An automatic assembly machine for acupuncture needles

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic acupuncture needle assembling machine, which comprises a cabinet, a needle handle feeding mechanism, a needle wire feeding mechanism, a wire threading mechanism, a needle pushing mechanism, a embossing mechanism and a pulling cutting mechanism. The wire threading mechanism, the embossing mechanism and the pulling cutting mechanism are arranged in a straight line on the cabinet, and a discharge plate is arranged between two adjacent mechanisms. The discharge plate is arranged in an inclined manner with the front process being higher than the rear process. The needle handle feeding mechanism and the needle wire feeding mechanism are arranged in parallel on the side of the wire threading mechanism, so that the needle handle and the needle wire can be fed synchronously. The needle pushing mechanism is arranged between the wire threading mechanism and the embossing mechanism. The pulling cutting mechanism is provided with a receiving disc below. The automatic acupuncture needle assembling machine can realize automatic wire threading and assembling of single needle wire and single needle handle, and can effectively reduce the overall cost while ensuring the automation efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to automated acupuncture needle equipment, specifically an automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine. Background Technology

[0002] Acupuncture needles are a common type of acupuncture needle used in traditional Chinese medicine. Their structure generally consists of a needle wire and a needle handle. The needle handle mainly uses a spring structure. During the manufacturing process of acupuncture needles, the needle and the spring handle need to be fixed together. The conventional processing method is to use separate equipment to process the spring handle and separate equipment to process the needle wire, and then use a single equipment to assemble the needle handle and the needle wire. This separate processing operation requires too much manual intervention and has a low degree of automation.

[0003] In response to this situation, automated assembly has emerged. Utility model patent CN214079039U discloses an automatic assembly machine for flat-handled needles, which realizes automatic feeding of needle handles, automatic threading and cutting of needle wires, automatic knurling, automatic pulling and assembly of needle wires and needle handles, and automatic unloading. However, this equipment is designed for coiled wires. In the early stage of threading, it is only necessary to complete the positioning before moving forward to thread the entire wire. After threading, the needle wire is cut. However, this cannot be achieved for single needle wires. Moreover, the assembly machine adopts a carrier circulation assembly line structure to switch acupuncture needles between various workstations. The entire equipment is large in size, and the additional carrier circulation structure increases the overall cost of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine that enables automatic threading and assembly of single needle wires and single needle handles. The linear layout reduces the size of the equipment, and the feeding plate replaces the original carrier circulation mechanism, effectively reducing the overall cost while ensuring automation efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine, comprising a cabinet, a needle handle feeding mechanism, a needle wire feeding mechanism, a wire threading mechanism, a needle pushing mechanism, an embossing mechanism, and a cutting mechanism. The wire threading mechanism, the embossing mechanism, and the cutting mechanism are arranged in a straight line on the cabinet. A feeding plate is provided between two adjacent mechanisms, and the feeding plate is inclined with the preceding process higher than the following process. The needle handle feeding mechanism and the needle wire feeding mechanism are arranged in parallel on the side of the wire threading mechanism to realize synchronous feeding of the needle handle and the needle wire. The needle pushing mechanism consists of two sets, located between the wire threading mechanism and the embossing mechanism, and between the embossing mechanism and the cutting mechanism, respectively. A receiving tray is provided below the cutting mechanism.

[0006] The threading mechanism has a needle handle wheel and a needle thread wheel arranged coaxially, a rotary drive assembly that drives the needle handle wheel and the needle thread wheel to rotate synchronously, and a pusher wheel assembly that pushes the needle thread into the needle handle. The surface of the needle handle wheel is provided with a plurality of first arc-shaped grooves for placing the needle handle at equal intervals, and the surface of the needle thread wheel is provided with a plurality of second arc-shaped grooves for placing the needle thread at equal intervals, and each first arc-shaped groove corresponds one-to-one with the second arc-shaped groove. The pusher wheel assembly is located on the side of the needle thread wheel and includes a column, a mounting base, a fixing block, a pusher wheel, and a drive wheel. The mounting base is fixed to the top of the column, and the fixing block is assembled on the side of the fixing base with a micro-adjustment component. The pusher wheel and the drive wheel are connected to the fixing block through a connecting shaft and a bearing. The pusher wheel is located above the fixing block, while the drive wheel is located below the fixing block. The side of the drive wheel is in contact with the side of the needle thread wheel, so that when the needle thread wheel rotates, it drives the drive wheel to rotate, which in turn drives the pusher wheel above to rotate, pushing the needle thread into the needle handle.

[0007] Preferably, the needle holder feeding mechanism includes a vibratory feeder, a feeding track, and a wheel feeding assembly connected in sequence. The wheel feeding assembly has a mounting frame, a needle holder feeding wheel mounted on the mounting frame, a drive motor fixed behind the mounting frame to drive the needle holder feeding wheel to rotate, and a first baffle and a second baffle fixed on the mounting frame on both sides of the needle holder feeding wheel. The surface of the needle holder feeding wheel is provided with slots for placing needle holders at intervals, and an inclined feeding plate is provided between the needle holder feeding wheel and the needle holder wheel, so that the needle holders are fed into the first arc-shaped slot of the needle holder wheel one by one.

[0008] Preferably, the needle feeding mechanism includes an inclined feeding plate, with the lower end of the feeding plate abutting the needle wheel, so that the acupuncture needle can roll into the second arc-shaped groove.

[0009] Preferably, the pusher mechanism includes a fixed plate, a pusher motor, a linkage cam assembly, a slider guide rail, a pusher block, and an arc-shaped pusher plate. The pusher motor is mounted on the back of the fixed plate, the slider of the slider guide rail is fixed on the front of the fixed plate, one end of the linkage cam assembly is connected to the shaft of the pusher motor, and the other end is connected to one end of the slide rail of the slider guide rail. The pusher block is fixed on the other end of the slide rail, and the arc-shaped pusher plate is fixed on the end face of the pusher block.

[0010] Preferably, the embossing mechanism includes an upper needle wheel, a drive assembly for rotating the upper needle wheel, and an embossing wheel assembly located on the side of the upper needle wheel. The acupuncture needle after being threaded with silk is fed into the embossing wheel assembly through the upper needle wheel to emboss the end of the needle silk.

[0011] Preferably, the embossing wheel assembly includes a mounting column, a first embossing wheel and a second embossing wheel fixed to the side of the mounting column and arranged vertically. The first embossing wheel is connected to a first gear via a first rotating shaft, and the second embossing wheel is connected to a second gear via a second rotating shaft, with the first gear meshing with the second gear. An embossing drive motor is provided at the bottom of the column, and a third gear is mounted at the end of the embossing drive motor. A fourth gear is fitted on the surface of the second rotating shaft, and the third gear and the fourth gear are connected by a conveyor belt, so that the embossing drive motor drives the second rotating shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the first rotating shaft to rotate, achieving tangential rotation of the first embossing wheel and the second embossing wheel, and embossing the needle thread located between the first embossing wheel and the second embossing wheel.

[0012] Preferably, the needle pulling and cutting mechanism includes a second upper needle wheel, a second drive assembly for driving the second upper needle wheel to rotate, a needle pressing assembly for pressing the needle handle located above the second upper needle wheel, a needle pulling assembly located on the side of the second upper needle wheel, and a needle cutting assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the pressure needle assembly includes an arc-shaped pressure needle block, a slide rail assembly, and a lifting cylinder. The end of the lifting cylinder is connected to the arc-shaped pressure needle block, driving the arc-shaped pressure needle block to slide up and down along the slide rail assembly.

[0014] Preferably, the needle removal assembly includes a second fixed plate, a sliding plate, a needle removal block, a swing arm, a lifting cylinder, and a translation cylinder. The second fixed plate is fixed to the cabinet by a column. The sliding plate is fitted onto the surface of the second fixed plate with a slide rail. The needle removal block has an upper needle removal block and a lower needle removal block that engage with each other, and the engaging surface is an arc-shaped surface. The lower needle removal block is fixed to the end of the sliding plate near the acupuncture needle. The middle end of the swing arm near the acupuncture needle is hinged to the sliding plate. The front end of the swing arm is connected to the upper needle removal block, and the rear end of the swing arm is connected to the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder fixed to the back of the second fixed plate. The translation cylinder is fixed above the second fixed plate by a lifting frame, and the telescopic end of the translation cylinder is connected to the sliding plate by a connecting block.

[0015] Preferably, the cutting needle assembly includes a fixing frame, a first cutting blade mounted on one side of the fixing frame, a second cutting blade slidably mounted on the other side of the fixing frame, and a cutting blade drive assembly that drives the second cutting blade to move laterally reciprocally. The first cutting blade and the second cutting blade are arranged opposite to each other to cut the end of the passing needle wire flat.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine disclosed in this invention has the following advantages: high degree of automation, which can realize a series of processes such as threading, embossing, pulling out and cutting of single needle wires and single needle handles one by one, and the entire structure does not require an additional transfer structure, which greatly reduces costs. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 The structure of the threading mechanism in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 ;

[0019] Figure 3 The structure of the threading mechanism in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 ;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the wheel-type feeding assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the pusher mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the embossing mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 The structure of the cutting mechanism in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 9 The structure of the cutting mechanism in this embodiment of the invention Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the pressure needle assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the needle removal block in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the cutting needle assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] This invention provides an automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine for assembling single needle wires and single needle handles one by one. The specific structure is as follows: Figure 1As shown, the system includes a cabinet 1, a needle holder feeding mechanism 2, a needle wire feeding mechanism 3, a threading mechanism 4, a needle pushing mechanism 5, an embossing mechanism 6, and a cutting mechanism 7. The threading mechanism, embossing mechanism, and cutting mechanism are arranged in a straight line on the cabinet. A feeding plate 8 is provided between two adjacent mechanisms, and the feeding plate is inclined with the previous process higher than the next process. The needle holder feeding mechanism and the needle wire feeding mechanism are arranged in parallel on the side of the threading mechanism to realize synchronous feeding of the needle holder and the needle wire. There are two sets of needle pushing mechanisms, located between the threading mechanism and the embossing mechanism, and between the embossing mechanism and the cutting mechanism, respectively. A receiving tray 9 is provided below the cutting mechanism.

[0031] The threading mechanism enables the initial threading of the needle wire into the needle handle, and its structure is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the assembly includes a needle handle wheel 41 and a needle thread wheel 42 arranged coaxially, a rotary drive assembly 43 that drives the needle handle wheel and the needle thread wheel to rotate synchronously, and a pusher wheel assembly 44 that pushes the needle thread through the needle handle. The surface of the needle handle wheel is provided with a plurality of first arc-shaped grooves 411 for placing the needle handle at equal intervals, and the surface of the needle thread wheel is provided with second arc-shaped grooves 421 for placing the needle thread at equal intervals. Both the needle handle wheel and the needle thread wheel are mounted on a rotating shaft, and each first arc-shaped groove corresponds to a second arc-shaped groove. By setting the radius values ​​of the second arc-shaped groove and the first arc-shaped groove, the central axis of the needle thread and the needle handle can be made to be on the same straight line, which also facilitates the subsequent pushing and threading of the needle. The rotary drive assembly includes a hollow rotating platform 431, a reducer 432 and a motor 433 connected in sequence. The rotating shaft, which is fitted with the needle handle wheel and the needle thread wheel, is inserted into the hollow rotating platform. The motor and the reducer drive the hollow rotating platform to rotate, thereby making the needle handle wheel and the needle thread wheel rotate synchronously.

[0032] The pusher assembly is located on the side of the needle wire wheel and includes a column 441, a mounting base 442, a fixing block 443, a pusher wheel 444, and a drive wheel 445. The upper end of the column has an elongated hole 446. The mounting base, with fasteners, passes through the elongated hole for fixation. The elongated hole allows for height adjustment of the mounting base, enabling subsequent adjustment of the pusher position. The fixing block, with a micro-adjustment component 447, is mounted on the side of the mounting base. The pusher wheel and drive wheel are connected to the fixing block via a connecting shaft and bearing. The pusher wheel is located above the fixing block, while the drive wheel is located below it. The side of the drive wheel is in contact with the side of the needle wire wheel, allowing the needle wire wheel to rotate and drive the drive wheel to rotate (rotation direction is shown in the figure). By adjusting the mounting height of the mounting base, the pusher wheel is made to be at the same height as the needle wire and abuts against the tail of the needle wire. When the needle wire wheel rotates, it drives the pusher wheel to rotate synchronously. The needle wire behind it moves forward under the rotational pusher, and the tip of the needle wire enters the needle shank (see figure). Figure 4 This pusher assembly utilizes the rotational force of the needle thread wheel to drive the rotation of the pusher wheel. Not only does it eliminate the need for an additional rotation drive device, but it also ensures that the pusher wheel and the needle thread wheel rotate synchronously, thus ensuring the rhythm of the pusher.

[0033] The micro-adjustment component includes a screw, a spring, and a nut. The screw passes through the fixing block, is fitted with the spring, and then passes through the mounting base and is tightened with the nut. The micro-adjustment component allows the fixing base to move slightly relative to the mounting base, thereby ensuring that the drive wheel always keeps in contact with the side wall of the pusher wheel. The micro-adjustment component is a conventional technology. The specific structural principle can be found in existing technical content.

[0034] The needle pusher assembly can be set in two sets, both located on the side of the needle wire wheel. The first set allows the tip of the needle wire to initially enter the needle handle, and the second set allows the needle wire to further enter the needle handle. If two sets of needle pusher assemblies are set, the outer diameter of the needle pusher wheel of the second set of needle pusher assemblies is increased, thereby achieving further wire threading and needle push.

[0035] The needle handle feeding assembly is located on the side of the needle handle wheel and includes a vibratory feeder 21, a feeding track 22, and a wheel feeding assembly 23 connected in sequence. One end of the feeding track extends into the vibratory feeder and the other end extends into the wheel feeding assembly, conveying the needle handles fed from the vibratory feeder to the wheel feeding assembly. The vibratory feeder and the feeding track are conventional settings in the art, and the specific structure can be referred to the prior art. Therefore, this application will not elaborate further.

[0036] The wheel-type feeding assembly aligns the needle shanks front and back and feeds them one by one. The specific structure is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the device includes a mounting frame 231, a needle handle feeding wheel 232 mounted on the mounting frame, a drive motor 233 fixed behind the mounting frame to drive the needle handle feeding wheel to rotate, and a first baffle 234 and a second baffle 235 fixed on the mounting frame and located on both sides of the needle handle feeding wheel. The first baffle is a flat plate and the second baffle is an arc-shaped plate located in the upper part of the needle handle feeding wheel. The surface of the needle handle feeding wheel is provided with slots 236 at intervals. The needle handle enters the slot through the feeding track. Since the needle handle is not placed front to back in the feeding track, it will be misaligned after entering the slot. The first baffle and the second baffle can realize the front to back alignment. There is an inclined feeding plate between the needle handle feeding wheel and the needle handle wheel. After the needle handle is aligned, it is rolled into the first arc-shaped slot of the needle handle wheel by the inclined feeding plate.

[0037] The first baffle is a flat plate, which serves as a reference plate. The second baffle is installed non-parallel to the first baffle, with a larger opening on the side closer to the feeding track and a smaller opening on the side farther from the feeding track (similar to the wedge principle). The needle handle enters and rotates, and the misaligned needle handle is pushed by the second baffle to achieve alignment.

[0038] The needle wire feeding mechanism is an inclined feeding plate. The lower end of the feeding plate is attached to the needle wire wheel. The needle wire is manually laid on the feeding plate and rolled into the second arc-shaped groove of the needle wire wheel by rolling.

[0039] The needle-pushing mechanism is used to push the needle wire further into the needle handle, and its specific structure is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the assembly includes a fixed plate 51, a pusher motor 52, a linkage cam assembly 53, a slider guide rail 54, a pusher block 55, and an arc-shaped pusher plate 56. The fixed plate is fixed to the cabinet by a column, the pusher motor is fixed to the back of the fixed plate, the slider of the slider guide rail is fixed to the front of the fixed plate, one end of the linkage cam assembly is connected to the rotating shaft of the pusher motor, and the other end is connected to one end of the slide rail of the slider guide rail. The pusher block is fixed to the other end of the slide rail, and the arc-shaped pusher plate is fixed to the end face of the pusher block. The linkage cam assembly converts the rotation of the motor into the reciprocating movement of the slide rail, thereby causing the arc-shaped pusher plate to repeatedly extend and retract, pushing the needle wire into the needle shank. The linkage cam assembly is a commonly used mechanical structure in the mechanical field. In actual use, a cylinder can also be used to replace the pusher motor and the linkage cam assembly to realize the pushing and retraction of the arc-shaped pusher plate.

[0040] In this invention, there are two sets of needle pushing mechanisms. One set is set between the threading mechanism and the embossing mechanism to push the needle handle of the previous threading further into the needle handle. At the same time, the arc-shaped needle pushing plate can ensure the neatness of the needle tail and ensure the subsequent embossing position. The other set is set between the embossing mechanism and the cutting mechanism to further push the needle wire into the needle handle, so that the embossing position is located on the side of the needle handle, which is convenient for the subsequent embossing to be pulled into the needle handle.

[0041] The embossing mechanism is used to process patterns at the tip of the needle wire, and its specific structure is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the device includes an upper needle wheel 61, a drive assembly 62 for rotating the upper needle wheel, and an embossing wheel assembly 63 located on the side of the upper needle wheel. The upper needle wheel has multiple arc-shaped grooves spaced apart on its sidewall for loading acupuncture needles after threading. The drive assembly has the same structure as the rotation drive assembly of the threading mechanism, including a rotating hollow platform, a reducer, and a motor. The embossing wheel assembly includes a mounting column 631, and a first embossing wheel 632 and a second embossing wheel 633 fixed to the side of the mounting column and arranged vertically. The first embossing wheel is connected to a first gear 635 via a first rotating shaft 634, and the second embossing wheel is connected to a second gear 637 via a second rotating shaft 636. A first gear meshes with a second gear. The bottom of the column is equipped with an embossing drive motor 638, and the end of the embossing drive motor is equipped with a third gear 639. A fourth gear is fitted on the surface of the second rotating shaft. The third gear and the fourth gear are connected by a conveyor belt. When the embossing drive motor rotates, the third gear drives the fourth gear to rotate, which in turn drives the second rotating shaft to rotate. At this time, the second embossing wheel and the second gear rotate, and the first gear also rotates passively. Consequently, the first embossing wheel also rotates. The first gear and the second gear mesh with each other, so they rotate relative to each other. Consequently, the first embossing wheel and the second embossing wheel also rotate in opposite directions, rolling and embossing the needle wire located between the first embossing wheel and the second embossing wheel.

[0042] The pulling and cutting mechanism enables the acupuncture needle to be pulled out and cut flat, and its specific structure is as follows: Figures 8-9 As shown, the device includes a mounting plate 70, a second upper needle wheel 71 located on one side of the mounting plate, a second drive assembly 72 located on the other side of the mounting plate to drive the second upper needle wheel to rotate, a needle pressing assembly 73 located above the upper second needle wheel, a needle pulling assembly 74 located on the side of the upper needle wheel, and a needle cutting assembly 75. The structure of the second drive assembly is the same as that of the drive assembly in the knurling mechanism, and will not be described in detail. The surface of the second upper needle wheel is also provided with grooves at intervals to accommodate acupuncture needles. The needle pressing assembly is used to press the needle handle when the needle is pulled out to prevent the needle handle from shifting. The needle pulling assembly clamps the front end of the needle wire and pulls it backward to pull the knurling into the needle handle. The needle cutting assembly cuts off the deformed part of the front end of the needle handle when it is pulled out to ensure the flatness of the acupuncture needle tip.

[0043] Specifically, the structure of the pressure needle assembly is as follows: Figure 10 As shown, it includes an arc-shaped pressure needle block 731, a slide rail assembly 732, and a lifting cylinder 733. The upper side of the arc-shaped pressure needle block is fixed to the mounting plate in conjunction with the slide rail assembly. The lifting cylinder is simultaneously fixed to the mounting plate. The telescopic end of the lifting cylinder is connected to the upper end of the arc-shaped pressure needle block to control the arc-shaped pressure needle block to slide up and down along the slide rail assembly. The lower end of the arc-shaped pressure needle block has an arc-shaped structure for pressing the needle handle.

[0044] Preferably, the needle removal assembly includes a second fixed plate 741, a sliding plate 742, a needle removal block 743, a swing arm 744, a lifting cylinder 745, and a translation cylinder 746. The second fixed plate is fixed to the cabinet by a column, the sliding plate is fitted onto the surface of the second fixed plate with a slide rail, and the sliding plate can slide back and forth. The needle removal block has an upper needle removal block and a lower needle removal block that engage with each other (e.g., ...). Figure 11 (As shown), and the mating surface 747 is an arc-shaped surface to match the curvature of the second upper needle wheel, and to better clamp the arc-shaped needle wires. The lower needle-pulling block is fixed to the end of the sliding plate near the acupuncture needle. The middle end of the swing arm near the acupuncture needle is hinged to the sliding plate through the hinge seat 748. The front end of the swing arm is connected to the upper needle-pulling block, and the rear end of the swing arm is connected to the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder fixed to the back of the second fixed plate. When the lifting cylinder extends, the swing arm at this end rises, and then the swing arm moves to the other end. When one end is pressed down, the upper and lower needle-pulling blocks align to clamp the end of the needle wire. The translation cylinder is fixed above the second fixed plate by the lifting frame, and the telescopic end of the translation cylinder is connected to the sliding plate through the connecting block 749. After the needle-pulling block clamps the needle wire, it extends and drives the sliding plate to move backward, thereby realizing the needle-pulling operation. After the needle is pulled out, the lifting cylinder retracts, the swing arm at this end descends, the front swing arm rises, the upper and lower needle-pulling blocks separate, and the second upper needle wheel rotates to perform the next round of needle-pulling operation.

[0045] The structure of the cutting needle assembly is as follows: Figure 12As shown, the device includes a mounting frame 751, a first cutter 752 mounted on one side of the mounting frame, a second cutter 753 slidably mounted on the other side of the mounting frame, and a cutter drive assembly 754 that drives the second cutter to move laterally back and forth. The first cutter and the second cutter are arranged opposite to each other to perform a cutting operation on the end of the passing needle wire. The cutter drive assembly can be a cylinder or a structure combining a motor and a cam. The mounting frame can be fixed on the cabinet with a sliding seat 755, and the size of the cutting needle can be adjusted by adjusting the front and rear position of the sliding seat.

[0046] The feeding plate is located between two adjacent processing mechanisms. It has a plate structure and extended racks 81 on both sides (see...). Figure 7 The rack can be inserted into the upper needle wheel to remove the acupuncture needles from the upper needle wheel. Since the feeding plate is set at an angle, the removed acupuncture needles are rolled into the upper needle wheel of the next process. The feeding plate structure is a conventional technical setting in this field.

[0047] This invention discloses an automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine that achieves a one-to-one assembly of a single needle wire and a single needle handle. Its working principle is as follows: The needle wires are manually arranged neatly on a feeding plate and fed one by one into the wire-threading mechanism's wire wheel. Meanwhile, the needle handles are fed one by one into the handle wheel of the wire-threading mechanism via a handle feeding mechanism. A pusher assembly on the side of the wire wheel pushes the tip of the needle wire step by step into the handle. The initially wired acupuncture needle enters the embossing mechanism. Before embossing, the pusher mechanism further pushes the needle wire into the handle, simultaneously... The flatness of the embossed end of the acupuncture needle is ensured. After the embossing is completed, the acupuncture needle is fed into the cutting mechanism. Before the needle is pulled out, the needle wire is pushed into the needle handle by the needle pushing mechanism. At this time, the needle wire is in a state where the embossed side is short and the pulling side is long in the needle handle. When the needle is pulled out, the needle pressing component presses the needle handle, and the needle pulling component pulls out the needle, pulling the embossed part of the needle wire into the needle handle. After the needle wire is pulled out, the end of the needle wire needs to be cut off by the needle cutting component to ensure the flatness of the end of the acupuncture needle. After the needle is cut, the acupuncture needle continues to rotate with the second needle wheel and falls into the receiving tray below.

[0048] As can be seen from the above description, the acupuncture needle automatic assembly machine disclosed in this invention has a high degree of automation and can realize a series of processes such as threading, embossing, pulling out and cutting a single needle wire and a single needle handle. The entire structure does not require an additional transfer structure, which greatly reduces the cost.

[0049] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine, characterized in that: The device includes a cabinet, a needle holder feeding mechanism, a needle wire feeding mechanism, a threading mechanism, a needle pushing mechanism, an embossing mechanism, and a cutting mechanism. The threading mechanism, embossing mechanism, and cutting mechanism are arranged in a straight line on the cabinet. A feeding plate is provided between two adjacent mechanisms, and the feeding plate is inclined with the previous process higher than the next process. The needle holder feeding mechanism and the needle wire feeding mechanism are arranged in parallel on the side of the threading mechanism to realize synchronous feeding of the needle holder and the needle wire. There are two sets of needle pushing mechanisms, located between the threading mechanism and the embossing mechanism, and between the embossing mechanism and the cutting mechanism, respectively. A receiving tray is provided below the cutting mechanism. The threading mechanism has a needle handle wheel and a needle thread wheel arranged coaxially, a rotary drive assembly that drives the needle handle wheel and the needle thread wheel to rotate synchronously, and a pusher wheel assembly that pushes the needle thread into the needle handle. The surface of the needle handle wheel is provided with a plurality of first arc-shaped grooves for placing the needle handle at equal intervals, and the surface of the needle thread wheel is provided with a plurality of second arc-shaped grooves for placing the needle thread at equal intervals, and each first arc-shaped groove corresponds to a second arc-shaped groove. The pusher wheel assembly is located on the side of the needle thread wheel and includes a column, a mounting base, a fixing block, a pusher wheel, and a drive wheel. The mounting base is fixed to the top of the column, and the fixing block is assembled on the side of the fixing base with a micro-adjustment component. The pusher wheel and the drive wheel are connected to the fixing block through a connecting shaft and a bearing. The pusher wheel is located above the fixing block, while the drive wheel is located below the fixing block. The side of the drive wheel is in contact with the side of the needle thread wheel, so that when the needle thread wheel rotates, it drives the drive wheel to rotate, which in turn drives the pusher wheel above to rotate, pushing the needle thread into the needle handle. The embossing mechanism includes an upper needle wheel, a drive assembly for rotating the upper needle wheel, and an embossing wheel assembly located on the side of the upper needle wheel. Acupuncture needles, after being threaded with silk, are fed into the embossing wheel assembly through the upper needle wheel to emboss the ends of the needle silk. The embossing wheel assembly includes a mounting column, a first embossing wheel and a second embossing wheel fixed to the side of the mounting column and arranged vertically. The first embossing wheel is connected to a first rotating shaft with a first gear, and the second embossing wheel is connected to a second rotating shaft with a second gear, with the first gear meshing with the second gear. An embossing drive motor is located at the bottom of the column, and a third gear is mounted at the end of the embossing drive motor. A fourth gear is fitted onto the surface of the second rotating shaft. The third gear and the fourth gear are connected by a conveyor belt, causing the embossing drive motor to drive the second rotating shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the first shaft to rotate, achieving tangential rotation of the first and second embossing wheels to emboss the needle silk located between the first and second embossing wheels. The needle-pulling mechanism includes a second upper needle wheel, a second drive assembly for driving the second upper needle wheel to rotate, a needle-pressing assembly for pressing the needle handle located above the second upper needle wheel, a needle-pulling assembly located on the side of the second upper needle wheel, and a needle-cutting assembly. The needle-pulling assembly includes a second fixed plate, a sliding plate, a needle-pulling block, a swing arm, a lifting cylinder, and a translation cylinder. The second fixed plate is fixed to the cabinet by a column. The sliding plate is fitted onto the surface of the second fixed plate with a slide rail. The needle-pulling block has an upper needle-pulling block and a lower needle-pulling block that engage with each other, and the engaging surface is an arc-shaped surface. The lower needle-pulling block is fixed to the end of the sliding plate near the acupuncture needle. The middle end of the swing arm near the acupuncture needle is hinged to the sliding plate. The front end of the swing arm is connected to the upper needle-pulling block. The rear end of the swing arm is connected to the telescopic end of the lifting cylinder fixed to the back of the second fixed plate. The translation cylinder is fixed above the second fixed plate by a lifting frame, and the telescopic end of the translation cylinder is connected to the sliding plate by a connecting block.

2. The automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The needle holder feeding mechanism includes a vibratory feeder, a feeding track, and a wheel feeding assembly connected in sequence. The wheel feeding assembly has a mounting frame, a needle holder feeding wheel mounted on the mounting frame, a drive motor fixed behind the mounting frame to drive the needle holder feeding wheel to rotate, and a first baffle and a second baffle fixed on the mounting frame on both sides of the needle holder feeding wheel. The surface of the needle holder feeding wheel is provided with slots for placing needle holders at intervals. An inclined feeding plate is provided between the needle holder feeding wheel and the needle holder wheel, so that the needle holders are fed into the first arc-shaped slot of the needle holder wheel one by one.

3. The automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The needle feeding mechanism includes an inclined feeding plate, with the lower end of the feeding plate attached to the needle wheel, so that the acupuncture needle can roll into the second arc-shaped groove.

4. An automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pusher mechanism includes a fixed plate, a pusher motor, a linkage cam assembly, a slider guide rail, a pusher block, and an arc-shaped pusher plate. The pusher motor is mounted on the back of the fixed plate, the slider of the slider guide rail is fixed on the front of the fixed plate, one end of the linkage cam assembly is connected to the shaft of the pusher motor, and the other end is connected to one end of the slide rail of the slider guide rail. The pusher block is fixed on the other end of the slide rail, and the arc-shaped pusher plate is fixed on the end face of the pusher block.

5. An automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure needle assembly includes an arc-shaped pressure needle block, a slide rail assembly, and a lifting cylinder. The end of the lifting cylinder is connected to the arc-shaped pressure needle block, which drives the arc-shaped pressure needle block to slide up and down along the slide rail assembly.

6. An automatic acupuncture needle assembly machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cutting needle assembly includes a fixed frame, a first cutter mounted on one side of the fixed frame, a second cutter slidably mounted on the other side of the fixed frame, and a cutter drive assembly that drives the second cutter to move laterally back and forth. The first cutter and the second cutter are arranged opposite to each other to cut the end of the needle wire passing through flat.

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