Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function

Abstract

Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function, wherein the hydraulic torque converter comprises a disc-shaped body (181), and wherein a T-shaped cap (182) is arranged in the center of the upper end face of the disc-shaped body, and wherein several projections (183) are evenly distributed on the upper end face of the disc-shaped body, and wherein the hydraulic torque converter is assembled with a housing (19) by means of the intelligent gripper, characterized in that the intelligent gripper comprises an upper support plate (2) on which a gripping mechanism (15), an excitation mechanism (3, 5) and a rotary drive mechanism are arranged, the rotary drive mechanism comprising at least two plucking heads and at least two guide shafts (9); characterized by the fact that the gripping mechanism is located in the middle of the lower end surface of the upper support plate and protrudes downwards, and the T-shaped cap of the hydraulic torque converter is automatically gripped by the gripping mechanism; wherein the excitation mechanism comprises several excitation cylinders (3) and several excitation heads (5), and wherein the several excitation cylinders are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the upper support plate, and wherein the piston rod of each excitation cylinder projects vertically downwards and an excitation head is connected to the piston rod, and wherein the several excitation heads are driven to alternately change length by the several excitation cylinders in order to alternately strike the disc-shaped body of the hydraulic torque converter located below and thus to achieve an automatic precise tooth fit between the internal spline (20) of the hydraulic torque converter and the external spline (22) of the housing; wherein the upper end of the guide shaft projects upwards from the upper support plate and is provided with a shaft stop (8) and the lower end extends vertically downwards and is connected to a picking head (13, 14), and wherein the lower end of the guide shaft is floatingly connected to a corresponding picking head to form a pair of spherical surfaces, and wherein a retaining ring used for mounting on the projection (183) of the hydraulic torque converter is arranged at the bottom connection of the picking head, and wherein a spring adjusting ring (11) is mounted on the guide shaft, and wherein a compression spring (12) is further mounted on the lower segment of the guide shaft, and wherein the upper and lower ends of the compression spring are each pressed between the spring adjusting ring and the picking head, and wherein, in operation, the retaining ring of the picking head is mounted on the projection of the hydraulic torque converter, and wherein the intelligent gripper rotates,to drive the hydraulic torque converter to common rotation; wherein the gripping mechanism comprises a clamping jaw cylinder (16) attached to the bottom connection of the upper support plate, wherein three clamping jaws (15) are arranged at the lower end of the clamping jaw cylinder, and wherein the clamping jaw cylinder drives the three clamping jaws to open or close automatically, and wherein the three clamping jaws clamp the T-shaped cap of the hydraulic torque converter when closed; , wherein an arc-shaped groove 152 is provided on the outside of the three clamping jaws, wherein a closed tension spring is placed in the arc-shaped groove of the three clamping jaws.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of manufacturing equipment for motor vehicle parts, in particular an intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] DE 195 40 624 A1 describes a device for automatically aligning the internal gear rings of a torque converter with the corresponding external gear rings of a gearbox subassembly during the assembly of the torque converter into a gearbox assembly.

[0003] JP 07136871 A describes an assembly device that facilitates the installation of a torque converter on a gearbox. For this purpose, a central section of a torque converter cover is clamped and held by a clamping device, which is mounted in a vibration device that is elastically connected to a vibration damping mechanism via a floating mechanism.

[0004] DE 201 10 168 U1 describes a tool changing device with two parts connected by a collet arrangement, wherein the collet arrangement has a centering jaw with several clamping jaws that can be moved in different directions relative to a fixed point.

[0005] JP H04-93130 A describes an assembly device for a pair of workpieces, each of which is provided with an engagement section to be brought into engagement, wherein the engagement section of one of the workpieces is directed downwards and the engagement section of the other workpiece is directed upwards, so that the engagement sections of the two workpieces interlock.

[0006] The hydraulic torque converter is a crucial component of the vehicle transmission, and its assembly quality directly impacts the overall performance of the transmission. During the process of fitting the hydraulic torque converter into the housing, two sets of splined shafts must be aligned simultaneously, as shown in... Fig. As shown in Figure 1, during fitting, the first inner spline 20 and the second inner spline 21 in the hydraulic torque converter engage with the first outer spline 22 and the second outer spline 23 of the input shaft of the housing, respectively. Therefore, manual assembly and assembly with equipment present greater difficulties. Currently, in vehicle assembly lines, automatic gear fitting is often achieved by using a robot equipped with a force sensor. The robot applies a specific pressure to shake a workpiece, and the force is detected and adjusted accordingly. By observing the movement of the robot's trailing end, it is assessed whether the assembly is being performed correctly.The current assembly method using a robot does not have a high success rate; moreover, the operating condition in which two layers of the serrations are aligned simultaneously places a new demand on the performance and control method of the existing robot, which greatly increases the cost of the device. CONTENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide an intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function in order to smoothly and correctly mount a hydraulic torque converter of the workpiece by means of the excitation function of the intelligent gripper and by means of the drive for rotation.

[0008] The present invention is defined by the attached claims.

[0009] Compared to the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. In an intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to the present invention, an automatic gripping of the hydraulic torque converter and an automatic tooth adjustment and fitting into the housing are achieved through a relatively simple structural design.The fitting into the housing is achieved by simulating the manual shaking of the hydraulic torque converter through an excitation mechanism. The alternating length changes of the multiple excitation cylinders drive the multiple excitation heads to alternately strike the disc-shaped body of the hydraulic torque converter located below, thus creating an automatic, precise tooth fit between the internal splines of the hydraulic torque converter and the external splines of the housing. This significantly increases the success rate of the tooth fit and, compared to the current solution for tooth fitting, considerably reduces the equipment operating costs, providing a new, simple, and effective concept for future tooth fitting and assembly. 2. In an intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth fitting function according to the present invention, a rotation drive mechanism is designed which is matched to the gripping mechanism. When the intelligent gripper rotates, the hydraulic torque converter can be driven to rotate simultaneously, since the guide shaft is floatingly connected to the picking head and the two form a pair of spherical surfaces. During the tooth fitting process, the hydraulic torque converter will shake and tilt randomly, and the picking head can also be driven along with it. By means of two sets of picking heads, it is ensured that the intelligent gripper drives the hydraulic torque converter to rotate during the tooth fitting process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of fitting the hydraulic torque converter into the housing according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 shows a perspective structural view of the present invention. Fig. Figure 3 shows a main view of the present invention. Fig. Figure 4 shows a partial longitudinal section view of the present invention. Fig. Figure 5 shows a view of a plucking head in its normal position according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 6 shows a view of the condition of a plucking head in an inclined position during the tooth fitting process according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 7 shows a separate schematic structural view of the three clamping jaws of the present invention. Fig. Figure 8 shows a top view of the hydraulic torque converter according to the present invention. Reference symbol list 1 Mounting flange 2 Upper support plate 3 excitation cylinders 4 cylinder mounting bracket 5 Excitation head 6 laser displacement sensor holders 7 Laser displacement sensor 8 Wave stop 9 guide wave 10 linear bearings 11 Spring adjusting ring 12 compression spring 13 Pickhead cover plate 14 plucking head bodies 15 clamping jaws 151 Hook block 152 Arc-shaped groove 16 clamping jaw cylinders 17 Tension spring 18 Hydraulic torque converter 181 Disc-shaped body 182 T-shaped cap 183 lead 19" enclosure 20 First internal serration 21 Second internal serration 22 First outer serration 23 Second outer serration DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The embodiment of the present invention is explained in more detail below. The embodiment of the present invention is implemented based on the technical solution of the present invention, and a detailed embodiment and specific operating sequence are disclosed; however, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0011] See Fig.Figures 2 to 8 disclose the present embodiment an intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function, wherein the hydraulic torque converter 18 comprises a disk-shaped body 181, and wherein a T-shaped cap 182 is arranged in the center of the upper end surface of the disk-shaped body 181, and wherein several projections 183 are evenly distributed on the upper end surface of the disk-shaped body 181, and wherein the hydraulic torque converter 18 is assembled with a housing 19 by means of the intelligent gripper.

[0012] The intelligent gripper comprises an upper support plate 2 on which a gripping mechanism, an excitation mechanism, and a rotation drive mechanism are arranged. A mounting flange 1 is located at the top of the upper support plate 2, and a connection to an external device is established via the mounting flange 1.

[0013] The gripping mechanism is arranged in the center of the lower end surface of the upper support plate 2 and projects downwards, the T-shaped cap 182 of the hydraulic torque converter 18 being automatically gripped by the gripping mechanism; the gripping mechanism comprises a clamping jaw cylinder 16 which is attached to the bottom connection of the upper support plate 2, wherein three clamping jaws 15 are arranged at the lower end of the clamping jaw cylinder 16, and wherein the three clamping jaws are driven by the clamping jaw cylinder 16 to open or close automatically, and wherein a hook block 151 is arranged on the inside of the clamping jaw 15 to hook the T-shaped cap 182 of the hydraulic torque converter 18.An arcuate groove 152 is provided on the outer surface of the three clamping jaws 15. A closed tension spring 17 is mounted in this groove to prevent the clamping jaws 15 from self-locking in the event of a gas or electrical supply failure to the clamping jaw cylinder 16. When closing, the three clamping jaws 15 clamp the T-shaped cap 182 of the hydraulic torque converter 18, exerting an upward clamping force on the cap.

[0014] The excitation mechanism comprises several excitation cylinders 3 and several excitation heads 5, wherein the several excitation cylinders 3 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the upper support plate 2, and wherein the excitation cylinders 3 are attached to the upper support plate 2 by a cylinder mounting bracket 4, and wherein the piston rod of each excitation cylinder 3 projects vertically downwards and an excitation head 5 is connected to the piston rod, and wherein the lower end of the excitation head 5 is a flexible end, with the arrangement of the flexible end being able to effectively reduce noise and damage to the workpiece in the process of the excitation head pressing tightly against and exciting the hydraulic torque converter 18.By alternately actuating the multiple excitation cylinders 3, the multiple excitation heads 5 are driven to alternately change length in order to alternately strike the disc-shaped body 181 of the hydraulic torque converter 18 located below, thus achieving an automatic, precise tooth fit between the inner spline of the hydraulic torque converter 18 and the outer spline of the housing 19. The arrangement of the excitation mechanism has two main functions: 1. During the gripping and transport process of the workpiece by the hydraulic torque converter 18, the multiple excitation cylinders 3 extend simultaneously and press the workpiece downwards; by engaging with the clamping mechanism, axial positioning and clamping of the workpiece are achieved; 2.In the process of fitting the hydraulic torque converter 18 of the workpiece into the housing and the tooth fit, the several excitation cylinders 3 alternately rotate and retract to drive the several excitation heads 5 to an alternating change in length, thus increasing the success rate of the tooth fit.

[0015] The rotary drive mechanism comprises at least two plucking heads and at least two guide shafts 9, wherein the upper end of the guide shaft 9 projects upwards from the upper support plate 2 and is provided with a shaft stop 8, and the lower end extends vertically downwards and is connected to a plucking head, wherein a linear bearing 10 is mounted on the upper segment of the guide shaft 9, providing vertical guidance to the guide shaft 9, and wherein the linear bearing 10 is attached to the upper support plate 2. The lower end of the guide shaft 9 is floatingly connected to a corresponding plucking head to form a pair of spherical surfaces, wherein the plucking head comprises a plucking head body 14 and a plucking head cover plate 13 arranged to cover the upper part of the plucking head body 14, and wherein the plucking head cover plate 13 and the plucking head body 14 are detachably connected to one another.At the base of the plucking head, a retaining ring is arranged for mounting on the projection 183 of the hydraulic torque converter 18. A spring-loaded adjusting ring 11 is mounted on the guide shaft 9, and a compression spring 12 is mounted on the lower segment of the guide shaft 9. The upper and lower ends of the compression spring 12 are each pressed between the spring-loaded adjusting ring 11 and the plucking head. In operation, the retaining ring of the plucking head is mounted on the projection 183 of the hydraulic torque converter 18, and the intelligent gripper rotates to drive the hydraulic torque converter 18 to rotate together. The arrangement of the spring-loaded adjusting ring 11 has two functions: first, it prevents the spring force of the compression spring 12 from damaging the end face of the linear bearing 10; second, the compression amount of the compression spring 12 is adjusted by changing the thickness of the spring-loaded adjusting ring 11.The compression spring 12 is normally in a compressed state and acts to keep the picking head in a horizontal position, thus facilitating the intelligent gripper's coupling with the hydraulic torque converter 18 before gripping. The guide shaft 9 and the picking head are floatingly connected to form a pair of spherical surfaces. Under normal circumstances, the picking head is in a horizontal position due to the spring force of the compression spring 12. However, since the workpiece shakes and tilts randomly during the fitting and gear-fitting process, the picking head can also move with it. Two sets of picking heads ensure that the intelligent gripper drives the hydraulic torque converter 18 to rotate during the gear-fitting process.

[0016] Two laser displacement sensors are arranged on the base of the upper support plate 2 to measure the distance between the hydraulic torque converter 18 and the upper support plate 2. The laser displacement sensors 7 are mounted on the upper support plate by means of a laser displacement sensor holder 6. The mounting positions of the two laser displacement sensors 7 are adjustable, so that two measuring points are centrally symmetrical with respect to the hydraulic torque converter 18. The function is to determine whether the workpiece is correctly mounted by measuring the distance between the hydraulic torque converter 18 of the workpiece and the upper support plate 2.

[0017] The working process of the intelligent gripper of the present embodiment is as follows: In operation, the upper end face of the mounting flange 1 of the intelligent gripper is connected to an external motion device, which can be, for example, a robot. First, three clamping jaws 15 are driven open by the clamping jaw cylinder 16 to clamp the T-shaped cap 182 of the hydraulic torque converter 18. The multiple excitation heads 5 protrude and press against the upper end face of the hydraulic torque converter 18 to clamp it. Now the retaining ring of the gripper head is precisely positioned on the corresponding projection 183. Then the motion device drives the intelligent gripper and the hydraulic torque converter 18 so that together they reach a point above the housing 19 to be mounted. When the hydraulic torque converter 18 moves downwards and contacts the external serration in the housing 19,When the three clamping jaws 15 are released, the multiple excitation cylinders 3 alternately extend and retract to drive the multiple excitation heads 5 to an alternating change in length. The multiple excitation heads 5 alternately strike the disc-shaped body 181 of the hydraulic torque converter 18 located below to achieve an automatic, precise tooth fit between the internal splines of the hydraulic torque converter 18 and the external splines of the housing 19, thereby significantly increasing the success rate of the tooth fit. Since a rotary drive mechanism is present in the tooth fit process, when the intelligent gripper rotates, the hydraulic torque converter 18 can be driven to rotate simultaneously.Since the guide shaft 9 is floatingly connected to the picking head and the two form a pair of spherical surfaces, and since the hydraulic torque converter 18 will shake and tilt randomly during the tooth fitting process, the picking head can also be carried along. Two sets of picking heads ensure that the intelligent gripper drives the hydraulic torque converter 18 to rotate during the tooth fitting process, thereby achieving automatic gripping of the hydraulic torque converter 18 and automatic tooth fitting and insertion into the housing.

[0018] The foregoing content is a detailed explanation of the present invention in connection with preferred embodiments. However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. All modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements carried out in accordance with the ideas and principles of the present invention shall be considered to be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

[1] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function, wherein the hydraulic torque converter comprises a disc-shaped body (181), and wherein a T-shaped cap (182) is arranged in the center of the upper end surface of the disc-shaped body, and wherein a plurality of projections (183) are evenly distributed on the upper end surface of the disc-shaped body, and wherein the hydraulic torque converter is assembled with a housing (19) by means of the intelligent gripper, characterized by that the intelligent gripper comprises an upper support plate (2) on which a gripping mechanism (15), an excitation mechanism (3, 5) and a rotation drive mechanism are arranged, the rotation drive mechanism comprising at least two plucking heads and at least two guide shafts (9); characterized by , that the gripping mechanism is arranged in the center of the lower end surface of the upper support plate and projects downward, and the T-shaped cap of the hydraulic torque converter is automatically gripped by the gripping mechanism; wherein the excitation mechanism comprises a plurality of excitation cylinders (3) and a plurality of excitation heads (5), and wherein the plurality of excitation cylinders are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the upper support plate, and wherein the piston rod of each excitation cylinder projects vertically downward and an excitation head is connected to the piston rod, and wherein by alternately actuating the plurality of excitation cylinders, the plurality of excitation heads are driven to alternately change their length in order to alternately strike the disc-shaped body of the hydraulic torque converter located below and thus realize an automatic precise tooth fit between the inner spline (20) of the hydraulic torque converter and the outer spline (22) of the housing; wherein the upper end of the guide shaft projects upwards from the upper support plate and is provided with a shaft stop (8), and the lower end extends vertically downwards and is connected to a plucking head (13, 14), and wherein the lower end of the guide shaft is floatingly connected to a corresponding plucking head to form a pair of spherical surfaces, and wherein a retaining ring used for seating on the projection (183) of the hydraulic torque converter is arranged at the bottom connection of the plucking head, and wherein a spring adjusting ring (11) is mounted on the guide shaft, and wherein a compression spring (12) is further mounted on the lower segment of the guide shaft, and wherein the upper and lower ends of the compression spring are each pressed between the spring adjusting ring and the plucking head, and wherein, in operation, the retaining ring of the plucking head is mounted on the projection of the hydraulic torque converter, and wherein the intelligent gripper rotates,to drive the hydraulic torque converter for joint rotation; wherein the gripping mechanism comprises a jaw cylinder (16) mounted on the bottom connection of the upper support plate, wherein three jaws (15) are arranged at the lower end of the jaw cylinder, and wherein the three jaws are driven by the jaw cylinder for automatic opening or automatic closing, and wherein the three jaws clamp the T-shaped cap of the hydraulic torque converter when closed; wherein an arcuate groove 152 is provided on the outside of the three clamping jaws, wherein a closed tension spring is placed in the arcuate groove of the three clamping jaws. [2] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized bythat a linear bearing (10) is mounted on the upper segment of the guide shaft, which provides vertical guidance to the guide shaft, wherein the linear bearing is attached to the upper support plate. [3] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized by that two laser displacement sensors (7) are further arranged on the bottom of the upper support plate in order to measure the distance of the hydraulic torque converter to the upper support plate. [4] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized by that a fastening flange (1) is arranged at the top of the upper support plate, wherein a connection to an external device is established by means of the fastening flange. [5] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized by that the lower end of the excitation head is a flexible end. [6] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to claim 2, characterized by that a hook block (151) is arranged on an inner side of the clamping jaw in order to hook the T-shaped cap of the hydraulic torque converter. [7] Intelligent gripper for a hydraulic torque converter with an automatic tooth adjustment function according to claim 1, characterized by that the plucking head comprises a plucking head body (14) and a plucking head cover plate (13) arranged to cover the upper part of the plucking head body, wherein the plucking head cover plate and the plucking head body are removably connected to one another.

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