Feeding positioning device and method for bearing press fitting of automobile steering device shell

Abstract

The invention relates to a feeding device and method, in particular to a feeding positioning device and method for press fitting of an automobile steering device shell bearing. The feeding positioning device is composed of a positioning mechanism, a shell feeding mechanism and a bearing feeding mechanism. The positioning mechanism is composed of a base, a bearing press-fitting rod, a positioning head, a positioning sleeve, a lateral supporting device and a reset spring. According to the feeding positioning device, the steering gear shell can be fully limited through the positioning mechanism, the pressing stability of the shell is guaranteed, the shaking risk of the shell is reduced, it is guaranteed that a needle bearing can be accurately pressed in place and is not prone to deviation, and the pressed needle bearing is not prone to affecting continuous assembling and steering hand feeling of a steering gear. The problem that the assembling and steering hand feeling is affected due to the fact that an existing press-fitting device does not limit the shell is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a feeding device and method, specifically to a feeding and positioning device and method for press-fitting bearings in automotive steering gear housings. Background Technology

[0002] The steering gear includes a housing, needle roller bearings, a gear shaft, a rack, and a tie rod. During steering gear assembly, the needle roller bearings need to be pressed into the housing to install the gear shaft. Patent application CN117900801A discloses an automatic bearing feeding and pressing device and its usage method. Multiple rotating rods are arranged circumferentially along a turntable. The conveying assembly includes a gripper assembly and a conveying track slidably connected to the gripper assembly. The pressing assembly includes a positioning rod and a pressing cylinder assembly corresponding to the positioning rod. One end of the conveying track corresponds to the turntable, and the other end corresponds to the positioning rod. The control assembly is communicatively connected to the first driving component, the gripper assembly, and the pressing cylinder assembly. In use, the bearings are sequentially mounted on the rotating rods. Multiple bearings can be stacked on one rotating rod. The control component controls the gripper assembly to remove the bearings and transport them along the conveyor track to the positioning rod. The operator places the steering gear housing to which the bearing needs to be installed onto the positioning rod. The control component controls the pressure cylinder assembly to move down and press against the steering housing. Under the pressure of the positioning rod and the pressure cylinder assembly, the bearing is pressed into the steering gear housing. No manual operation is required, and the steering housing is ensured to be evenly stressed, so that the bearing is smoothly installed into the steering gear housing.

[0003] The aforementioned press-fitting equipment can press-fit bearings, but it has drawbacks: the housing is manually fed, and there is no positioning constraint during the press-fitting process. The housing may shift during bearing placement and pressing. This shift causes the bearing to tilt within the housing's mounting hole, leading to gear shaft jamming after assembly, significantly impacting vehicle assembly and steering feel. Therefore, it is necessary to redesign a feeding and positioning device for pressing-fitting automotive steering gear housing bearings to solve these problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a feeding and positioning device for pressing-fitting automotive steering gear housing bearings, which can ensure that the needle roller bearings are pressed into place and are not easily misaligned.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is: A feeding and positioning device for pressing bearings in automotive steering gear housings comprises a positioning mechanism, a housing feeding mechanism, and a bearing feeding mechanism. The positioning mechanism consists of a base, a bearing pressing rod, a positioning head, a positioning sleeve, a lateral support, and a return spring. A bearing pressing rod is fixedly mounted on the base, and a positioning head is positioned at the center of the top end face of the bearing pressing rod. A positioning sleeve is fitted onto the bearing pressing rod, and a lateral support is mounted on the positioning sleeve. A return spring is mounted on the bearing pressing rod between the positioning sleeve and the base.

[0006] The lateral support consists of a transverse support plate, an angle adjusting rod, a U-shaped block, an angle block, a buffer spring, and an adjusting nut. Angle adjusting rods are inserted side by side on the transverse support plate. A U-shaped block is set at the top end of the angle adjusting rod, and an angle block is installed on the U-shaped block by adjusting bolts. A buffer spring is fitted on the angle adjusting rod between the U-shaped block and the transverse support plate. An adjusting nut is threaded onto the end of the angle adjusting rod below the transverse support plate, and a washer is fitted on the angle adjusting rod between the adjusting nut and the transverse support plate.

[0007] The angle block is provided with a V-shaped support groove.

[0008] The positioning sleeve has multiple adjustment holes spaced apart on one side of the transverse support plate, and the transverse support plate is fixedly connected to the positioning sleeve by fixing bolts passing through the adjustment holes.

[0009] The shell feeding mechanism consists of an indexing plate, detection and positioning pins, and a robotic arm. The indexing plate is equipped with multiple sets of detection and positioning pins, which are evenly distributed in a ring. A robotic arm is located on the side of the indexing plate.

[0010] The bearing feeding mechanism consists of a material tray, a lifting cylinder, a pneumatic rotating seat, and pneumatic grippers. A lifting cylinder is provided on one side of the material tray, and a pneumatic rotating seat is provided on the piston rod of the lifting cylinder. Pneumatic grippers are installed on the pneumatic rotating seat via an assembly plate.

[0011] The material tray consists of a base plate, a U-shaped support, a material cylinder, a discharge cylinder, and a push cylinder. The material cylinder is mounted on the base plate via the U-shaped support. A discharge cylinder is horizontally arranged on one side of the base plate of the U-shaped support, and a push cylinder is vertically arranged on the other side of the base plate of the U-shaped support.

[0012] The piston rods of the discharge cylinder and the pusher cylinder are respectively fixed with push plates, and the push plate of the pusher cylinder is provided with a V-shaped limiting groove.

[0013] A method for loading and positioning bearings for press-fitting automotive steering gear housings, characterized by the following steps: 1) Place multiple needle roller bearings in the material cylinder of the material tray of the automotive steering gear housing bearing press-fitting and positioning device for later use; place multiple housings evenly in a ring on the indexing plate for later use; 2) Load and position the needle roller bearings; 3) Load and position the shell; After the needle roller bearing is loaded, the robot arm is started. The robot arm picks up the housing on the indexing plate and transfers the housing to the positioning mechanism, so that the inner hole of the housing is fitted onto the positioning sleeve with the inner hole facing down. The housing on the inner hole side is placed in the V-shaped support groove of the angle block. The housing is loaded and positioned by the positioning sleeve for the inner hole of the housing and the positioning of the housing by the V-shaped support groove, so that the housing is not easy to shift.

[0014] The placement process of the housing in step 1) is as follows: the bolt holes of the housing are respectively fitted onto the detection positioning pins. For housings whose bolt holes cannot be fitted onto the detection positioning pins, the housings are deemed unqualified and are recycled for rework. The housings whose bolt hole positions are qualified are fixed on the indexing plate by the detection positioning pins.

[0015] The feeding of the needle roller bearing in step 2) includes the following steps: A. Start the discharge cylinder of the material tray. The discharge cylinder will be pushed out by the needle roller bearing in the U-shaped support seat under the action of gravity through the push plate. B. The pusher cylinder is started. The pusher cylinder pushes the needle roller bearing between the open pneumatic grippers through the push plate. The pneumatic grippers hold the needle roller bearing. C. The pneumatic rotary seat rotates by driving the needle roller bearing to rotate through the pneumatic gripper, transferring the needle roller bearing from the material tray to the top of the positioning head of the positioning mechanism; D. After the needle roller bearing is transferred to the position, start the lifting cylinder. The lifting cylinder will drive the needle roller bearing to move down through the pneumatic rotating seat and pneumatic gripper in sequence, and put the needle roller bearing on the positioning head. The needle roller bearing is then loaded and positioned by the positioning head.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This automotive steering gear housing bearing press-fitting feeding and positioning device effectively limits the positioning of the steering gear housing through a positioning mechanism, ensuring the stability of the housing press-fitting, reducing the risk of housing wobbling, and ensuring that the needle roller bearing is accurately pressed into place without easily shifting. This prevents the pressed-fit needle roller bearing from affecting the continued assembly of the steering gear and steering feel. The housing feeding mechanism and the bearing feeding mechanism further reduce labor intensity and improve feeding efficiency through mechanical feeding, thereby increasing the press-fitting efficiency of the needle roller bearing. This solves the problem of existing press-fitting equipment failing to limit the housing position, which affects assembly and steering feel. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 2Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning mechanism of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an assembly diagram of the bearing press rod of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lateral support of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the shell feeding mechanism of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the bearing feeding mechanism of the present invention.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Base, 2. Bearing press rod, 3. Positioning head, 4. Positioning sleeve, 5. Return spring, 6. Horizontal support plate, 7. Angle adjustment rod, 8. U-shaped block, 9. Angle block, 10. Buffer spring, 11. Adjusting nut, 12. Adjusting bolt, 13. Washer, 14. V-shaped support groove, 15. Adjustment hole, 16. Indexing plate, 17. Detection and positioning pin, 18. Robot arm, 19. Lifting cylinder, 20. Pneumatic rotating seat, 21. Pneumatic gripper, 22. Base plate, 23. U-shaped support seat, 24. Material cylinder, 25. Discharge cylinder, 26. Pushing cylinder, 27. Push plate, 28. V-shaped limit groove, 29. Housing, 30. Needle roller bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The loading and positioning device for pressing bearings in automotive steering gear housings consists of a positioning mechanism, a housing loading mechanism, and a bearing loading mechanism. The positioning mechanism supports and fixes the relative position of the housing and the needle roller bearing, ensuring that the housing and the needle roller bearing are not easily misaligned during the pressing process; the housing loading mechanism loads the housing; and the bearing loading mechanism loads the bearing.

[0020] The positioning mechanism consists of a base 1, a bearing press rod 2, a positioning head 3, a positioning sleeve 4, a lateral support, and a return spring 5. The bearing press rod 2 is fixedly mounted on the base 1. A positioning head 3 is located at the center of the top end face of the bearing press rod 2 to limit the position of the needle roller bearing through the insertion connection between the positioning head 3 and the needle roller bearing. A positioning sleeve 4 is fitted on the bearing press rod 2 to limit the housing through the cooperation between the positioning sleeve 4 and the inner hole of the steering gear housing, thereby limiting the assembly hole of the bearing in the housing. Since the positioning sleeve 4 is fitted on the bearing press rod 2 and the positioning head 3 is located at the top end of the bearing press rod 2, the positioning sleeve 4 and the bearing press rod 2 can respectively position the needle roller bearing and the housing. During the press-fitting process, the coaxiality of the needle roller bearing and the housing assembly hole is maintained, ensuring that the needle roller bearing is not easily displaced during the press-fitting process into the housing assembly hole, thereby ensuring that it does not affect the subsequent assembly of the steering gear and the steering feel. The positioning sleeve 4 is equipped with a lateral support to support the lateral position of the housing, preventing excessive friction between the positioning sleeve 4 and the side wall of the inner hole of the housing under gravity, which would affect the relative sliding between the positioning sleeve 4 and the inner wall of the housing. A return spring 5 is provided on the bearing press rod 2 between the positioning sleeve 4 and the base 1, so that after the needle roller bearing is press-fitted, the return spring 5 pushes the positioning sleeve 4 to return to its original position, and at the same time pushes the housing upward, thereby pushing the needle roller bearing to disengage from the positioning head 3.

[0021] The lateral support consists of a transverse support plate 6, an angle adjusting rod 7, a U-shaped block 8, an angle block 9, a buffer spring 10, and an adjusting nut 11. Angle adjusting rods 7 are inserted side-by-side on the transverse support plate 6. A U-shaped block 8 is positioned at the top end of each angle adjusting rod 7. Angle blocks 9 are mounted on the U-shaped block 8 via adjusting bolts 12, providing further support to the housing. This, combined with the positioning sleeve 4, limits the inner hole of the housing, fixing the steering gear housing and preventing it from shifting during press-fitting, thus ensuring the correct press-fitting of the needle roller bearing. A buffer spring 10 is fitted onto the angle adjusting rod 7 between the U-shaped block 8 and the transverse support plate 6. An adjusting nut 11 is threaded onto the end of the angle adjusting rod 7 below the transverse support plate 6. A washer 13 is fitted onto the angle adjusting rod 7 between the adjusting nut 11 and the transverse support plate 6. The function of adjusting nut 11 is to adjust the length of angle adjusting rod 7 between transverse support plate 6 and U-shaped block 8 by replacing washers 13 of different lengths, thereby adjusting the angle between angle block 9 and positioning sleeve 4 relative to the horizontal plane, so that angle block 9 can adapt to different models and specifications of housings. The function of adjusting bolt 12 is to adjust the angle of angle block 9 itself, so that angle block 9 is perpendicular to the housing when supporting the housing, ensuring the stability of the support. The function of buffer spring 10 is to buffer the impact during the housing loading process in conjunction with return spring 5, reducing the impact of the positioning mechanism and the housing impact on the housing.

[0022] Angle block 9 is provided with a V-shaped support groove 14 to limit the housing through the V-shaped support groove 14, prevent the housing from rotating around the positioning sleeve 4 as the axis, limit the relative position of the housing and angle block 9, and further improve the stability of the angle block 9 in supporting the housing.

[0023] Multiple adjustment holes 15 are spaced apart on the transverse support plate 6 on one side of the positioning sleeve 4. The transverse support plate 6 is fixedly connected to the positioning sleeve 4 by fixing bolts passing through the adjustment holes 15. The function of the adjustment holes 15 is to adjust the relative position of the transverse support plate 6 and the positioning sleeve 4 in conjunction with the fixing bolts, thereby adjusting the horizontal distance between the angle block 9 and the positioning sleeve 4. In conjunction with the washer 13, the height of the angle block 9 is adjusted to ensure that the support of the angle block 9 to the housing can adapt to the housing of different specifications of steering gears.

[0024] The housing loading mechanism consists of an indexing plate 16 (supplementary model), detection and positioning pins 17, and a robotic arm 18 (supplementary model). The indexing plate 16 is equipped with multiple sets of detection and positioning pins 17, each set containing two pins, evenly distributed in a ring. The robotic arm 18 is located beside the indexing plate 16. The function of the detection and positioning pins 17 is to detect the position of the bolt holes on the housing, ensuring the bolt holes are in the correct position; additionally, it secures the qualified housing to the indexing plate 16. The robotic arm 18 grips the housing on the indexing plate 16 and loads it onto the positioning mechanism.

[0025] The bearing loading mechanism consists of a material tray, a lifting cylinder 19, a pneumatic rotating seat 20 (supplementary model), and pneumatic grippers 21 (supplementary model). A lifting cylinder 19 is located on one side of the material tray. The pneumatic rotating seat 20 is mounted on the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 19. Pneumatic grippers 21 are mounted on the pneumatic rotating seat 20 via an assembly plate. The pneumatic grippers 21 grip the needle roller bearing on the material tray, thereby transferring the bearing. The function of the pneumatic rotating seat 20 is to rotate the pneumatic grippers 21, which in turn rotates the needle roller bearing gripped by the grippers, moving it from the material tray to above the positioning head 3 for transfer. The function of the lifting cylinder 19 is to sequentially raise and lower the pneumatic rotating seat 20 and the pneumatic grippers 21, thereby raising and lowering the needle roller bearing gripped by the grippers 21, ultimately mounting the needle roller bearing onto the positioning head 3.

[0026] The material tray consists of a base plate 22, a U-shaped support 23, a material cylinder 24, a discharge cylinder 25, and a pusher cylinder 26. The material cylinder 24 is mounted on the base plate 22 via the U-shaped support 23 to store multiple needle roller bearings for later use. The discharge cylinder 25 is horizontally positioned on one side of the base plate 22 of the U-shaped support 23, while the pusher cylinder 26 is vertically positioned on the other side. The discharge cylinder 25 pushes the needle roller bearings that have fallen into the U-shaped support 23 under gravity, thus pushing them out of the U-shaped support 23 and onto the side of the pusher cylinder 25. The pusher cylinder 26 pushes the needle roller bearings pushed out of the U-shaped support 23 towards the pneumatic grippers 21, allowing the pneumatic grippers 21 to hold the needle roller bearings.

[0027] Push plates 27 are fixedly mounted on the piston rods of discharge cylinder 25 and push cylinder 26 respectively. V-shaped limiting grooves 28 are provided on the push plates 27 of push cylinder 26 to limit the needle roller bearing during the process of push plate 27 pushing the needle roller bearing, so as to prevent the needle roller bearing from deviating.

[0028] When the feeding and positioning device for pressing the bearings of the automotive steering gear housing is in operation, multiple needle roller bearings are placed in the material cylinder 24 of the material tray for standby. Multiple housings are evenly placed on the indexing plate 16, specifically: the bolt holes of the housings are respectively fitted onto the detection positioning pins 17. Housings whose bolt holes cannot be fitted onto the detection positioning pins 17 are deemed unqualified and are recycled for rework. Housings whose bolt hole positions are correct are fixed to the indexing plate 16 by the detection positioning pins 17. After the housings and needle roller bearings are placed, the material tray's discharge cylinder 25 is activated. The discharge cylinder 25, via the push plate 27, pushes the needle roller bearings that have fallen into the U-shaped support 23 under gravity. After the needle roller bearings are pushed out of the U-shaped support 23, the push cylinder 26 is activated. The push cylinder 26, via the push plate 27, pushes the needle roller bearings between the open pneumatic grippers 21, which clamp the needle roller bearings. After the pneumatic gripper 21 clamps the needle roller bearing, the pneumatic rotary seat 20 rotates, driving the needle roller bearing to rotate via the pneumatic gripper 21, transferring the needle roller bearing from the material tray to the positioning head 3 of the positioning mechanism. After the needle roller bearing is transferred to its position, the lifting cylinder 19 is activated. The lifting cylinder 19 sequentially drives the needle roller bearing downward via the pneumatic rotary seat 20 and the pneumatic gripper 21, fitting the needle roller bearing onto the positioning head 3, thus loading the needle roller bearing. After the needle roller bearing is loaded, the robot arm 18 is activated. The robot arm 18 grips the housing on the indexing plate 16 and transfers the housing onto the positioning mechanism, so that the inner hole of the housing faces downward and fits onto the positioning sleeve 4. The housing on one side of the inner hole is placed in the V-shaped support groove 14 of the angle block 9, thus loading the housing.

[0029] This automotive steering gear housing bearing press-fitting feeding and positioning device effectively limits the positioning of the steering gear housing through a positioning mechanism, ensuring the stability of the housing press-fitting, reducing the risk of housing wobbling, and ensuring that the needle roller bearing is accurately pressed into place without easily shifting. This prevents the pressed-fit needle roller bearing from affecting the continued assembly of the steering gear and steering feel. The housing feeding mechanism and the bearing feeding mechanism further reduce labor intensity and improve feeding efficiency through mechanical feeding, thereby increasing the press-fitting efficiency of the needle roller bearing. This solves the problem of existing press-fitting equipment failing to limit the housing position, which affects assembly and steering feel.

Claims

1. A method for loading and positioning bearings for press-fitting automotive steering gear housings, characterized in that: It comprises the following steps: 1) placing a plurality of needle roller bearings in reserve in the material cylinder of the material disc of the material positioning device of the bearing press-fitting of the automobile steering gear housing shaft; placing a plurality of housings in a ring shape on the index plate for reserve; 2) feeding and positioning the needle roller bearings; 3) feeding and positioning the housings; After the needle roller bearings are fed, the mechanical hand is started, the mechanical hand clamps the housings on the index plate, the housings are transferred to the positioning mechanism, the inner hole of the housings is downwardly sleeved on the positioning sleeve, the housings on one side of the inner hole are placed in the V-shaped support groove of the angle block, the housings are fed, the positioning of the housings is realized through the positioning of the inner hole of the housings by the positioning sleeve and the positioning of the housings by the V-shaped support groove, and the housings are not easy to deviate.

2. The method for loading and positioning of the bearing press-fit of a steering gear housing shaft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The placing process of the housings in step 1) is specifically that the bolt holes of the housings are respectively sleeved on the detection positioning pins, the housings whose bolt holes cannot be respectively sleeved on the detection positioning pins are determined to be unqualified, the unqualified housings are recycled and reworked, and the housings whose bolt hole positions are qualified are fixed on the index plate through the detection positioning pins.

3. The method for loading and positioning of the bearing press-fit of a steering gear housing shaft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding of the needle roller bearings in step 2) comprises the following steps: A, the ejection cylinder of the material disc is started, the ejection cylinder pushes the needle roller bearings falling to the U-shaped support seat under the action of gravity out through the push plate; B, the pushing cylinder is started, the pushing cylinder pushes the needle roller bearings to the opened pneumatic clamping jaws through the push plate, and the pneumatic clamping jaws clamp the needle roller bearings; C, the pneumatic rotating seat rotates to drive the needle roller bearings to rotate through the pneumatic clamping jaws, and the needle roller bearings are transferred from the material disc to above the positioning head of the positioning mechanism; D, after the needle roller bearings are transferred to the position, the lifting cylinder is started, the lifting cylinder drives the needle roller bearings to descend in sequence through the pneumatic rotating seat and the pneumatic clamping jaws, the needle roller bearings are sleeved on the positioning head, the needle roller bearings are fed, and the needle roller bearings are positioned through the positioning head.

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