Automatic feeding and oiling device for framework oil seal

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic feeding and oiling device for a framework oil seal, and relates to the technical field of machine manufacturing automation. The device comprises a rack, a control system, a feeding module, an oil injection module, a workpiece positioning and pressing module and a detection module. The feeding module pushes the workpieces stacked in the storage bin to an oil injection station one by one; the positioning and pressing module is used for pressing and fixing the workpiece; the oiling module is controlled by a proportional valve, and an oiling head accurately injects oil to a workpiece; the detection module monitors the positions of the materials and the execution mechanism in real time. The control system controls the whole process of feeding, pressing, oil injection head inserting, quantitative oil injection and resetting in a full-automatic mode according to signals of the sensors. Full-process automation of the framework oil seal grease injection procedure is achieved, the production efficiency and the consistency of the grease injection quality are remarkably improved, the labor cost and material waste are reduced, and the intelligent functions of material shortage alarm and the like are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mechanical manufacturing automation technology, specifically to an automatic feeding and oiling device for skeleton oil seals. Background Technology

[0002] Oil seals with skeletons are crucial sealing elements in mechanical equipment, widely used in bearings, gearboxes, and other components to prevent lubricant leakage and isolate external dust and impurities. A typical structure consists of a metal skeleton, a rubber sealing layer, and a spring clamp. The main lip of the sealing layer forms a narrow contact zone with the rotating shaft; the lubrication and sealing efficiency in this area directly determines the service life of the oil seal and the operational reliability of the equipment.

[0003] In the manufacturing process of skeleton oil seals, accurately and evenly injecting a specific grease (or "spring anti-corrosion paste") into the annular cavity formed by the seal lip and the metal skeleton is a crucial and indispensable step. The core function of this grease is: 1. Initial lubrication: Provide immediate lubrication to the oil seal and shaft at the initial stage of equipment startup to avoid dry friction and reduce starting torque.

[0004] 2. Long-lasting protection: Continuously lubricates the lip throughout the entire lifespan of the oil seal, reducing wear and extending its service life.

[0005] 3. Rust and corrosion prevention: Protects the metal spring and metal frame that are tightly bound by the spring, preventing them from rusting and failing due to contact with moisture or corrosive media.

[0006] Currently, the vast majority of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in China still rely on manual methods for feeding and lubrication. The typical process involves operators manually arranging the oil seal workpieces onto a fixture, then using a handheld grease gun or simple lubrication equipment, relying on experience to lubricate each seal individually. This traditional manual operation mode has the following inherent drawbacks and serious challenges: 1. Low production efficiency: The speed of manual feeding, alignment, oiling, and unloading is limited and cannot match the pace of modern automated production lines, becoming a bottleneck process in the entire production process and restricting capacity improvement.

[0007] 2. Unstable product quality: Uneven lubrication: This relies entirely on the worker's experience and sense of responsibility, resulting in inconsistent lubrication amounts. Insufficient lubrication leads to inadequate lubrication and accelerated lip wear; excessive lubrication may cause grease to overflow, contaminating non-sealed areas and even affecting subsequent assembly.

[0008] Poor positional accuracy: Manual alignment makes it difficult to ensure that the grease nozzle can be accurately inserted into the grease groove in the lip every time, which can easily lead to skew or misalignment, resulting in inadequate application of grease and leaving potential quality problems.

[0009] 3. High production costs Rising labor costs: This position requires long-term, fixed operators, and as labor costs continue to rise, the company's profit margins are being squeezed.

[0010] Significant material waste: The unavoidable fluctuations in the amount of grease injected through manual control lead to excessive consumption and waste of lubricating grease.

[0011] 4. Harsh working environment and occupational health issues: Operators need to be in contact with lubricating grease for a long time and repeatedly, which may cause skin discomfort; at the same time, monotonous and high-frequency repetitive labor can easily lead to operator fatigue, which in turn can cause muscle strain and increase the rate of operation errors caused by lack of concentration.

[0012] Therefore, given the efficiency, quality, and cost challenges faced by existing skeleton oil seal grease injection processes, there is an urgent need to design an automated device that integrates automatic feeding, precise positioning, and quantitative oil injection. This device aims to liberate workers from repetitive and heavy manual labor, stabilize and improve product quality, significantly increase production efficiency, and reduce overall manufacturing costs, thereby meeting the urgent needs of modern manufacturing for intelligent and automated upgrades. Summary of the Invention

[0013] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automatic feeding and oiling device for skeleton oil seals, which solves the problems of efficiency, quality, and cost faced by existing skeleton oil seal grease injection processes.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution: an automatic feeding and oiling device for skeleton oil seals, the core architecture of which includes: a control system (1), a feeding module, an oiling module, a workpiece clamping module and a detection module.

[0015] The feeding module consists of a feeding cylinder (2) and a storage bin (3). The storage bin (3) is vertically arranged to accommodate multi-layered stacked skeleton oil seal workpieces. The feeding cylinder (2) is horizontally installed, and its piston rod end is equipped with a push plate to horizontally push the single workpiece at the bottom of the storage bin (3) to the designated oiling station. The bottom outlet of the storage bin (3) is usually provided with a guide ramp or arc surface to facilitate the smooth sliding out of the workpiece.

[0016] The grease injection module is the core component for achieving precise grease injection. It includes an injection head (4), an injection head push cylinder (5), a high-pressure grease pump (6), a pressure reducing valve (7), and a metering valve (8). The high-pressure grease pump (6) serves as the power source, and its outlet is connected to the pressure reducing valve (7), the metering valve (8), and finally the injection head (4) via a high-pressure pipeline. The pressure reducing valve (7) stabilizes the pipeline pressure, providing a basis for the precise metering of the metering valve (8). The metering valve (8) ensures that a fixed volume of grease is output in each working cycle. The injection head push cylinder (5) is connected to the injection head (4) and drives the injection head (4) to move vertically, allowing it to be precisely inserted into the lip of the oil seal workpiece located at the grease injection station.

[0017] The workpiece clamping module is used to fix the workpiece during the oiling process, prevent it from moving, and ensure the accuracy of oiling. The module includes a pressure plate lifting cylinder (9), a pressure plate (10), a lifting pressure regulating valve (13), and a pressure gauge (12). The pressure plate lifting cylinder (9) is vertically installed above the oiling station, and its piston rod is connected to the pressure plate (10) at its lower end. The lower surface of the pressure plate (10) can be covered with an elastic material to protect the workpiece. The lifting pressure regulating valve (13) and the pressure gauge (12) are connected in series to the air inlet of the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9). The operator can set the required clamping force through the regulating valve (13) and monitor it in real time through the pressure gauge (12).

[0018] The detection module includes multiple fiber optic sensors (11). There are three key ones: the first fiber optic sensor is set at the bottom of the storage bin (3) to detect whether there is a workpiece in the bin (material present / material absent); the second fiber optic sensor is set at the oiling station to detect whether the feeding cylinder (2) has accurately pushed the workpiece into place; the third fiber optic sensor is set on the stroke path of the oiling head pushing cylinder (5) to detect whether the oiling head (4) has descended to the working position (i.e., the depth of insertion lip).

[0019] The control system (1) is the brain of the entire device. The air paths of the feeding cylinder (2), the oil injection head pushing cylinder (5), and the high-pressure grease pump (6) are respectively connected to the corresponding solenoid valves inside the control system (1) via pipelines (e.g., corresponding to the second solenoid valve, the third solenoid valve, and the first solenoid valve, respectively). The air path of the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9) can be controlled by another independent solenoid valve or integrated circuit and can be managed by the lifting control switch (14). The signal output lines of all fiber optic sensors (11) are connected to the input port of the control system (1).

[0020] The control system (1) is programmed to: collect signals from each fiber optic sensor (11) in real time, and drive the corresponding solenoid valves to open and close according to a preset and strict sequential control logic, thereby controlling the feeding cylinder (2), the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9), the oil injection head pushing cylinder (5), and the high-pressure grease pump (6) to work together in the process of "feeding → pressing → inserting → oil injection → resetting" to achieve fully automatic cyclic operation. In addition, the control system (1) usually integrates an alarm unit. When the first fiber optic sensor detects that the storage bin (3) is short of material, it triggers an audible and visual alarm to prompt the operator to add material.

[0021] The present invention also provides an automatic oil injection method for a skeleton oil seal using the above-mentioned device, the method comprising the following steps: S1: Start-up and detection. The operator puts a batch of workpieces into the storage bin (3). After the device is started, the control system (1) detects and confirms that there is material through the first fiber optic sensor and enters the waiting cycle state.

[0022] S2: Automatic feeding. The control system (1) controls the feeding cylinder (2) to extend its piston rod and accurately push the bottom workpiece of the storage bin (3) to the oiling station.

[0023] S3: Workpiece clamping. The second fiber optic sensor detects the workpiece positioning signal and feeds it back to the control system (1). The control system (1) then controls the action of the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9) to drive the pressure plate (10) downward, so as to firmly clamp the workpiece on the workstation base with the set pressure.

[0024] S4: Insertion of the oil injection head. After the workpiece is clamped, the control system (1) controls the oil injection head push cylinder (5) to move, driving the oil injection head (4) to move vertically downward until its end is fully inserted into the oil seal lip of the clamped workpiece. The third fiber optic sensor detects that the oil injection head (4) is in place and sends a signal.

[0025] S5: Quantitative oil injection. Upon receiving the signal that the oil injection head is in place, the control system (1) controls the high-pressure grease pump (6) to start. Under the push of the pump, the grease flows through the pressure reducing valve (7) for pressure stabilization, then through the quantitative valve (8) for precise measurement, and finally is injected into the designated cavity of the skeleton oil seal from the end of the oil injection head (4).

[0026] S6: Reset and Cycle. After the metering valve (8) completes one metered output (or reaches the preset oil injection time), the control system (1) stops the high-pressure grease pump (6). Then, the control system retracts the oil injection head push cylinder (5) to remove the oil injection head (4) from the workpiece; then the control system raises the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9) to release the workpiece from the pressure plate (10). At this point, the oil injection cycle for one workpiece is completed. The system can start the next cycle automatically or after waiting for confirmation.

[0027] This invention provides an automatic feeding and oiling device for skeleton oil seals. Compared with the prior art, it has the following advantages: 1. This device realizes the automated cyclic operation of the entire process of feeding, conveying, positioning, pressing, oiling and resetting of the skeleton oil seal. Through the control system, each cylinder and sensor acts in a preset logical sequence, completely freeing the operator from repetitive labor. The production efficiency of a single machine is increased by orders of magnitude compared with manual operation, and one person can monitor multiple machines, which significantly reduces the labor cost per unit product.

[0028] 2. This device uses a metering valve to precisely measure the amount of oil injected, and uses a feeding cylinder, pressure plate, and oil injection head pushing cylinder to achieve precise positioning and fixation of the workpiece and the oil injection head. This fundamentally eliminates the fluctuation of oil injection volume and the deviation of oil injection position caused by manual operation, ensuring that the oil injection volume of each product is consistent and the oil injection position is accurate, which greatly improves the stability and reliability of product quality.

[0029] 3. The device integrates intelligent detection and alarm functions. It monitors the material status and actuator position in real time through fiber optic sensors installed at key locations such as the storage silo and oil injection station. The control system realizes closed-loop control and anomaly diagnosis (such as material shortage alarm), which improves the intelligence level and safety of equipment operation and ensures the continuity and stability of the production process.

[0030] 4. The device improves the versatility and ease of use through modular design (such as independently adjustable clamping force modules and replaceable metering valves), while freeing workers from greasy and monotonous environments and improving the working environment. Overall, this invention effectively reduces labor and material costs in long-term operation while improving efficiency and quality, resulting in a high return on investment. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure and air circuit principle of the automatic feeding and oiling device for the structural skeleton oil seal of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the electrical control circuit of the automatic feeding and oiling device for the structural skeleton oil seal of the present invention.

[0032] 1. Control system; 2. Feeding cylinder; 3. Storage bin; 4. Oil injection head; 5. Oil injection head push cylinder; 6. High-pressure grease pump; 7. Pressure reducing valve; 8. Metering valve; 9. Pressure plate lifting cylinder; 10. Pressure plate; 11. Fiber optic sensor; 12. Pressure gauge; 13. Lifting pressure regulating valve; 14. Lifting control switch; Y1, First solenoid valve; Y2, Second solenoid valve; Y3, Third solenoid valve; B1, First fiber optic amplifier; B2, Second fiber optic amplifier; B3, Third fiber optic amplifier; H1, Audible and visual buzzer; KA1, First relay; KA2, Second relay; KA3, Third relay; KA4, Fourth relay; KT1, First power-on delay relay; KT2, Second power-on delay relay; KT3, Third power-off delay relay; KT4, Fourth power-on delay relay. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention have been clearly and completely described. 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.

[0034] Please see Figure 1-2 The present invention provides a technical solution: an automatic feeding and oiling device for skeleton oil seals. Example 1: Hardware Control System Based on Relay Logic like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment illustrates a specific and complete device implementation.

[0035] Mechanical and pneumatic system integration The device is mounted on a sturdy frame. The storage silo 3 is cylindrical and vertically fixed. The feeding cylinder 2 is horizontally mounted, with its piston rod facing the bottom outlet of the storage silo 3. The oil injection head pushing cylinder 5 is vertically mounted beside the oil injection station, and its piston rod is fixed to the oil injection head 4 via a connector. The pressure plate lifting cylinder 9 is vertically mounted directly above the oil injection station. The high-pressure grease pump 6 (such as a pneumatic high-pressure grease pump), pressure reducing valve 7, and metering valve 8 are centrally mounted on the pump station plate. The air supply for all cylinders and pneumatic pumps comes from a factory air source that has been treated by a filter, pressure reducing valve, and oil mist lubricator.

[0036] Key points of air circuit connection: The air port of the feeding cylinder 2 is connected to the output of the second solenoid valve Y2; the air port of the oil injection head pushing cylinder 5 is connected to the output of the third solenoid valve Y3; the pneumatic motor interface of the high-pressure grease pump 6 is connected to the output of the first solenoid valve Y1; the air port of the pressure plate lifting cylinder 9 is connected to a dedicated air circuit managed by the lifting control switch 14, in which the lifting pressure regulating valve 13 and the pressure gauge 12 are connected in series.

[0037] Detection system layout The probe of the first fiber optic sensor detects the presence of the bottom workpiece in the storage bin 3 from the side. The probe of the second fiber optic sensor is horizontally aligned with the edge of the workpiece at the oil injection station. The probe of the third fiber optic sensor is vertically aligned with the position of the oil injection head 4 as it descends to its lowest point. Each sensor is connected to its corresponding fiber optic amplifier (B1, B3, B2) via cables, and the amplifiers output switching signals to the control cabinet.

[0038] Detailed explanation of the working logic of relay control circuit (see) Figure 2 ) The control circuit is powered by 24V DC (V1) and its core is a sequential logic circuit composed of relays (KA1-KA4) and time relays (KT1-KT4). Its automatic operating cycle is as follows: Initialization and Startup: Close the air switch (F1) to connect the power supply. Set the manual / automatic switch (S1) to the "automatic" position. If there is material in storage bin 3, the first fiber optic sensor will cause amplifier B1 to output, and the circuit will enter the ready state.

[0039] Feeding process: Press the start button (SB1, effective in automatic mode), the coil of the first energized delay relay KT1 is energized, and a 0.5-second countdown begins (anti-interference delay). When the countdown ends, the KT1 contact closes, energizing and locking the coil of the first relay KA1. The normally open contact of KA1 closes, connecting the coil of the second solenoid valve Y2, and the piston rod of the feeding cylinder 2 extends, completing the feeding process.

[0040] Pressing and Insertion Process: When the workpiece reaches the oil injection station, the second fiber optic sensor is triggered, amplifier B3 outputs, energizing and locking the coil of the second relay KA2. After KA2 is activated: one path connects to the control air path of the pressure plate lifting cylinder 9 (through the internal air path or solenoid valve), causing the pressure plate 10 to descend and press the workpiece; the other path connects to the coil of the third solenoid valve Y3, causing the oil injection head to push the cylinder 5 downward, driving the oil injection head 4 to insert into the workpiece.

[0041] Quantitative oil injection process: When the oil injection head 4 descends to its position, it triggers the third fiber optic sensor, and the amplifier B2 outputs, energizing the coil of the third relay KA3. After KA3 is engaged: the main action is to connect the coil of the first solenoid valve Y1, starting the high-pressure grease pump 6 to inject oil; at the same time, the coil of the second energized time delay relay KT2 is energized, and the timing begins (as maximum time protection for the oil injection process).

[0042] Reset procedure: Stop oil injection: After the metering valve 8 completes one discharge cycle, it automatically resets (or the KT2 timer expires), causing the KA3 coil circuit to disconnect, KA3 to release, Y1 to be de-energized, and the oil pump to stop.

[0043] Delayed trigger reset: When KA3 is released, the coil of the third power-off delay relay KT3 is de-energized, and its delayed disconnect contact starts timing (e.g., 0.8 seconds, used for grease pipeline pressure relief).

[0044] Actuator retraction: After the delay of KT3 ends, its contact state changes, activating the coil of the fourth relay KA4. KA4 engages, and its contacts change the circuit controlling the pressure plate cylinder 9 and the third solenoid valve Y3, causing the pressure plate 10 to rise and the oil injection head 4 to retract.

[0045] Preparing for the next cycle: KA4 simultaneously activates the fourth power-on delay relay KT4. After KT4 times for 1 second (ensuring reset), its contacts actuate, triggering the retraction of the feeding cylinder 2 (controlling Y2 to reset) and restoring the system to a state ready to trigger the next cycle (usually, it is necessary to wait for the oiled workpiece to be removed and the B3 signal to disappear).

[0046] Alarm function: During the entire automatic cycle, if the first fiber optic sensor detects no material (no output from B1), the relay in the dedicated alarm circuit (or another set of contacts from KT3) will be activated, triggering the audible and visual buzzer (H1) to continuously alarm until the signal is restored after material is added.

[0047] Example 2: Software Control System Based on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control system 1 may be implemented using a PLC.

[0048] Hardware wiring: Connect the output signals of the three fiber optic amplifiers (B1, B2, B3), the manual / automatic switch (S1), the start button (SB1), and the emergency stop button (SB2) to the PLC's input module (DI). Connect the coils of the first, second, and third solenoid valves (Y1, Y2, Y3), the valve coil of the control pressure plate cylinder, and the audible and visual alarm H1 to the PLC's output module (DO).

[0049] Software programming: A ladder diagram or structured text program is written in the PLC. This program completely replicates and implements all the sequential control logic, delay functions, and alarm judgments described in "Example 1" above. The PLC program simulates the functions of hardware relays KA1-KA4 and time relays KT1-KT4 through internal soft relays (bit memory) and timer instructions. Using a PLC solution makes the modification of control logic and the adjustment of process parameters (such as the delay time of each step) more flexible, and it is easy to expand the human-machine interface (HMI) for status monitoring, production statistics, and parameter setting.

[0050] The automatic oiling method of the present invention is a clear closed-loop process: it begins with state detection, goes through four core execution steps of feeding, pressing, insertion and quantitative oiling, and ends with orderly reset. It can also respond to abnormalities through the alarm link, thus forming an efficient, stable and intelligent automated production cycle.

[0051] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0052] 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 feeding and oiling device for a skeleton oil seal, characterized in that, include: Control system (1); The feeding module includes a feeding cylinder (2) and a storage bin (3). The storage bin (3) is used to vertically accommodate stacked skeleton oil seal workpieces, and the feeding cylinder (2) is used to horizontally push a single workpiece at the bottom of the storage bin (3) to the oil injection station. The oil injection module includes an oil injection head (4), an oil injection head push cylinder (5), a high-pressure grease pump (6), a pressure reducing valve (7), and a metering valve (8). The high-pressure grease pump (6) is connected to the pressure reducing valve (7), the metering valve (8), and the oil injection head (4) in sequence through pipelines. The oil injection head push cylinder (5) is connected to the oil injection head (4) to drive its lifting and lowering. The workpiece clamping module includes a pressure plate lifting cylinder (9), a pressure plate (10), a lifting pressure regulating valve (13), and a pressure gauge (12). The piston rod of the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9) is connected to the pressure plate (10). The lifting pressure regulating valve (13) and the pressure gauge (12) are connected in the air circuit of the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9) to adjust and display the clamping pressure. The detection module includes multiple fiber optic sensors (11). The feeding cylinder (2), the oil injection head pushing cylinder (5), and the high-pressure grease pump (6) are respectively connected to the corresponding solenoid valves in the control system (1) through air circuits; the signal output terminals of the multiple fiber optic sensors (11) are connected to the input terminals of the control system (1); the control system (1) is configured to sequentially control the actions of the feeding cylinder (2), the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9), the oil injection head pushing cylinder (5), and the high-pressure grease pump (6) according to the feedback signals of the fiber optic sensors (11) to complete the operation cycle of automatic feeding, workpiece clamping, oil injection head insertion, and quantitative oil injection.

2. The automatic feeding and oiling device for a skeleton oil seal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple fiber optic sensors (11) in the detection module include: A first fiber optic sensor is installed at the lower part of the storage bin (3) to detect whether there is material in the bin; A second fiber optic sensor is installed at the oil injection station to detect whether the workpiece is in place. And a third fiber optic sensor located at the end of the stroke of the oil injection head push cylinder (5) for detecting whether the oil injection head (4) has descended to the correct position.

3. The automatic feeding and oiling device for a skeleton oil seal according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control system (1) also includes a lifting control switch (14), which is connected in the control air circuit of the pressure plate lifting cylinder (9).

4. The automatic feeding and oiling device for a skeleton oil seal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The corresponding solenoid valves in the control system (1) that are connected to the air circuits of the feeding cylinder (2), the oil injection head pushing cylinder (5) and the high-pressure grease pump (6) are the second solenoid valve, the third solenoid valve and the first solenoid valve, respectively.

5. The automatic feeding and oiling device for a skeleton oil seal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system (1) also includes an alarm unit, which is connected to the fiber optic sensor (11) in the detection module for detecting the material status of the storage bin (3). When a material shortage is detected, an alarm is triggered.

6. The automatic feeding and oiling device for a skeleton oil seal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom outlet of the storage bin (3) is provided with a guide structure, and the piston rod end of the feeding cylinder (2) is provided with a push plate. The push plate cooperates with the guide structure to achieve smooth pushing of the workpiece.

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