A feeding mechanism and a cylindrical workpiece processing equipment

Abstract

This application discloses a feeding mechanism for feeding cylindrical workpieces to processing equipment. It includes a fixedly mounted conveying mechanism, a separating mechanism mounted on the conveying mechanism for separating and feeding the cylindrical workpieces to the conveying mechanism, and a loading mechanism. The conveying mechanism includes a conveyor line and a mounting base mounted on the conveyor line. The loading mechanism is detachably mounted on the mounting base, which isolates the conveyor line and the loading mechanism, allowing the loading mechanism to be disassembled during operation of the conveying mechanism. This application also discloses a cylindrical workpiece processing equipment including a feeding mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a feeding mechanism, and more particularly to a feeding mechanism and a cylindrical workpiece processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the automated assembly or injection molding process of cylindrical workpieces (such as pins), a feeding mechanism is typically required to feed these workpieces one by one and in an orderly manner to the processing equipment. However, most existing cylindrical workpiece feeding equipment uses vibratory feeders, which have several technical drawbacks:

[0003] First, for long cylindrical workpieces, the vibratory feeder needs to be designed to be correspondingly large, resulting in a large overall machine footprint, complex equipment structure, and high operating noise, which is not conducive to building an efficient and low-noise operating environment. Second, if the cylindrical workpieces are already arranged in a uniform direction during the incoming material stage, re-screening by the vibratory feeder may lead to screening errors, affecting the feeding accuracy. Third, vibratory feeders are usually designed for specific dimensions. If the length of the cylindrical workpiece changes, a new vibratory feeder needs to be customized, resulting in high manufacturing and debugging costs, poor flexibility, and being unfavorable for rapid changeover production needs. In addition, most existing feeding mechanisms are integral structures, and the hopper or feeding components cannot be disassembled independently, which means that loading or changing operations can only be completed when the equipment is stopped, affecting production cycle and equipment utilization. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a feeding mechanism that can adapt to the feeding needs of cylindrical workpieces of different sizes, and its feeding mechanism can be quickly disassembled and replaced without affecting the normal operation of the conveying mechanism, thereby realizing non-stop loading operation.

[0005] This utility model provides a feeding mechanism for feeding cylindrical workpieces to processing equipment. It includes a fixedly mounted conveying mechanism, a separating mechanism mounted on the conveying mechanism for separating and feeding the cylindrical workpieces to the conveying mechanism, and a loading mechanism. The conveying mechanism includes a conveyor line and a mounting base mounted on the conveyor line. The loading mechanism is detachably mounted on the mounting base, which isolates the conveyor line from the loading mechanism, allowing the loading mechanism to be disassembled during operation of the conveying mechanism.

[0006] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism includes a hopper for accommodating the cylindrical workpiece and a baffle plate movably mounted on one side of the hopper. The hopper has a discharge port on one side of the baffle plate, and the bottom of the hopper has an inclined dropping surface for guiding the cylindrical workpiece to slide along the dropping surface to the discharge port and then slide from the discharge port to the distributing mechanism.

[0007] In one embodiment, the material distribution mechanism includes a material distribution plate for accommodating and separating cylindrical workpieces, a protective member disposed on the outer circumference of the material distribution plate for preventing the cylindrical workpieces from falling out, and a drive assembly, the drive assembly being driven to rotate the material distribution plate to transport the cylindrical workpieces to the conveying mechanism.

[0008] In one embodiment, the material distribution plate has multiple material slots for accommodating single cylindrical workpieces. The multiple material slots are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the material distribution plate to sequentially separate the cylindrical workpieces during the rotation of the material distribution plate.

[0009] In one embodiment, the material distribution mechanism further includes a first detection device disposed on both sides of the material distribution plate. The first detection device is electrically connected to the conveyor line and is used to detect the state of both ends of the cylindrical workpiece entering the conveyor line. After the first detection device detects both ends of the cylindrical workpiece at the same time, it controls the conveyor mechanism to continue to operate.

[0010] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism further includes a fixture disposed on the conveyor line. The fixture includes a base plate mounted on the conveyor line, support members disposed at both ends of the base plate, and an adsorption member disposed at the end of the support member away from the base plate. The adsorption member is used to adsorb the columnar workpiece during the conveying process to prevent the columnar workpiece from falling off the conveyor line.

[0011] In one embodiment, the support member has a positioning groove for positioning the columnar workpiece at one end away from the base plate, and the adsorption member is installed at the bottom of the positioning groove to adsorb and confine the columnar workpiece within the fixture when it falls into the positioning groove.

[0012] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism further includes a baffle that can move relative to the hopper. The baffle is movably disposed on the top of the hopper for adjusting the inlet size of the hopper to accommodate cylindrical workpieces of different lengths.

[0013] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism further includes a second detection device disposed on the conveyor line. The second detection device is electrically connected to the dispensing mechanism and is used to detect whether there is a columnar workpiece in the fixture. When the columnar workpiece is detected to be in place, the feeding action of the dispensing mechanism is stopped to avoid repeated feeding.

[0014] This utility model also provides a cylindrical workpiece processing device, including the feeding mechanism described in the above embodiment.

[0015] The present invention provides a feeding mechanism that, by detachably installing the feeding mechanism on the mounting base of the conveying mechanism, enables the feeding mechanism to be quickly disassembled and replaced during the operation of the conveying mechanism, realizing non-stop feeding operation, improving the continuous operation capability of the equipment, reducing downtime, and improving production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism provided in a preferred embodiment of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism provided in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the material distribution mechanism provided in a preferred embodiment of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fixture provided in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure label:

[0022] 1. Conveying mechanism; 2. Material distribution mechanism; 3. Feeding mechanism; 4. Fixture; 5. Second detection device; 11. Conveyor line; 12. Mounting base; 21. Material distribution plate; 22. Material trough; 23. Protective component; 24. Drive assembly; 25. First detection device; 31. Hopper; 32. Baffle plate; 33. Discharge port; 34. Baffle; 41. Base plate; 42. Support component. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The specific embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the description of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0024] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," and "connect," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0025] The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are used only for the convenience of description and simplification, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0026] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used merely to distinguish elements with similar properties, not to indicate or imply relative importance or a specific order.

[0027] The terms “include,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, which includes not only the elements listed but also other elements not expressly listed.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 1 The present invention provides a feeding mechanism for feeding cylindrical workpieces (such as pins) into processing equipment, which includes a conveying mechanism 1, a distributing mechanism 2 and a loading mechanism 3.

[0029] The conveying mechanism 1 includes a conveyor line 11 and a mounting base 12 mounted on the conveyor line 11. The mounting base 12 is a fixed structure located on the upper or side of the conveyor line 11 and serves as the mounting and positioning reference for the feeding mechanism 3. The mounting base 12 is designed to mechanically isolate the conveyor line 11 from the feeding mechanism 3, thereby enabling the loading and unloading of the feeding mechanism 3 without interfering with the normal operation of the conveying mechanism 1. The feeding mechanism 3 is a modular structure that can be disassembled and installed on the mounting base 12 as a whole. During the feeding process, the operator can remove the feeding mechanism 3 from the mounting base 12 for replenishment and then reinstall it in its original position without stopping the operation of the conveyor line 11, facilitating the function of changing materials without stopping the machine. This is particularly suitable for automated production lines with high cycle time requirements or continuous operation. The material separating mechanism 2 is located downstream of the conveying mechanism 1 and is connected to the feeding mechanism 3. Its function is to further separate the columnar workpieces sliding down from the feeding mechanism 3 and sequentially feed them to the conveying mechanism 1, completing the transition from feeding to the front end of the processing equipment.

[0030] In this embodiment, by setting a mounting base 12 on the conveying mechanism 1 and designing the feeding mechanism 3 as a detachable module, not only is the flexibility of the feeding operation improved, but the overall maintenance efficiency and automation level of the equipment are also enhanced, making it suitable for the feeding needs of columnar workpieces of various specifications and process scenarios.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the feeding mechanism 3 includes a hopper 31 for accommodating cylindrical workpieces and a baffle plate 32 movably installed on one side of the hopper 31. The hopper 31 has a container-like structure with a discharge port 33 on one side. The baffle plate 32 is installed at the corresponding position of the discharge port 33 to temporarily close the discharge port 33 before feeding, preventing the workpiece from slipping off prematurely. The bottom of the hopper 31 has an inclined dropping surface, which guides the cylindrical workpieces to slide along the inclined surface under gravity and eventually concentrate at the discharge port 33. When the baffle plate 32 is pulled out from the side of the hopper 31, the cylindrical workpieces slide down the dropping surface and are discharged sequentially from the discharge port 33, entering the sorting mechanism 2 for further separation. Through the above structural design, gravity can be effectively utilized to achieve automatic feeding, reducing dependence on power components. The structure is simple and the operation is stable. At the same time, by setting the baffle plate 32, the accidental slippage of workpieces before loading is prevented, improving operational safety and the controllability of the feeding process.

[0032] Optionally, the blanking surface can be made of metal or wear-resistant plastic. The surface can be polished or coated as needed to reduce the coefficient of friction and improve sliding efficiency. The inclination angle of the blanking surface is 10° to 45° to ensure that the cylindrical workpiece can slide smoothly without jamming or jumping. The specific angle can be adjusted according to the production line cycle and feeding rhythm, and is not limited to one.

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown, the material distribution mechanism 2 includes a material distribution disk 21 for accommodating and separating cylindrical workpieces, a protective member 23 disposed on the outer circumference of the material distribution disk 21, and a drive assembly 24 that is connected to the material distribution disk 21 for transmission. The material distribution disk 21 has a disc structure, and its surface is provided with multiple material slots 22 for accommodating single cylindrical workpieces, which are spaced apart along the circumferential direction. When the workpiece slides down from the loading mechanism 3, it enters the respective material slots 22 of the material distribution disk 21 in sequence. The drive assembly 24 can be a servo motor, a stepper motor, or a geared motor, and its output shaft is coaxially connected to the material distribution disk 21 to drive the material distribution disk 21 to rotate continuously at a set angular velocity. The protective member 23 is disposed around the material distribution disk 21 to prevent the cylindrical workpieces from being ejected or falling out of the material slots 22 due to centrifugal force or vibration during the rotation of the material distribution disk 21. The protective member 23 can be a fixed retaining ring, a transparent cover, or a flexible strip, and its material can be metal, plastic, or rubber as needed.

[0034] The material distribution mechanism 2 can separate multiple cylindrical workpieces one by one and feed them into the conveying mechanism 1 in sequence, ensuring a stable and orderly feeding process, avoiding workpiece stacking or tilting, and improving the accuracy of automated feeding.

[0035] Specifically, the distributing disc 21 has multiple material slots 22, each slot 22 accommodating one cylindrical workpiece. These slots are evenly spaced along the circumference of the distributing disc 21. The width of each slot 22 is slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical workpiece to ensure smooth entry and positioning of the workpiece while preventing wobbling or jamming. When the drive assembly 24 rotates the distributing disc 21, the slots 22 rotate accordingly, thus separating the cylindrical workpieces one by one. Each rotation of a slot 22 completes the distributing of one workpiece, sequentially conveying the cylindrical workpieces to the feeding position of the conveying mechanism 1. This circumferentially arranged, spaced-out slot structure allows for the storage of multiple workpieces in a smaller footprint, improving distributing efficiency. Simultaneously, precise control of the rotation angle of the distributing disc 21 enables high-speed, high-accuracy continuous feeding.

[0036] In this embodiment, a first detection device 25 is provided on both sides of the material distribution mechanism 2 to detect the state of both ends of the cylindrical workpiece entering the conveyor line 11. The first detection device 25 can be a photoelectric sensor, a laser beam sensor, or a vision recognition module, and its installation position corresponds to the fixture 4 or channel on the conveyor line 11.

[0037] After the cylindrical workpiece enters the conveyor line 11 from the distribution plate 21, the first detection device 25 simultaneously detects both ends of the workpiece to confirm that the workpiece is correctly positioned and in the correct posture. When both ends are detected simultaneously, the first detection device 25 issues a command to drive the conveyor mechanism 1 to continue running, so that the workpiece moves with the conveyor line 11 to the next station; if only one end is detected or no end is detected, it is considered that the workpiece is not in place or has a defect, the conveyor mechanism 1 will temporarily stop running, and the equipment or operator will be alerted to handle the abnormality.

[0038] Preferably, the feeding mechanism includes a fixture 4 disposed on the conveyor line 11. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the fixture 4 includes a base plate 41 mounted on the conveyor line 11, support members 42 disposed at both ends of the base plate 41, and an adsorption member disposed at the end of the support member 42 away from the base plate 41. The end of the support member 42 away from the base plate 41 has a positioning groove for positioning the cylindrical workpiece, and the adsorption member is installed at the bottom of the positioning groove. When the cylindrical workpiece falls into the positioning groove, the adsorption member fixes and confines the cylindrical workpiece within the fixture 4 through adsorption, ensuring that the cylindrical workpiece remains stable during conveying and does not shift or fall. The fixture 4 is fixed to the conveyor line 11 by the base plate 41. The support member 42 and the adsorption member work together to achieve stable support and effective positioning of the cylindrical workpiece, improving the reliability and safety of the conveying process.

[0039] Optionally, the width of the positioning groove is slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical workpiece to ensure stable placement without jamming. Guide ramps are provided on both sides of the positioning groove, sloping upwards from the groove wall to facilitate automatic guidance of the cylindrical workpiece into the positioning groove during transport, improving positioning accuracy and efficiency. The depth of the positioning groove is moderate, ensuring stable positioning of the cylindrical workpiece without hindering its continuous transport. Furthermore, mounting holes for suction components are provided at the bottom of the positioning groove. These components are fixed within the groove bottom and can firmly adhere to the cylindrical workpiece through vacuum or other adsorption methods, preventing it from shaking or falling off during transport.

[0040] In this embodiment, the feeding mechanism 3 also includes a baffle 34 that can move relative to the hopper 31. The baffle 34 is movably disposed on the top of the hopper 31. The baffle 34 is connected to the hopper 31 via a slide rail structure and can slide along the top of the hopper 31 to adjust the opening size. By adjusting the position of the baffle 34, the width of the hopper 31 inlet can be changed, thereby adapting to cylindrical workpieces of different lengths, ensuring that the cylindrical workpieces can smoothly enter the hopper 31, and preventing blockage or accumulation due to mismatch inlet size.

[0041] Optionally, the surface of the baffle 34 is made of wear-resistant material to improve its service life and reduce friction when in contact with the columnar workpiece, ensuring a smooth and efficient feeding process.

[0042] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism further includes a second detection device 5 disposed on the conveyor line 11, which is electrically connected to the dispensing mechanism 2. The second detection device 5 is used to detect whether there is a columnar workpiece in the fixture 4. When the second detection device 5 detects that the columnar workpiece in the fixture 4 is in place, it sends a signal to the dispensing mechanism 2 to stop the feeding action of the dispensing mechanism 2, avoids repeated feeding, and prevents the excessive number of workpieces in the fixture 4 from causing conveyor congestion or malfunction.

[0043] Optionally, the second detection device 5 may include a photoelectric sensor or a proximity sensor, installed near the fixture 4, to accurately detect the presence or absence of the cylindrical workpiece, ensuring detection accuracy and response speed. Through the linkage control of the second detection device 5 and the material distribution mechanism 2, intelligent monitoring and automatic adjustment of the feeding process are achieved, improving the stability and efficiency of the feeding system.

[0044] This utility model embodiment also provides a columnar workpiece processing equipment, including the feeding mechanism in the above embodiment.

[0045] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0046] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A feeding mechanism for feeding a cylindrical workpiece to a processing device, characterized in that, The system includes a fixed conveying mechanism (1), a material separating mechanism (2) disposed on the conveying mechanism (1) for separating and feeding the columnar workpiece to the conveying mechanism (1), and a feeding mechanism (3); the conveying mechanism (1) includes a conveying line (11) and a mounting base (12) disposed on the conveying line (11), the feeding mechanism (3) is detachably mounted on the mounting base (12), the mounting base (12) is used to isolate the conveying line (11) and the feeding mechanism (3) so that the feeding mechanism (3) can be disassembled during the operation of the conveying mechanism (1).

2. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism (3) includes a hopper (31) for accommodating the cylindrical workpiece and a baffle plate (32) movably installed on one side of the hopper (31). The hopper (31) has a discharge port (33) opened on one side of the baffle plate (32). The bottom of the hopper (31) has an inclined dropping surface. The dropping surface is used to guide the cylindrical workpiece to slide along the dropping surface to the discharge port (33) and slide from the discharge port (33) to the distributing mechanism (2).

3. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The material distribution mechanism (2) includes a material distribution plate (21) for accommodating and separating columnar workpieces, a protective member (23) disposed on the outer circumference of the material distribution plate (21) for preventing the columnar workpieces from falling out, and a drive assembly (24). The drive assembly (24) is connected to the material distribution plate (21) for driving the material distribution plate (21) to rotate so as to transport the columnar workpieces to the conveying mechanism (1).

4. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The material distribution plate (21) has multiple material slots (22) for accommodating single columnar workpieces. The multiple material slots (22) are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the material distribution plate (21) to sequentially separate the columnar workpieces during the rotation of the material distribution plate (21).

5. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The material distribution mechanism (2) further includes a first detection device (25) disposed on both sides of the material distribution plate (21). The first detection device (25) is electrically connected to the conveyor line (11) and is used to detect the state of both ends of the columnar workpiece entering the conveyor line (11). After the first detection device (25) detects both ends of the columnar workpiece at the same time, the conveying mechanism (1) is controlled to continue to run.

6. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism also includes a fixture (4) disposed on the conveyor line (11). The fixture (4) includes a base plate (41) installed on the conveyor line (11), support members (42) disposed at both ends of the base plate (41), and an adsorption member disposed at one end of the support member (42) away from the base plate (41). The adsorption member is used to adsorb the columnar workpiece during the conveying process to prevent the columnar workpiece from falling off the conveyor line (11).

7. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The support member (42) has a positioning groove for positioning the columnar workpiece at one end away from the base plate (41). The adsorption member is installed at the bottom of the positioning groove to adsorb and confine the columnar workpiece in the fixture (4) when it falls into the positioning groove.

8. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism (3) also includes a baffle (34) that can move relative to the hopper (31). The baffle (34) is movably disposed on the top of the hopper (31) to adjust the inlet size of the hopper (31) to accommodate columnar workpieces of different lengths.

9. The feeding mechanism as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism also includes a second detection device (5) installed on the conveyor line (11). The second detection device (5) is electrically connected to the material distribution mechanism (2) and is used to detect whether there is a columnar workpiece in the fixture (4). When the columnar workpiece is detected to be in place, the feeding action of the material distribution mechanism (2) is stopped to avoid repeated feeding.

10. A processing equipment for cylindrical workpieces, characterized in that, Includes the feeding mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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