Automatic feeding and discharging tool for automobile steering gear cast pipe detection

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic feeding and discharging tool for automobile steering gear cast pipe detection, which comprises a case, a discharging bin with a discharging groove in the bottom, a supporting arm with a supporting groove in the outer end, a telescopic arm with a transfer groove, an opening and closing transmission assembly, a rotary connecting assembly, an overturning control assembly, a sliding plate, a driving assembly and a floating connecting piece, the driving assembly is in transmission fit with the sliding plate through the floating connecting piece, the telescopic arm is connected with the sliding plate through the opening and closing transmission assembly, one end of the rotary connecting assembly is fixedly connected with the supporting arm, the other end of the rotary connecting assembly is rotationally connected with the machine box, and the overturning control assembly is in transmission connection with the floating connecting piece and the rotary connecting assembly. The driving assembly drives the sliding plate, the telescopic arm and the supporting arm to act, so that the cast pipe falls into the bracket to be detected; after detection, the driving assembly reversely runs to fix the sliding plate, the floating connecting piece drives the overturning control assembly to drive the supporting arm to rotate and discharge, automatic feeding, detection matching and discharging of the cast pipe are achieved, and efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive steering gear manufacturing, and more specifically to an automatic loading and unloading tooling for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes. Background Technology

[0002] In automotive steering system manufacturing, the dimensional accuracy and structural integrity of the steering gear casting tubes directly affect driving safety, and the efficiency and accuracy of the inspection process are key constraints on production line capacity. Currently, the industry's casting tube inspection process has significant pain points, mainly concentrated in two aspects: low automation of loading and unloading and poor coordination with the inspection process. In existing technologies, most pipe casting inspections rely on manual loading and unloading: operators need to manually transfer the pipes, which is not only labor-intensive but also prone to secondary damage due to bumps and knocks. Furthermore, positioning accuracy depends on experience (radial deviation often exceeds ±0.5mm), resulting in low inspection efficiency and difficulty in adapting to the needs of modern production lines. Even some automated solutions suffer from significant technological gaps. The patent CN223254112U, entitled "An Automatic Feeding Device for Copper Tubes," uses a stepped structure of a pusher plate to achieve orderly conveying of tubular parts. However, it is only suitable for simple feeding of short-sized copper tubes (length < 50 cm), lacks radial limiting design for cast tubes with a length-to-diameter ratio of 5-8:1, and cannot meet the radial runout control requirement of ≤ 0.1 mm required for inspection. Furthermore, it does not have a mechanism for action coordination with the inspection station. Another patent CN111069411A, entitled "A Punching Device for Metal Tube Walls," uses conveyor rollers to transport tubes, but its core mold positioning method causes the loading and unloading actions to be disconnected. It requires manual assistance to align the cast tube with the inspection reference, which is prone to causing positioning reference offset. Steering gear related testing fixtures (such as long tube inner hole interference testing devices) can only achieve static positioning and lack dynamic loading and unloading functions. After the test is completed, manual unloading is required, resulting in a single piece processing time of more than 30 seconds. Therefore, it is necessary to make improvements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] This application provides an automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting cast iron pipes for automotive steering gears, including a housing, a loading bin with a discharge chute at the bottom, a pair of support arms with grooves at both ends, a pair of telescopic arms, an opening and closing transmission assembly, a pair of rotary connection assemblies, a pair of tilting control assemblies, a sliding plate, a drive assembly, and a floating connector; the drive assembly is driven to the sliding plate via the floating connector; each of the telescopic arms has a transfer groove and is driven to the sliding plate via the opening and closing transmission assembly; one end of the rotary connection assembly is fixedly connected to the support arm, and the other end is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the housing; the tilting control assembly is driven to the floating connector at its input end and to the rotary connection assembly at its output end. It also includes a pair of lifting control components and a pair of clamping plates; the pair of clamping plates are respectively fixed at the front end of each telescopic arm; the input end of the lifting control component is driven by the sliding plate, and the output end is driven by the inner end of the corresponding support arm; the support arm is slidably mounted on the rotary connection component through the slide groove; when the pair of transfer troughs are located below the discharge trough of the unloading bin, the pair of clamping plates close, and at the same time the sliding plate is driven by the input end of the lifting control component to drive the pair of support arms to rise, lifting the cast pipe falling from the discharge trough between the pair of clamping plates, so that the two ends of the cast pipe abut against the inner sidewall of the corresponding clamping plate respectively. The rotary connection assembly includes a fixed cylinder and a rotating column. The fixed cylinder is fixed on the inner side wall of the chassis, and the rotating column is rotatably assembled in the fixed cylinder. A turntable is fixed at its outer end. A groove is opened on the peripheral wall of the turntable and is open at both ends, wherein the axis intersects with the central axis of the turntable.

[0005] The lifting control assembly includes a pair of lower sliding plates, a lifting platform, a pair of brackets, a fixed platform, a pair of return springs, and a pair of transmission arms. The lower sliding plates are slidably assembled into the inner cavity of the chassis, and a transmission groove with an inclined front end is opened in the middle of the lower sliding plates. One end of the bracket is rotatably installed at the front end of the inner cavity of the chassis via a rotating shaft, and the other end is an arc shape adapted to the peripheral wall of the fixed cylinder. A vertical plate is fixedly installed at the bottom of the chassis, and the lifting platform slides through the vertical plate. The fixed platform is fixed on the top surface of the lower sliding plates and adjacent to the rear end of the transmission groove. The left and right side walls of the fixed platform are respectively connected to the rear end of the top surface of the lower sliding plates via transmission arms. A pair of return springs are located between the fixed platform and the inner wall of the rear end of the chassis.

[0006] The bracket includes a transmission section and a contact section. The front end of the transmission section is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, and the rear end is connected to the contact section. The contact section is semi-circular, and the inner ring shape is adapted to the circumference of the turntable to contact the lower end of the support arm.

[0007] The flipping control assembly includes an annular groove, a notch, a rack, a guide rod, and a return spring. The annular groove is formed on the circumferential wall of the rotating column, and a gear ring is provided at the bottom of the annular groove. The notch is formed at the bottom of the fixed cylinder. The guide rod is fixed in the inner cavity of the housing and slides through the rack, allowing the rack to slide along the axial direction of the guide rod. The rack is slidably assembled in the notch and the annular groove and engages with the gear ring at the bottom of the annular groove for transmission. The return spring is set on the outside of the guide rod, and the end of the rack away from the support arm abuts against the end of the return spring. A transmission rod is also fixed at the end of the rack away from the support arm, which is used to contact and cooperate with the end of the floating connector away from the support arm.

[0008] The drive assembly includes a screw, a motor, and a mounting plate. The motor is mounted on the bottom of the housing cavity via the mounting plate. Its output shaft is mounted on the screw via a coupling. The screw is connected to the input end of the floating connector via a screw hole. The screw passes through the sliding plate via a clearance hole.

[0009] The floating connector includes an input plate, an output plate, a return spring, and several connecting rods. Each connecting rod is circumferentially distributed around the screw axis and passes through the sliding plate. The input plate is fixed at the front end and the output plate is fixed at the rear end. The return spring is wrapped around the outside of each connecting rod, and its two ends abut against the output plate and the sliding plate respectively. The input plate is driven by the screw through a screw hole.

[0010] The opening and closing transmission assembly includes a baffle, a transition plate, a pair of first transverse grooves, a pair of opening and closing drive arms, a pair of second transverse grooves, and a pair of separation grooves; the front end of the baffle is fixedly connected to the top end of the transition plate; a pair of first transverse grooves are formed on the transition plate, and a pair of second transverse grooves are formed on the front end of the bottom of the baffle; the top end of the sliding plate extends out of the chassis through the groove, and the left and right side walls of the sliding plate are respectively hinged to the rear end of each opening and closing drive arm; the rear end of each telescopic arm slides in cooperation with the corresponding first transverse groove, and the rear end of each telescopic arm is hinged to the front end of each opening and closing drive arm through a pair of rotating shafts.

[0011] The lower end of the rotating shaft is slidably engaged with the separation groove, and the upper end of the rotating shaft is slidably engaged with the second transverse groove; the separation groove is L-shaped, and its front end bends away from the support arm.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. This fixture achieves fully automated transfer of cast pipes from the unloading bin to the inspection station and then to the unloading point through the coordinated action of the drive component, telescopic arm and support arm. No manual handling is required, reducing the labor intensity of operators by about 70%. At the same time, with the help of the closed-loop transfer path formed by the transfer groove of the telescopic arm and the support groove of the support arm, the cast pipe is always in a stable supporting state during the transfer process. 2. This fixture, through the cooperation of the lifting control component and the clamping plate, forms a radial limiting structure for the cast pipe, which can stably adapt to the cast pipe of the steering gear with a length-to-diameter ratio of 5-8:1; and through the precise transmission of the sliding plate and the opening and closing transmission component, the radial deviation of the cast pipe when it is transferred to the inspection station is controlled within ≤0.1mm, which fully meets the stringent requirements of the inspection process for radial runout and solves the problem of insufficient accuracy of traditional manual positioning (radial deviation often exceeds ±0.5mm). 3. This fixture achieves dynamic coordination between the loading and unloading of the cast pipe and the inspection station through the linkage of the rotary connection component and the flip control component. After the cast pipe is transferred to the tray, it can be directly placed in the inspection reference position without manual adjustment and alignment, effectively avoiding the positioning reference offset caused by manual assistance. At the same time, after the inspection is completed, the support arm is driven to flip and unload the material through the flip control component, eliminating the need for manual unloading and completely eliminating the manual intervention breakpoint in the loading, unloading and inspection process. 4. This fixture simplifies the "loading-inspection-unloading" process and reduces redundancy through efficient transmission of the drive components and floating connectors. Furthermore, automated transfer and unloading eliminate the need for manual operation, significantly shortening the processing cycle of a single cast pipe and effectively improving the overall inspection efficiency of the production line, thus meeting the needs of modern production lines for continuous and efficient operations. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an automatic loading and unloading tooling for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes, as described in this application. Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an automatic loading and unloading tooling for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes, as described in this application. Figure 3 This is a perspective view of an automatic loading and unloading tooling for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes, as described in this application. Figure 4 This is a perspective view of an automatic loading and unloading tooling for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes, as described in this application. Figure 5 This is a perspective view of an automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes in an embodiment of this application (without the machine housing and unloading bin); Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the chassis and part of the opening and closing transmission assembly in the embodiments of this application; Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the opening and closing transmission assembly in the embodiments of this application; Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the driving component in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the lifting control component in the embodiments of this application; Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the flip control component and floating connector in the embodiments of this application; Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the flip control component and floating connector in the embodiments of this application.

[0014] Figure Labels 1-Chassis, 2-Discharge chute, 3-Feeding bin, 4-Slot, 5-Support arm, 6-Telescopic arm, 7-Opening and closing transmission assembly, 71-Baffle, 72-Adapter plate, 73-First transverse groove, 74-Opening and closing drive arm, 75-Second transverse groove, 76-Separation groove, 8-Rotating connection assembly, 81-Fixed cylinder, 82-Rotating column, 83-Turntable, 84-Reset groove, 85-Reset spring II, 86-Insertion plate, 9-Tilting control assembly, 91-Annular groove, 92-Notched groove, 93-Rack, 94-Guide rod, 95-Reset spring I 96-Gear ring, 97-Transmission rod, 10-Sliding plate, 11-Drive assembly, 111-Screw, 112-Motor, 12-Floating connector, 121-Input plate, 122-Output plate, 123-Return spring four, 124-Connecting rod, 13-Lifting control assembly, 131-Lower slide plate, 132-Lifting platform, 133-Bracket, 1331-Transmission section, 1332-Contact section, 134-Fixed platform, 135-Return spring three, 136-Transmission arm, 137-Transmission groove, 14-Clamping plate, 15-Slide groove Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0016] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0017] The automatic loading and unloading tooling for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0018] Example 1: This application provides an automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting cast iron pipes for automotive steering gears, including a housing 1, a loading bin 3 with a discharge chute 2 at the bottom, a pair of support arms 5 with grooves 4 at both ends, a pair of telescopic arms 6, an opening and closing transmission assembly 7, a pair of rotary connection assemblies 8, a pair of flipping control assemblies 9, a sliding plate 10, a drive assembly 11, and a floating connector 12; the drive assembly 11 is driven and connected to the sliding plate 10 through the floating connector 12; each of the pair of telescopic arms 6 has a transfer groove 7 and is driven and connected to the sliding plate 10 through the opening and closing transmission assembly 7; one end of the rotary connection assembly 8 is fixedly connected to the support arm 5, and the other end is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the housing 1; the input end of the flipping control assembly 9 is driven and connected to the floating connector 12, and the output end is driven and connected to the rotary connection assembly 8. like Figures 1 to 11 As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, when the transfer trough 7 is aligned with the discharge trough, the cast pipe in the discharge bin 3 falls into the transfer trough 7 under the action of gravity. Then, the drive assembly 11 runs forward, pushing the sliding plate 10 forward through the floating connector 12. The sliding plate 10 drives a pair of support arms 5 forward through the opening and closing transmission assembly 7 until the transfer trough 7 moves above the tray 4. The drive assembly 11 continues to run forward, and the sliding plate continues to move forward. Under the action of the opening and closing transmission assembly 7, the pair of support arms 5 separate horizontally to the left and right, and the cast pipe falls out of the transfer trough 7 into the tray 4. Then, the drive assembly 11 runs in reverse, controlling the pair of support arms 5 to close and retreat below the discharge bin 3 through the opening and closing transmission assembly 7 until the transfer trough 7 is aligned with the discharge trough 2. Under the action of gravity, the discharge bin... The cast pipe in section 3 falls into the transfer tank 7. At this time, the worker uses a detector to inspect the cast pipe in the tray 4. After the inspection is completed, the drive assembly 11 continues to run in reverse. At this time, the rear side of the sliding plate 10 is pressed against the rear end of the slot opened on the top of the housing 1, and the sliding plate 10 is fixed and cannot move. Correspondingly, the pair of support arms 5 also do not move. The drive assembly 11 drives the floating connector 12 to move backward and drives the flip control assembly 9 to move forward, so that the rotating connector 8 rotates. The support arms 5 rotate with the rotating connector 8. The tray 4 moves from the top of the housing 1 to the front of the housing 1 until the opening of the tray 4 is tilted downward, completing the casting of the cast pipe. Then the drive assembly 11 runs forward, so that the floating connector 12 moves forward and resets. At the same time, the flip control assembly 9 moves in reverse and resets. The drive assembly 11 stops running, completing the loading, inspection and unloading of the cast pipe.

[0019] Example 2: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, it also includes a pair of lifting control components 13 and a pair of clamping plates 14; the pair of clamping plates 14 are respectively fixed to the front end of each telescopic arm 6; the input end of the lifting control component 13 is driven to cooperate with the sliding plate 10, and the output end is driven to cooperate with the inner end of the corresponding support arm 5; the support arm 5 is slidably mounted on the rotary connection component 8 through the sliding groove 15; when the pair of transfer grooves 7 are located below the discharge groove 2 of the unloading bin 3, the pair of clamping plates 14 close, and at the same time the sliding plate 10 cooperates with the input end of the lifting control component 13 to drive the pair of support arms 5 to rise, lifting the casting pipe falling from the discharge groove 2 between the pair of clamping plates 14, so that the two ends of the casting pipe abut against the inner sidewall of the corresponding clamping plate 14 respectively. like Figures 5 to 11 As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, the drive assembly 11 operates in the forward direction, and the floating connector 12, sliding plate 10, opening and closing transmission assembly 7, and a pair of telescopic arms 6 move towards the support arm 5. When the tray 4 on the support arm 5 is misaligned with the discharge trough 2, the sliding plate 10 disengages from the lifting control assembly 13, the lifting control assembly 13 resets, and the support arm 5 descends to its lowest position. This causes the transfer trough 7, carrying the cast pipe, to move above the tray 4, while the horizontal height of the tray 4 is lower than that of the transfer trough 7. After the cast pipe falls into the tray 4, the drive assembly 11 operates in the reverse direction, and the floating connector 12, sliding plate 10, opening and closing transmission assembly, and a pair of telescopic arms 6 move away from the support arm 5 until the transfer trough 7 and the discharge trough 2 are aligned. When the lower end of the sliding plate 10 triggers the lifting control component 13, the support arm 5 slides upward in the slide groove 15 to a high position. At this time, the tray 4 and the transfer groove 7 are at the same horizontal height, and the distance between the pair of clamps 14 is at its minimum. The tray 4, which is located at a high position, limits the radial and end positions of the cast pipe before inspection. After the worker completes the inspection, the drive component 11 continues to run in the reverse direction. The floating connector 12, which moves relative to the sliding plate 10, triggers the flipping control component 9 to move in the forward direction, causing the rotating connection component 8 to rotate. The support arm 5 remains at a high position and rotates with the rotating connection component 8. The tray 4 moves from above the machine box 1 to the front of the machine box 1 until the opening of the tray 4 is tilted downward, completing the casting of the pipe.

[0020] The inner wall of the clamping plate 14 is provided with a rubber anti-slip layer (Shore hardness 60A) with a thickness of 2mm. It is fixed to the front end of the telescopic arm 6 by bolts to ensure that the radial runout of the end of the cast pipe (outer diameter φ80±0.05mm) is ≤0.1mm.

[0021] After three repeated tests, the radial runout values ​​of the cast pipe (600mm in length and φ80mm in outer diameter) under the limiting position of clamp 14 were 0.08mm, 0.09mm, and 0.10mm, respectively, with an average value of 0.09mm, which meets the testing requirements.

[0022] Material receiving in the hopper takes 5 seconds → horizontal movement takes 10 seconds → detection takes 10 seconds → flipping and discharging takes 5 seconds, for a total time of 20 seconds, which is better than the 30 seconds of the background technology.

[0023] Example 3: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the rotary connection assembly 8 includes a fixed cylinder 81 and a rotating column 82. The fixed cylinder 81 is fixed on the inner side wall of the housing 1, and the rotating column 82 is rotatably assembled in the fixed cylinder 81. A turntable 83 is fixed at its outer end, and a groove 15 is opened on the peripheral wall of the turntable 83 and passes through both ends, wherein the axis intersects with the central axis of the turntable 83.

[0024] In this embodiment of the application, the rotary connection assembly 8 further includes a reset groove 84, a second reset spring 85, and a insert plate 86. The reset groove 84 is formed in the middle of the support arm 5. The insert plate 86 passes through the turntable 83 and extends into the reset groove 84. The second reset spring 85 is disposed between the lower end of the reset groove 84 and the bottom surface of the insert plate 86, and is used to push the support arm 5 down when the contact end of the support arm 5 with the lifting control assembly 13 is disengaged from the lifting control assembly 13.

[0025] like Figure 3 and Figure 11 As shown, due to the above structure, when the lifting control component 13 moves in the forward direction, it pushes the lower end of the support arm 5, causing the support arm 5 to rise to the high position in the slide groove 15. The distance between the lower end of the reset groove 84 and the insert plate 86 is reduced, and the reset spring 85 is compressed and stores elastic potential energy. When the lifting control component 13 moves in the reverse direction, it moves away from the lower end of the support arm 5. Under the action of gravity and the elastic potential energy of the reset spring 85, the support arm 5 descends to the low position in the slide groove 15. When the flipping control component 9 is activated, it drives the turntable 83 to rotate, so that the support arm 5 is kept in a high position and switches between a vertical state and a material unloading state with the upper end tilted downward. During this process, the lifting control component 13 continues to work to ensure that the support arm 5 is kept in a high position.

[0026] Example 4: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the lifting control assembly 13 includes a pair of lower slide plates 131, a lifting platform 132, a pair of brackets 133, a fixed platform 134, a pair of return springs 135, and a pair of transmission arms 136. The lower slide plates 131 are slidably mounted in the inner cavity of the housing 1, and a transmission groove 137 with an inclined front end is provided in the middle of the lower slide plates 131. One end of the bracket 133 is rotatably mounted to the front end of the inner cavity of the housing 1 via a rotating shaft, and the other end is an arc shape adapted to the peripheral wall of the fixed cylinder 81. A vertical plate is fixedly provided at the bottom of the housing 1, and the lifting platform 132 is slidably passed through the vertical plate. The fixed platform 134 is fixedly provided on the top surface of the lower slide plates 131 and adjacent to the rear end of the transmission groove 137. The left and right side walls of the fixed platform 134 are respectively connected to the rear end of the top surface of the lower slide plates 131 via the transmission arms 136 (the two ends of the transmission arms 136 are respectively hinged to the fixed platform 134 and the lower slide plates 131). A pair of return springs 135 are provided between the fixed platform 134 and the inner wall of the rear end of the housing 1.

[0027] like Figures 7 to 9 As shown, due to the aforementioned structure, the bottom of the sliding plate 10 is provided with an inclined surface. During the movement of the transfer groove 7 towards the discharge groove 2, the sliding plate 10 approaches and contacts the top surface of the fixed platform 134. Under the action of the inclined surface, the sliding plate 10 pushes the fixed platform 134 down, and through a pair of transmission arms 136 pushes the sliding plate 131 backward (towards the direction away from the support arm 5). A pair of return springs 135 are compressed and store elastic potential energy. The inclined surface at the front end of the transmission groove 137 pushes a pair of brackets 133 to rotate upward around the axis of rotation, so that the inner ring of the free end of the bracket 133 in an arc shape pushes the support arm 5 to rise in the sliding groove 15 until the inner ring of the free end of the bracket 133 in an arc shape is in contact with the outer wall of the turntable 83, until the bottom surface of the non-arc section of the bracket 133 is in contact with the sliding plate 83. The top surface of plate 131 abuts against the support, completing the fixation of bracket 133. Through the arc fitting design, the support arm 5 remains in a high position as it rotates with turntable 83. When sliding plate 10 slides forward until it detaches from contact with the top surface of fixed platform 134, a pair of return springs 135 release elastic potential energy, pushing the lower slide plate 131 to slide forward. Through a pair of transmission arms 136, the fixed platform 134 is pushed to rise and reset. At the same time, transmission groove 137 also moves forward, so that bracket 133 is completely above transmission groove 137. Under the action of gravity, bracket 133 rotates downward around the pivot axis and completely detaches from turntable 83 and support arm 5. Support arm 5 resets under the action of gravity and return springs 135. Fixed platform 134 is hollow and slides with the vertical plate to ensure the stability of fixed platform 134 in raising and lowering.

[0028] Example 5: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the bracket 133 includes a transmission section 1331 and a contact section 1332. The front end of the transmission section 1331 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, and the rear end is connected to the contact section 1332. The connecting section is semi-circular, and the inner ring shape is adapted to the peripheral wall of the turntable 83 for contacting the lower end of the support arm 5.

[0029] like Figure 9 As shown, due to the above structure, when the lower slide plate 131 moves backward, the inclined surface at the front end of the transmission groove 137 contacts the bottom surface of the transmission section 1331 and pushes the transmission section 1331 to rotate around the axis, causing the contact section 1332 to flip upward until the top surface of the lower slide plate 131 is completely separated from the bottom surface of the transmission section 1331. At this time, the transmission section 1331 is in a horizontal state, and the inner ring of the contact section 1332 is completely in contact with the outer wall of the turntable 83. When the lower slide plate 131 moves forward, the bottom surface of the transmission section 1331 gradually separates from the top surface of the lower slide plate 131. Finally, under the action of gravity, the transmission section 1331, together with the contact section 1332, rotates downward around the axis until the contact section 1332 is completely separated from the turntable 83 and the lower end of the support arm 5.

[0030] Example 6: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the flipping control component 9 includes an annular groove 91, a notch 92, a rack 93, a guide rod 94, and a return spring 95; the annular groove 91 is formed on the circumferential wall of the rotating column 82, and a toothed ring 96 is provided at the bottom of the annular groove 91; the notch 92 is formed at the bottom of the fixed cylinder 81; the guide rod 94 is fixed in the inner cavity of the housing 1 and slides through the rack 93, so that the rack 93 can slide along the axial direction of the guide rod 94; the rack 93 is slidably assembled in the notch 92 and the annular groove 91, and meshes with the toothed ring 96 at the bottom of the annular groove 91 for transmission; the return spring 95 is sleeved on the outside of the guide rod 94, and the end of the rack 93 away from the support arm 5 abuts against the end of the return spring 95; a transmission rod 97 is also fixed at the end of the rack 93 away from the support arm 5, and the transmission rod 97 is used to contact and cooperate with the end of the floating connector 12 away from the support arm 5.

[0031] like Figures 10 to 11 As shown, due to the above structure, when the floating connector 12 moves backward or forward relative to the sliding plate 10, it pushes the rack 93 backward or forward through the transmission rod 97. The return spring 95 is compressed and stores or releases elastic potential energy. The rack 93 drives the gear ring 96 to rotate the rotating column 82, which in turn drives the turntable 83 and the support arm 5 to flip together.

[0032] Example 7: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the drive assembly 11 includes a screw 111, a motor 112 and a mounting plate. The motor 112 is mounted on the bottom of the inner cavity of the housing 1 via the mounting plate. Its output shaft is mounted on the screw 111 via a coupling. The screw 111 is connected to the input end of the floating connector 12 via a screw hole. The screw 111 passes through the sliding plate 10 via a clearance hole.

[0033] In this embodiment of the application, the floating connector 12 includes an input plate 121, an output plate 122, a return spring 123, and a plurality of connecting rods 124. Each connecting rod 124 is circumferentially spaced (eight rods) around the axis of the screw 111 and passes through the sliding plate 10. The input plate 121 is fixed at the front end and the output plate 122 is fixed at the rear end. The return spring 123 surrounds the outside of each connecting rod 124, and its two ends abut against the output plate 122 and the sliding plate 10, respectively. The input plate 121 is driven by the screw 111 through a screw hole.

[0034] like Figures 7 to 11 As shown, due to the above structure, when the transfer trough 7 corresponds to the discharge trough 2, if the motor 112 runs in the forward direction first and then in the reverse direction, under the elastic support of the return spring 123, the output plate 122 presses against the rear side of the sliding plate 10, and the return spring 123 presses against the front side of the sliding plate 10, so that the sliding plate 10 moves forward and then backward together with the sliding plate 10. When the transfer trough 7 corresponds to the discharge trough 2, if the motor 112 runs in reverse first and then in the forward direction, the sliding plate 10 abuts against the rear end of the slot at the top of the housing 1. The input plate 121 moves backward and approaches the sliding plate 10, while compressing the return spring 123. The output plate 122 moves away from the sliding plate 10, triggering the flip control component 9 to run in the forward direction. When the motor 112 runs in the forward direction, the input plate 121 and the output plate 122 move forward simultaneously until the output plate 122 abuts against the rear side of the sliding plate 10, and the return spring 123 releases its elastic potential energy.

[0035] Example 8: In this embodiment, in addition to the structural features of the aforementioned embodiments, the opening and closing transmission assembly 7 includes a baffle 71, a transition plate 72, a pair of first transverse grooves 73, a pair of opening and closing drive arms 74, a pair of second transverse grooves 75, and a pair of separation grooves 76; the front end of the baffle 71 is fixedly connected to the top end of the transition plate 72; a pair of first transverse grooves 73 are formed on the transition plate 72, and a pair of second transverse grooves 75 are formed on the front end of the bottom of the baffle 71; the top end of the sliding plate 10 extends out of the housing 1 through the groove, and the left and right side walls of the sliding plate 10 are respectively hinged to the rear end of each opening and closing drive arm 74; the rear end of each telescopic arm 6 is slidably engaged with the corresponding first transverse groove 73, and the rear end of each telescopic arm 6 is hinged to the front end of each opening and closing drive arm 74 through a pair of rotating shafts.

[0036] In this embodiment of the application, the lower end of the rotating shaft is slidably engaged with the separation groove 76, and the upper end of the rotating shaft is slidably engaged with the second transverse groove 75; the separation groove 76 is L-shaped, and its front end is bent away from the support arm 5.

[0037] like Figures 5 to 7 As shown, due to the above structure, when the transfer groove 7 corresponds to the discharge groove 2, the sliding plate 10 moves forward, driving the opening and closing drive arm 74 to push the adapter plate 72, baffle 71 and a pair of telescopic arms 6 forward. The lower end of the corresponding rotating shaft slides towards the front end of the separation groove 76 until the transfer groove 7 is aligned with the tray 4. The lower end of the rotating shaft is located at the turning point of the separation groove 76. The sliding plate 10 continues to move forward, and the lower end of the rotating shaft slides towards the end of the bent end of the separation groove 76, while the upper end slides towards the outer end of the second transverse groove 75. At the same time, the telescopic arms 6 also slide towards the outer end of the first transverse groove 73. The pair of telescopic arms 6 separate. After the sliding plate 10 moves backward, it drives the opening and closing drive arm 74 to pull the pair of telescopic arms 6 together until the rotating shaft moves from the end of the bent end of the separation groove 76 to the turning point of the separation groove 76. The pair of telescopic arms 6 completes to close. As the sliding plate 10 continues to move backward, the pair of telescopic arms 6 retreat until the transfer groove 7 is aligned with the discharge groove 2.

[0038] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0039] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting cast iron pipes used in automotive steering gears, characterized in that, The device includes a chassis, a discharge hopper with a discharge trough at the bottom, a pair of support arms with grooves at both ends, a pair of telescopic arms, an opening and closing transmission assembly, a pair of rotary connection assemblies, a pair of flipping control assemblies, a sliding plate, a drive assembly, and a floating connector. The drive assembly is driven to the sliding plate via the floating connector. Each of the telescopic arms has a transfer groove and is driven to the sliding plate via the opening and closing transmission assembly. One end of the rotary connection assembly is fixed to the support arm, and the other end is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the chassis. The input end of the flipping control assembly is driven to the floating connector, and the output end is driven to the rotary connection assembly.

2. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a pair of lifting control components and a pair of clamping plates; the pair of clamping plates are respectively fixed to the front end of each telescopic arm; the input end of the lifting control component is driven by the sliding plate, and the output end is driven by the inner end of the corresponding support arm; the support arm is slidably mounted on the rotary connection component through the sliding groove; when the pair of transfer grooves are located below the discharge chute of the unloading bin, the pair of clamping plates close together, and at the same time, the sliding plate is driven by the input end of the lifting control component to lift the pair of support arms, lifting the cast pipe falling from the discharge chute between the pair of clamping plates, so that the two ends of the cast pipe abut against the inner sidewall of the corresponding clamping plate respectively.

3. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotary connection assembly includes a fixed cylinder and a rotating column. The fixed cylinder is fixed on the inner side wall of the chassis. The rotating column is rotatably assembled in the fixed cylinder, and a turntable is fixed at its outer end. The sliding groove is opened on the peripheral wall of the turntable and is open at both ends, wherein the axis intersects with the central axis of the turntable.

4. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lifting control assembly includes a pair of lower sliding plates, a lifting platform, a pair of brackets, a fixed platform, a pair of return springs, and a pair of transmission arms. The lower sliding plates are slidably assembled into the inner cavity of the chassis, and a transmission groove with an inclined front end is opened in the middle of the lower sliding plates. One end of the bracket is rotatably installed at the front end of the inner cavity of the chassis via a rotating shaft, and the other end is an arc shape adapted to the peripheral wall of the fixed cylinder. A vertical plate is fixedly provided at the bottom of the chassis, and the lifting platform slides through the vertical plate. The fixed platform is fixedly provided on the top surface of the lower sliding plates and adjacent to the rear end of the transmission groove. The left and right side walls of the fixed platform are respectively connected to the rear end of the top surface of the lower sliding plates via transmission arms. The pair of return springs are provided between the fixed platform and the inner wall of the rear end of the chassis.

5. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bracket includes a transmission section and a contact section. The front end of the transmission section is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, and the rear end is connected to the contact section. The contact section is semi-circular, and the inner circle shape is adapted to the circumferential wall of the turntable for contacting the lower end of the support arm.

6. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flipping control assembly includes an annular groove, a notch, a rack, a guide rod, and a return spring. The annular groove is formed on the circumferential wall of the rotating column, and a toothed ring is provided at the bottom of the annular groove. The notch is formed at the bottom of the fixed cylinder. The guide rod is fixed in the inner cavity of the housing and slides through the rack, allowing the rack to slide along the axial direction of the guide rod. The rack is slidably assembled in the notch and the annular groove and engages with the toothed ring at the bottom of the annular groove for transmission. The return spring is fitted on the outside of the guide rod, and the end of the rack away from the support arm abuts against the end of the return spring. A transmission rod is also fixed at the end of the rack away from the support arm, which is used to contact and cooperate with the end of the floating connector away from the support arm.

7. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly includes a screw, a motor, and a mounting plate. The motor is mounted on the bottom of the inner cavity of the chassis via the mounting plate. Its output shaft is mounted on the screw via a coupling. The screw is connected to the input end of the floating connector via a screw hole. The screw passes through the sliding plate via a clearance hole.

8. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The floating connector includes an input plate, an output plate, a return spring, and several connecting rods. Each connecting rod is circumferentially spaced around the screw axis and passes through the sliding plate. The input plate is fixed at the front end and the output plate is fixed at the rear end. The return spring surrounds the outside of each connecting rod, and its two ends abut against the output plate and the sliding plate, respectively. The input plate is driven by the screw through a screw hole.

9. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening and closing transmission assembly includes a baffle, a transition plate, a pair of first transverse grooves, a pair of opening and closing drive arms, a pair of second transverse grooves, and a pair of separation grooves; the front end of the baffle is fixedly connected to the top end of the transition plate; a pair of first transverse grooves are formed on the transition plate, and a pair of second transverse grooves are formed on the front end of the bottom of the baffle; the top end of the sliding plate extends out of the chassis through the groove, and the left and right side walls of the sliding plate are respectively hinged to the rear end of each of the opening and closing drive arms; the rear end of each telescopic arm slides in cooperation with the corresponding first transverse groove, and the rear end of each telescopic arm is hinged to the front end of each opening and closing drive arm through a pair of rotating shafts.

10. The automatic loading and unloading fixture for inspecting automotive steering gear cast pipes according to claim 9, characterized in that, The lower end of the rotating shaft is slidably engaged with the separation groove, and the upper end of the rotating shaft is slidably engaged with the second transverse groove; the separation groove is L-shaped, and its front end bends away from the support arm.

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