A conical spring loading device
By combining multi-level proximity switches and vision components with precise blocking limits and vibration frequency adjustment, the problems of entanglement, jamming, and high damage rate of conical spring feeding devices are solved, achieving efficient and stable conical spring conveying.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522174446.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-15
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-10-15
AI Technical Summary
Existing conical spring feeding devices suffer from high rates of entanglement and jamming, high damage rates, and high energy consumption. In particular, the vibratory feeder direct vibration method, robot gripping method, and air blowing feeding method each have their own defects.
A multi-level proximity switch process detection network is adopted, combined with vision components and blocking components, to achieve millimeter-level positioning control and winding judgment of conical springs. Precise blocking and limiting are achieved through servo-controlled horizontal and lifting drive components, and the vibration frequency is adjusted in real time to ensure the stability and efficiency of conveying.
It achieves a 20-fold increase in the accuracy of conveying position detection for conical springs, reduces the winding rate to below 0.002%, increases the conveying efficiency by 280%, and has strong adaptability to vibration frequency, making it suitable for conical springs of different specifications.
Smart Images
Figure CN224677089U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automated assembly technology, and in particular to a conical spring feeding device. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, the main feeding methods for conical springs during assembly include vibratory feeder feeding, robot gripping, and air-blowing feeding. However, these methods all have some problems. For example, when using vibratory feeder feeding, the conical springs are prone to tangling, resulting in a jamming rate greater than 40%; when using robot gripping, the end effector cannot adapt to conical springs with different taper angles (15°-60°), leading to a damage rate of 15%; and when using air-blowing feeding, energy consumption is high (0.8MPa compressed air) and noise levels exceed 85dB. Therefore, it is necessary to improve existing conical spring feeding devices to solve these problems. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a conical spring feeding device, which effectively improves the situation of material jamming caused by spring winding, and provides stable and efficient conveying.
[0004] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A conical spring feeding device includes a vibratory feeder and a linear vibratory conveying track disposed at the outlet of the vibratory feeder. The feed end of the linear vibratory conveying track is sequentially provided with a first proximity switch, a first blocking component, and a second proximity switch along the conveying direction. The first blocking component is signal-connected to the first proximity switch. A vision component is disposed above the feed end of the linear vibratory conveying track, and the vision component is signal-connected to the second proximity switch. The discharge end of the linear vibrating conveyor track is sequentially provided with a third blocking component, a feeding blocking component, and a fourth proximity switch along the conveying direction. The third blocking component and the feeding blocking component are signal connected to the fourth proximity switch. The linear vibrating conveyor track is also provided with one or more third proximity switches spaced apart along the conveying direction. Each third proximity switch is located between the second proximity switch and the fourth proximity switch, and each third proximity switch is signal-connected to a second blocking component.
[0005] Furthermore, an opening is provided on one side of the linear vibration conveying track, and the opening is positioned directly opposite the second proximity switch.
[0006] Furthermore, both the second blocking component and the third blocking component include a horizontal drive member located on one side of the linear vibration conveying track and a translational stop block connected to the drive end of the horizontal drive member; the linear vibration conveying track is provided with a groove for the translational stop block to slide in and out.
[0007] Furthermore, the distance between two adjacent grooves is equal.
[0008] Furthermore, a bracket is fixedly provided on one side of the linear vibration conveying track, and each of the horizontal driving components is mounted on the bracket.
[0009] Furthermore, the feeding blocking assembly is located above the linear vibrating conveyor track and includes a second lifting drive and an L-shaped second stop; the second stop has an elongated adjustment hole, and a locking member is provided in the adjustment hole for locking connection with the drive end of the second lifting drive.
[0010] Furthermore, the discharge end of the linear vibrating conveyor track is provided with a clamping and clearance groove.
[0011] Furthermore, three third proximity switches are provided at equal intervals.
[0012] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: 1. This application adopts a multi-level proximity switch process full-process detection network to realize millimeter-level positioning control in the conveying process of conical springs. The position detection accuracy reaches ±0.05mm, which is 20 times higher than the traditional single-point detection method. When the conical spring triggers the second proximity switch 32, the vision component can complete the winding judgment within 80ms, with a false judgment rate of less than 0.01%.
[0013] 2. This application adopts a bipolar blocking mechanism consisting of a first blocking component and a feeding blocking component, which enables the interval control accuracy of the conical spring to reach 0.1 seconds, completely eliminating the "tailgating" phenomenon commonly seen in traditional vibratory feeders; the spring winding rate is reduced from the industry average of 3.2% to below 0.002%.
[0014] 3. In this application, the vibration frequency of the vibratory feeder can be adjusted in real time, and the conveying speed stability of the conical spring is improved to 99.5%; even when faced with conical springs of different specifications (diameter 5-50mm), the system can automatically match the optimal vibration parameters.
[0015] 4. In this application, the timing error of each blocking cylinder is controlled within ±5ms, ensuring a continuous and stable flow of conical springs. Comparative tests show that the conveying efficiency of the conical springs reaches 150 pieces / minute, which is 280% higher than the traditional vibratory feeder method. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a conical spring feeding device provided by this utility model.
[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a conical spring feeding device provided by this utility model when the vibratory plate and vision components are omitted.
[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure from another angle.
[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding blocking component. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
[0021] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a conical spring feeding device includes a vibratory feeder 1 and a linear vibratory conveying track 2 disposed at the outlet of the vibratory feeder 1. The feeding end of the linear vibratory conveying track 2 is sequentially provided with a first proximity switch 31, a first blocking component 4, and a second proximity switch 32 along the conveying direction; the first blocking component 4 is signal-connected to the first proximity switch 31. A vision component 5 is disposed above the feeding end of the linear vibratory conveying track 2, and the vision component 5 is signal-connected to the second proximity switch 32. The discharging end of the linear vibratory conveying track 2 is sequentially provided with a third blocking component 6, a feeding blocking component 7, and a fourth proximity switch 34 along the conveying direction; the third blocking component 6 and the feeding blocking component 7 are signal-connected to the fourth proximity switch 34. The linear vibratory conveying track 2 is also provided with one or more third proximity switches 33 spaced apart along the conveying direction. Each third proximity switch 33 is located between the second proximity switch 32 and the fourth proximity switch 34, and each third proximity switch 33 is signal-connected to a second blocking component 8.
[0022] Specifically, in this embodiment, the vibratory feeder 1 is used to achieve orderly arrangement, uniform speed conveying, and buffered storage of conical springs through vibration. The vibration frequency of the vibratory feeder 1 can be adjusted in real time (50-120Hz stepless speed regulation) and can be applied to conical springs with a diameter of 5mm-50mm.
[0023] like Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the first blocking component 4 is used to block the conical spring after it triggers the first proximity switch 31, ensuring that only one conical spring enters the vision inspection station at a time. In this embodiment, the first blocking component 4 is located above the linear vibrating conveyor track 2 and includes a first stop block and a first lifting drive component that drives the first stop block to move up and down. The first lifting drive component is preferably a cylinder.
[0024] like Figure 1-3 As shown, in this embodiment, the vision component 5 is used to visually detect the conical spring when it triggers the second proximity switch 32, in order to detect whether the conical spring is entangled. The vision component 5 includes a CT camera and an LED light that provides a light source for the CT camera.
[0025] The high-precision CT camera used in this embodiment has an acquisition speed of 30 frames per second. Combined with a dedicated spring entanglement recognition algorithm, it can complete image processing and provide a judgment result within 50 milliseconds. If entanglement of the conical spring is detected, the system will immediately sound an alarm and the vibratory feeder 1 will stop conveying; if the conical spring is in normal condition, the vibratory feeder 1 will continue to vibrate and convey.
[0026] The linear vibrating conveyor track 2 has an opening 21 on one side, which is positioned opposite the second proximity switch 32. When the vision component 5 detects that the conical spring is entangled, the conical spring can be removed through the opening 21.
[0027] like Figure 2 and 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the second blocking component 8 is used to block and limit the subsequent conical spring when the conical spring triggers the third proximity switch 33, so as to prevent entanglement between the two conical springs. The second blocking component 8 includes a horizontal drive member 81 located on one side of the linear vibration conveying track 2 and a translation block 82 connected to the drive end of the horizontal drive member 81; the linear vibration conveying track 2 has a groove 22 for the translation block 82 to slide in and out. Further, a bracket 11 is fixedly arranged on one side of the linear vibration conveying track 2, and each horizontal drive member 81 is mounted on the bracket 11. In this embodiment, the horizontal drive member 81 is preferably a cylinder.
[0028] Preferably, the distance between two adjacent slides 22 is equal.
[0029] As a preferred embodiment of this application, three third proximity switches 33 are provided at equal intervals. Correspondingly, three second blocking components 8 are provided.
[0030] In this embodiment, the third blocking component 6 is used to block and limit the subsequent conical spring when the conical spring triggers the fourth proximity switch 34, so as to prevent entanglement between the two conical springs. The structure of the third blocking component 6 can be the same as that of the second blocking component 8.
[0031] It should be noted that in this embodiment, these cylinders are all servo controlled, and the extension speed can be steplessly adjusted between 0.1-1m / s, with a position repeatability accuracy of ±0.02mm.
[0032] like Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the feeding blocking assembly 7 is located above the linear vibrating conveyor track 2. It is used to limit the conical spring when the conical spring triggers the fourth proximity switch 34, ensuring that the position of the conical spring does not shift during material removal. The feeding blocking assembly 7 includes a second lifting drive component 71 and an L-shaped feeding blocking block 72. The feeding blocking block 72 has an elongated adjustment hole 721, within which a locking component is installed for locking with the drive end of the second lifting drive component 71. This locking component is preferably a locking screw.
[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the discharge end of the linear vibrating conveyor track 2 is provided with a clamping and clearance groove 23 to facilitate the removal of the conical spring from the discharge end of the linear vibrating conveyor track 2.
[0034] In this embodiment, the first contact switch 31, the second contact switch 32, the third contact switch 33 and the fourth contact switch 34 all adopt the high-frequency oscillation principle, and the detection distance can be accurate to ±0.1mm, which can reliably identify conical springs of various specifications.
[0035] This utility model discloses a conical spring feeding device. In use, the conical spring is output from the outlet of the vibratory plate 1 and enters the direct vibration conveying track 2. When the conical spring triggers the first contact switch 31, the first blocking component 4 blocks the conical spring. When the conical spring triggers the second proximity switch 32, the vision component 5 performs visual inspection on the conical spring to detect whether the conical spring is entangled. Once entanglement is detected, the unqualified conical spring is removed from the opening 21. Qualified conical springs continue to move forward. When the conical spring triggers the third proximity switch 33, the corresponding second blocking component 8 blocks and limits the next conical spring. When the conical spring triggers the fourth proximity switch 34, the third blocking component 6 blocks and limits the next conical spring, and at the same time, the feeding blocking component 7 limits the conical spring. Thus, the conical spring is conveyed to the correct position. Throughout the entire conveying process, all proximity switch signals and cylinder operation status are transmitted to the PLC controller in real time via industrial Ethernet. The PLC controller uses a fuzzy PID algorithm to dynamically adjust the vibration frequency and amplitude of the vibratory feeder, ensuring that the conveying speed is always kept at the optimal value.
[0036] This utility model discloses a conical spring feeding device that is applicable to conical springs of different tapers, effectively improving the situation of material jamming caused by spring winding, and providing stable and efficient conveying.
[0037] The technical principles of this utility model have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. These descriptions are merely for explaining the principles of this utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model in any way. Based on this explanation, those skilled in the art can readily conceive of other specific embodiments of this utility model without any inventive effort, and these embodiments will all fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.
Claims
1. A conical spring feeding device, characterized in that, The system includes a vibratory feeder (1) and a linear vibratory conveying track (2) located at the outlet of the vibratory feeder (1). The feed end of the linear vibratory conveying track (2) is sequentially provided with a first proximity switch (31), a first blocking component (4), and a second proximity switch (32) along the conveying direction. The first blocking component (4) is signal-connected to the first proximity switch (31). A vision component (5) is provided above the feed end of the linear vibratory conveying track (2), and the vision component (5) is signal-connected to the second proximity switch (32). The discharge end of the linear vibrating conveyor track (2) is provided with a third blocking component (6), a feeding blocking component (7) and a fourth proximity switch (34) in sequence along the conveying direction. The third blocking component (6) and the feeding blocking component (7) are signal connected to the fourth proximity switch (34). The linear vibrating conveying track (2) is also provided with one or more third proximity switches (33) spaced apart along the conveying direction. Each third proximity switch (33) is located between the second proximity switch (32) and the fourth proximity switch (34), and each third proximity switch (33) is signal-connected to a second blocking component (8).
2. The conical spring feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, An opening (21) is provided on one side of the linear vibrating conveyor track (2), and the opening (21) is positioned directly opposite the second proximity switch (32).
3. The conical spring feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second blocking component (8) and the third blocking component (6) both include a horizontal drive member (81) located on one side of the linear vibration conveying track (2) and a translation block (82) connected to the drive end of the horizontal drive member (81); the linear vibration conveying track (2) is provided with a slid groove (22) for the translation block (82) to slide in and out.
4. The conical spring feeding device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The distance between two adjacent grooves (22) is equal.
5. A conical spring feeding device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A bracket (11) is fixedly installed on one side of the linear vibrating conveyor track (2), and each of the horizontal driving components (81) is installed on the bracket (11).
6. The conical spring feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding blocking assembly (7) is located above the straight vibrating conveyor track (2) and includes a second lifting drive (71) and an L-shaped second stop (72); the second stop (72) has an elongated adjustment hole (721) and a locking member for locking connection with the drive end of the second lifting drive (71) is provided in the adjustment hole (721).
7. A conical spring feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge end of the linear vibrating conveyor track (2) is provided with a clamping and clearance groove (23).
8. A conical spring feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The third proximity switch (33) is provided in three equally spaced positions.