A retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of tire assembly, and more specifically, to a retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires. The device comprises a base plate and a clamping mechanism and a pressing mechanism arranged on the base plate, wherein the clamping mechanism is used to clamp and fix the tire; the pressing mechanism is used to press the retaining ring onto the rim; a robotic arm is connected to one side of the base plate, and the robotic arm is used to drive the base plate to move in multiple directions so that the base plate has at least a first direction of movement and a second direction of movement; in the retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires, the robotic arm drives the base plate to move in multiple directions, thereby changing the position of the retaining ring during the movement, and the retaining ring is guided by a limit plate so that the retaining ring enters a guide groove during the movement, thereby realizing the centering of the retaining ring. During the centering process, the retaining ring is completely separated from the tire, thereby solving the problem of too small a contact area with the retaining ring and improving the efficiency of the pressing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of tire assembly, in particular to a retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires. Background Art

[0002] Large trucks, forklifts and other vehicles usually use flat-bottom rims. During the installation process of flat-bottom rims and tires, it is necessary to install a retaining ring on the rim. First, put the tire on the rim, then put on the annular retaining ring and push it inward until it passes over the annular groove on the rim, and then insert the open elastic locking ring into the annular groove.

[0003] Currently, when installing the retaining ring, it is necessary to manually place the retaining ring on the rim, and then center the rim to limit the position so as to press the retaining ring down. In the actual pressing process, the accuracy of the manually placed retaining ring is difficult to guarantee, and the rim is prone to movement and misalignment with the retaining ring during movement, thereby affecting the pressing effect of the retaining ring and reducing the fit between the retaining ring and the rim.

[0004] To address this issue, related technologies employ a push rod (centering mechanism) installed on the tire's outer ring to push the retaining ring to a centered position. However, since the inner ring of a tire is typically concave inward, while the outer ring is typically bulging outward, meaning that when the tire is in a horizontal position, the tire's sidewall is higher than the inner ring, and when the retaining ring is placed on the inner ring, the retaining ring protrudes less from the tire, resulting in a smaller contact area between the push rod and the retaining ring, affecting the stability of the retaining ring's centering and, in turn, the press-fitting efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires, which changes the centering method of the retaining ring so that the retaining ring is in a moving state, and guides the moving retaining ring to a centered position in a guided manner to solve the problem raised in the above-mentioned background technology, that is, the contact area between the push rod and the retaining ring is small, which affects the stability of the centering of the retaining ring and further affects the pressing efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a retaining ring press-fitting device for assembling a tire is provided, comprising a base plate, a clamping mechanism and a press-fitting mechanism provided on the base plate, wherein the clamping mechanism is used to clamp and fix the tire; and the press-fitting mechanism is used to press the retaining ring onto the rim.

[0007] A robotic arm is connected to one side of the substrate, and the robotic arm is used to drive the substrate to move in multiple directions, so that the substrate has at least a first movement direction and a second movement direction;

[0008] It also includes a guide groove and a limit plate provided at the bottom of the base plate, wherein the limit plate is provided corresponding to the first movement direction;

[0009] In the first movement direction, the retaining ring moves toward the limit plate, so that the limit plate guides the retaining ring toward the guide groove; in the second movement direction, the retaining ring enters the guide groove, and is limited by the guide groove to be coaxial with the rim.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the retaining ring is limited in a different way. Thus, the retaining ring is guided to move, so that the retaining ring is separated from the tire surface and enters the guide groove for centering. In this way, even if the tire bulges outward, the contact with the retaining ring will not be unstable because the guidance is not performed on the tire surface.

[0011] On this basis, one end of the guide groove serves as a limiting end, and the other end extends toward the end of the base plate. A limiting plate is connected to the bottom of the base plate and is located at the end of the guide groove away from the limiting end. The bottom end of the limiting plate extends to the surface of the tire, and is used to limit the retaining ring affected by the first movement direction. In this way, the retaining ring will be blocked by the limiting plate during movement and then, guided by the limiting plate, enter the guide groove to achieve centering.

[0012] In another technical solution, a stop rod with one end extending toward the rim is fixed to the bottom end of the clamping member. When the clamping member clamps and fixes the tire, one end of the stop rod is at the bottom of the rim, which is used to limit the rim.

[0013] The height of one end of the blocking rod close to the clamping mechanism is higher than that of the other end, and an inclined surface is provided between the two ends for transition, and the inclined surface is used to squeeze the rim upward.

[0014] This technical solution prevents the rim from moving during the press-fitting process by limiting its position with the retaining rod, eliminating the need to place the rim on the ground or a workbench before press-fitting. Furthermore, the inclined surface on the retaining rod causes the top of the rim to protrude above the top of the tire, thereby preventing the tire from exerting upward resistance on the retaining ring.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. This retaining ring press-fitting device for tire assembly uses a robotic arm to drive a baseplate for multi-directional movement, thereby changing the position of the retaining ring during movement. A limit plate guides the retaining ring, allowing it to enter a guide groove during movement, thereby achieving centering of the retaining ring. During the centering process, the retaining ring is completely separated from the tire, thus resolving the problem of insufficient contact area with the retaining ring and improving press-fitting efficiency.

[0017] 2. In the retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires, the limit plate can not only guide the retaining ring during the flipping process, but also prevent the tire from deforming upward during the pressing process, so that the rim can protrude from the tire, reducing the upward resistance force exerted by the tire on the retaining ring during the pressing process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the limiting plate of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the clamping member of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the press-fitting mechanism of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the guide groove of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the operating state of the substrate of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the operating state of the substrate of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second cylinder of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the height state of the rim of the present invention.

[0028] The meaning of each number in the figure is:

[0029] 100. Robotic arm; 101. Base plate; 110. Clamping mechanism; 111. Clamping member; 112. Stop rod; 113. Rotating plate; 114. First slide; 115. Second slide; 116. First cylinder; 117. Inclined surface; 120. Pressing mechanism; 121. Pressing ring; 122. Through groove; 123. Hydraulic cylinder; 130. Guide groove; 131. Limiting end; 140. Limiting plate; 141. Second cylinder; 200. Tire; 201. Rim; 202. Retaining ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] At present, in order to solve the problem that the contact area between some centering mechanisms and the retaining ring 202 is too small during the process of pushing the retaining ring 202, the present invention provides a retaining ring pressing device for assembling tires, such as Figure 1 As shown, the robot arm 100 and the substrate 101 are connected to the end effector of the robot arm 100. In this way, the robot arm 100 can drive the substrate 101 to move in multiple directions, so that the substrate 101 has at least a first movement direction and a second movement direction, and the mechanisms (clamping mechanism 110, pressing mechanism 120, guide groove 130 and limit plate 140) provided on the robot arm 100 can move synchronously.

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, a clamping mechanism 110 and a pressing mechanism 120 are provided on the substrate 101, wherein the clamping mechanism 110 is used to clamp and fix the tire 200; the pressing mechanism 120 is used to press the retaining ring 202 onto the rim 201; in addition, the pressing equipment also includes a guide groove 130 and a limit plate 140 provided at the bottom of the substrate 101; the limit plate 140 is provided corresponding to the first movement direction, and in the first movement direction, the retaining ring 202 moves toward the limit plate 140, so that the limit plate 140 guides the retaining ring 202 to the guide groove 130; in the second movement direction, the retaining ring 202 enters the guide groove 130, and the retaining ring 202 is limited to be coaxial with the rim 201 through the guide groove 130.

[0033] Figure 3 The specific structure of the clamping mechanism 110 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a plurality of clamping members 111 are arranged in a circular array at the bottom of the base plate 101. The plurality of clamping members 111 are connected to a driving member, and the driving member drives the plurality of clamping members 111 to move closer to each other to clamp and fix the tire 200. As a specific example, the clamping member 111 is as follows: Figure 3 Cylindrical shape shown.

[0034] When implementing it specifically, Figure 4As shown, a first slide 114 is provided on the surface of the substrate 101, and the top end of the clamping member 111 passes through the first slide 114 and is slidably connected to the first slide 114, and the direction of the sliding connection is horizontal. At this time, a first cylinder 116 can be provided at the top end of each clamping member 111, and the corresponding clamping member 111 is driven to move by the first cylinder 116, so that the multiple clamping members 111 are brought closer to each other to clamp the tire 200. In addition, this embodiment also provides an additional rotating plate 113 to achieve synchronous driving of the multiple clamping members 111. Specifically, the rotating plate 113 is rotatably provided on the outer ring of the convex ring at the top of the substrate 101, and a second slide 115 is provided on the portion of the rotating plate 113 corresponding to the first slide 114. The top end of the clamping member 111 passes through the first slide 114 and then enters the second slide 115. In this way, only one first cylinder 116 is required, and one end of the first cylinder 116 is rotatably connected to the top of the base plate 101, and the other end is rotatably connected to the top of the rotating plate 113. In this way, when the first cylinder 116 drives the rotating plate 113 to rotate, the rotating plate 113 can drive the multiple clamping members 111 to move simultaneously through the constraints of the second slide 115 and the first slide 114.

[0035] Thus, when the clamping member 111 secures the tire 200, and the robot arm 100 drives the base plate 101 to perform multi-directional movement, the base plate 101 also drives the tire 200 to perform multi-directional movement via the clamping member 111. Thus, when the tire 200 tilts along the first direction of movement, the retaining ring 202 on the surface of the tire 200 begins to slide down to the limiting plate 140 under the action of gravity.

[0036] In the above description, the guide groove 130 and the limiting plate 140 are both provided at the bottom of the substrate 101.

[0037] The two ends of the guide groove 130 are arc-shaped, and their curvature is consistent with the curvature of the outer ring of the retaining ring 202. At the same time, one end of the guide groove 130 is a limiting end 131, which is oriented in the second direction of motion, and the other end extends toward the end of the base plate 101, which is oriented in the first direction of motion. The position of the limiting end 131 corresponds to the position of the tire 200 after being clamped and fixed. That is, when the outer ring of the retaining ring 202 contacts the limiting end 131, the retaining ring 202 and the rim 201 are coaxial.

[0038] The limiting plate 140 is connected to the bottom of the base plate 101 and is located at the end of the guide groove 130 away from the limiting end 131. The bottom end of the limiting plate 140 extends to the surface of the tire 200, thereby blocking the retaining ring 202 from sliding down. The limiting plate 140 limits the retaining ring 202 affected by the first movement direction and guides the retaining ring 202 into the guide groove 130 under the action of continuous tilt. In addition, to ensure that the side wall of the limiting plate 140 fits closely with the outer ring of the press-fitting mechanism 120, the limiting plate 140 is also curved, and the curvature is consistent with the curvature of the outer ring of the retaining ring 202.

[0039] In other words, the robot arm 100 drives the base plate 101 to move in multiple directions, thereby changing the position of the retaining ring 202 during the movement. The retaining ring 202 is guided by the limit plate 140 so that the retaining ring 202 enters the guide groove 130 during the movement, thereby achieving the centering of the retaining ring 202. During the centering process, the retaining ring 202 is completely separated from the tire 200, thereby solving the problem of too small a contact area with the retaining ring 202 and improving the efficiency of press-fitting.

[0040] Figure 5 The specific structure of the press-fitting mechanism 120 is shown. As shown in the figure, a press ring 121 is provided on the top of the base plate 101 for press-fitting the retaining ring 202 to the rim 201. The contact area between the press ring 121 and the rim 201 is preferably made of nylon material, which can reduce the damage caused by the press ring 121 to the retaining ring 202 during the press-fitting process. Specifically, the press ring 121 is provided longitudinally through the base plate 101, and the bottom end is provided with an upwardly extending through groove 122. Through this design, when the press ring 121 longitudinally penetrates the base plate 101, the part of the base plate 101 corresponding to the through groove 122 does not need to be penetrated, so that the center of the base plate 101 does not need to be hollowed out, which facilitates the installation of the hydraulic cylinder 123. Here, the hydraulic cylinder 123 is provided on the top of the base plate 101, and the top end is fixedly connected to the top of the press ring 121. The hydraulic cylinder 123 controls the up and down movement of the press ring 121 by telescoping.

[0041] The specific pressing process of the pressing equipment is described in detail below.

[0042] First, if Figure 7 As shown in the upper half of the figure. That is, the retaining ring 202 is in the tilted state shown in the figure. At this time, the base plate 101 is driven by the robot arm 100 to tilt toward the limit plate 140. During the tilting process, the retaining ring 202 will slide to the limit plate 140. Since the end of the limit plate 140 extends to the surface of the tire 200, the limit plate 140 will block the retaining ring 202. Then, the base plate 101 is tilted as shown in the figure. Figure 7 As shown in the lower half of the figure (i.e. the first movement direction), during this process, the angle of inclination of the substrate 101 is greater than 90 degrees. In this way, the retaining ring 202 will slide into the guide groove 130 under the effect of inclination.

[0043] Then as Figure 8 As shown in the upper half of the figure, the robot arm 100 drives the base plate 101 to tilt away from the limit plate 140 (i.e., the second movement direction). At this time, the retaining ring 202 falls into the limit end 131 of the guide groove 130 under the action of gravity, that is, the retaining ring 202 is coaxial with the rim 201.

[0044] Then, if Figure 8 As shown in the lower half of the figure. The robot 100 drives the substrate 101 to rotate 180 degrees (relative to Figure 7 At this time, the driving pressure ring 121 moves toward the retaining ring 202, so that the pressure ring 121 pushes the retaining ring 202 against the surface of the rim 201. Then the control substrate 101 returns to Figure 7 As shown in the upper half of the figure, the rim 201 is placed on the ground or a workbench, and then the pressure ring 121 is further driven to move and the retaining ring 202 is pressed onto the rim 201.

[0045] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the rim 201 may not be placed on the ground or on the workbench (i.e., not restored to its original shape). Figure 7 ). Figure 3 As shown, a stopper 112 is fixedly provided at the bottom end of the clamping member 111, and one end of the stopper 112 extends toward the rim 201. When the clamping member 111 clamps and fixes the tire 200, one end of the stopper 112 is at the bottom of the rim 201, which is used to limit the position of the rim 201. Figure 8 In the state shown in the lower half of the figure, due to the limitation of the retaining rod 112, the rim 201 will not be displaced when the pressure ring 121 drives the retaining ring 202 to the surface of the rim 201. At this time, it is only necessary to continue to drive the retaining ring 202 to move toward the rim 201 to press the retaining ring 202 onto the rim 201.

[0046] Moreover, in order to improve the press-fitting efficiency. In some embodiments, Figure 9 As shown, in this embodiment, the two ends of the blocking rod 112 are set to different heights. Specifically, the height of the blocking rod 112 near the clamping mechanism 110 is higher than the height of the other end, and a slope 117 is set between the two ends for transition.

[0047] By such arrangement, when it is necessary to press the retaining ring 202 onto the rim 201, as shown in FIG. Figure 10As shown, the multiple clamping members 111 are further driven to move closer to each other, so that the clamping members 111 drive the blocking rod 112 to move toward the rim 201. At this time, the blocking rod 112 presses the rim 201 upward through the inclined surface 117, causing the rim 201 to move upward. After the rim 201 moves upward, the distance between the annular groove on the outer ring of the rim 201 and the inner ring of the tire 200 increases. In this way, when the pressure ring 121 presses the blocking ring 202 onto the rim 201, the rim 201 will not contact the tire 200, thereby preventing the tire 200 from exerting an upward resistance force on the blocking ring 202.

[0048] It can be seen that the limit plate 140 can not only guide the retaining ring 202 during the flipping process, but also prevent the tire 200 from deforming upward during the pressing process, so that the rim 201 can protrude from the tire 200, reducing the upward resistance force exerted by the tire 200 on the retaining ring 202 during the pressing process.

[0049] It should be noted that during the further squeezing of the tire 200, due to the presence of the limiting plate 140, the limiting plate 140 can prevent the tire 200 from deforming upward, thereby increasing the distance between the annular groove of the outer ring and the inner ring of the tire 200 after the rim 201 moves upward.

[0050] For ease of understanding, Figure 10 h1 is the distance between the rim 201 and the top of the clamping member 111 when it is not pressed upward by the stop rod 112, and h2 is the distance between the rim 201 and the top of the clamping member 111 when it is pressed upward by the stop rod 112. The distance h2 is smaller than the distance h1. In other words, Figure 10 The wheel rim 201 in the lower half of the figure has been moved up, and the spacing between the annular groove of the outer ring of the wheel rim 201 and the inner ring of the tire 200 increases. Like this, the retaining ring 202 just can not contact with the tire 200 basically.

[0051] In addition, in order to further improve the ability of the limiting plate 140 to prevent the tire 200 from deforming upward, this embodiment also symmetrically arranges the limiting plates 140 on both sides of the base plate 101, and the two limiting plates 140 are slidably connected to the base plate 101, and the sliding connection drives the limiting plates 140 to move to the top of the tire 200, thereby limiting the tire 200. Regarding the drive of the limiting plate 140, a second cylinder 141 is preferably used. Specifically, one end of the second cylinder 141 is connected to the mounting plate provided at the bottom of the base plate 101, and the other end is fixedly connected to the limiting plate 140. In this way, during the process of further squeezing the tire 200 by the clamping member 111, the limiting plate 140 is driven to move toward the inner ring of the tire 200 by the second cylinder 141, thereby preventing the tire 200 from deforming upward near the rim 201.

[0052] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are merely preferred examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various changes and improvements may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Such changes and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection claimed in the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A retaining ring press-fitting device for assembling a tire, comprising a base plate (101) and a clamping mechanism (110) and a press-fitting mechanism (120) arranged on the base plate (101), wherein the clamping mechanism (110) is used to clamp and fix the tire (200); and the press-fitting mechanism (120) is used to press-fit the retaining ring (202) onto the rim (201); and characterized in that: A robotic arm (100) is connected to one side of the substrate (101), and the robotic arm (100) is used to drive the substrate (101) to move in multiple directions, so that the substrate (101) has at least a first movement direction and a second movement direction; It also includes a guide groove (130) and a limit plate (140) arranged at the bottom of the base plate (101), wherein the limit plate (140) is arranged corresponding to the first movement direction; In the first movement direction, the retaining ring (202) moves toward the limiting plate (140), so that the limiting plate (140) guides the retaining ring (202) toward the guide groove (130); in the second movement direction, the retaining ring (202) enters the guide groove (130), and the retaining ring (202) is limited by the guide groove (130) to be coaxial with the rim (201); One end of the guide groove (130) is a limiting end (131), and the other end extends toward the end of the base plate (101); when the outer ring of the retaining ring (202) contacts the limiting end (131), the retaining ring (202) and the rim (201) are coaxial; The direction of the limiting end (131) of the guide groove (130) corresponds to the second movement direction, and the direction of the other end corresponds to the first movement direction; The limiting plate (140) is connected to the bottom of the base plate (101) and is located at an end of the guide groove (130) away from the limiting end (131); the bottom end of the limiting plate (140) extends to the surface of the tire (200) and is used to limit the retaining ring (202) affected by the first movement direction; The clamping mechanism (110) comprises a plurality of clamping members (111) arranged at the bottom of the base plate (101), wherein the plurality of clamping members (111) are all connected to a driving member, and the driving member drives the plurality of clamping members (111) to move closer to each other to clamp and fix the tire (200); The press-fitting mechanism (120) comprises a press ring (121) located on the top of the base plate (101), wherein the press ring (121) is slidably arranged through the base plate (101) and is used to press-fit the retaining ring (202) onto the rim (201); It also includes a hydraulic cylinder (123) for driving the pressure ring (121) to move.

2. The retaining ring press-fitting device for assembling a tire according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the guide groove (130) are arranged in an arc shape, and the arc is consistent with the arc of the outer ring of the retaining ring (202).

3. The retaining ring press-fitting device for assembling a tire according to claim 1, characterized in that: A stop rod (112) having one end extending toward the rim (201) is fixedly provided at the bottom end of the clamping member (111). When the clamping member (111) clamps and fixes the tire (200), one end of the stop rod (112) is located at the bottom of the rim (201) for limiting the position of the rim (201).

4. The retaining ring press-fitting device for assembling a tire according to claim 3, characterized in that: The height of one end of the blocking rod (112) close to the clamping mechanism (110) is higher than that of the other end, and an inclined surface (117) is provided between the two ends for transition. The inclined surface (117) is used to press the rim (201) upward so that the top of the rim (201) protrudes from the top of the tire (200).

5. The retaining ring press-fitting device for assembling a tire according to claim 4, characterized in that: The limiting plates (140) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the base plate (101), and both limiting plates (140) are slidably connected to the base plate (101); one side of the base plate (101) is connected to a second cylinder (141) for driving the base plate (101) to move to the top of the tire (200).

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