Second slideway; 1113. Large-diameter slideway section; 1114. Small-diameter slideway section; 12. Connecting rod; 13. Shift Moving part; 14. Moving rod; 15. Material taking head; 1501. Material taking groove; 16. First elastic part; 17. Limiting head; 18. Stop block; 1801. U-shaped groove; 1802. First push slope; 19. Moving body; 1901. Moving block section; 1902. Moving plate section; 1903. Moving plate; 1904. Second push slope; 1905. Arc push surface; 20. Fourth elastic part; 21. Fifth elastic part; 22. Sliding body; 2201. Vertical rod section; 2202. Horizontal rod section; 2203. Slideway; 23. Ball baffle; 24. Vertical connecting plate; 25. Sliding connecting column; 26. Turntable; 27. Locking plate; 28. Vertical plate; 29. ​​Second elastic part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should know that the embodiments described below are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] The following is one embodiment of a fully automatic caster production and assembly device provided by the present invention:

[0046] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment includes a frame 1, a ball hopper 4 and a material taking component.

[0047] like Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, a rotating disk 26 is provided on the frame 1, and a plurality of supporting members 2 are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction on the rotating disk 26, and an end cover for assembling into a caster is placed on the supporting member 2, and an annular groove for placing a ball is provided on the end cover. A supporting frame 3 is provided above the rotating disk 26, and a driving screw 6 extending along the radial direction of the rotating disk 26 is provided on the supporting frame 3, and a nut slider 7 that can reciprocate on the driving screw 6 is provided on the driving screw 6, and a first lifting cylinder 8 is connected to the nut slider 7, and a mounting plate 9 is connected to the piston rod end of the first lifting cylinder 8.

[0048] The ball silo 4 is arranged beside the turntable 26. Figure 3 As shown, a liftable ball tray 5 is provided in the ball silo 4, and a plurality of circumferentially evenly distributed ball grooves 501 are provided on the top surface of the ball tray 5. The ball tray 5 is used for lifting and lowering in the ball silo 4 to lift the balls in the ball silo 4 upwards.

[0049] The material taking assembly is installed on the above-mentioned mounting plate 9, such as Figure 6 As shown, the material picking assembly includes a material picking body 11, a moving part 13, a second lifting cylinder 10, a material picking head 15, a first elastic part 16, a locking structure, a blocking structure, a sliding body 22, and a ball baffle 23.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, the material taking body 11 includes an outer sleeve 1101 and an inner support block 1102 coaxially arranged inside the outer sleeve 1101, the inner support block 1102 is cylindrical, and the outer diameter of the inner support block 1102 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer sleeve 1101, so that the space between the inner support block 1102 and the outer sleeve 1101 forms an annular sliding groove 1103, and the outer sleeve 1101 and the bottom of the inner support block 1102 are connected together by an annular connecting block 1104, and the annular connecting block 1104 is provided with a plurality of vertical slideways 1106 evenly arranged circumferentially.

[0051] The outer side of the bottom of the outer sleeve 1101 is provided with a ring-shaped ball storage cavity 1105, the cavity wall of the ball storage cavity 1105 is provided with a ball delivery port for putting balls into the ball storage cavity 1105, and the bottom of the ball storage cavity 1105 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially evenly distributed ball channels 1108, and the plurality of ball channels 1108 are all connected to the ball storage cavity 1105. The ball channels 1108 include a vertical channel section and an inclined channel section, and the bottom ends of the inclined channel sections extend to each vertical slideway 1106 and are connected to the corresponding vertical slideway 1106.

[0052] like Figure 4 , Figure 5As shown, a horizontal slide groove 1110 is provided between the vertical channel section and the vertical slide 1106 , the horizontal slide groove 1110 is connected with the vertical channel section and the vertical slide 1106 , and an installation groove 1111 connected with the horizontal slide groove 1110 is provided above the horizontal slide groove 1110 .

[0053] A first slide groove extending along the inclined direction of the inclined channel section is provided between the inclined channel section and the vertical slide 1106. The first slide groove includes a large-diameter slide groove section 1113 and a small-diameter slide groove section 1114 arranged in sequence. The large-diameter slide groove section 1113 is provided with a second slide groove 1112 which is perpendicularly intersected with the large-diameter slide groove section 1113. One end of the small-diameter slide groove section 1114 which is away from the large-diameter slide groove section 1113 is connected to the vertical slide 1106, and the bottom end of the second slide groove 1112 is connected to the inclined channel section.

[0054] like Figure 4 As shown, the bottom of the inner support block 1102 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially evenly arranged receiving grooves 1107, the receiving grooves 1107 extend in the vertical direction, each receiving groove 1107 corresponds to each vertical slideway 1106, and each receiving groove 1107 is arranged on the inner side of the corresponding vertical slideway 1106 along the radial direction of the material taking body 11. A guide slideway 1109 is provided on the inner side wall of the receiving groove 1107, and the guide slideway 1109 includes a vertical groove section and an inclined groove section arranged in sequence up and down, and the inclined groove section is inclined from bottom to top along the radial direction of the material taking body 11 away from the corresponding vertical slideway 1106.

[0055] like Figure 6 As shown, the moving member 13 is annular, and the moving member 13 is located in the annular sliding groove 1103 and is sleeved on the inner support block 1102 .

[0056] The second lifting cylinder 10 is mounted on the mounting plate 9 , and the piston rod end of the second lifting cylinder 10 is connected to the moving member 13 through a connecting rod 12 .

[0057] There are multiple material picking heads 15, and the multiple material picking heads 15 are respectively inserted into the above-mentioned vertical slideways 1106. The top of each material picking head 15 is connected to a moving rod 14, and the moving rod 14 is movably inserted in the above-mentioned moving member 13 along the up and down direction. The top of the moving rod 14 passes to the top of the moving member 13 and is connected to the limiting head 17. The top of the material picking head 15 is conical, and a hemispherical material picking groove 1501 is provided on the bottom surface of the material picking head 15. The material picking head 15 specifically adopts a magnetic material picking head 15. The magnetic material picking head 15 has magnetism and can absorb ball bearings when it is powered on, and loses magnetism when the power is off, causing the absorbed ball bearings to fall. The magnetic material picking head 15 is a prior art, and its specific structure will not be described in detail here.

[0058] The first elastic member 16 is a first compression spring whose extension direction is the up-down direction. There are multiple first elastic members 16 . The multiple first elastic members 16 are respectively sleeved on each moving rod 14 . Each first elastic member 16 is respectively connected between the corresponding material taking head 15 and the moving member 13 .

[0059] like Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the locking structure includes a locking plate 27, a vertical plate 28, and a second elastic member 29. The vertical plate 28 is vertically connected to the top of the locking plate 27. The locking plate 27 is inserted into the horizontal slide groove 1110. The end of the locking plate 27 facing the vertical slideway 1106 is in an arc shape. The top of the above-mentioned material taking head 15 is in a conical shape so as to push the locking plate 27 when moving upward. The vertical plate 28 is inserted into the mounting groove 1111. The second elastic member 29 is connected between the vertical plate 28 and the side wall of the mounting groove 1111. The second elastic member 29 is a second compression spring that can be retracted in the horizontal direction. The second compression spring applies an elastic force to the vertical plate 28 toward the vertical slideway 1106. When there is no material taking head 15 blocking the side of the locking plate 27, the second elastic member 29 can push the vertical plate 28, so that the vertical plate 28 drives the locking plate 27 to move into the vertical slideway 1106.

[0060] like Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the blocking structure includes a blocking block 18, a movable body 19, a third elastic member, and a fourth elastic member 20. Fig.10 As shown, the stopper 18 has a U-shaped groove 1801 with its opening facing downward, and the bottom surface of the U-shaped groove 1801 is an inclined first push slope 1802. Fig. 9 As shown, the movable body 19 includes a movable block section 1901 and a movable plate section 1902 connected in sequence, the movable block section 1901 has an inclined second push slope 1904 on the side facing the movable plate section 1902, the movable block section 1901 is inserted into the U-shaped groove 1801 on the above-mentioned stop block 18, so that the second push slope 1904 fits with the first push slope 1802, and the end of the movable plate section 1902 facing away from the movable block section 1901 has an arc-shaped push surface 1905, so as to facilitate the above-mentioned material taking head 15 to push the movable plate section 1902 when moving downward. The stop block 18 is slidably inserted in the second slide groove 1112, and the movable body 19 is slidably inserted in the first slide groove, wherein the movable block section 1901 is located in the large-diameter slide groove section 1113, and the part of the movable plate section 1902 away from the movable block section 1901 is located in the small-diameter slide groove section 1114.

[0061] A third elastic member is connected between the stop block 18 and the bottom of the second slide slot 1112. The third elastic member is a third compression spring that is retractable along the extension direction of the second slide slot 1112. The third elastic member applies an elastic force to the stop block 18 toward the ball channel 1108. A moving plate 1903 is vertically connected to the side of the movable plate segment 1902 close to the movable block segment 1901. The moving plate 1903 is slidably inserted in the large-diameter slide slot segment 1113. A fourth elastic member 20 is connected between the moving plate 1903 and the groove side wall of the large-diameter slide slot segment 1113. The fourth elastic member 20 is a fourth tension spring that is retractable along the extension direction of the large-diameter slide slot segment 1113. The fourth elastic member 20 applies an elastic force to the moving plate 1903 toward the vertical slideway 1106.

[0062] The space between the locking plate 27 and the stopping block 18 forms a receiving space for receiving the ball, and the receiving space can only receive one ball.

[0063] like Figure 8 , Fig.11 As shown, the sliding body 22 includes a horizontal rod segment 2202 and a vertical rod segment 2201. The horizontal rod segment 2202 is inserted into the accommodating groove 1107 along the vertical direction. The horizontal rod segment 2202 is provided with a slideway 2203 extending radially along the inner support block 1102. A fifth elastic member 21 is connected between the horizontal rod segment 2202 and the bottom of the accommodating groove 1107. The fifth elastic member 21 is a fifth compression spring that can be retracted in the up and down directions. The fifth elastic member 21 applies a downward elastic force to the sliding body 22.

[0064] The ball baffle 23 is inclined from top to bottom toward the corresponding vertical slideway 1106, and the top of the ball baffle 23 is connected to a vertical connecting plate 24, which is guided and slidably assembled on the slideway 2203. The vertical connecting plate 24 is connected to a sliding connecting column 25, which is inserted into the guiding slide groove 1109. The bottom end of the vertical rod segment 2201 extends below the bottom end of the ball baffle 23.

[0065] When the present invention is in use, the ball tray 5 lifts up the balls in the ball hopper 4, and then the material picking assembly moves to just above the ball tray 5. The first lifting cylinder 8 drives the mounting plate 9 and the material picking assembly on the mounting plate 9 to move downward, so that the material picking assembly moves to above the balls on the ball tray 5, and moves to a state where each material picking head 15 just contacts the balls in each ball groove 501 on the ball tray 5. In the process of the material picking assembly moving downward, the sliding body 22 contacts the ball tray 5 first, and then the ball baffle 23 contacts the ball tray 5. The sliding body 22 and the ball baffle 23 are pressed into the accommodating groove 1107 by the ball tray 5, and do not affect the downward movement of the material picking assembly.

[0066] After that, the second lifting cylinder 10 drives the moving member 13 to move downward, and the moving member 13 drives the moving rod 14 and the material taking head 15 to move downward. However, since some of the ball grooves 501 have balls, the material taking head 15 corresponding to these balls cannot move downward with the moving member 13 due to the obstruction of the balls, and these balls will be sucked by the material taking head 15. If there are no balls in the ball grooves 501 corresponding to the material taking head 15, the material taking head 15 will continue to move downward with the moving member 13 until the material taking head 15 moves downward to the bottom of the locking plate 27, and the locking plate 27 extends into the vertical slide 1106 under the action of the second elastic member 29, so that the balls in the ball storage cavity 1105 fall into the accommodation space between the locking plate 27 and the stop block 18.

[0067] Afterwards, the second lifting drive cylinder drives the moving part 13 to move upward, driving the material picking head 15 to move upward. In the process of the material picking head 15 moving upward, the material picking head 15 pushes the locking plate 27 again, and the locking plate 27 moves toward the vertical channel section to stop the balls above the accommodating space again. The moving part 13 drives the material picking head 15 to finally move upward to above the exit of the small-diameter slide groove section 1114. At this time, the movable body 19 moves toward the vertical slideway 1106 along the extension direction of the first slide groove under the action of the fourth elastic member 20, and the movable plate section 1902 extends into the vertical slideway 1106. The movable block section 1901 pushes the stop block 18 to move upward through the second pushing inclined surface 1904, and the bottom end of the stop block 18 retracts upward, causing the balls in the accommodating space to fall down, and the fallen balls fall into the ball grooves 501 on the ball tray 5, and the balls are filled in the empty ball grooves 501.

[0068] Afterwards, the second lifting cylinder 10 drives the movable part 13 to move downward again, and the movable part 13 drives the material picking head 15 to move downward, and the material picking head 15 absorbs the balls. Then, the first lifting cylinder 8 drives the mounting plate 9 and the material picking assembly to move upward, and the material picking assembly gradually leaves the ball tray 5. Under the action of the fifth elastic member 21, the sliding body 22 slides downward from the accommodating groove 1107, driving the ball baffle 23 to gradually extend from the accommodating groove 1107 to below the balls sucked by the material picking head 15. The ball baffle 23 supports the balls taken out by the material picking head 15 to prevent the balls from falling off the material picking head 15. After the material picking assembly rises to above the turntable 26, the nut slider 7 moves along the transmission screw 6 to above the corresponding end cover on the turntable 26, and the first lifting cylinder 8 drives the material picking assembly to move downward. The sliding body 22 first contacts the end cover and is pressed into the receiving groove 1107. The sliding body 22 drives the ball baffle 23 to gradually move away from the ball and extend into the receiving groove 1107. After that, the material picking head 15 is powered off and loses its magnetism. The balls adsorbed by the material picking head 15 fall into the annular groove on the end cover, and the assembly of the balls is completed.

[0069] The present invention provides a ball storage cavity on the material taking component. When the material taking head encounters an empty ball groove, a ball can be automatically added to the ball groove, thereby avoiding the situation where the material taking component takes out insufficient balls, ensuring that the number of balls loaded into the end cover is sufficient, and the caster obtained is of better quality and has a longer service life.

[0070] In this embodiment, a movable ball baffle is provided on the material taking body, and in other embodiments, no ball baffle is provided on the material taking body.

[0071] In this embodiment, the locking structure includes a locking plate and a second elastic member. The locking plate is slidably arranged in a horizontal slide groove. The locking plate is controlled to slide toward or away from the ball channel by the movement of the material picking head, thereby releasing or blocking the balls. In other embodiments, the locking plate can be rotatably assembled on the material picking body by a torsion spring. When the material picking body is in the vertical slide, the locking plate can be pushed to a vertical state. When the material picking body moves to the bottom of the locking plate, the locking plate can be flipped to a horizontal state under the action of the torsion spring, thereby being able to extend into the ball channel to block the balls.

[0072] In this embodiment, a stopping structure is provided below the locking structure. In other embodiments, no stopping structure is provided below the locking structure. In this case, before each material taking operation of the material taking component, a large number of balls are not stored in the ball storage chamber, and only one ball is retained above each locking plate.

Claims

1. A fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment, comprising: A ball silo is provided with a ball tray capable of lifting and lowering movement, the top of the ball tray is provided with ball grooves evenly distributed in the circumference, and a turntable for conveying the end cover is provided on the side of the ball silo; A material taking assembly capable of moving toward or away from the ball bearing tray to take out the balls in the ball bearing grooves and transfer them to the end cap on the turntable; The feature is that the material taking assembly comprises a material taking body, a vertical slideway corresponding to the ball grooves is arranged on the material taking body, a material taking head is slidably mounted in the vertical slideway, a moving part is also arranged on the material taking body, and the moving part is connected to each material taking head through a first elastic part, so that when the ball is missing from the ball groove, the corresponding material taking head has an empty stroke to continue to descend; The material taking body is provided with an annular ball storage cavity, and the bottom of the ball storage cavity is connected with a ball channel corresponding to each vertical slideway one by one; Each ball channel is provided with a locking structure for releasing or blocking the balls in the ball channel. When the material taking head descends to the empty stroke, the locking structure can be triggered to release the balls in the corresponding ball channel. After the material taking head ascends again, the balls fall into the corresponding ball grooves. The locking structure includes a locking plate slidably arranged on the material picking body, the locking plate can slide back and forth between the vertical slideway and the ball rolling channel, a second elastic member is connected between the locking plate and the material picking body, the second elastic member applies an elastic force toward the vertical slideway to the locking plate, and when the material picking head is located above the idle stroke, the locking plate can be pushed into the ball rolling channel to block the ball rolling, and when the material picking head descends to the idle stroke, the top surface of the material picking head can move below the locking plate, so that the second elastic member pushes the locking plate to move toward the vertical slideway to release the ball rolling; the top of the material picking head is conical, so that when the material picking head moves upward from the bottom of the locking plate, it can push the locking plate to move toward the ball rolling channel; A blocking structure is provided in the ball channel below the locking structure, and a receiving space for receiving a single ball is formed between the blocking structure and the locking structure. The blocking structure is used to block the released ball when the locking structure releases the ball, and release the ball in the receiving space after the locking structure blocks the ball above the receiving space again. The ball channel includes a vertical channel section and an inclined channel section arranged in sequence from top to bottom, the inclined channel section is inclined from top to bottom toward the vertical slideway, the locking structure is correspondingly arranged at the vertical channel section, and the blocking structure is correspondingly arranged at the inclined channel section.

2. The fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stopping structure comprises a stopping block and a movable body, wherein the stopping block is slidably arranged on the material taking body in a direction perpendicular to the inclined channel section, and the movable body is slidably arranged on the material taking body in a direction parallel to the axis of the inclined channel section, and a third elastic member is connected between the stopping block and the material taking body, and the third elastic member is used to apply an elastic force toward the inclined channel section to the stopping block, and a fourth elastic member is connected between the movable body and the material taking body, and the fourth elastic member is used to apply an elastic force toward the vertical slideway to the movable body; The movable body and the stop block are both provided with a pushing inclined surface, and the movable body and the stop block fit each other through the pushing inclined surface, so that when the movable body moves toward the vertical slide, it can drive the stop block to slide back to the vertical channel section; the fourth elastic member can push the movable body into the vertical slide when the material picking head moves above the movable body, so as to drive the stop block to move back to the inclined channel section to release the balls in the accommodating space.

3. The fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The material picking body is provided with a plurality of ball baffles corresponding to the positions of each material picking head, and the ball baffles are movably installed on the material picking body. The ball baffles are used to move into the inside of the material picking body when the material picking head moves toward the ball tray, and move to the bottom of the corresponding ball after the material picking head takes out the ball, so that the taken out ball is clamped between the material picking head and the ball baffle.

4. The fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The ball baffle is inclined from top to bottom toward the corresponding material taking head, and the bottom end of the ball baffle extends to below the center of the ball.

5. The fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the material picking body is provided with a plurality of accommodating grooves corresponding to each vertical slide, and the accommodating grooves are arranged on the inner side of the corresponding vertical slide along the radial direction of the material picking body, and a guide slide is provided on the inner side wall of the accommodating groove, and the guide slide comprises a vertical groove section and an inclined groove section arranged in sequence from top to bottom, and the inclined groove section is inclined from top to bottom along the radial direction of the material picking body toward the corresponding material picking head; a sliding connecting column is connected to the ball baffle plate, and the sliding connecting column is inserted in the guide slide; a sliding body is inserted in the accommodating groove along the up and down directions, and the ball baffle plate is assembled on the sliding body along the radial guide sliding of the material picking body, and the bottom end of the sliding body extends to below the bottom end of the ball baffle plate; a fifth elastic member is connected between the sliding body and the bottom of the accommodating groove, and the fifth elastic member is used to apply a downward elastic force to the sliding body; when the sliding body moves upward, it drives the ball baffle plate to move upward along the guide slide and be collected into the accommodating groove.

6. The fully automatic caster production and assembly equipment according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the material taking head is provided with a hemispherical material taking groove.

Images