Automatic steel ball assembling device for ball screw

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic steel ball assembling device for a ball screw, which comprises a base, a height adjusting assembly, a nut supporting seat, a nut mounting sleeve, a guide positioning assembly, a ball guide seat, a guide pipe and a sensing counting assembly, and is characterized in that the ball guide seat is provided with a positioning end and a fixed end; a ball guide hole channel is formed in the positioning end of the ball guide seat, the guide pipe is arranged in the ball guide hole channel in a penetrating mode, and the outlet end of the guide pipe and the tail end of the ball guide hole channel are both aligned with and communicated with the circulating roller path of the ball screw nut so that the steel balls can be guided into the circulating roller path. Through cooperative cooperation of the height adjusting assembly and the guiding and positioning assembly, layer-by-layer accurate assembly of a ball screw nut multi-layer circulating roller path is achieved, the alignment precision of a steel ball and a roller path inlet is ensured through a double-guiding structure of a ball guiding seat and a guiding pipe, and real-time monitoring of the sensing and counting assembly is matched, so that the accuracy of assembling is improved. The technical problems that traditional manual assembly is low in efficiency, large in counting error, prone to blockage and lack of process monitoring are effectively solved.

Description

An automatic ball assembly device for ball screws Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of ball screw assembly equipment, and more particularly to an automatic ball screw assembly device. Background Technology

[0002] Ball screw assemblies, as precision transmission components, consist of a screw, nut, balls, and a reversing device. Their core function is to convert rotary motion into high-precision linear motion, replacing traditional sliding friction with rolling friction. They offer significant advantages such as high transmission efficiency, low frictional resistance, high positioning accuracy, good axial stiffness, and long service life, and are widely used in high-precision transmission fields such as CNC machine tools, industrial robots, and precision measuring instruments. However, in the manufacturing process of ball screws, the assembly of the steel balls has long relied on manual operation, presenting the following prominent technical problems:

[0003] First, assembly efficiency is low. Manual assembly requires filling steel balls one by one into the nut raceway, a tedious and time-consuming operation that is difficult to meet the needs of mass production. It also demands high skill levels from operators and involves significant labor intensity. Second, counting accuracy is poor. Relying on manual visual counting is prone to over-filling, omissions, or errors, leading to high rework rates and affecting product consistency. If the number of steel balls deviates beyond the tolerance range, it directly reduces the transmission accuracy and service life of the lead screw pair. Third, the assembly process is prone to blockage. The steel balls lack effective guidance at the raceway entrance, often causing jamming, accumulation, or even blockage due to misalignment or skewed posture. This not only damages the surface quality of the steel balls but may also scratch the raceway, creating potential quality hazards. Fourth, there is a lack of process monitoring methods. Traditional manual assembly cannot monitor the steel ball filling status in real time, making it difficult to detect blockages or abnormalities promptly, leading to an increased scrap rate.

[0004] In summary, existing technologies struggle to balance efficiency, precision, and reliability, hindering the large-scale, high-quality manufacturing of ball screw assemblies. There is an urgent need for a device and method that can achieve automatic ball guidance, accurate counting, and efficient assembly to overcome the current technological bottlenecks. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an automatic ball assembly device for ball screws to solve the technical problems of low efficiency, poor counting accuracy, easy clogging, and lack of process monitoring in the prior art of manual ball assembly.

[0006] In view of the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic ball assembly device for ball screws, comprising:

[0007] Base;

[0008] A height adjustment component is provided on the base, the height adjustment component includes a support rod and an adjustment disc detachably connected to the support rod;

[0009] A nut support seat fixedly installed on the adjusting plate to support the ball screw nut;

[0010] A nut mounting sleeve is installed on the base;

[0011] The guiding and positioning assembly includes a ball seat and a guide tube;

[0012] The sensing and counting assembly includes a counter mounted on the conduit and a counter host electrically connected to the sensor, for detecting and counting steel balls passing through the conduit in real time;

[0013] The ball guide seat has a positioning end that extends into the inner cavity of the ball screw nut, and a fixed end that is detachably connected to the upper end of the nut mounting sleeve. The positioning end of the ball guide seat has a ball guide channel, and the guide tube passes through the ball guide channel. The outlet end of the guide tube and the end of the ball guide channel are aligned with and connected to the circulating raceway of the ball screw nut to guide the steel ball into the circulating raceway.

[0014] Optionally, a plurality of evenly distributed adjustment holes are provided along the axial direction of the support rod, the adjustment plate is provided with mounting holes for the support rod to pass through, and the side wall of the adjustment plate is also provided with threaded holes communicating with the mounting holes.

[0015] The installation height of the ball screw nut is adjusted by moving the adjustment disc to a predetermined height and aligning the threaded hole with the corresponding adjustment hole, and then fastening it with a fastener.

[0016] Optionally, the fastener is a pin, which includes a pin body and a threaded end at one end of the pin body; the pin body is clearance-fitted with the adjusting hole, and the threaded end is threadedly connected to the threaded hole to achieve the positioning and fixing of the adjusting disc and the support rod.

[0017] Optionally, an annular step is provided on the fixed end of the ball guide seat, and the annular step is inserted into the cavity of the female mounting sleeve.

[0018] Optionally, the support rod is provided with a threaded portion, and the base is provided with a countersunk screw hole. The threaded portion is threadedly connected to the countersunk screw hole, so that the support rod is vertically fixed on the base and can be detached.

[0019] Optionally, the number of counters is two, and the two counters are arranged at a preset distance interval along the axial direction of the conduit; the sensing surface of the counter is flush with the inner wall of the conduit.

[0020] Optionally, the preset distance is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the steel ball.

[0021] Optionally, the inner diameter of the ball guide channel matches the diameter of the steel ball, and the coaxiality between the central axis of the ball guide channel and the central axis of the ball screw nut's circulating raceway inlet is no greater than 0.05 mm.

[0022] In this invention, the coordinated operation of the height adjustment component and the guide positioning component enables precise layer-by-layer assembly of the multi-layer circulating raceway of the ball screw nut. The dual-guide structure of the ball guide seat and the guide tube ensures the alignment accuracy of the steel balls with the raceway inlet. Combined with real-time monitoring by the sensor counting component, this effectively solves the technical problems of low efficiency, large counting errors, easy clogging, and lack of process monitoring in traditional manual assembly, significantly improving assembly efficiency and product quality consistency. Furthermore, the detachable connection design between components facilitates quick model changeover and maintenance, making it suitable for the mass production needs of ball screws of various specifications.

[0023] This invention constructs a closed-loop assembly system integrating precision positioning, automatic guidance, and intelligent monitoring by synergistically integrating height adjustment components, guide positioning components, and sensor counting components. It realizes the precise assembly of multi-layer circulating raceways of ball screw nuts layer by layer, effectively solving the technical problems of low efficiency, large counting errors, easy blockage, and lack of process monitoring in traditional manual assembly, and significantly improving assembly efficiency and product quality consistency.

[0024] Specifically, the core function of this device lies in transforming the repetitive labor of traditional thread fine-tuning into rapid and reproducible discrete positioning through a precise matching design between the support rod adjustment hole and the spacing of the circulating raceway. This not only improves the efficiency of multi-layer raceway assembly but also fundamentally eliminates the accumulation of human error. In the intelligent monitoring stage, the optimized axial spacing layout of the dual-technology unit (1.2-1.5 times the ball diameter) achieves dual functions of counting redundancy verification and flow state diagnosis, upgrading the device from a simple counter to an intelligent node with process anomaly early warning capabilities, significantly reducing the risk of counting errors. Regarding automatic ball guidance, setting a coaxiality control of ≤0.05mm between the ball guide channel and the raceway inlet ensures the kinematic smoothness of the ball assembly through extreme geometric precision constraints. The organic integration of these technical features allows this invention to transcend the scope of a single tooling, forming a flexible assembly solution adaptable to multiple product specifications and embeddable into automated production lines. This has substantial significance for promoting the transformation of precision transmission component manufacturing towards intelligence and high quality. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic ball assembly device for ball screws in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the automatic ball assembly device for ball screws in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 is an exploded view of an automatic ball assembly device for a ball screw according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the sensor counting component and the conduit in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are as follows:

[0031] 1-Base, 2-Height adjustment assembly, 21-Support rod, 211-Adjustment hole, 212-Threaded part, 22-Adjustment disc, 221-Mounting hole, 3-Nut support seat, 4-Ball screw nut, 41-Circulating raceway, 5-Nut mounting sleeve, 6-Guide ball seat, 61-Guide ball channel, 62-Annular step, 7-Conduit, 8-Sensing counting assembly, 81-Counter, 9-Steel ball, 10-Fastener, 101-Pin. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the technical problems solved, the technical solutions, and the beneficial effects of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal," "radial," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic ball assembly device for ball screws, comprising:

[0036] Base 1.

[0037] The height adjustment component 2 is disposed on the base 1. The height adjustment component 2 includes a support rod 21 and an adjustment disc 22 detachably connected to the support rod 21.

[0038] The nut support seat 3, which is fixedly installed on the adjusting plate 22, is used to support the ball screw nut 4.

[0039] Nut mounting sleeve 5 is installed on the base 1.

[0040] The guiding and positioning assembly includes a ball seat 6 and a conduit 7.

[0041] The sensor counting assembly 8 includes a counter 81 mounted on the conduit 7 and a counter 81 host electrically connected to the sensor, for real-time detection and counting of steel balls 9 passing through the conduit 7.

[0042] The ball guide seat 6 has a positioning end that extends into the inner cavity of the ball screw nut 4, and a fixed end that is detachably connected to the upper end of the nut mounting sleeve 5. The positioning end of the ball guide seat 6 has a ball guide channel 61, and the guide tube 7 passes through the ball guide channel 61. The outlet end of the guide tube 7 and the end of the ball guide channel 61 are aligned with and connected to the circulating raceway 41 of the ball screw nut 4, so as to guide the steel ball 9 into the circulating raceway 41.

[0043] Understandably, the circulating raceway 41 of the ball screw nut 4 has multiple layers. Through the coordinated cooperation of the height adjustment component 2 and the guide positioning component, the precise assembly of the multi-layer circulating raceway 41 of the ball screw nut 4 is achieved. The dual guide structure of the ball guide seat 6 and the guide tube 7 ensures the alignment accuracy of the steel ball 9 with the raceway inlet. With the real-time monitoring of the sensor counting component 8, the technical problems of low efficiency, large counting error, easy blockage and lack of process monitoring in traditional manual assembly are effectively solved, significantly improving assembly efficiency and product quality consistency. At the same time, the detachable connection design between each component facilitates quick changeover and maintenance, and is suitable for the mass production needs of ball screws of multiple specifications.

[0044] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a plurality of evenly distributed adjusting holes 211 are provided along the axial direction of the support rod 21. The adjusting disc 22 is provided with mounting holes 221 through which the support rod 21 passes. A threaded hole communicating with the mounting hole 221 is also provided on the side wall of the adjusting disc 22. By moving the adjusting disc 22 to a predetermined height and aligning the threaded hole with the corresponding adjusting hole 211, and securing it with the fastener 10, the installation height of the ball screw nut 4 can be adjusted.

[0045] Understandably, the spacing between adjacent adjusting holes 211 can be set as needed. Specifically, it is precisely set according to the model and specifications of the ball screw nut 4 and the distance between adjacent circulating raceways 41, so that when the adjusting plate 22 descends or rises and aligns with a certain adjusting hole 211, the end of the guide ball channel 61 of the guide ball seat 6 is aligned and connected with the circulating raceway 41 of the specific layer. That is, by precisely arranging the adjusting holes 211 on the support rod 21 and matching their spacing with the spacing of the circulating raceway 41 of the ball screw nut 4, the height of the adjusting plate 22 is quickly and accurately positioned. This not only eliminates the time cost and error accumulation of traditional thread fine-tuning, but also ensures that the guide ball channel 61 can be accurately aligned and connected with the target raceway layer after each height adjustment, significantly improving the efficiency and alignment accuracy of multi-layer raceway assembly. At the same time, this structure is compatible with nuts of different models and specifications, and has strong versatility and repeatability.

[0046] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the fastener 10 is a pin 101, which includes a pin body and a threaded end at one end of the pin body. The pin body is clearance-fitted with the adjusting hole 211, and the threaded end is threadedly connected to the threaded hole to achieve positioning and fixing of the adjusting disc 22 and the support rod 21. Understandably, the clearance fit between the pin body and the adjusting hole 211 enables quick insertion and removal positioning, while the threaded connection of the threaded end provides reliable locking, ensuring both accurate positioning of the adjusting disc 22 and the support rod 21 and structural stability during assembly.

[0047] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, an annular step 62 is provided on the fixed end of the guide ball seat 6, and the annular step 62 is inserted into the cavity of the female mounting sleeve. Understandably, the annular step 62 on the fixed end of the guide ball seat 6 engages with the cavity of the nut mounting sleeve 5, achieving rapid radial positioning and axial limiting of the guide ball seat 6 to prevent displacement or shaking during assembly, thus simplifying the installation steps.

[0048] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the support rod 21 is provided with a threaded portion 212, and the base 1 is provided with a countersunk screw hole. The threaded portion 212 is threadedly connected to the countersunk screw hole, so that the support rod 21 is vertically fixed to the base 1 and is detachable. Understandably, the threaded connection between the lower end threaded portion 212 of the support rod 21 and the countersunk screw hole of the base 1 achieves both precise vertical positioning and stable fixation of the support rod 21, ensuring the overall rigidity and centering accuracy of the height adjustment assembly 2, and provides a detachable function, facilitating modular assembly, maintenance, and rapid replacement of damaged parts.

[0049] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, there are two counters 81, which are arranged at a predetermined distance along the axial direction of the conduit 7. The sensing surface of the counter 81 is flush with the inner wall of the conduit 7. Understandably, two mounting holes can be provided on the axial sidewall of the conduit 7 for mounting the counters 81. The sensor 81 is screwed into the mounting holes, and the sensing surface of the sensor 81 is flush with or slightly protrudes inward from the inner wall of the conduit 7 to avoid obstructing the passage of the steel ball 9 or causing wear.

[0050] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the preset distance is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the steel ball 9. Understandably, two counters 81 are arranged at a preset distance along the axial direction of the conduit 7, and this preset distance is set to 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the steel ball 9. This spacing design ensures that the detection signals of the two counters 81 have sufficient distinguishability for the same steel ball 9, avoiding counting errors caused by signal overlap due to excessive spacing. It also ensures that when the steel ball 9 passes continuously, the two counters 81 can sequentially capture the passing state of the steel ball 9, forming effective dual detection redundancy. This avoids the problem of repeated counting caused by a single steel ball 9 simultaneously triggering both counters 81, thereby significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of counting. At the same time, this spacing range also takes into account the compactness and practicality of the device structure.

[0051] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the inner diameter of the ball guide channel 61 matches the diameter of the steel ball 9, and the coaxiality between the central axis of the ball guide channel 61 and the central axis of the inlet of the circulating raceway 41 of the ball screw nut 4 is no greater than 0.05 mm. Understandably, by precisely matching the inner diameter of the ball guide channel 61 with the diameter of the steel ball 9, and strictly controlling its coaxiality with the inlet of the nut's circulating raceway 41 to be no more than 0.05mm, it ensures that the steel ball 9 slides smoothly in the ball guide channel 61 without shaking or jamming, and also achieves precise docking between the ball guide channel 61 and the inlet of the circulating raceway 41. This allows the steel ball 9 to smoothly transition to the target raceway, ensuring that the steel ball 9 accurately enters the inlet of the circulating raceway 41 from the end of the ball guide channel 61 with high-precision coaxiality. This avoids impact, jamming, or assembly blockage of the steel ball 9 caused by axial misalignment, thereby significantly improving the smoothness of steel ball 9 assembly, positioning accuracy, and overall reliability. Understandably, when using the automatic steel ball assembly device for this ball screw, all components must be properly assembled first. Before starting to assemble the steel ball 9, for the circulating raceway 41 on the ball screw nut 4 closest to the nut support seat 3, the steel balls 9 are installed sequentially from bottom to top.

[0052] In specific operation, first place the ball guide seat 6 in the inner cavity of the ball screw nut 4, precisely adjust the position of a certain adjustment hole 211 on the axial direction of the support rod 21 and the threaded hole on the adjustment plate 22 so that they are accurately aligned, and then firmly fix them with fasteners 10 to achieve the adjustment of the height of the adjustment plate 22. At this time, the end of the ball guide channel 61 of the ball guide seat 6 is precisely aligned and connected with the lowest layer of the circulating raceway 41. When the guide tube 7 is inserted along the ball guide channel 61 to the bottom, the outlet end of the guide tube 7 is accurately aligned and connected with the lowest layer of the circulating raceway 41.

[0053] After completing the above preparations, steel balls 9 are inserted into the guide tube 7. At this time, the two counters 81 arranged at intervals on the device will accurately count the number of steel balls 9 passing through in real time. Since the number of steel balls 9 installed in each layer of the circulating raceway 41 of the special model ball screw nut 4 is fixed, the corresponding number for each layer can be set in advance on the counters 81. When the count reaches the set value, the steel balls 9 of the bottommost circle of the circulating raceway 41 are installed.

[0054] Subsequently, repeat the operation of adjusting the height of the adjusting plate 22 to lower it, and align the other adjusting hole 211 on the axial direction of the support rod 21 with the threaded hole on the adjusting plate 22 again, and fix it with fastener 10 until the end of the ball guide channel 61 of the ball guide seat 6 is aligned and connected with the penultimate layer of circulating raceway 41. By repeating this process multiple times, the installation of all steel balls 9 in the circulating raceway 41 can be successfully completed.

[0055] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic ball assembly device for a ball screw, characterized in that, include: A base (1); a height adjustment assembly (2) disposed on the base (1), the height adjustment assembly (2) including a support rod (21) and an adjustment disc (22) detachably connected to the support rod (21); a nut support seat (3) fixedly installed on the adjustment disc (22) for supporting a ball screw nut (4); a nut mounting sleeve (5) installed on the base (1); a guide positioning assembly including a ball guide seat (6) and a guide tube (7); a sensor counting assembly (8) including a counter (81) installed on the guide tube (7) and a counter (81) host electrically connected to the sensor. The ball guide seat (6) is used to detect and count the steel balls (9) passing through the guide tube (7) in real time. The ball guide seat (6) has a positioning end that extends into the inner cavity of the ball screw nut (4) and a fixed end that is detachably connected to the upper end of the nut mounting sleeve (5). The positioning end of the ball guide seat (6) is provided with a ball guide channel (61). The guide tube (7) passes through the ball guide channel (61), and the outlet end of the guide tube (7) and the end of the ball guide channel (61) are aligned and connected with the circulating raceway (41) of the ball screw nut (4) to guide the steel balls (9) into the circulating raceway (41).

2. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple evenly distributed adjustment holes (211) are provided on the axial direction of the support rod (21), and the adjustment plate (22) is provided with mounting holes (221) for the support rod (21) to pass through. The side wall of the adjustment plate (22) is also provided with threaded holes that communicate with the mounting holes (221). By moving the adjustment plate (22) to a predetermined height and aligning the threaded holes with the corresponding adjustment holes (211), and fixing them with fasteners (10), the installation height of the ball screw nut (4) is adjusted.

3. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fastener (10) is a pin (101), which includes a pin body and a threaded end at one end of the pin body; the pin body is clearance-fitted with the adjusting hole (211), and the threaded end is threadedly connected to the threaded hole to realize the positioning and fixing of the adjusting plate (22) and the support rod (21).

4. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 3, characterized in that, An annular step (62) is provided on the fixed end of the ball guide seat (6), and the annular step (62) is inserted into the cavity of the female mounting sleeve.

5. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 4, characterized in that, The support rod (21) is provided with a threaded part (212), and the base (1) is provided with a countersunk screw hole. The threaded part (212) is threadedly connected to the countersunk screw hole so that the support rod (21) is vertically fixed on the base (1) and can be detached.

6. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 5, characterized in that, The number of counters (81) is 2, and the two counters (81) are arranged at a preset distance along the axial direction of the conduit (7); the sensing surface of the counters (81) is flush with the inner wall of the conduit (7).

7. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 5, characterized in that, The preset distance is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the steel ball (9).

8. The automatic ball assembly device for ball screws according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the ball guide channel (61) matches the diameter of the steel ball (9), and the coaxiality between the central axis of the ball guide channel (61) and the central axis of the inlet of the circulating raceway (41) of the ball screw nut (4) is no greater than 0.05 mm.

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