Vehicle Hub Bearing Ball Cage Assembly with Gravity Ball Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball cage assembly for vehicle hub bearings requires multiple tools and consumes significant energy due to individual ball loading, and the process is cumbersome and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A ball cage assembly device that allows all balls to be seated on pockets of a cage using their own weight, guided through inclined long through holes, without the need for orientation or additional tools, utilizing a work table, cage supply unit, ball filling unit, ball press-fitting unit, and assembly conveying unit with components like shutter table and shutter rotation cylinder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If balls are loaded individually onto pockets of the cage using conventional tools, then the assembly process can be completed, but energy is consumed significantly and many tools are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple ball loading operations into a single simultaneous operation. The cage is positioned once, and all balls are loaded at the same time through coordinated movement of the cage and balls, eliminating the need for multiple sequential tool operations and significantly reducing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage is pre-positioned in a specific orientation on the worktable before ball loading begins. This preliminary positioning allows all balls to be loaded simultaneously in one operation, rather than requiring multiple sequential loading operations, thereby improving productivity and reducing energy waste from repeated tool movements.
2Loss of time
If conventional assembly tools are used to load balls sequentially, then the assembly can be completed, but the time to change tools is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The worktable serves multiple functions: it positions the cage, holds the balls, and facilitates their simultaneous loading. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for multiple specialized tools, reducing both the number of tools required and the time spent changing between them.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of multiple assembly tools into a single integrated process. By positioning the cage once and loading all balls simultaneously, the system combines what would traditionally require multiple separate tool operations into one unified operation, eliminating tool change time.
3Reliability
If balls are dropped directly onto pockets without guidance, then the loading process is simple, but balls bounce off the pockets and seating is unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined through-holes in the cage act as intermediary guides that channel the balls toward their destination pockets. As balls fall through these inclined holes, they are naturally directed into the pockets, preventing bouncing and ensuring stable seating without requiring complex additional guidance mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclined through-holes are designed with specific curvature and angle to guide the spherical balls smoothly into the pockets. The curved path of the inclined holes matches the trajectory of falling balls, ensuring they settle correctly without bouncing, while maintaining a simple overall structure.
4Manufacturing precision
If the cage is restricted in orientation during assembly, then precise ball placement can be achieved, but the assembly process becomes more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is pre-positioned in the correct orientation on the worktable before ball loading begins. This preliminary positioning ensures precise ball placement while simplifying the overall operation, as the cage remains stationary and properly oriented throughout the simultaneous ball loading process, eliminating the need for complex adjustments during assembly.
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
Improves energy efficiency by allowing simultaneous seating of all balls, reduces tool change time, and ensures stable seating without bouncing, all while eliminating the need for separate tools.
Implementation Method 1
a ball filling unit that supplies a plurality of balls onto the plurality of supplied pockets using their own weight
Implementation Method 2
the plurality of through holes and the plurality of long through holes may be crossed at a first time point so that the plurality of balls may be seated on the upper surface of the shutter block, and may then be overlapped at a second time point when the shutter rotates at a preset angle by the shutter rotation cylinder so that the plurality of balls may fall and be guided to the upper part of the plurality of pockets along the long through holes
Data Source
AI summary
A ball cage assembly device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a work table including a seating base; a cage supply unit that supplies a cage with a plurality of pockets formed in a groove shape on the seating base; a ball filling unit that supplies a plurality of balls onto the plurality of supplied pockets using their own weight; a ball press-fitting unit that moves up and down and press-fits the plurality of supplied balls into the plurality of pockets to create a ball cage assembly; and an assembly conveying unit that conveys the ball cage assembly.