Automatic feeding and sorting equipment for steel balls

Abstract

The utility model discloses automatic feeding and sorting equipment for steel balls, which comprises an automatic sorting device. The main material channel is formed by two guide plates which are arranged on the support in a spaced and opposite mode, a feeding port of the main material channel is higher than a discharging port of the main material channel, and the two guide plates can move in the opposite direction or the back-to-back direction and are used for adjusting the distance between the main material channel so that steel balls with the specified diameter can slide down; the first material distributing channel is arranged on the support and located below the main material channel, and a feeding port of the first material distributing channel is communicated with a gap between the pair of guide plates and used for allowing steel balls with the diameter smaller than the specified diameter to slide down; the second material distributing channel is arranged on the bracket, is positioned below the main material channel and is used for allowing the steel balls with the diameter larger than the specified diameter to slide down; the material moving mechanism is arranged between the feeding port of the main material channel and the feeding port of the second material distributing channel in a reciprocating motion mode and used for feeding the steel balls with the diameter larger than the specified diameter into the second material distributing channel. The manual cost can be reduced, and the production efficiency and the qualified rate of products can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of screening equipment, and more specifically to an automatic feeding and sorting equipment for steel balls. Background Art

[0002] The steel balls in the fixed and movable joints of the transmission shaft are one of the important basic components. They are used to convert sliding friction into rolling friction, thereby reducing friction during power transmission and improving the transmission efficiency of mechanical power. Therefore, in order to ensure the normal use of the fixed and movable joints of the transmission shaft, the steel balls must be carefully screened during the assembly process to ensure that the size of the steel balls to be assembled meets the installation requirements.

[0003] At present, the assembly of fixed and movable joints of transmission shafts is mostly done manually. Manual screening of steel balls is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but is also prone to screening errors and even missing accessories. This results in high labor costs, low efficiency, and unguaranteed quality in the production of fixed and movable joints of transmission shafts.

[0004] In summary, how to provide an automatic feeding and sorting device for steel balls that reduces labor costs and improves product production efficiency and qualified rate is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic feeding and sorting device for steel balls, which can reduce labor costs and improve product production efficiency and qualification rate.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] An automatic feeding and sorting device for steel balls, comprising an automatic sorting device, wherein the automatic sorting device comprises:

[0008] Bracket;

[0009] The main material channel is formed by two guide plates spaced apart and facing each other on the bracket, and the feed port of the main material channel is higher than the discharge port thereof. The two guide plates can be moved toward or away from each other to adjust the spacing of the main material channel so as to allow steel balls of a specified diameter to slide down;

[0010] A first branch channel is provided on the bracket and is located below the main channel, and the feed port of the first branch channel is connected to the gap between the pair of guide plates and is higher than the discharge port of the first branch channel, for allowing steel balls smaller than a specified diameter to slide down;

[0011] A second branch channel is provided on the bracket and is located below the main channel, and the feed port of the second branch channel is higher than the discharge port thereof, for allowing steel balls larger than a specified diameter to slide down;

[0012] The material transfer mechanism is reciprocatingly arranged between the feed port of the main material channel and the feed port of the second branch material channel, and is used to feed steel balls larger than a specified diameter into the second branch material channel.

[0013] Preferably, the material moving mechanism includes a vertical driver and a material moving block. The vertical driver is arranged on the bracket and connected to the material moving block, and is used to drive the material moving block to move back and forth up and down. The material moving block is provided with an inclined groove, and the upper groove of the inclined groove is located directly below the feed port of the main material channel, and the lower groove and the feed port of the second branch material channel are located on the same vertical plane.

[0014] Preferably, the guide plate is L-shaped, the vertical section of the guide plate and the vertical section of the guide plate opposite thereto are spaced apart to form the main material channel, and the horizontal section of the guide plate is connected to a horizontal driver placed on the bracket.

[0015] Preferably, the transverse driver is a cross-roller type X-axis manual translation stage, and the transverse section of the guide plate is arranged on the cross-roller type X-axis manual translation stage through a mounting plate.

[0016] Preferably, the first branch channel and the second branch channel each include a downwardly inclined upper sliding section and a vertically descending lower sliding section;

[0017] The upper sliding section of the first branch channel and the upper sliding section of the second branch channel are arranged adjacent to each other in sequence from top to bottom, and the lower sliding section of the first branch channel and the lower sliding section of the second branch channel are arranged adjacent to each other above the material box.

[0018] Preferably, a partition is provided between the upper sliding section of the first branch channel and the feed port of the main channel to prevent the steel balls larger than the specified diameter from falling into the first branch channel.

[0019] Preferably, it also includes an automatic feeding device, which includes a material box, a feeding tray located in the material box and a loading driver, the discharge port of the material box is connected to the feed port of the main material channel, and the feeding tray is arranged to be tilted downward at one end adjacent to the discharge port of the material box and is penetrated by a movable drag block, and the loading driver is connected to the movable drag block for driving the movable drag block to move back and forth between the feeding tray and the discharge port of the material box.

[0020] Preferably, it also includes an automatic discharging device, which includes a discharging channel, a first ball-sealing driver, a second ball-sealing driver and a slide rail. The feed port of the discharging channel is connected to the discharge port of the main channel. The slide rail is parallel to the discharging channel. The first ball-sealing driver is movably arranged on the slide rail, and the second ball-sealing driver is fixed to the position of the slide rail corresponding to the discharge port of the discharging channel, and the driving ends of the first ball-sealing driver and the second ball-sealing driver are both connected to a baffle that can be telescopically inserted into the inside of the discharging channel.

[0021] Preferably, the driving ends of the first ball-sealing driver and the second ball-sealing driver are both connected to a material-blocking optical fiber sensor placed above the discharge channel.

[0022] Preferably, a full material optical fiber sensor is provided at a certain distance from the feed port of the discharge channel.

[0023] The automatic feeding and sorting equipment for steel balls provided by the utility model is used on the production line for assembling the fixed section and the movable section of the transmission shaft. When in use, the spacing between the two guide plates is first adjusted according to the diameter of the steel balls of specified diameter, and only the steel balls of specified diameter are allowed to pass through the main material channel formed by the two guide plates. As a result, steel balls of different diameters are transported to the feed port of the main material channel, and steel balls larger than the specified diameter will be stuck at the feed port of the main material channel. The material transfer mechanism moves the steel balls larger than the specified diameter from the feed port of the main material channel to the feed port of the second branch material channel, and the steel balls larger than the specified diameter fall into the second branch material channel. The steel balls smaller than the specified diameter and the steel balls of specified diameter can both enter the main material channel through the feed port of the main material channel. Since the diameter of the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter is smaller than the spacing between the two guide plates, the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter fall into the first branch material channel through the spacing between the two guide plates, and the steel balls of specified diameter fall into the next operating device through the discharge port of the main material channel to be taken away manually. Therefore, compared with manual screening of steel balls, the present application can automatically screen out steel balls that meet the specified diameter, greatly saving labor costs, and the screening speed is fast, which improves the production efficiency of the product, and completely eliminates steel balls that do not meet the specified diameter, greatly reducing the screening error rate and ensuring that the quality of the products produced can meet the standards. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an automatic steel ball feeding and sorting device provided by the utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic feeding device provided by the utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the feeding drive provided by the present utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic sorting device provided by the utility model;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the main material channel provided by the utility model;

[0030] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the automatic sorting device provided by the present utility model;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic discharging device provided by the utility model;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the automatic sorting device and the automatic discharging device provided by the utility model;

[0033] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of the star-shaped sleeve retainer material rack provided by the utility model;

[0034] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the steel ball assembly mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0035] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the fixed joint assembly steel ball mechanism provided by the utility model.

[0036] Reference numerals:

[0037] 1-Automatic feeding device; 2-Automatic sorting device; 3-Automatic discharging device; 4-Receiving tray; 5-Star-shaped sleeve retaining rack; 6-Assembly steel ball mechanism; 7-Fixed section assembly steel ball mechanism; 8-Workbench.

[0038] 11-Material box; 12-Feeding tray; 13-Loading driver; 14-Moveable drag block; 15-Support; 16-Vertical guide rail; 17-Lifting rod;

[0039] 20 - drop slide; 21 - bracket; 22 - main material channel; 23 - first branch material channel; 24 - second branch material channel; 25 - material transfer mechanism; 26 - transverse drive; 27 - material box; 28 - partition; 29 - base;

[0040] 211 - column; 212 - support plate; 221 - guide plate; 231 - upper slide section; 232 - lower slide section; 251 - vertical drive; 252 - material transfer block; 253 - mounting seat; 261 - mounting plate;

[0041] 31-discharging channel; 32-first ball sealing driver; 33-second ball sealing driver; 34-slide rail; 35-slider; 36-guide shaft; 37-baffle; 38-material blocking fiber optic sensor; 39-full material fiber optic sensor;

[0042] 51-material rack; 52-connecting piece;

[0043] 61-supporting positioning member; 62-press-fitting steel ball assembly;

[0044] 71-fixed section positioning base; 72-crank handle assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] The core of the utility model is to provide an automatic feeding and sorting device for steel balls, which can reduce labor costs and improve product production efficiency and qualification rate.

[0047] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the directions or positional relationships indicated by "up", "down", "front", "back", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0048] Please refer to Figures 4 to 6 The present application provides an automatic feeding and sorting device for steel balls, including an automatic sorting device 2, which includes a bracket 21, a main material channel 22, a first branch material channel 23, a second branch material channel 24 and a material moving mechanism 25.

[0049] The main material channel 22 is formed by two guide plates 221 spaced apart and opposite to each other on the bracket 21, and the feed port of the main material channel 22 is higher than its discharge port. The two guide plates can be moved toward or away from each other to adjust the spacing of the main material channel 22 to allow steel balls of specified diameter to slide down.

[0050] The first branch channel 23 is provided on the bracket 21 and is located below the main channel 22. The feed port of the first branch channel 23 is connected to the gap between a pair of guide plates 221 and is higher than the discharge port of the first branch channel 23 for steel balls smaller than a specified diameter to slide down.

[0051] The second branch channel 24 is provided on the bracket 21 and is located below the main channel 22 , and the feed port of the second branch channel 24 is higher than the discharge port thereof, for allowing steel balls larger than a specified diameter to slide down.

[0052] The material transfer mechanism 25 is reciprocatingly disposed between the feed port of the main material channel 22 and the feed port of the second branch material channel 24 , and is used to feed steel balls larger than a specified diameter into the second branch material channel 24 .

[0053] It should be noted that the bracket 21 is used to support the main material channel 22, the first branch material channel 23, the second branch material channel 24, and the material transfer mechanism 25 to ensure the stability of the automatic sorting device 2. Preferably, the bracket 21 includes a column 211 and a support plate 212. The two columns 211 are symmetrically arranged, and a support plate 212 is provided at the top of each column 211. An accommodating space is left between the two support plates 212 to facilitate the installation of the first branch material channel 23 and the second branch material channel 24, and to achieve communication between the two and the main material channel 22. However, the structure of the bracket 21 is not unique, and other structural types can also be used.

[0054] The two guide plates 221 are arranged corresponding to the top surfaces of the two support plates 212, and each guide plate 221 is connected to the top surface of its corresponding support plate 212 via a movable mechanism. The movable mechanism can be operated to drive the guide plate 221 to move toward or away from the other guide plate 221 to adjust the spacing between the two guide plates 221. This spacing is adjusted according to the diameter of the steel balls of a specified diameter, so that only steel balls of the specified diameter can pass through the main material channel 22 formed by the two guide plates 221. The movable mechanism structure can use a motor or other type of drive element, and the structure is not unique.

[0055] The first distribution channel 23 and the second distribution channel 24 are both formed by four material plates in a circle. Both are placed in the accommodating space between the two support plates 212 and are located below the two guide plates 221. The top port of the first distribution channel 23, that is, the feed port, is connected to the gap between the two guide plates 221, and the top port of the second distribution channel 24, that is, the feed port, is isolated from the feed port of the first distribution channel 23, that is, the two are not connected.

[0056] The material transfer mechanism 25 is arranged to reciprocate between the feed opening of the main material channel 22 and the feed opening of the second branch material channel 24. It is used to move steel balls larger than a specified diameter stuck in the feed opening of the main material channel 22 into the second branch material channel 24. The structure of the material transfer mechanism 25 can adopt a driver and its driven material grabbing member, or a commonly used flexible movable material grabbing robot arm, and the structural form is not unique.

[0057] When the automatic feeding and sorting equipment for steel balls with the above-mentioned structure is in use, steel balls of different diameters are transported to the feed port of the main material channel 22. Steel balls larger than the specified diameter will be stuck at the feed port of the main material channel 22. The material transfer mechanism 25 moves the steel balls larger than the specified diameter from the feed port of the main material channel 22 to the feed port of the second branch channel 24. Steel balls larger than the specified diameter fall into the second branch channel 24. Steel balls smaller than the specified diameter and steel balls of the specified diameter can both enter the main material channel 22 through the feed port of the main material channel 22. Since the diameter of the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter is smaller than the distance between the two guide plates 221, the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter fall into the first branch channel 23 through the distance between the two guide plates 221, and the steel balls of the specified diameter fall into the next operating device through the discharge port of the main material channel 22 to be manually taken away. Therefore, compared with manual screening of steel balls, the present application can automatically screen out steel balls that meet the specified diameter, greatly saving labor costs, and the screening speed is fast, which improves the production efficiency of the product, and completely eliminates steel balls that do not meet the specified diameter, greatly reducing the screening error rate and ensuring that the quality of the products produced can meet the standards.

[0058] Considering the structure and installation method of the material moving mechanism 25, based on the above embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The material moving mechanism 25 includes a vertical driver 251 and a material moving block 252. The vertical driver 251 is arranged on the bracket 21 and connected to the material moving block 252, and is used to drive the material moving block 252 to move up and down. The material moving block 252 is provided with an inclined groove. The upper groove of the inclined groove is located directly below the feed port of the main material channel 22, and the lower groove and the feed port of the second branch channel 24 are located on the same vertical plane.

[0059] Specifically, the vertical actuator 251 is of any type and may be a motor, a pneumatic cylinder, or an oil cylinder. The vertical actuator 251 is mounted on the bracket 21 via a mounting base 253. Specifically, a U-shaped mounting base 253 with high structural strength is provided between the bottom end surfaces of the two support plates 212. The vertical actuator 251 is fixed to the U-shaped mounting base 253 to ensure that the vertical actuator 251 is securely mounted on the bracket 21. Furthermore, the U-shaped mounting base 253 is located directly below the feed port of the main material channel 22. The drive shaft of the vertical actuator 251 extends upward and is connected to a material shifting block 252. When the drive shaft of the vertical actuator 251 drives the material shifting block 252 to move upward to its maximum stroke, the material shifting block 252 is located at the bottom of the feed port of the main material channel 22 to catch steel balls with a diameter greater than a specified diameter that are stuck in the feed port of the main material channel 22. In addition, an inclined chute is provided on the material moving block 252, and the upper notch of the inclined chute is located directly below the feed port of the main material channel 22, and the lower notch and the feed port of the second material channel 24 are located on the same vertical plane. Therefore, after the moving block moves upward to the maximum stroke position to catch steel balls larger than the specified diameter, when it moves downward to the feed port position of the second material channel 24, steel balls larger than the specified diameter automatically slide along the inclined chute into the second material channel 24, and then the vertical driver 251 drives the material moving block 252 to reset to its maximum stroke position to continue subsequent material moving operations, so as to realize the screening and distribution of steel balls larger than the specified diameter.

[0060] Compared to existing robotic arms, the material transfer mechanism 25 employing the aforementioned structure is low-cost, simple in structure, and easily mountable on the bracket 21, making the automatic sorting device 2 compact and space-saving. Furthermore, the material transfer mechanism 25 reciprocates up and down between the feed opening of the main material channel 22 and the feed opening of the second branch channel 24 to automatically drop the steel balls, thereby improving the smoothness and efficiency of material transfer.

[0061] Preferably, the inclined groove is a V-shaped groove to prevent steel balls larger than a specified diameter from falling off the material moving block 252 during the movement of the material moving block 252 .

[0062] Considering the specific structure of the guide plate 221, based on the above embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The guide plate 221 is L-shaped, and the vertical section of the guide plate 221 and the vertical section of the guide plate 221 opposite thereto are spaced apart to form the main material channel 22 , and the horizontal section of the guide plate 221 is connected to the horizontal driver 26 placed on the bracket 21 .

[0063] Specifically, the guide plate 221 adopts an L-shaped plate with a stable structure and high bearing strength. The top surface of the support plate 212 is provided with a transverse driver 26, which is the above-mentioned moving mechanism. The output shaft of the transverse driver 26 is arranged horizontally and connected to the transverse section of the L-shaped guide plate 221. The transverse direction refers to the relative distribution direction of the two guide plates 221. Therefore, the telescopic movement of the output shaft of the transverse driver 26 can drive the guide plate 221 to move toward or away from the other guide plate 221, so as to achieve the movable connection between the guide plate 221 and the bracket 21 while ensuring the structural stability of the guide plate 221, thereby ensuring that the steel ball of the specified diameter passes smoothly and safely through the main material channel 22 of the two guide plates 221.

[0064] Considering the structure and installation method of the transverse driver 26, based on the above embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The transverse driver 26 is a cross-roller type X-axis manual translation stage, and the transverse section of the guide plate 221 is set on the cross-roller type X-axis manual translation stage through the mounting plate 261.

[0065] It is understood that the main material channel 22, the first branch channel 23, the second branch channel 24, and the material transfer mechanism 25 are all centrally mounted on the bracket 21. If a compact and lightweight cross-roller X-axis manual translation stage is installed between the two guide plates 221 forming the main material channel 22 and the two support plates 212 of the bracket 21, this will help reduce the load-bearing weight of the bracket 21 and ensure the structural stability of the automatic sorting device 2. In addition, a mounting plate 261 is provided on the cross-roller X-axis manual translation stage, to which the cross section of the guide plate 221 is fixed, further ensuring the structural stability of the guide plate 221 while achieving a lossless connection between the transverse drive 26 and the guide plate 221.

[0066] Considering the layout of the first branch channel 23 and the second branch channel 24, based on the above embodiment, please refer to Figure 6 The first branch channel 23 and the second branch channel 24 both include a downwardly inclined upper sliding section 231 and a vertical lower sliding section 232; the upper sliding section 231 of the first branch channel 23 and the upper sliding section 231 of the second branch channel 24 are arranged adjacent to each other in sequence from top to bottom, and the lower sliding section 232 of the first branch channel 23 and the lower sliding section 232 of the second branch channel 24 are arranged adjacent to each other above the material box 27.

[0067] It can be understood that, taking the first branch channel 23 as an example, the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter that fall into the first branch channel 23 can first slide downward along the downward-sloping upper slide section 231. This upper slide is relatively gentle, which can reduce the impact force of the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter during the initial fall, reduce the damage to the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter, and then the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter fall vertically along the lower slide section 232 into the material box 27. This lower slide plays a guiding role, allowing the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter to quickly fall into the material box 27, facilitating the subsequent recovery of the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter. Therefore, the first branch channel 23 and the second branch channel 24 are both composed of a downward-sloping upper slide section 231 and a vertical lower slide section 232, which can reduce the risk of damage to the steel balls and ensure rapid and centralized recovery of the steel balls.

[0068] Preferably, an isolation plate is provided in the material box 27 to divide the material box 27 into two mutually disconnected chambers, and the two chambers are provided corresponding to the first branch channel 23 and the second branch channel 24. Therefore, the material box 27 can systematically summarize the steel balls larger than the specified diameter and the steel balls smaller than the specified diameter, making it convenient to manually distinguish the steel balls of the two diameters.

[0069] In addition, the upper sliding section 231 of the first branch channel 23 is located adjacent to the upper part of the second branch channel 24, and the upper port of the upper sliding section 231 of the first branch channel 23 is connected to the distance between the two guide plates 221, the upper port of the upper sliding section 231 of the second branch channel 24 and the lower notch of the material transfer block 252 are located on the same vertical plane, and the lower sliding section 232 of the first branch channel 23 and the lower sliding section 232 of the second branch channel 24 are arranged adjacent to each other, so that the first branch channel 23 and the second branch channel 24 are compactly arranged, saving installation space, thereby making the overall structure of the automatic sorting device 2 compact and small.

[0070] Furthermore, a partition 28 is provided between the upper sliding section 231 of the first branch channel 23 and the feed port of the main channel 22 to prevent steel balls larger than a specified diameter from falling into the first branch channel 23 .

[0071] Optional, please refer to Figure 4 The automatic sorting device 2 also includes a base 29. The bottom of the bracket 21 is set on the base 29, and the column 211 is vertically set on the base 29 to provide stable support for the bracket 21 and the components thereon, and to facilitate the disassembly, assembly and transportation of the automatic sorting device 2.

[0072] Considering the specific implementation of feeding the automatic sorting device 2, based on any of the above embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3The present application also includes an automatic feeding device 1, which includes a material box 11, a feeding tray 12 located in the material box 11, and a loading driver 13. The discharge port of the material box 11 is connected to the feed port of the main material channel 22. The end of the feeding tray adjacent to the discharge port of the material box 11 is tilted downward and is penetrated by a movable drag block 14. The loading driver 13 is connected to the movable drag block 14 and is used to drive the movable drag block 14 to move back and forth between the feeding tray and the discharge port of the material box 11.

[0073] Specifically, the automatic feeding device 1 is located upstream of the automatic sorting device 2 and is used to automatically feed materials to the automatic sorting device 2 . Among them, the top of the material box 11 is provided with a discharge port connected to the feed port of the main material channel 22, and the interior of the material box 11 is provided with a support 15, and a feeding tray and a loading driver 13 are provided on the support 15 to achieve stable installation of the two; one end of the feeding tray is connected with the feed port of the material box 11, and the other end extends to just below the discharge port of the material box 11 and tilted downward, so that the steel balls can move from one end of the feeding tray to the other end under the action of their own weight, which is convenient for the loading driver 13 to take the material; the driving shaft of the loading driver 13 is connected with a movable drag block 14, and an opening is provided at the other end of the feeding tray. The movable drag block 14 is initially placed in the opening, and multiple steel balls fall to the movable drag block 14 one by one, and the loading driver 13 drives the movable drag block 14 to carry the steel balls upward to the discharge port of the material box 11, and the steel balls fall into the feed port of the main material channel 22 under the action of their own weight, so as to realize automatic feeding to the automatic sorting device 2.

[0074] Therefore, by adopting the automatic feeding device 1 with the above-mentioned structure, after manually pouring the steel balls into the feeding tray of the material box 11, automatic feeding to the automatic sorting device 2 can be achieved. Compared with manual loading, it greatly saves labor costs and is conducive to improving production efficiency.

[0075] Optionally, the type of the feeding driver 13 is not limited and can be a motor, a pneumatic cylinder, or an oil cylinder. A vertical guide rail 16 mounted on a support 15 is provided on one side of the feeding driver 13. The output shaft of the feeding driver 13 is connected to a lifting rod 17 that can be slidably placed on the guide rail. The top of the lifting rod 17 is connected to a movable drag block 14 placed on the opening of the feed tray. It is understandable that due to the limited length of the output shaft of the feeding driver 13, the output shaft of the feeding driver 13 is connected to the movable drag block 14 through the lifting rod 17, which can better transport the steel balls to the discharge port of the material box 11. The lifting rod 17 moves up and down along the vertical guide rail 16, which can transport the steel balls more accurately and smoothly.

[0076] Considering the specific implementation of the automatic sorting device 2 discharging, based on any of the above embodiments, please refer to Figure 7The present application also includes an automatic discharging device 3, which includes a discharging channel 31, a first ball-sealing driver 32, a second ball-sealing driver 33 and a slide rail 34. The feed port of the discharging channel 31 is connected to the discharge port of the main channel 22, and the slide rail 34 is parallel to the discharging channel 31. The first ball-sealing driver 32 is movably arranged on the slide rail 34, and the second ball-sealing driver 33 is fixed to the position of the slide rail 34 corresponding to the discharge port of the discharging channel 31, and the driving ends of the first ball-sealing driver 32 and the second ball-sealing driver 33 are both connected to a baffle 37 that can be retractably inserted into the inside of the discharging channel 31.

[0077] The slide rail 34 is parallel to the discharge channel 31, and the first ball-sealing driver 32 is slidably placed on the slide rail 34 via a slider 35, so that the first ball-sealing driver 32 can move along the length of the discharge channel 31, thereby adjusting the distance between it and the second ball-sealing driver 33. Optionally, one end of a guide shaft 36 is fixed to the end of the second ball-sealing driver 33 away from the discharge channel 31, and the other end of the guide shaft 36 extends along the length of the slide rail 34 toward the first ball-sealing driver 32 and is connected to the end of the first ball-sealing driver 32 away from the discharge channel 31. During the movement of the first ball-sealing driver 32, the guide shaft 36 plays a guiding role to prevent the first ball-sealing driver 32 from deviating in movement and causing inaccurate adjustment of the distance between it and the second ball-sealing driver 33.

[0078] The automatic discharging device 3 using the above-mentioned structural arrangement first adjusts the distance between the first ball-sealing driver 32 and the second ball-sealing driver 33 according to the required number of balls to be discharged. After the first ball-sealing driver 32 is adjusted into place, the driving end of the second ball-sealing driver 33 drives the baffle 37 connected thereto to extend into the interior of the discharging channel 31 to prevent the steel balls of specified diameter in the discharging channel 31 from sliding out of the discharging channel 31. Then, multiple steel balls of specified diameter enter the discharging channel 31 through the discharging port of the main channel 22 in turn, and are all pushed forward by the steel balls of specified diameter that enter later. Finally, the driving end of the first ball-sealing driver 32 drives the baffle 37 connected thereto to extend into the interior of the discharging channel 31, and the driving end of the second ball-sealing driver 33 drives the baffle 37 connected thereto to extend out of the interior of the discharging channel 31. The steel balls of specified diameter located between the two baffles 37 pass through the discharging port of the discharging channel 31 in turn and fall into the steel ball collection area of ​​specified diameter.

[0079] Therefore, the automatic discharging device 3 with the above-mentioned structure is used to realize automatic discharging of the automatic sorting device 2. Compared with manual discharging, it greatly saves labor costs, improves production efficiency, and realizes the controllable and adjustable amount of steel ball discharge, which can better adapt to the production speed of the production line.

[0080] Preferably, please refer to Figure 8The main material channel 22 is set higher than the discharge channel 31, and a falling chute 20 is set between the discharge port of the main material channel 22 and the feed port of the discharge channel 31. Thus, the steel balls of specified diameter in the main material channel 22 can fall into the discharge channel 31 through the falling chute 20. The falling chute 20 plays a guiding role, so that the steel balls of specified diameter fall into the discharge channel 31 accurately, and prevent the steel balls of specified diameter from falling outside the discharge channel 31.

[0081] In addition, the feed port of the discharge channel 31 is set higher than its discharge port, or a slope is set at the bottom of the discharge port of the discharge channel 31 to facilitate the sliding of steel balls of specified diameter in the discharge channel 31.

[0082] In order to improve the accuracy of the discharge quantity of the automatic discharge device 3, based on the above embodiment, please refer to Figure 7 The driving ends of the first ball-sealing driver 32 and the second ball-sealing driver 33 are both connected to the material-stopping optical fiber sensor 38 located above the discharge channel 31, namely, the first material-stopping optical fiber sensor and the second material-stopping optical fiber sensor, respectively. Therefore, if the second material-stopping optical fiber sensor detects a steel ball of a specified diameter, it transmits a signal to the control device, indicating that a steel ball of the specified diameter is present at the discharge port of the discharge channel 31. If the first material-stopping optical fiber sensor detects a steel ball of the specified diameter, it transmits a signal to the control device, indicating that the number of steel balls in the discharge channel 31 meets the discharge quantity requirement. The control device controls the first ball-sealing driver 32 to drive the baffle 37 connected thereto to extend into the discharge channel 31, and then controls the second ball-sealing driver 33 to drive the baffle 37 connected thereto to extend out of the discharge channel 31, thereby improving the accuracy of the discharge quantity of the automatic discharge device 3.

[0083] For further information, please refer to Figure 7 A full-fill optical fiber sensor 39 is provided at a certain distance from the feed port of the discharge channel 31. If the full-fill optical fiber sensor 39 detects steel balls of a specified diameter, it sends a signal to the control device, indicating that the discharge channel 31 is about to be filled with steel balls of the specified diameter. The control device controls the loading driver 13 to stop loading, so as to stop feeding to the automatic sorting device 2 first, so as to prevent the discharge channel 31 from being blocked by the steel balls of the specified diameter and being unable to discharge smoothly.

[0084] Optional, please refer to Figure 1 The automatic feeding device 1, the automatic sorting device 2 and the automatic discharging device 3 are arranged on the workbench 8 in sequence from upstream to downstream, and the workbench 8 is also provided with a star-shaped sleeve retaining rack 5, an assembly steel ball mechanism 6, a fixed section assembly steel ball mechanism 7 and a receiving tray 4 located below the discharge port of the discharge channel 31.

[0085] The star-shaped sleeve holder rack 5 includes a rack 51 for placing the star-shaped sleeve holder and a connecting member 52 provided between the rack 51 and the workbench 8. Figure 9 shown.

[0086] The steel ball assembly mechanism 6 includes a support positioning member 61 and a press-fit steel ball assembly 62. Figure 10 Thus, the star-shaped sleeve holder on the material rack 51 can be manually removed and installed into the support positioning member 61, and then the steel balls of the specified diameter that fall into the receiving tray 4 are removed and installed into the press-fit steel ball assembly 62. The press-fit steel ball assembly 62 is used to press the steel balls into the star-shaped sleeve holder to complete the assembly of the movable joint.

[0087] The fixed section assembly steel ball mechanism 7 includes a fixed section positioning base 71 and a crank assembly 72, as shown in FIG. Figure 11 Thus, the fixed section positioning base 71 is used to support the fixed section, the star-shaped sleeve holder on the material rack 51 can be manually removed, and the crank assembly 72 is inserted into the star-shaped sleeve holder, and the star-shaped sleeve holder is shaken out by rotation and the steel ball is installed to complete the assembly of the transmission shaft fixed section.

[0088] It should be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are merely used to distinguish one entity from other entities, but do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0089] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0090] The above is a detailed introduction to the automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment provided by the present invention. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above examples is only used to help understand the method and core concept of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic feeding and sorting equipment for steel balls, characterized in that: The automatic sorting device (2) comprises: Bracket (21); A main material channel (22) is formed by two guide plates (221) spaced apart and arranged opposite to each other on the bracket (21), and the feed port of the main material channel (22) is higher than the discharge port thereof. The two guide plates can be moved toward or away from each other to adjust the spacing of the main material channel (22) so as to allow steel balls of a specified diameter to slide down; A first branch channel (23) is provided on the bracket (21) and is located below the main channel (22), and a feed port of the first branch channel (23) is connected to the gap between the pair of guide plates (221) and is higher than a discharge port of the first branch channel (23), for allowing steel balls smaller than a specified diameter to slide down; A second branch channel (24) is provided on the bracket (21) and is located below the main channel (22), and the feed port of the second branch channel (24) is higher than the discharge port thereof, and is used for allowing steel balls larger than a specified diameter to slide down; The material transfer mechanism (25) is reciprocatingly arranged between the feed port of the main material channel (22) and the feed port of the second branch material channel (24), and is used to feed steel balls larger than a specified diameter into the second branch material channel (24).

2. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material moving mechanism (25) includes a vertical driver (251) and a material moving block (252). The vertical driver (251) is arranged on the bracket (21) and connected to the material moving block (252), and is used to drive the material moving block (252) to move up and down. The material moving block (252) is provided with an inclined chute, and the upper chute of the inclined chute is located directly below the feed port of the main material channel (22), and the lower chute is located on the same vertical plane as the feed port of the second branch material channel (24).

3. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide plate (221) is L-shaped, and the vertical section of the guide plate (221) and the vertical section of the guide plate (221) opposite thereto are spaced apart to form the main material channel (22), and the horizontal section of the guide plate (221) is connected to a horizontal driver (26) placed on the bracket (21).

4. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The transverse driver (26) is a cross-roller type X-axis manual displacement platform, and the transverse section of the guide plate (221) is arranged on the cross-roller type X-axis manual displacement platform via a mounting plate (261).

5. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first distribution channel (23) and the second distribution channel (24) both include a downwardly inclined upper sliding section (231) and a vertically descending lower sliding section (232); The upper sliding section (231) of the first branch channel (23) and the upper sliding section (231) of the second branch channel (24) are arranged adjacent to each other in a direction from top to bottom, and the lower sliding section (232) of the first branch channel (23) and the lower sliding section (232) of the second branch channel (24) are arranged adjacent to each other above the material box (27).

6. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: A partition (28) is provided between the upper sliding section (231) of the first branch channel (23) and the feed port of the main channel (22) to prevent the steel balls larger than the specified diameter from falling into the first branch channel (23).

7. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes an automatic feeding device (1), the automatic feeding device (1) includes a material box (11), a feeding tray (12) located in the material box (11) and a feeding driver (13), the discharge port of the material box (11) is connected to the feed port of the main material channel (22), the feeding tray is arranged at one end adjacent to the discharge port of the material box (11) and is tilted downward and is penetrated by a movable drag block (14), and the feeding driver (13) is connected to the movable drag block (14) and is used to drive the movable drag block (14) to move back and forth between the feeding tray and the discharge port of the material box (11).

8. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The invention also includes an automatic discharging device (3), wherein the automatic discharging device (3) includes a discharging channel (31), a first ball-sealing driver (32), a second ball-sealing driver (33) and a slide rail (34), wherein the feed port of the discharging channel (31) is connected to the discharge port of the main channel (22), the slide rail (34) is parallel to the discharging channel (31), the first ball-sealing driver (32) is movably arranged on the slide rail (34), the second ball-sealing driver (33) is fixed to a position of the slide rail (34) corresponding to the discharge port of the discharging channel (31), and the driving ends of the first ball-sealing driver (32) and the second ball-sealing driver (33) are both connected to a baffle (37) that can be telescopically inserted into the inside of the discharging channel (31).

9. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The driving ends of the first ball sealing driver (32) and the second ball sealing driver (33) are both connected to a material blocking optical fiber sensor (38) located above the discharge channel (31).

10. The automatic steel ball feeding and sorting equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The discharge channel (31) is provided with a full material optical fiber sensor (39) at a certain distance from its feed port.

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