Improved device for supplying spokes to a spoke ejection gun in the holes of a spoked wheel hub

Abstract

Device (1) for supplying spokes to a spoke ejection gun in orifices of a hub of a spoked wheel, the device (1) comprises: - an intermediate waiting area (11) located upstream of an evacuation area (3) opposite which an ejection gun (2) is intended to be positioned, and defining a plane to receive spokes positioned side by side and flat, in which the spokes are deposited one by one, the intermediate waiting area (11) being inclined towards the evacuation area (3) and is equipped with spoke isolation means (13) allowing the spokes to fall one by one into the evacuation area (3) to supply a gun;According to the invention, the means for isolating a spoke (13) comprise at least one ejection finger (14) and a guide piece (15), the finger (14) being movable so as to pass through the plane of the intermediate waiting area from below and strike and push an end spoke out of said plane against the guide piece (15), the guide piece (15) having an arched portion (15a) oriented towards the evacuation area (3) and a stop (15b) positioned at the right of the spokes preceding the end spoke. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 4;

Description

Title of the invention: Improved device for supplying spokes to a spoke ejection gun in the holes of a spoked wheel hub. Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical sector of manufacturing spoked wheels intended to equip locomotion vehicles, such as bicycles or motorcycles for example.

[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a spoke supply device for a gun in an installation designed to eject said spokes into the orifices of a hub of a spoked wheel, improved in terms of production rate. Prior art

[0003] The hubs of spoked wheels generally have a central cylindrical portion mounted freely to rotate around an axis, and bordered at its two ends by perpendicular flanges, each having a ring of holes intended to receive spokes to connect the hub to the rim of the wheel.

[0004] It is particularly known from the prior art to thread the spokes into the holes of the hub by means of ejection devices, called pistols, or "Gun" in English to carry out this operation quickly and automatically.

[0005] Spoke insertion guns, for example two to four, are then positioned on either side of the hub and automatically insert the spokes into the holes in the hub. These guns must also be automatically supplied with spokes to be ejected.

[0006] A shelf supply device known from the prior art comprises: - a reserve of rays in which the rays to be supplied are intended to be stored in bundles; - means of collecting and conveying the rays, one by one, from an entrance positioned in the reserve, and towards a ray evacuation zone, opposite which the ejection gun is intended to be positioned.

[0007] In practice, the gun has an upper slot into which the beams are intended to be successively loaded for ejection. This slot is then positioned directly above the evacuation zone to receive the beams ejected by the supply device.

[0008] Such a supply arrangement is described in particular by document WO99 / 12754.

[0009] The problem with this known device is that the means for picking up and conveying the rays may fail to pick up a ray, or that the picked rays may be incorrectly positioned, or that instead of picking up only one at a time, several rays may be picked up and stacked so that when one of the rays falls, it pulls down the one that is already correctly positioned. All these drawbacks mean that the picking of rays is not necessarily constant and continuous, so that missing rays generate delays in the supply of rays to the gun.

[0010] Waiting times lengthen the manufacturing time of a spoked wheel, which is undesirable.

[0011] The Applicant has already provided a solution to this problem with the teaching of document WO2023 / 017216 which describes a spoke supply device for a spoke ejection gun into orifices of a spoke wheel hub, the device comprises: - a reserve of rays in which the rays to be supplied are intended to be stored in bundles; - means of collecting and conveying the shelves, one by one, from an entrance positioned in the reserve, and towards an evacuation zone opposite which an ejection gun is intended to be positioned; - an intermediate waiting area defining a plane to receive the beams positioned side by side and flat, in which the beams are deposited one by one, located between an exit of the sampling and conveying means and the evacuation area, the intermediate waiting area being inclined towards the evacuation area and equipped with means of isolating a beam allowing the beams to fall one by one into the evacuation area to supply a gun.

[0012] In particular, the means for isolating a beam are in the form of two fingers passing through the plane defined by the intermediate waiting area, to isolate a beam between them, the fingers are in particular retractable independently of each other in order, on the one hand, to allow a beam to enter between the two fingers and, on the other hand, to allow said beam to escape by gravity into the evacuation area.

[0013] This technique is satisfactory, but can still be improved in terms of speed of execution to feed the beams one by one into the ejection gun, and adaptation to the different qualities of beams (lack of linearity). Description of the invention

[0014] One of the aims of the invention is therefore to provide a spoke supply device for a gun of an installation intended to eject said spokes into the orifices of a hub of a spoked wheel, which has an increased rate.

[0015] Another objective of the invention is to provide such a device which can tolerate the lack of linearity of the rays.

[0016] To this end, a device comprising: has been developed - an intermediate waiting area located upstream of an evacuation zone, opposite which an ejection gun is intended to be positioned, and defining a plane for receiving beams positioned side by side and flat, into which the beams are deposited one by one. The intermediate waiting area is inclined towards the evacuation zone and is equipped with means for isolating a beam, allowing the beams to fall one by one into the evacuation zone to supply a gun.

[0017] According to the invention, the means for isolating a ray comprise at least one ejection finger and a guide piece, the finger being movable so as to cross the plane of the intermediate waiting area from below and strike and push an end ray out of said plane against the guide piece, the guide piece having an arched part oriented towards the evacuation area and a stop positioned at the right of the rays preceding the end ray.

[0018] In this way, the isolation of the beam from the intermediate holding area for the gun's feeding is much faster. The finger strikes, pushes, and ejects the beams one by one against the guide piece, whose shape guides the beams, flat, rapidly toward the evacuation zone. The stop on the guide piece ensures that only the end beam is isolated. The beams are therefore projected at a speed higher than gravity toward the evacuation zone. The rate of fire is improved.

[0019] This configuration also allows for tolerance of beam linearity defects.

[0020] Preferably, the arched portion of the guide piece is extended by a flat exit portion inclined towards the discharge zone so as to improve the guidance of the beams exiting the guide piece.

[0021] Similarly, the arched part of the guide piece is preceded by a flat entry portion parallel to the movement of the ejection finger, so as to improve the guidance of the rays at the entry of the guide piece.

[0022] According to a particular embodiment, one end of the intermediate waiting area, intended to form a stop for the end radius, has a face substantially parallel to the entry portion of the guide piece, so as to improve the guidance of the rays during the push by the finger, by forming a guide channel between the face of the stop of the intermediate waiting area and the parallel entry portion of the guide piece.

[0023] Similarly, the stop of the intermediate waiting area has a face substantially parallel to the exit portion of the guide piece, so as to improve the guidance of the spokes at the exit of the guide piece, by forming a channel of guidance between the face of the stop of the intermediate waiting area and the parallel exit portion of the guide piece.

[0024] Preferably, the ejection finger includes a contact face with the beam which is inclined and parallel to the plane of the intermediate waiting area so as to ensure the correct direction of thrust and encourage the beam to move towards the evacuation area.

[0025] In order to ensure that the spokes remain flat, the device preferably includes another set of ejection fingers and guide pieces so as to strike and guide a spoke by its two ends. Brief description of the drawings

[0026] [Fig-1] is a perspective view of the shelf supply device of the present invention.

[0027] [Fig.2] is a side perspective view of the device in [Fig.1].

[0028] [Fig.3] shows, in detail, the intermediate waiting area, the evacuation area and the means of isolating a beam from the intermediate waiting area.

[0029] [Fig.4] illustrates in detail the means of isolating a beam and guiding it towards the Evacuation zone, side view.

[0030] [Fig.5] is a perspective view to illustrate the positioning of a finger set ejection and guide piece on each side of the intermediate waiting area. Detailed description of the invention

[0031] With reference to [Fig.1] to 5, the invention relates to a device (1) for supplying spokes to a gun (2) intended to eject said spokes into the orifices of a hub of a spoked wheel.

[0032] With reference to figures 1 to 3, and in the illustrated example, the hub is not shown, and two supply devices (1) are assembled to supply, in turn, a gun (2) with spokes.

[0033] The illustrated supply devices (1) therefore both share the same ray evacuation zone (3), directly above which the ejection gun (2) is intended to be positioned for supplying as such.

[0034] The two supply devices (1) can each admit a different spoke size since there are hubs fitted with spokes of different sizes.

[0035] The supply devices (1) each include a reserve (4) of rays, presented for example in the form of an elongated tray on which rays to be supplied are intended to be stored in a bundle.

[0036] The spokes are positioned substantially parallel to each other across the width of the platform, so that the platform extends and is elongated in a direction perpendicular to the spokes. The platforms are inclined so as to direct, by gravity, the rays are conveyed to means for picking and conveying the rays (5), from an entrance positioned in said reserve (4), and towards the evacuation zone (3). In the illustrated example, the trays are open in the center, the rays being held by their two ends.

[0037] The device (1) also includes a guide (6), formed in particular by the side walls enclosing the reservoir (4) and the picking and conveying means (5), the width of which, i.e., the spacing between the side walls, is adjustable to adapt to the length of the shelves to be supplied. The width of the guides (6) can be adjusted by any suitable means, for example by actuating a crank associated with a worm gear attached to the guide (6).

[0038] In a known manner, the means for picking up and conveying (5) spokes are in the form of a belt, driven in rotation between two wheels, at least one of which is motorized, and toothed at least on its outer face, and preferably on both faces, in order to be able to pick up and convey, one by one, the spokes present in the reserve (4).

[0039] The teeth of the belt are spaced apart by a sufficient width to allow the spokes to be received, one by one, transversely to the belt. The spokes are therefore intended to be positioned between two teeth of the belt to be transported towards a discharge zone (3).

[0040] In order to avoid the clogging of the spokes at the entrance of the picking and conveying means (5), the device (1) includes a pusher (7) which can be moved, for example, by means of a cylinder, and which is positioned to push the spokes from below to jostle the spokes and avoid clogging of the entrance.

[0041] Preferably, the pusher (7) has a beveled end, on the side of the reservoir (4), to move the beam of rays back and leave only a smaller quantity of rays at the inlet to reduce clogging.

[0042] The device (1) also includes means for detecting the presence of rays in the reservoir (4) and at the entrance of the picking and conveying means (5), for example in the form of inductive sensors. The push button (7) can be actuated according to the signal emitted by these detection means.

[0043] At the exit of the sampling and conveying means (5), the toothed belt is associated, on either side, with a sorter in the form of toothed wheels (9) positioned on either side of the belt, whose hollows are positioned in accordance with the hollows of the toothed belt, and whose hollows have a dimension adjusted to the diameter of the spokes so as to grasp only one spoke at a time.

[0044] During this operation, rays correctly positioned in the picking and conveying means (5) may fall at the same time as the ray that was pushed, so as to impair the expected continuous conveying.

[0045] To overcome this situation, or even the situation in which the picking and conveying means (5) would not succeed in picking a shelf from the reserve (4), the device (1) includes, at the exit of the picking and conveying means (5), an intermediate waiting area (11) in which the shelves are deposited one by one, see figures 3 and 4.

[0046] The intermediate waiting area (11) is therefore located between the exit of the sampling and conveying means (5) and the evacuation area (3).

[0047] The intermediate waiting area (11) is also equipped with means for dropping the beams one by one into the evacuation area (3) to supply the gun (2).

[0048] This intermediate waiting area (11) acts as a buffer zone and ensures that there is always a sufficient quantity of beams ready to be evacuated to supply the gun (2). This guarantees a constant supply to the gun (2) and avoids any downtime. Productivity is therefore optimal.

[0049] The intermediate waiting area (11) is in principle dimensioned in volume or surface area, to receive a sufficient number of waiting spokes to be able to thread all the spokes of a wheel hub.

[0050] The intermediate waiting area (11) defines an inclined plane towards the evacuation area (3), so that the spokes are positioned one by one, side by side and flat, and is adapted to receive nine spokes, because to thread the spokes into a hub, two devices (1) according to the invention are arranged on either side of the hub, so that two spoke guns (2) are supplied by four supplying devices (1). A conventional hub comprises 36 spokes, i.e., 4 x 9 spokes.

[0051] With reference to [Fig. 4], the device includes means for isolating an end radius (8). These means (13) include at least one ejection finger (14) and a guide piece (15).

[0052] The finger (14) is movable, pneumatically, electrically or hydraulically, so as to perform back-and-forth movements and cross the plane of the intermediate waiting area (11), from below, to strike and push the end radius (8a) out of said plane and against the guide piece (15).

[0053] In particular, the speed of movement of the finger (14) is important to achieve an impact on the radius (8a) which is projected against the guide piece (15).

[0054] The guide piece (15) has an arched part (15a) oriented towards the evacuation zone (3) and a stop (15b) positioned at the right of the rays preceding the end ray (8a), so as to guide the ray (8a) projected towards the evacuation zone (3) to feed the gun (2).

[0055] The arched part (15a) of the guide piece (15) is extended by a flat exit portion (15c) inclined towards the evacuation zone (3), and preceded by a flat inlet portion (15d) parallel to the movement of the ejection finger (14).

[0056] The end of the intermediate waiting area (11), intended to form a stop for the end radius, has a face (16) substantially parallel to the entry portion (15d) of the guide piece (15) and a face (17) substantially parallel to the exit portion (15c) of the guide piece (15), so as to form guide channels for the radii.

[0057] The ejection finger (14) includes a contact face (14a) with the beam which is inclined and parallel to the plane of the intermediate waiting area to encourage the beam to evacuate towards the evacuation area (3), and to push only one beam at a time.

[0058] With reference to [Fig.5], the isolation means (13) are for example two in number per intermediate waiting area (11), arranged on either side of said intermediate waiting area (11).

[0059] It follows from the above that the invention does indeed provide a device for supplying rays to a gun (2) which allows continuous operation, regardless of incidents in picking or conveying the rays in order to ensure a constant loading of the gun (2) and optimal productivity.

Claims

Demands

1. Device (1) for supplying spokes to a spoke ejection gun (2) in orifices of a hub of a spoked wheel, the device (1) comprises: - an intermediate waiting area (11) located upstream of an evacuation area (3) opposite which an ejection gun (2) is intended to be positioned, and defining a plane for receiving spokes positioned side by side and flat, in which the spokes are deposited one by one, the intermediate waiting area (11) being inclined towards the evacuation area (3) and is equipped with spoke isolation means (13) allowing the spokes to fall one by one into the evacuation area (3) to supply a gun (2);characterized in that the means for isolating a ray (13) comprise at least one ejection finger (14) and a guide piece (15), the finger (14) being movable so as to cross the plane of the intermediate waiting area from below and strike and push an end ray out of said plane against the guide piece (15), the guide piece (15) having an arched part (15a) oriented towards the evacuation area (3) and a stop (15b) positioned at the right of the rays preceding the end ray.;

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the arched part (15a) of the guide piece (15) is extended by a flat outlet portion (15c) inclined towards the discharge zone (3).

3. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the arched part (15a) of the guide piece (15) is preceded by a flat inlet portion (15d) parallel to the movement of the ejection finger (14).

4. Device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that one end of the intermediate waiting area (11), intended to form a stop for the end radius, has a face (16) substantially parallel to the entry portion (15d) of the guide piece (15).

5. Device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the stop of the intermediate waiting area has a face (17) substantially parallel to the output portion (15c) of the guide piece (15).

6. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ejection finger (14) comprises a contact face (14a) with the radius which is inclined and parallel to the plane of the intermediate waiting area.

7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises another set of ejection finger (14) and guide piece (15) so as to push and guide a ray by its two ends.