Component Assembly Jig Using Pneumatic Pressure Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing assembly operations for differently shaped plate-shaped components lack efficient methods to ensure correct sequence, orientation, and number alignment without excess or deficiency, leading to poor yield and potential errors.

Innovation Solution

A component assembly jig with component insertion grooves, a compressed-air channel, and a detection system that uses pressure changes to confirm correct alignment, displayed via a lamp or display unit, ensuring accurate sequence and orientation of plate-shaped components before assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If manual operations are used to overlap plate-shaped components, then flexibility in assembly is maintained, but assembly accuracy and efficiency deteriorate due to inability to easily distinguish correct sequence, orientation, and number

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly accuracyVSAvoidassembly operation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The assembly process is segmented into distinct functional zones within the jig body: component insertion grooves for positioning, compressed-air channels for detection, and display units for feedback. Each groove is independently shaped to match specific component geometries, enabling sequential verification of multiple components without increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Compressed air serves as an intermediary medium between the component insertion grooves and the detection system. The air pressure changes detected when components are correctly inserted provide indirect verification of assembly correctness, eliminating the need for direct visual inspection or complex measurement devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If visual inspection methods are used to verify component alignment, then no additional equipment is needed, but detection reliability deteriorates due to difficulty in distinguishing correct from incorrect alignment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment verification reliabilityVSAvoidalignment detection difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides immediate visual feedback through display units that indicate whether components are correctly inserted. The detection part monitors compressed air pressure in real-time and triggers display units to show alignment status, creating a closed-loop feedback system that guides operators and confirms correctness without requiring expert visual inspection skills.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The manual visual inspection process is replaced with an automated detection system using compressed air pressure sensing. Instead of relying on human visual judgment, the system uses pneumatic pressure changes to automatically detect and verify component insertion status, providing objective and reliable measurement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If compressed air flows through all grooves continuously, then detection sensitivity is maintained, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment detection sensitivityVSAvoidcompressed air consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Compressed air is supplied periodically or on-demand to specific grooves rather than continuously to all grooves. The system activates air flow to a groove only when a component insertion event is detected or during verification cycles, maintaining detection sensitivity while significantly reducing overall compressed air consumption compared to continuous flow to all grooves.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The jig ensures correct assembly by preventing incorrect alignment, preventing excess or deficiency, and facilitating efficient assembly operations with visual confirmation of alignment-complete state, thereby improving yield and reducing errors.

Implementation Method 1

a detection part for detecting, on the basis of pressure changes in the compressed air flowing through the compressed-air channel, an alignment-complete state in which the plate-shaped components are correctly inserted into each of the component insertion grooves

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure changes: Pressure Increase

Data Source

PatentUS10010985B2Component assembly jig

Publication Date: 2018.07.03 TOPY FASTENER INDS

AI summary

When plate-shaped components are inserted in the correct order and orientation into component insertion grooves of a component assembly jig, the component insertion grooves are blocked by the plate-shaped components, and the blowing of compressed air is stopped. When the blowing of compressed air from the component insertion grooves is stopped, the pressure in a compressed-air path increases, and an alignment-complete lamp is illuminated. Using the component assembly jig enables an assembly operation for overlapping the plurality of plate-shaped components in the correct order and orientation, without excess or deficiency, to be efficiently performed without error.