Flexible feeding device and method for multi-specification compatibility of rolling body conveying line

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of conveying equipment, and discloses a flexible feeding device and method compatible with multiple specifications of a rolling body conveying line, wherein a clamping structure that can be self-adaptively adjusted is constructed by means of the horizontal difference formed by the half-arc groove and the half-arc convex plate in the sleeve and the self-adaptive elastic force of the spring, so that the rolling body of different diameters can be adapted without replacing special mechanical components such as tracks and baffles, and the debugging time of production line transformation is effectively shortened. The automatic unification of the large head and the small head is realized by means of the taper form of the tapered roller itself and the gravity effect, and after the workpiece falls to the V-shaped chain plate, the consistent conveying posture can be formed by means of the conveying running inertia, so that the feeding requirements of the downstream appearance detection, size sorting, bearing assembly and other processes are directly matched, the additional posture arrangement link of the downstream is saved, and the running efficiency of the whole rolling body production line is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of conveying equipment technology, and in particular to a flexible feeding device and method for multi-specification compatible rolling conveyor lines. Background Technology

[0002] Rolling elements (steel balls, cylindrical rollers, tapered rollers, needle rollers, etc.) are the core functional components of bearings and are widely used in key sectors of the national economy such as automobiles, industrial robots, and new energy equipment.

[0003] The rolling element conveyor line is the core link of the bearing automated production line. It undertakes the task of continuously, high-speed and high-precision transfer of rolling elements between processes such as cleaning, appearance inspection, size sorting and bearing assembly. It has the advantages of stable and orderly conveying process, matching cycle time and no secondary damage.

[0004] Currently, the vast majority of feeding devices used in conjunction with rolling element conveyor lines are traditional vibratory feeders. These feeders use electromagnets to drive the feeder, generating high-frequency vertical and torsional vibrations. This causes a batch of randomly ordered rolling elements to tumble and climb within the feeder, moving along a spiral track. Mechanical baffles and notches then filter out the rolling elements with the correct orientation before they are finally fed into the downstream conveyor line. Due to its advantages of simple structure, low manufacturing cost, and fast feeding speed, it has been widely used in single-product, high-volume production models.

[0005] However, the above-mentioned and existing related technologies often have the following drawbacks: traditional vibratory feeders are all custom-made equipment, and their spiral tracks, guide baffles, vibration frequency and amplitude are designed entirely for a single specification of rolling element. When changing production specifications, the machine must be stopped to replace the special track, readjust the baffle spacing and vibration parameters, and the debugging time for each changeover is long. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that existing vibratory feeder devices are all custom-made for a single specification. When producing multiple specifications, it is necessary to change the model, stop the machine, replace parts and readjust parameters, and the debugging cycle is long. To this end, we propose a flexible feeding device and method that is compatible with multiple specifications for rolling conveyor lines.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: a flexible feeding device compatible with multiple specifications for rolling conveyor lines, comprising a conveyor line and multiple V-chain plates arranged at intervals on its outer side, with a gap reserved between adjacent V-chain plates, sleeves symmetrically arranged above one end of the conveyor line, a semi-arc groove opened on the inner wall of both sets of sleeves, a semi-arc convex plate and a semi-arc toothed rail fixedly installed on the inner wall of both sets of sleeves, a servo motor fixedly installed on the outer side of one set of sleeves, the drive end of the servo motor passing through the sleeve and a transmission rod fixedly installed, a driven ring symmetrically fixedly installed on the outer side of the transmission rod, and a feeding component arranged on the inner side of the driven ring;

[0008] The feeding component includes an outer cylinder rotatably disposed inside the driven ring, a gear that meshes with a semi-arc gear track fixedly installed on the outer side of the outer cylinder, an inner rod slidably sleeved on the inner side of the outer cylinder, a flexible block fixedly installed at one end of the inner rod, a spring sleeved on the outer side of the outer cylinder, one end of the spring being connected to the flexible block, and a first insert ring fixedly installed at the other end of the spring, the first insert ring being connected to the driven ring.

[0009] Preferably, a first groove is provided on one side of the driven ring, and the first ring is rotatably embedded in the first groove.

[0010] Preferably, a second groove coaxial with the first groove is provided through the inner side of the driven ring, and a second insert ring is fixedly sleeved on the outer side of the outer cylinder, and the second insert ring is rotatably embedded in the second groove.

[0011] Preferably, the inner wall of the outer cylinder has multiple sets of sliding grooves arranged at intervals, and the outer wall of the inner rod is fixedly installed with multiple slide rails that correspond one-to-one with the sliding grooves, and the slide rails are slidably embedded in the sliding grooves.

[0012] Preferably, an inclined surface is provided at the junction between the semi-circular groove and the semi-circular convex plate, and the two ends of the inclined surface are respectively connected to the semi-circular groove and the semi-circular convex plate.

[0013] Preferably, a semi-circular protrusion is fixedly installed at the other end of the inner rod, and the semi-circular protrusion slides against the surface of the semi-arc groove and the semi-arc convex plate.

[0014] Preferably, the flexible block has a cavity inside, and the cavity is filled with nitrogen gas.

[0015] Preferably, multiple sets of first and second slots are provided, and multiple sets of feeding components are provided with the same structure. The multiple sets of first and second slots and feeding components are arranged and provided in a circular interval with the driven ring as the axis.

[0016] Preferably, a material cylinder is fixedly installed above the middle of the two sets of sleeves, and an L-plate is fixedly installed below the material cylinder.

[0017] A feeding method for a flexible feeding device compatible with multiple specifications in a rolling element conveyor line includes the following steps:

[0018] S1. Equipment positioning and parameter preset: The operator aligns and fixes the entire feeding device with the end of the conveyor line, and completes the electrical connection between the servo motor and the production line control system; presets the servo motor speed parameters according to the specifications of the rolling elements currently being produced, checks the meshing state of the semi-arc gear and the gear, and the sliding fit state of the inner rod and the inner wall of the sleeve, and confirms that there is no jamming in the operation of each component.

[0019] S2. Equipment Start-up and No-Load Verification: Connect the equipment power supply, start the servo motor for no-load test run, and confirm that the transmission rod and driven ring drive the feeding component to rotate smoothly, the inner rod extends and retracts smoothly, and there are no major abnormal noises in the operation of each sliding pair and transmission pair. After the no-load verification is qualified, the equipment enters the waiting state.

[0020] S3. Material loading and orderly waiting: Conical rollers to be supplied are loaded into the cylinder in batches. Under the limiting action of the cylinder side wall and L plate, the rolling elements maintain a vertical posture and are stacked layer by layer. The bottom workpiece is stably stopped at the clamping station, waiting for the supply part to be picked up.

[0021] S4. Revolution Linkage and Clamping Adjustment: The servo motor drives the transmission rod to drive two sets of driven rings to rotate synchronously and uniformly. Multiple sets of feed components rotate synchronously with the driven rings. When the inner rod rotates from the semi-arc groove through the inclined surface to the semi-arc convex plate, the gear ends its meshing relationship with the semi-arc gear track. At this time, the flexible block end faces the workpiece. At the same time, the inner rod pushes the flexible block closer to the rolling element and stretches the spring, so that the symmetrical flexible blocks on both sides synchronously clamp the rolling element from both sides. In the subsequent clamping process, relying on the taper of the tapered roller itself and the action of gravity, the workpiece drives the feed component to adaptively and finely adjust its rotation, so as to automatically unify the orientation of the large and small ends of the same batch of workpieces.

[0022] S5. Elastic Reset and Unloading Conveying: The feeding component continues to revolve. When the inner rod transitions from the semi-arc convex plate through the inclined surface back to the semi-arc groove area, the spring resets and pulls the inner rod back. The two sets of flexible blocks release the rolling elements simultaneously, allowing the rolling elements to fall precisely onto the V-chain plate of the conveyor line under the action of gravity. With the help of the inertia of the conveying operation, they are tilted uniformly in the designated direction, forming a consistent conveying posture to enter the downstream process.

[0023] S6. Specification Switching and Adaptive Compatibility: When changing the specifications of the rolling elements in production, the preset operating parameters of the corresponding specifications can be directly called in the control system without replacing any mechanical parts; the adaptive extension stroke of the spring and the nitrogen buffer cavity of the flexible block can automatically adapt to the clamping size and clamping force of the new specification workpiece, and complete the production line changeover in a short time.

[0024] S7. Continuous operation and shutdown reset: During continuous production, materials are continuously added to the barrel, and steps S4 to S5 are repeated to achieve continuous and uninterrupted flexible material supply; after a single batch of production is completed, the power supply of the servo motor and control system is turned off to complete the equipment reset.

[0025] The technical effects and advantages of this invention are as follows: By utilizing the horizontal difference formed by the semi-arc groove and semi-arc convex plate inside the sleeve, and in conjunction with the adaptive elastic force of the spring, an adaptively adjustable clamping structure is constructed. It can adapt to rolling elements of different diameters without the need to replace special mechanical parts such as tracks and baffles, effectively shortening the debugging time for production line changeover.

[0026] Simultaneously, relying on the meshing transmission of the semi-arc toothed rail and gears, the feeding component completes its rotation and posture adjustment synchronously during the revolution of the driven ring. Combined with the tapered shape of the tapered roller itself and the effect of gravity, the orientation of the large and small ends is automatically unified. Furthermore, after the workpiece falls onto the V-chain plate, it can form a consistent conveying posture by means of the conveying inertia. This directly matches the feeding requirements of downstream processes such as appearance inspection, size sorting, and bearing assembly, eliminating the need for additional posture adjustment in the downstream process and improving the operating efficiency of the entire rolling element production line.

[0027] The design of multiple sets of feeding components evenly arranged along the circumference of the driven ring enables continuous cyclic operation of multiple stations for clamping, posture adjustment, and unloading. The overall operating rhythm is stable and can meet the high-speed continuous operation requirements of rolling element production lines. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The disclosure of this invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same parts:

[0029] Figure 1 This is a top view of one side of the overall and partial conveyor line structure of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a top view of the overall and partial conveyor line structure of the present invention from another side;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall and partial conveyor line structure of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the structure of the sleeve, servo motor, transmission rod, driven ring, and feeding component of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the inner structure of the sleeve of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a side view of the sleeve structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 This is a top view of the sleeve structure of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the driven ring and feeding component structure of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 9 This is an exploded view of the feeder structure of the present invention.

[0038] Legend: 1. Conveyor line; 2. V-chain plate; 3. Sleeve; 31. Semi-arc groove; 32. Semi-arc convex plate; 33. Semi-arc gear rail; 34. Inclined surface; 4. Material cylinder; 41. L-plate; 5. Servo motor; 6. Transmission rod; 7. Driven ring; 71. Second groove; 72. First groove; 8. Feeding component; 81. Outer cylinder; 82. Gear; 83. Inner rod; 84. Flexible block; 85. Spring; 86. First ring; 87. Slide groove; 88. Slide rail; 89. Second ring; 9. Semi-circular convex head. Detailed Implementation

[0039] It is readily understood that, based on the technical solution of this invention, those skilled in the art can propose various interchangeable structural methods and implementations without altering the essential spirit of the invention. Therefore, the following detailed embodiments and accompanying drawings are merely illustrative examples of the technical solution of this invention and should not be considered as the entirety of the invention or as limitations or restrictions on the technical solution of this invention.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present invention, Figures 1 to 9 As shown.

[0041] Most existing traditional vibratory feeders are custom-designed devices, with their spiral tracks, guide baffles, vibration frequency, and amplitude designed specifically for a single specification of rolling element. Changing production specifications requires stopping the machine to replace the dedicated track, readjust the baffle spacing, and adjust the vibration parameters, resulting in lengthy setup times for each changeover. To address this issue, this invention incorporates the following design into a flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveying lines:

[0042] A flexible feeding device compatible with multiple specifications for a rolling conveyor line includes a conveyor line 1 and multiple V-chain plates 2 arranged at intervals on its outer side, with a gap reserved between adjacent V-chain plates 2. Sleeves 3 are symmetrically arranged above one end of the conveyor line 1. The inner walls of both sets of sleeves 3 are provided with semi-arc grooves 31. Semi-arc convex plates 32 and semi-arc toothed rails 33 are fixedly installed on the inner walls of both sets of sleeves 3. A servo motor 5 is fixedly installed on the outer side of one set of sleeves 3. The drive end of the servo motor 5 passes through the sleeve 3 and is fixedly installed with a transmission rod 6. A driven ring 7 is symmetrically fixedly installed on the outer side of the transmission rod 6. A feeding component 8 is provided on the inner side of the driven ring 7.

[0043] The feeding component 8 includes an outer cylinder 81 rotatably disposed inside the driven ring 7. A gear 82 that meshes with the semi-arc gear rail 33 is fixedly installed on the outer side of the outer cylinder 81. An inner rod 83 is slidably sleeved on the inner side of the outer cylinder 81. A flexible block 84 is fixedly installed on one end of the inner rod 83. A spring 85 is sleeved on the outer side of the outer cylinder 81. One end of the spring 85 is connected to the flexible block 84. A first insert ring 86 is fixedly installed on the other end of the spring 85. The first insert ring 86 is connected to the driven ring 7.

[0044] First, the servo motor 5 drives the transmission rod 6 and the driven ring 7 to continuously rotate the feeding component 8 at a uniform circumference. During this process, when the inner rod 83 corresponds to the semi-circular groove 31, the spring 85 is in its initial state, and the inner rod 83 slides and abuts against the semi-circular groove 31. At this time, there is a distance between the two sets of symmetrical flexible blocks 84. At the same time, the gear 82 meshes with the semi-circular toothed track 33, causing the feeding component 8 to rotate as a whole. This continues until the inner rod 83 stops corresponding with the semi-circular groove 31 and turns to correspond with the semi-circular convex plate 32. At this time, the gear 82 stops meshing with the semi-circular toothed track 33, and the flexible block 84 is in a horizontally corrected state facing the tapered roller.

[0045] Meanwhile, due to the certain horizontal difference between the semi-circular groove 31 and the semi-circular convex plate 32, the inner rod 83 pushes the flexible block 84 to gradually approach the tapered roller, so as to reduce the distance between the two sets of flexible blocks 84, thereby allowing the tapered roller to be flexibly clamped simultaneously from both sides.

[0046] By leveraging the travel difference between the semi-circular groove 31 and the semi-circular convex plate 32 within the sleeve 3 to extend and retract the inner rod 83, and in conjunction with the adaptive elastic force of the spring 85, it can adapt to tapered rollers of different diameters without replacing any mechanical parts, effectively reducing the debugging time for production line changeovers. Simultaneously, through the meshing transmission between the semi-circular toothed rail 33 and the gear 82, the feeding component 8 synchronously completes its rotation and posture adjustment during the revolution of the driven ring 7, ensuring that the flexible block 84 clamps the tapered rollers synchronously from both sides in an upright posture, ensuring effective clamping.

[0047] Until the inner rod 83 finishes its alignment with the semi-circular convex plate 32 and turns to align with the semi-circular groove 31, the spring 85 is stretched synchronously when the inner rod 83 pushes the flexible block 84. Under the restoring pull of the spring 85 on the flexible block 84, the two sets of flexible blocks 84 gradually move away from the flexibly clamped tapered rollers, causing the tapered rollers to detach and fall onto the V-chain plate 2 outside the conveyor line 1. This process repeats continuously, achieving flexible feeding of tapered rollers of different batches and specifications on the conveyor line 1. No additional independent unloading drive and control components are required; the overall structure is simple, reliable, and has a low failure rate. Simultaneously, the adaptive extension and retraction characteristics of the spring 85 can adapt to tapered rollers of different diameters. By coordinating with the continuous revolution of the driven ring 7, continuous flexible feeding of different batches of workpieces can be achieved, eliminating the cumbersome steps of changing tracks and adjusting parameters during traditional vibratory feeder changes, effectively shortening the production line changeover cycle and improving the operating efficiency of multi-variety production.

[0048] During the rotation process corresponding to the inner rod 83 and the semi-circular convex plate 32, by utilizing the irregular shape of the tapered roller itself, the tapered roller can drive the feeder 8 to rotate under the action of gravity, so that tapered rollers of the same batch and the same specification can keep the same end facing down and the same end facing up. Then, when they fall onto the V-chain plate 2, the conveying inertia of the conveyor line 1 driving the V-chain plate 2 to move causes the tapered rollers of the same batch and the same specification to tilt and fall in the same specified direction, so that tapered rollers with the same conveying posture can be seen on the conveyor line 1.

[0049] During the clamping and revolution phase corresponding to the inner rod 83 and the semi-circular convex plate 32, relying on the tapered shape of the tapered roller itself and the effect of gravity, the feed part 8 can be driven to rotate adaptively around its own axis, so that the same batch of workpieces of the same specification can automatically achieve uniform orientation of large and small ends. When the subsequent workpieces fall onto the V-chain plate 2 of the conveyor line 1, the inertia of the conveying operation causes the workpieces to tilt uniformly in the designated direction, and finally maintain a completely consistent conveying posture on the conveyor line 1. The posture uniformity is highly accurate and can directly match the feeding requirements of downstream processes such as appearance inspection, size sorting, and bearing assembly, eliminating the need for additional posture adjustment in the downstream process and effectively improving the operating efficiency of the entire rolling element production line. At the same time, this posture self-adjustment process is entirely based on the physical characteristics of the workpiece itself. When changing tapered rollers of different specifications, there is no need to readjust and correct the parameters, which further enhances the multi-specification compatibility of the device and is more suitable for the current multi-variety, large-volume bearing production mode.

[0050] In addition, a first groove 72 is provided on one side of the driven ring 7. The first groove 86 is rotatably embedded in the first groove 72. During the meshing process of the gear 82 and the semi-arc gear rail 33, by allowing the first groove 86 to be rotatably set in the first groove 72, the outer cylinder 81 can drive the inner rod 83 and the flexible block 84 to rotate, which can cause the spring 85 to rotate synchronously. This avoids the spring 85 from torsional deformation due to the relative rotation of the two ends. This ensures that the extension and retraction stroke of the spring 85 is always stable and controllable, and ensures that the clamping force on rolling elements of different specifications is uniform. It can also effectively prevent the spring 85 from fatigue fracture due to repeated torsion, extend its service life, and reduce the frequency of daily maintenance and operating costs of the equipment.

[0051] Meanwhile, a second groove 71, coaxial with the first groove 72, is provided through the inner side of the driven ring 7. A second ring 89 is fixedly sleeved on the outer side of the outer cylinder 81. The second ring 89 is rotatably embedded in the second groove 71, so that the feeder 8 obtains stable radial support during its rotation around its own axis, avoiding radial movement and swaying when the outer cylinder 81 rotates, and ensuring the effective meshing accuracy of the gear 82 and the semi-arc gear rail 33, so that the rotation and posture adjustment of the feeder 8 is smooth and stable.

[0052] In addition, multiple sets of sliding grooves 87 are arranged at intervals on the inner wall of the outer cylinder 81, and multiple slide rails 88 corresponding one-to-one with the sliding grooves 87 are fixedly installed on the outer wall of the inner rod 83. The slide rails 88 are slidably embedded in the sliding grooves 87, which can play a circumferential limiting role for the inner rod 83, preventing the inner rod 83 from circumferentially deflecting during the extension and retraction sliding process in the outer cylinder 81, ensuring that the extension and retraction action of the inner rod 83 always proceeds smoothly along the axis, thereby avoiding misalignment when the flexible blocks 84 on both sides clamp the workpiece.

[0053] Secondly, an inclined surface 34 is provided at the junction between the semi-circular groove 31 and the semi-circular convex plate 32. Both ends of the inclined surface 34 are connected to the semi-circular groove 31 and the semi-circular convex plate 32, respectively. A semi-circular protrusion 9 is fixedly installed at the other end of the inner rod 83. The semi-circular protrusion 9 slides against the surfaces of the semi-circular groove 31 and the semi-circular convex plate 32. The inclined surface 34 at the junction of the semi-circular groove 31 and the semi-circular convex plate 32 forms a smooth transition section, avoiding the hard impact and jamming caused by the right-angle step at the junction of the concave and convex sections when the inner rod 83 extends or retracts. Furthermore, it can cooperate with the semi-circular protrusion 9 at the end of the inner rod 83 to slide against the track surface through point contact, significantly reducing contact friction resistance. This reduces wear and ensures the smoothness and rhythmic stability of the extension and retraction of the feeding component 8 as it revolves with the driven ring 7. On the other hand, it can also reduce operating noise, extend the service life of the track and transmission components, reduce the maintenance cost of long-term operation of the equipment, and at the same time, the smooth telescopic movement also ensures the consistency of the clamping and unloading action of the flexible block 84, further improving the feeding accuracy.

[0054] Meanwhile, a cavity is also provided inside the flexible block 84, and the cavity is filled with nitrogen gas. With the help of the compressible elastic properties of the gas, the cavity can adapt to the shape of the workpiece when clamping rolling elements of different specifications. This makes the surface of the flexible block 84 form a uniform surface contact with the outer wall of the rolling element, and the clamping force is distributed smoothly, ensuring a firm grip and preventing slippage. At the same time, nitrogen gas is chemically stable and does not contain moisture. It will not corrode the elastic material of the flexible block 84, causing it to harden and crack, nor will it cause condensation and corrosion of internal components in the cavity. This can effectively extend the service life of the flexible block 84, reduce the frequency of replacement of vulnerable parts, and further adapt to long-term continuous feeding operations of rolling elements of various specifications.

[0055] By creating multiple sets of first slots 72 and second slots 71, and multiple sets of feeding components 8 with identical structures, and by arranging these multiple sets of first slots 72, second slots 71, and feeding components 8 in a circumferentially spaced configuration around the driven ring 7, clamping, orientation adjustment, and unloading processes can be performed synchronously under the continuous drive of the servo motor 5, achieving continuous cyclic feeding across multiple stations. This effectively improves the efficiency of rolling element conveying per unit time; and the evenly distributed circumferential layout ensures balanced force distribution on the driven ring 7, effectively avoiding vibration and sway caused by unilateral loads, and improving the overall stability of the device. Furthermore, synchronous multi-station operation eliminates the need to stop the machine to wait for workpiece feeding, adapting to the high-speed continuous operation requirements of production lines and further enhancing the equipment's adaptability to batch feeding of multiple specifications.

[0056] A material cylinder 4 is fixedly installed above the middle of the two sets of sleeves 3, and an L-plate 41 is fixedly installed below the material cylinder 4. Since the inner diameter of the material cylinder 4 is slightly larger than the upper limit of the diameter of the tapered roller, and the distance between the lower end of the material cylinder 4 and the L-plate 41 is less than the length of the tapered roller, the tapered roller tends to remain vertical during the feeding process. When it falls onto the L-plate 41, the flatness of the end face of the tapered roller and the surface of the L-plate 41, as well as the obstruction of the side wall of the material cylinder 4, ensures that the tapered roller is in a vertical position for clamping. Since both ends of the tapered roller are flat, the tapered rollers stacked on top are also in a vertical position. When the bottom tapered roller is clamped away, the stacked rollers on top will fall down to fill the gap under the action of gravity.

[0057] A feeding method for a flexible feeding device compatible with multiple specifications in a rolling element conveyor line includes the following steps:

[0058] S1. Equipment positioning and parameter preset: The operator aligns and fixes the entire feeding device with the end of the conveyor line 1, and completes the electrical connection between the servo motor 5 and the production line control system; presets the speed parameters of the servo motor 5 according to the specifications of the rolling elements currently being produced, checks the meshing state of the semi-arc gear 33 and the gear 82, and the sliding fit state of the inner rod 83 and the inner wall of the sleeve 3, and confirms that there is no jamming in the operation of each component.

[0059] S2. Equipment Start-up and No-Load Verification: Connect the equipment power supply, start the servo motor 5 for no-load test run, and confirm that the transmission rod 6 and driven ring 7 drive the feeding component 8 to rotate smoothly, the inner rod 83 extends and retracts smoothly, and there are no major abnormal noises in the operation of each sliding pair and transmission pair. After the no-load verification is qualified, the equipment enters the waiting state.

[0060] S3. Material loading and orderly waiting: Conical rollers to be supplied are loaded into the material cylinder 4 in batches. Under the limiting action of the side wall of the material cylinder 4 and the L plate 41, the rolling elements maintain a vertical posture and are stacked layer by layer. The bottom workpiece is stably stopped at the clamping station, waiting for the feeding part 8 to grab it.

[0061] S4. Revolution Linkage and Clamping Adjustment: The servo motor 5 drives the transmission rod 6 to drive two sets of driven rings 7 to rotate synchronously at a uniform speed. Multiple sets of feeders 8 rotate synchronously with the driven rings 7. When the inner rod 83 rotates from the semi-arc groove 31 through the inclined surface 34 to the semi-arc convex plate 32, the gear 82 ends its meshing relationship with the semi-arc gear rail 33. At this time, the flexible block 84 faces the workpiece. At the same time, the inner rod 83 pushes the flexible block 84 closer to the rolling element and stretches the spring 85, so that the symmetrical flexible blocks 84 on both sides simultaneously clamp the rolling element from both sides. In the subsequent clamping process, relying on the taper of the tapered roller and the action of gravity, the workpiece drives the feeder 8 to adaptively and finely adjust its rotation, so as to automatically unify the orientation of the large and small ends of the same batch of workpieces.

[0062] S5. Elastic Reset and Unloading Conveying: The feeding component 8 continues to revolve. When the inner rod 83 transitions from the semi-arc convex plate 32 through the inclined surface 34 back to the semi-arc groove 31 area, the spring 85 resets and pulls the inner rod 83 back. The two sets of flexible blocks 84 simultaneously release the rolling body, so that the rolling body falls accurately onto the V chain plate 2 of the conveyor line 1 under the action of gravity. With the help of the inertia of the conveying operation, it tilts uniformly in the designated direction, forming a consistent conveying posture to enter the downstream process.

[0063] S6. Specification Switching and Adaptive Compatibility: When changing the specifications of the rolling elements in production, the preset operating parameters of the corresponding specifications can be directly called in the control system without replacing any mechanical parts; the adaptive extension stroke of spring 85 and the nitrogen buffer cavity of flexible block 84 can automatically adapt to the clamping size and clamping force of the new specification workpiece, and complete the production line changeover in a short time.

[0064] S7. Continuous operation and shutdown reset: During continuous production, materials are continuously added to the material cylinder 4, and steps S4 to S5 are repeated to achieve continuous and uninterrupted flexible material supply; after a single batch of production is completed, the servo motor 5 and the power supply of the control system are turned off to complete the equipment reset.

[0065] The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the content described above. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the above embodiments without departing from the technical concept of this invention, and all such modifications and variations should fall within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A flexible feeding device compatible with multiple specifications for rolling conveyor lines, characterized in that: The system includes a conveyor line and multiple V-chain plates arranged at intervals on its outer side, with gaps reserved between adjacent V-chain plates. A sleeve is symmetrically arranged above one end of the conveyor line. The inner walls of both sets of sleeves are provided with semi-arc grooves. Semi-arc convex plates and semi-arc toothed rails are fixedly installed on the inner walls of both sets of sleeves. A servo motor is fixedly installed on the outer side of one set of sleeves. The drive end of the servo motor passes through the sleeve and is fixedly installed with a transmission rod. A driven ring is symmetrically fixedly installed on the outer side of the transmission rod. A feeding component is provided on the inner side of the driven ring. The feeding component includes an outer cylinder rotatably disposed inside the driven ring. A gear that meshes with the semi-arc gear track is fixedly installed on the outer side of the outer cylinder. An inner rod is slidably sleeved on the inner side of the outer cylinder. A flexible block is fixedly installed at one end of the inner rod. A spring is sleeved on the outer side of the outer cylinder. One end of the spring is connected to the flexible block. A first insert ring is fixedly installed at the other end of the spring. The first insert ring is connected to the driven ring.

2. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driven ring has a first groove on one side, and the first groove is rotatably fitted into the first groove.

3. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driven ring has a second groove coaxial with the first groove through its inner side, and the outer cylinder has a second ring fixedly sleeved on its outer side, which is rotatably embedded in the second groove.

4. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner wall of the outer cylinder is provided with multiple sets of sliding grooves arranged at intervals, and the outer wall of the inner rod is fixedly installed with multiple slide rails that correspond one-to-one with the sliding grooves, and the slide rails are slidably embedded in the sliding grooves.

5. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 4, characterized in that: An inclined surface is provided at the junction between the semi-circular groove and the semi-circular convex plate, and the two ends of the inclined surface are respectively connected to the semi-circular groove and the semi-circular convex plate.

6. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 5, characterized in that: A semi-circular protrusion is fixedly installed at the other end of the inner rod, and the semi-circular protrusion slides against the surface of the semi-arc groove and the semi-arc convex plate.

7. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 6, characterized in that: The flexible block has an internal cavity filled with nitrogen gas.

8. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 7, characterized in that: Multiple sets of the first and second slots are provided, and multiple sets of the feeding components are provided with the same structure. The multiple sets of the first and second slots and the feeding components are arranged and provided in a circular interval with the driven ring as the axis.

9. The flexible feeding device for multi-specification compatible rolling element conveyor lines according to claim 8, characterized in that: A material cylinder is fixedly installed above the middle of the two sets of sleeves, and an L-plate is fixedly installed below the material cylinder.

10. The feeding method of a flexible feeding device compatible with multiple specifications for a rolling element conveyor line as described in any one of claims 9, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. Equipment positioning and parameter preset: The operator aligns and fixes the entire feeding device with the end of the conveyor line, and completes the electrical connection between the servo motor and the production line control system; presets the servo motor speed parameters according to the specifications of the rolling elements currently being produced, checks the meshing state of the semi-arc gear and the gear, the sliding fit state of the inner rod and the inner wall of the sleeve, and confirms that there is no jamming in the operation of each component. S2. Equipment Start-up and No-load Verification: Connect the equipment power supply, start the servo motor for no-load test run, and confirm that the transmission rod and driven ring drive the feeding part to rotate smoothly, the inner rod extends and retracts smoothly, and there is no major abnormal noise in the operation of each sliding pair and transmission pair. After the no-load verification is qualified, the equipment enters the waiting state for material. S3. Material loading and orderly waiting: The conical rollers to be fed are loaded into the cylinder in batches. Under the limiting action of the cylinder side wall and L plate, the rolling elements are stacked in a vertical position layer by layer. The bottom workpiece is stably stopped at the clamping station, waiting for the feed part to be grabbed. S4. Revolution Linkage and Clamping Attitude Adjustment: The servo motor drives the transmission rod to drive two sets of driven rings to rotate synchronously and uniformly, and multiple sets of feeders rotate synchronously with the driven rings; when the inner rod rotates from the semi-arc groove through the inclined surface to the semi-arc convex plate, the gear ends its meshing relationship with the semi-arc gear rail, and at this time the flexible block end faces the workpiece; at the same time, the inner rod pushes the flexible block close to the rolling body and stretches the spring, so that the symmetrical flexible blocks on both sides synchronously clamp the rolling body from both sides; in the subsequent clamping process, relying on the taper of the tapered roller itself and the action of gravity, the workpiece drives the feeder to adaptively and finely adjust its rotation, so as to automatically unify the orientation of the large and small ends of the same batch of workpieces; S5. Elastic Reset and Unloading Conveying: The feeding component continues to revolve. When the inner rod transitions from the semi-arc convex plate through the inclined surface back to the semi-arc groove area, the spring reset pulls the inner rod back. The two sets of flexible blocks release the rolling body simultaneously, so that the rolling body falls accurately onto the V-chain plate of the conveyor line under the action of gravity. With the help of the inertia of the conveying operation, it tilts uniformly in the designated direction to form a consistent conveying posture and enter the downstream process. S6. Specification Switching and Adaptive Compatibility: When changing the specifications of the rolling elements in production, the preset operating parameters of the corresponding specifications can be directly called in the control system without replacing any mechanical parts; the adaptive extension stroke of the spring and the nitrogen buffer cavity of the flexible block can automatically adapt to the clamping size and clamping force of the new specification workpiece, and complete the production line changeover in a short time. S7. Continuous operation and shutdown reset: During continuous production, materials are continuously added to the barrel, and steps S4 to S5 are repeated to achieve continuous and uninterrupted flexible material supply; after a single batch of production is completed, the power supply of the servo motor and control system is turned off to complete the equipment reset.

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