Automatic clamping ring feeding device

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic snap ring feeding device, which relates to the technical field of snap ring assembly, and comprises a base, a safety door assembly and a stock bin assembly.The automatic snap ring feeding device remarkably reduces manual intervention, shortens single circulation time, improves production efficiency and reduces production cost through full-automatic feeding process, jacking, clamping, transferring and releasing. A clamping ring limiting structure is arranged in a material storage channel, it is ensured that the opening direction of each clamping ring is consistent, the strict angle requirement of the press-fitting technology is met, a second layer of clamping rings are clamped through a material limiting clamping jaw, excessive taking or adhesion during jacking is prevented, a material bin rotating disc precisely rotates by 60 degrees each time, the repeated precision of the material taking position is ensured, and the material taking efficiency is improved. And finally, manual operation is allowed only by triggering a signal after the movable protective door is closed, the mistaken touch risk is avoided, the safety door assembly is separated from the stock bin assembly, manual feeding safety is guaranteed, the stock bin assembly and the press-fitting machine are independent, independent maintenance can be conducted when faults occur, and the downtime is shortened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of snap ring assembly technology, specifically to an automatic snap ring feeding device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy vehicle motors and the accelerated pace of trial production and verification, higher requirements are being placed on circlip assembly. Currently, most assembly tools are prone to interference with the motor housing, thus requiring specially designed circlip assembly fixtures. However, due to limited installation space and the laborious manual clamping, traditional methods are inefficient. Various domestic equipment manufacturers have successively developed automatic circlip assembly machines, many of which integrate the circlip hopper with the circlip press-fitting machine. These machines typically use a cutting method for circlip material handling, leading to a high rate of jamming failures. Furthermore, circlip assembly requires specific circlip opening directions; if the circlip hopper malfunctions, the circlip press-fitting assembly is forced to stop. Therefore, an automatic circlip feeding device is urgently needed to solve these technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic feeding device for retaining rings to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: an automatic feeding device for retaining rings, comprising a base at the bottom, a safety door assembly fixedly connected to one side of the base, and a hopper assembly fixedly installed on the top of the base. The safety door assembly includes: a safety door frame vertically fixed on the base; a movable protective door connected to the lower part of the safety door frame via a sliding connector; a movable protective door cylinder at the upper part of the movable protective door; the cylinder body of the movable protective door cylinder fixed on the safety door frame; a piston connected to the movable protective door; and a movable protective door cylinder fixed at the closing termination position of the movable protective door on the safety door frame. The protective door closing switch, the hopper assembly includes: a hopper support plate fixed to the top of the base, a hopper turntable at the center of the top of the hopper support plate, a hopper frame fixed to one side of the top, a buffer platform fixed to the other side, a lifting and top material device fixed to the bottom, a hopper turntable on the hopper turntable, a storage channel evenly fixed circumferentially on the hopper turntable, the top surface of the storage channel being higher than the top surface of the hopper turntable, a retaining ring limiting structure inside the storage channel, a limiting gripper device fixed to the lower part of the hopper frame, a transverse slide fixed to the upper part, and a lifting slide device fixed to the transverse slide device.

[0005] Furthermore, the lifting and material-raising device includes: a vertically arranged material-raising rod and a material-raising cylinder, wherein the material-raising rod is located directly below the material storage channel.

[0006] Furthermore, the material limiting gripper device includes a material limiting gripper and a material limiting gripper cylinder. The closed position of the material limiting gripper is located on the side of the material storage channel, and its clamping surface is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the retaining rings of the material storage channel.

[0007] Furthermore, the transverse sliding table device includes: a transverse sliding table body horizontally fixed on the upper part of the silo frame, a transverse sliding block slidably connected to the transverse sliding table body via a transverse sliding cylinder, and a transverse sliding mounting plate fixed on the transverse sliding block.

[0008] Furthermore, the lifting slide device includes a lifting cylinder vertically fixed below the transverse mounting plate, a material-picking claw fixed below the lifting cylinder, and a material-picking claw cylinder provided on the side of the material-picking claw.

[0009] Preferably, the gripping surface of the material handling claw is provided with anti-slip texture.

[0010] Preferably, the top surface of the buffer platform is higher than the top surface of the storage channel, and the horizontal position of the buffer platform is aligned with the end point of one side of the moving path of the transverse slide.

[0011] Preferably, the top of the movable protective door cylinder is provided with a cable chain.

[0012] Preferably, the hopper turntable is equipped with a gear transmission mechanism inside, which drives the hopper turntable to rotate 60° each time.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This utility model significantly reduces manual intervention and shortens the single cycle time by using a fully automated material feeding process, including lifting, clamping, transferring, and releasing. It also improves production efficiency. Furthermore, the built-in retaining ring limiting structure in the material storage channel ensures that the opening direction of each retaining ring is consistent, meeting the strict angle requirements of the pressing process. The material limiting claws hold the second layer of retaining rings to prevent multiple picking or sticking during lifting. The material hopper turntable rotates precisely 60° each time to ensure the repeatability of the picking position. Finally, manual operation is only allowed after the movable protective door closes and a trigger signal is activated, avoiding the risk of accidental activation. The safety door assembly is separated from the material hopper assembly to ensure the safety of manual material feeding. The material hopper assembly is independent of the pressing machine and can be repaired separately in case of failure, reducing downtime. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the security door assembly structure of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a front view of the hopper assembly of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the hopper assembly structure of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the transverse sliding table and lifting sliding table device of this utility model;

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Base; 2. Safety door assembly; 3. Hopper assembly; 201. Safety door frame; 202. Moving protective door; 203. Manually pulled door; 204. Moving protective door cylinder; 205. Moving protective door closing switch; 206. Cable chain; 301. Hopper support plate; 302. Hopper turntable; 303. Hopper frame; 304. Buffer platform; 305. Lifting and top-loading device; 306. Hopper turntable; 307. Storage channel; 308. Material limiting gripper device; 309. Horizontal slide; 310. Lifting slide device; 3091. Horizontal slide body; 3092. Horizontal cylinder; 3093. Horizontal slider; 3094. Horizontal mounting plate; 3101. Lifting cylinder; 3102. Material picking gripper; 3103. Material picking gripper cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this utility model, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 1-5This utility model provides an automatic feeding device for retaining rings, including a base 1 at the bottom, a safety door assembly 2 fixedly connected to one side of the base 1, and a hopper assembly 3 fixedly installed on the top of the base 1. The safety door assembly 2 includes: a safety door frame 201 vertically fixed on the base 1; a movable protective door 202 connected to the lower part of the safety door frame 201 via a sliding connector; a manually operated lifting door 203 hinged to the upper part; a movable protective door cylinder 204 provided on the upper part of the movable protective door 202; the cylinder body of the movable protective door cylinder 204 fixed on the safety door frame 201; the piston part connected to the movable protective door 202; and a movable protective door closing switch 205 fixed at the closing termination position of the movable protective door 202 on the safety door frame 201. The hopper assembly 3 includes: a hopper support plate 301 fixed to the top of the base 1; a hopper turntable 302 at the center of the top of the hopper support plate 301; a hopper frame 303 fixed to one side of the top; a buffer platform 304 fixed to the other side; a lifting and top material device 305 fixed to the bottom; a hopper turntable 306 on the hopper turntable 302; storage channels 307 evenly fixed circumferentially on the hopper turntable 306; the top surface of the storage channels 307 being higher than the top surface of the hopper turntable 306; a retaining ring limiting structure inside the storage channels 307; a limiting gripper device 308 fixed to the lower part of the hopper frame 303; a transverse slide 309 fixed to the upper part; and a lifting slide device 310 fixed to the transverse slide 309.

[0022] The base 1 supports the entire device, providing stability. The safety door assembly 2 drives the opening and closing of the moving protective door 204 through the moving protective door cylinder 203. Combined with the signal of the moving protective door closing switch 204, a safety interlock is achieved to prevent misoperation. The retaining ring limiting structure of the material storage channel 307 ensures the consistency of the retaining ring opening direction. The material hopper turntable 306 rotates 60° through gear transmission to achieve precise positioning of multiple stations. The buffer platform 304 receives the transferred retaining rings and provides temporary storage for subsequent pressing processes. The multi-station turntable and the material storage channel work together to achieve continuous material supply. The retaining ring limiting and indexing rotation ensure angular consistency and position repeatability accuracy.

[0023] The lifting and material-raising device 305 includes: a vertically arranged material-raising rod and a material-raising cylinder, wherein the material-raising rod is located directly below the material storage channel 307.

[0024] The top material lifting rod vertically lifts the retaining ring to the material picking height, ensuring that the grippers can accurately pick up the material. The lifting action only acts on the bottom retaining ring to avoid picking up the material along with it and to prevent sticking. The top material cylinder provides stable power to push the top rod to complete the lifting action.

[0025] The material limiting gripper device 308 includes a material limiting gripper and a material limiting gripper cylinder. The closed position of the material limiting gripper is located on the side of the material storage channel 307, and its clamping surface is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the retaining rings of the material storage channel 307.

[0026] Among them, the limiting gripper holds the second layer of retaining ring in the material storage channel 307 to prevent the upper retaining ring from being pushed out during the lifting process. Through physical limiting, it ensures that only one retaining ring is taken at a time, and the vertical design of the clamping surface avoids the stacking and misalignment of the retaining rings.

[0027] The transverse slide 309 includes: a transverse slide body 3091 horizontally fixed on the upper part of the hopper frame 303, a transverse slide block 3093 slidably connected to the transverse slide body 3091 via a transverse cylinder 3092, and a transverse mounting plate 3094 fixed on the transverse slide block 3093.

[0028] Among them, the transverse cylinder 3092 drives the transverse slider 3093 to move horizontally, which in turn moves the material picker 3102 from the storage channel 307 to the buffer platform 304. The transverse slide body 3091 provides precise guidance to ensure the straightness of the transfer path. The slide structure ensures that the transfer endpoint is aligned with the buffer platform 304.

[0029] The lifting slide device 310 includes a lifting cylinder 3101 vertically fixed below the transverse mounting plate 3094, a material picking claw 3102 fixed below the lifting cylinder 3101, and a material picking claw cylinder 3103 provided on the side of the material picking claw 3102.

[0030] The lifting cylinder 3101 drives the picking claw 3102 to rise and fall vertically. The picking claw 3102 is controlled by the picking claw cylinder 3103 to clamp and release, ensuring stable transfer of the circlip. The lifting cylinder 3101 controls the picking claw 3102 to fall to the surface of the buffer platform 304 to avoid the circlip falling off and deviating.

[0031] The material handling gripper 3102 has anti-slip texture on its gripping surface, which increases the friction of the gripping surface, prevents the retaining ring from slipping, and reduces the failure rate of gripping, especially when the material is being transferred at high speed.

[0032] The top surface of the buffer platform 304 is higher than the top surface of the storage channel 307, and the horizontal position of the buffer platform 304 is aligned with the end point of one side of the moving path of the transverse slide 309.

[0033] The height difference design ensures that the retaining ring falls freely onto the buffer platform without interference, and the transfer endpoint matches the position of the buffer platform to avoid the retaining ring shifting.

[0034] The top of the movable protective door cylinder 204 is equipped with a drag chain 206 for installing the air pipe and switch cable of the movable protective door cylinder 204.

[0035] The hopper turntable 302 is equipped with a gear transmission mechanism, which drives the hopper turntable 306 to rotate 60° each time. The gear transmission ensures that the turntable is accurately indexed, so that the material storage channel 304 is aligned with the material picking position each time.

[0036] When using this utility model, the movable protective door 202 first closes horizontally under the drive of the movable protective door cylinder 204, triggering the movable protective door closing switch 205 signal to confirm the safe protective state. The operator manually lifts the manual lifting door 203 of the safety door assembly 2, and vertically inserts the retaining rings one by one into the storage channel 307. The retaining ring limiting structure in the storage channel 307 automatically corrects the opening direction of the retaining rings to ensure consistent angles. After the material is loaded, the lifting door is manually closed, and the movable protective door cylinder 204 drives the movable protective door 202 to reset, preparing to enter the automatic feeding process. The gear transmission mechanism inside the hopper turntable 302 is activated, driving the hopper turntable 306 to rotate precisely 60°, so that the current storage channel 307 is aligned with the position directly below the picking claw 3102. The efficient indexing design of the gear transmission ensures that the stopping position of the storage channel 307 is consistent after each rotation, which is conducive to subsequent... The material handling mechanism provides a foundation for material handling. The lifting cylinder of the top-loading device 305 is activated, pushing the top rod vertically upwards. This lifts the bottommost retaining ring of the storage channel 307 to the material handling height. The grippers of the limiting gripper device 308 close, clamping the second retaining ring from top to bottom in the storage channel 307 to prevent the upper retaining ring from moving during lifting. The material handling gripper 3102 closes under the drive of the material handling gripper cylinder 3103, clamping the material lifted to its highest position. The anti-slip texture on the surface of the retaining ring and gripper increases friction and prevents the retaining ring from slipping off. The transverse cylinder 3092 of the transverse slide 309 pushes the transverse slider 3093, which drives the transverse mounting plate 3094 and the lifting slide device 310 to move horizontally above the buffer platform 304. The lifting cylinder 3101 drives the picking gripper 3102 to descend to the surface of the buffer platform 304. The picking gripper 3102 opens, and the retaining ring falls freely onto the buffer platform 304. The top surface of the buffer platform 304 is higher than the storage channel 307 to ensure that the retaining ring is dropped without interference. The lifting cylinder 3101 retracts, and the picking gripper 3102 rises to the initial height. The transverse cylinder 3092 drives the transverse slide 309 back above the storage channel 307. The limiting gripper device 308 is released, the lifting top device 305 is reset, and the hopper turntable 306 rotates 60° again, and the next storage channel 307 enters the picking station.

[0037] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that all other embodiments obtained by making various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention and without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A snap ring auto feeder, characterized by, The device includes a base (1) at the bottom, a safety door assembly (2) fixedly connected to one side of the base (1), and a hopper assembly (3) fixedly installed on the top of the base (1). The safety door assembly (2) includes: a safety door frame (201) vertically fixed on the base (1); a movable protective door (202) connected to the lower part of the safety door frame (201) via a sliding connector; a manually operated lifting door (203) hinged to the upper part; a movable protective door cylinder (204) provided on the upper part of the movable protective door (202); the cylinder body of the movable protective door cylinder (204) fixed on the safety door frame (201); the piston part connected to the movable protective door (202); and a movable protective door closing switch (205) fixed at the closing termination position of the movable protective door (202) on the safety door frame (201). The hopper assembly (3) The system includes: a hopper support plate (301) fixed to the top of the base (1); a hopper turntable (302) at the center of the top of the hopper support plate (301); a hopper frame (303) fixed to one side of the top; a buffer platform (304) fixed to the other side; a lifting and top material device (305) fixed to the bottom; a hopper turntable (306) on the hopper turntable (302); a storage channel (307) evenly fixed around the hopper turntable (306); the top surface of the storage channel (307) being higher than the top surface of the hopper turntable (306); a retaining ring limiting structure inside the storage channel (307); a limiting clamping claw device (308) fixed to the lower part of the hopper frame (303); a transverse slide (309) fixed to the upper part; and a lifting slide device (310) fixed to the transverse slide (309).

2. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 1, wherein The lifting and material-raising device (305) includes: a vertically arranged material-raising rod and a material-raising cylinder, wherein the material-raising rod is located directly below the material storage channel (307).

3. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 2, wherein The limiting gripper device (308) includes a limiting gripper and a limiting gripper cylinder. The closed position of the limiting gripper is located on the side of the storage channel (307), and its clamping surface is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the retaining rings of the storage channel (307).

4. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 3, wherein The transverse slide (309) includes: a transverse slide body (3091) horizontally fixed on the upper part of the hopper frame (303), a transverse slide block (3093) slidably connected to the transverse slide body (3091) via a transverse cylinder (3092), and a transverse mounting plate (3094) fixed on the transverse slide block (3093).

5. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 4, wherein The lifting slide device (310) includes a lifting cylinder (3101) vertically fixed below the transverse mounting plate (3094), a material picking claw (3102) fixed below the lifting cylinder (3101), and a material picking claw cylinder (3103) provided on the side of the material picking claw (3102).

6. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 5, wherein The gripping surface of the material handling claw (3102) is provided with anti-slip texture.

7. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 6, wherein The top surface of the buffer platform (304) is higher than the top surface of the storage channel (307), and the horizontal position of the buffer platform (304) is aligned with the end point of the moving path of the transverse slide (309).

8. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 7, wherein The top of the movable protective door cylinder (204) is equipped with a drag chain (206).

9. The clasp automatic feeder according to claim 8, wherein The hopper turntable (302) is equipped with a gear transmission mechanism inside, which drives the hopper turntable (306) to rotate 60° each time.

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