Ball valve handle mounting mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a ball valve handle mounting mechanism which comprises a base, a conveying chain and a servo motor, a plurality of mounting plates are fixed on the conveying chain, each mounting plate is provided with a flexible clamp and a limiting seat, a valve body is positioned and placed in each flexible clamp, a valve rod is exposed, and the tail of a handle is positioned and placed on each limiting seat. The flexible clamp and the limiting seat are arranged on the conveying chain, and the head of the handle is aligned and assembled on the valve rod through the cooperation of the flexible clamp and the limiting seat, so that the stability of the assembling position between the valve body and the handle can be always kept through the flexible clamp and the limiting seat before the conveying chain is conveyed to an assembling station; a pair of clamping jaws of the positioning clamp are used for secondarily clamping a valve body in the flexible clamp to form an assembling station, then a nut machine clamps a nut conveyed by a nut conveying device to the assembling station, and the nut can be directly screwed on a valve rod to fix a handle, so that better assembling quality is guaranteed, and the assembling machine further has the advantages of being high in working efficiency, low in cost and the like. And the working intensity of workers is also effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to an installation mechanism, specifically a ball valve handle installation mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the assembly of ball valve handles onto valve stems using nuts is mostly done manually with a pneumatic screwdriver. This involves a worker holding the handle, placing the nut on it, and then tightening it with the pneumatic screwdriver. Because the entire assembly process is manual, it suffers from low efficiency, high workload, and inconsistent assembly quality, making it unsuitable for automated production. Meanwhile, many automated production lines now use simple and reliable chain conveyor structures for workpiece assembly. These conveyor chains are horizontally mounted on a base, and a servo motor drives the chain in a unidirectional cycle, transporting each workpiece to the assembly station. However, the aforementioned conveyor chain structure cannot be directly applied to the installation of ball valve handles. This is because the ball valve handle is an irregularly shaped component with the handle head lower than the handle tail. It is often necessary to first align the handle head with the valve stem and then keep the handle tail at a preset height and angle with the valve body. The stability of the assembly position between the valve body and the handle must be maintained until the conveyor chain reaches the assembly station. After reaching the assembly station, the valve body needs to be clamped and positioned again to prevent displacement during nut tightening, which would reduce the assembly quality. Obviously, only a specially developed installation mechanism can guarantee the effective installation of the ball valve handle. Utility Model Content

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a ball valve handle installation mechanism with high working efficiency, good assembly quality and effective reduction of workers' workload.

[0004] The technical problem of this utility model is solved by the following technical solution:

[0005] A ball valve handle mounting mechanism includes a base and a conveyor chain horizontally mounted on the base. The conveyor chain is driven by a servo motor to move unidirectionally in a cyclic manner. Multiple mounting plates are fixed on the conveyor chain, and each mounting plate is provided with a flexible clamp and a limiting seat. The valve body is positioned inside the flexible clamp and the valve stem is exposed. The tail of the handle is positioned on the limiting seat, and the flexible clamp and the limiting seat work together to align the head of the handle with the valve stem for assembly. A positioning clamp, a nut conveying device, and a nut-making machine are provided on one side of the conveyor chain. The positioning clamp holds the valve body inside the flexible clamp through a pair of jaws to form an assembly station. The nut-making machine clamps the nut conveyed by the nut conveying device to the assembly station and tightens it onto the valve stem to fix the handle.

[0006] A photoelectric sensor is provided on one side of the conveyor chain. The photoelectric sensor is connected to the servo motor signal. When the photoelectric sensor detects that the mounting plate has reached the assembly station, it sends a pause signal to the servo motor and controls a pair of grippers of the positioning fixture to enter the clamping position synchronously.

[0007] The pair of grippers are controlled by photoelectric sensors. After the servo motor stops, they move horizontally back and forth. When the mounting plate reaches the assembly station, the pair of grippers move horizontally forward to both sides of the valve stem and move closer to each other to clamp the valve body or move further apart to release the valve body.

[0008] The flexible clamp contains multiple arrayed flexible columns, each made of elastic material. When the valve body is placed, some of the flexible columns are compressed to deform and support the valve body, while the remaining flexible columns wrap around the valve body with elastic force, thus working together to form a positioning and placement.

[0009] The limiting seat includes a base rod fixed on the mounting plate and a height-adjustable support fork mounted on the base rod. The handle tail is positioned inside the support fork, and the handle tail is kept at a preset height and angle with the valve body inside the flexible clamp by adjusting the height of the support fork.

[0010] The fork is equipped with a magnetic block, which attracts the tail of the handle to form a positioning position.

[0011] The conveyor chain has a unidirectional circular movement trajectory that is elongated oval. There are guard plates on both sides of the conveyor chain, and the outer circumferential surface of each guard plate is the same as the movement trajectory of the conveyor chain.

[0012] Each mounting plate is provided with rollers on both sides. The rollers contact the outer circumferential surface of the guard plate, and each mounting plate is driven by a conveyor chain to drive the rollers to roll along the outer circumferential surface of the guard plate.

[0013] The nut-making machine includes a frame and a working head mounted on the frame and located above the conveyor chain. The working head can move vertically and reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the conveyor chain.

[0014] The nut conveying device includes a vibratory feeder and a conveying track. The input end of the conveying track is connected to the vibratory feeder, and the output end extends to the assembly station and cooperates with the clamping of the nut machine.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, this utility model mainly features multiple mounting plates fixed on a conveyor chain. Each mounting plate is equipped with a flexible clamp and a limiting seat. The valve body is positioned inside the flexible clamp, with the valve stem exposed. The tail of the handle is positioned on the limiting seat. The flexible clamp and the limiting seat work together to align the handle head with the valve stem for assembly. Therefore, by using the flexible clamp and the limiting seat, the stability of the assembly position between the valve body and the handle can be maintained until the conveyor chain reaches the assembly station. Furthermore, a positioning clamp, a nut conveying device, and a nut-making machine are provided on one side of the conveyor chain. The valve body inside the flexible clamp is held by a pair of jaws of the positioning clamp to form the assembly station. In other words, the valve body is clamped and positioned twice by the positioning clamp. Then, the nut-making machine clamps the nut conveyed by the nut conveying device to the assembly station and can directly tighten it onto the valve stem to fix the handle. This effectively avoids displacement during nut tightening, which would reduce the assembly quality. Therefore, the improved structure has higher work efficiency and effectively reduces the workload of workers. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Top view.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The right view.

[0019] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional image.

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged view of point A.

[0021] Figure 6 This is an enlarged view of the assembly station.

[0022] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure when the handle is removed.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible clamp and limit seat on the mounting plate.

[0024] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the assembled ball valve. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] like Figures 1-9As shown, 1. Base, 11. Adjustable feet, 2. Conveyor chain, 21. Guard plate, 22. Servo motor, 23. Sprocket, 3. Mounting plate, 31. Roller, 4. Flexible clamp, 41. Flexible column, 5. Limit seat, 51. Base rod, 52. Support fork, 521. Magnetic block, 53. Locking screw, 6. Nut conveying device, 61. Vibratory plate, 62. Conveyor track, 7. Nut machine, 71. Frame, 72. Working head, 73. Horizontal guide rail, 74. Vertical guide rail, 8. Positioning clamp, 81. Gripper, 91. Valve body, 92. Handle, 93. Valve stem, 94. Nut, 10. Photoelectric sensor.

[0027] Ball valve handle mounting mechanism, such as Figure 1 As shown, it is a production equipment that can automatically assemble the handle 92 and valve body 91 of a ball valve. Specifically, after assembling the handle head and valve stem 93 into place, the installation mechanism can be used to quickly tighten the fixing nut 94 in an automated production line.

[0028] The installation mechanism consists of a base 1 and a conveyor chain 2 horizontally mounted on the base. The base 1 is a rectangular frame structure that is directly mounted on the working ground via adjustable feet 11 and serves as the mounting base for other components of the installation mechanism.

[0029] The conveyor chain 2 is connected by a pair of sprockets 23 that are parallel to each other on the top of the base 1. It can move in one direction in a cycle by being driven by a servo motor 22 at the end of the conveyor chain. Multiple mounting plates 3 are fixed at equal intervals on the conveyor chain 2. The multiple mounting plates also move in one direction in a cycle with the movement of the conveyor chain 2. Each mounting plate 3 is provided with a flexible clamp 4 and a limiting seat 5.

[0030] The flexible clamp 4 positions and places the valve body 92, exposing the valve stem 93. The tail of the handle is positioned and placed on the limiting seat 5. The flexible clamp 4 and the limiting seat 5 work together to align the head of the handle and assemble it on the valve stem 93. The placement process of the valve body 91 and the handle 92 can be achieved manually.

[0031] The flexible clamp 4 is rectangular in shape and contains multiple flexible columns 41 arranged in a rectangular array. Each flexible column is made of elastic material. When the valve body 91 is placed, some of the flexible columns 41 are compressed to deform and support the valve body. The remaining flexible columns 41 wrap the valve body 91 with elastic force, and thus work together to position the valve body 91. The flexible clamp 4 with this structure can be adjusted according to various sizes and shapes of the valve body 91, so the product has a wider range of applications.

[0032] The limiting seat 5 includes a base rod 51 vertically fixed on the mounting plate 3 and a height-adjustable support fork 52 mounted on the base rod. Various adjustable structures can be selected; for example, in this embodiment… Figure 8The simplest adjustment structure is shown, in which a locking screw 53 is provided on the base rod 51. The inner end of the locking screw passes through the base rod 51 and contacts the support fork 52. Simply loosen the locking screw 53 to adjust the support fork 52 from the top of the base rod 51 to a suitable height, and then tighten the locking screw 53 again to lock the use height of the support fork. Therefore, this adjustment structure is quite convenient to use. In particular, when the handle tail is positioned inside the support fork 52, the handle tail can be kept at a preset height and angle with the valve body 91 in the flexible clamp 4 by adjusting the height of the support fork, which facilitates the precise assembly of the nut 94 later.

[0033] Furthermore, the top of the fork 52 is U-shaped, and a slot is provided at the opening of the U-shape for the magnetic block 521 to be inserted and fixed. Therefore, the magnetic block can be used to attract and fix the tail of the handle to form a positioning.

[0034] Meanwhile, the unidirectional circular movement trajectory of the conveyor chain 2 is oblong, and guard plates 21 are provided on both sides of the conveyor chain 2. The outer circumferential surface of each guard plate is the same as the movement trajectory of the conveyor chain 2. Thus, each mounting plate 3 can be provided with rollers 31 on both sides, and the rollers on both sides can contact the outer circumferential surface of the guard plates 21 respectively. When each mounting plate 3 is driven by the conveyor chain 2, the rollers 31 will be driven to roll along the outer circumferential surface of the guard plate 21 to form auxiliary rolling. The purpose is to enable the conveyor chain 3 to drive the mounting plate 3 and its related components to run smoothly with less effort.

[0035] Then, a positioning fixture 8, a nut conveying device 6 and a nut machine 7 are also provided on one side of the conveying chain 2. In this embodiment, the positioning fixture 8 and the nut conveying device 6 are respectively set on both sides of the conveying chain 2. The positioning fixture 8 forms an assembly station by clamping the valve body 91 in the flexible fixture 4 with a pair of jaws 81. That is, the valve body 91 is clamped and positioned for the second time by the pair of jaws 81 of the positioning fixture 8.

[0036] The nut conveying device 6 includes a vibratory plate 61 and a conveying track 62. The vibratory plate is used to vibrate and sort a large number of nuts. The input end of the conveying track 62 is connected to the vibratory plate 61, and the output end extends to the assembly station and is provided with a positioning structure to prevent the conveyed nuts from falling off the output end. The nuts conveyed to the output end will be clamped and assembled with the nut machine 7. That is, the nut machine 7 clamps the nuts 94 conveyed by the nut conveying device 6 to the assembly station and tightens them on the valve stem 93 to fix the handle 92.

[0037] The nut-making machine 7 includes a frame 71 and a working head 72. The frame is a portal frame spanning above the conveyor chain 2, and the working head 72 is mounted on the frame 71, also positioned above the conveyor chain 2. The working head 72 moves vertically via a vertical guide rail 74 and then reciprocates along a horizontal guide rail 73 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor chain 2. In other words, the working head 72 on the frame 71 can move vertically and horizontally as follows: Figure 3 The arrows indicate the reciprocating linear movement along the X and Y axes, thereby enabling the clamping and rotational tightening of the nut 94. The horizontal guide rail can also be used directly as the top crossbeam of the frame 71.

[0038] A photoelectric sensor 10 is provided on one side of the conveyor chain 2. The photoelectric sensor is usually installed adjacent to the output end of the conveyor track 62 and is connected to the servo motor 22. When the photoelectric sensor 10 detects that the mounting plate 3 has arrived at the assembly station, in this embodiment, the mounting plate 3 at the assembly station is located directly below the working head 72 of the nut machine 7. It will then send a pause signal to the servo motor 22 and control the pair of jaws 81 of the positioning fixture 8 to enter the clamping position synchronously. For example, the pair of jaws can be driven by a cylinder or electric screw to form a clamping position, so as to ensure the correct position of the valve stem 93 and facilitate the subsequent operation of the nut machine 7.

[0039] After the nut 94 is tightened and fixed, the photoelectric sensor 10 controls the pair of grippers 81 of the positioning fixture 8 to release and reset, and then the servo motor 22 is restarted so that the conveyor chain 2 sends the assembled ball valve out of the assembly station. After the assembled ball valve runs to the end of the conveyor chain, the mounting plate 3 tilts down as it runs down with the conveyor chain 21. Therefore, the assembled ball valve can automatically fall into the material box placed at the end of the conveyor chain for collection by gravity. It can also be directly connected to the production line conveyor belt for subsequent packaging and other operations. The next ball valve then enters the assembly station. This cycle is repeated to complete the assembly of the ball valve on each mounting plate.

[0040] Therefore, the pair of grippers 81 are controlled by the photoelectric sensor 10 and can move horizontally back and forth after the servo motor 22 stops. Specifically, when the mounting plate 3 reaches the assembly station, the pair of grippers 81 move horizontally forward to both sides of the valve stem 93 and then move closer to each other to clamp the valve body 91 to complete the secondary positioning. This can stably cooperate with the subsequent tightening operation of the nut machine 7 clamping the nut 94. After the nut is tightened, the pair of grippers 81 move away from each other to release the valve body 91, and then move horizontally backward to reset, so as to prevent the servo motor 22 from interfering with the operation of subsequent processes after restarting.

[0041] This invention ensures the accuracy of the placement of the valve body 91 and handle 92 by using the flexible clamp 4, the limiting seat 5, and the secondary clamping and positioning of the positioning clamp 8. It also effectively avoids displacement during the tightening of the nut 94, which would reduce the assembly quality. Furthermore, the photoelectric sensor 10 monitors and pauses or restarts the conveyor chain 21 to facilitate the subsequent automated clamping and tightening of the nut 94. This enables the rapid assembly of each ball valve on each mounting plate 3. Therefore, the improved structure has higher work efficiency and effectively reduces the workload of workers.

[0042] The basic principles and main features of this utility model have been described above. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the utility model as claimed. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A ball valve handle mounting mechanism, comprising a base (1) and a conveyor chain (2) horizontally mounted on the base, the conveyor chain being driven by a servo motor (22) to perform unidirectional cyclic movement, characterized in that: The conveyor chain (2) is fixed with multiple mounting plates (3), each mounting plate is provided with a flexible clamp (4) and a limiting seat (5). The valve body (91) is positioned inside the flexible clamp (4) and the valve stem (93) is exposed. The handle tail is positioned on the limiting seat (5), and the flexible clamp (4) and the limiting seat (5) work together to align the handle head with the valve stem (93) for assembly. The conveyor chain (2) is provided with a positioning clamp (8), a nut conveying device (6) and a nut machine (7) on one side. The positioning clamp (8) clamps the valve body (91) in the flexible clamp (4) with a pair of jaws (81) to form an assembly station. The nut machine (7) clamps the nut (94) conveyed by the nut conveying device (6) to the assembly station and tightens it on the valve stem (93) to fix the handle (92).

2. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein A photoelectric sensor (10) is provided on one side of the conveyor chain (2). The photoelectric sensor is connected to the servo motor (22) by signal. When the photoelectric sensor (10) detects that the mounting plate (3) has reached the assembly station, it sends a pause signal to the servo motor (22) and controls a pair of grippers (81) of the positioning fixture (8) to enter the clamping position synchronously.

3. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 2, wherein The pair of grippers (81) are controlled by photoelectric sensor (10). After the servo motor (22) stops, they move horizontally back and forth. When the mounting plate (3) reaches the assembly station, the pair of grippers (81) move horizontally forward to both sides of the valve stem (93) and move closer to each other to clamp the valve body (91) or move further apart to release the valve body (91).

4. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein The flexible clamp (4) is provided with multiple arrayed flexible columns (41). Each flexible column is made of elastic material. When the valve body (91) is placed, some of the flexible columns are compressed to deform and support the valve body. The remaining flexible columns wrap the valve body with elastic force, and thus work together to form a positioning and placement.

5. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein The limiting seat (5) includes a base rod (51) fixed on the mounting plate (3) and a height-adjustable support fork (52) mounted on the base rod. The handle tail is positioned inside the support fork (52), and the handle tail is kept at a preset height and angle with the valve body (91) in the flexible clamp (4) by adjusting the height of the support fork.

6. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 5, wherein The fork (52) is equipped with a magnetic block (521), which attracts the tail of the handle to form a positioning position.

7. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein The unidirectional circular movement trajectory of the conveyor chain (2) is oblong. The two sides of the conveyor chain (2) are respectively provided with guard plates (21), and the outer circumferential surface of each guard plate is the same as the movement trajectory of the conveyor chain (2).

8. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 7, wherein Each mounting plate (3) is provided with rollers (31) on both sides. The rollers contact the outer circumferential surface of the guard plate (21), and each mounting plate (3) is driven by the conveyor chain (2) to drive the rollers (31) to form auxiliary rolling along the outer circumferential surface of the guard plate (21).

9. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein The nut machine (7) includes a frame (71) and a working head (72) mounted on the frame and located above the conveyor chain (2), the working head forming a lifting movement and a reciprocating translation along a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the conveyor chain (2).

10. The ball valve handle mounting mechanism of claim 1, wherein The nut conveying device (6) includes a vibratory plate (61) and a conveying track (62). The input end of the conveying track is connected to the vibratory plate (61), and the output end extends to the assembly station and cooperates with the clamping of the nut machine (7).

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