Magnetic Bolt Feeder Guide Plate for Anti-Jam Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bolts in a welding station tend to become tangled and stuck in the gap space of a selection block due to concentrated conveyance by magnets, leading to a lower yield rate.
Innovation Solution
A bolt feeder with a rotating plate and guide plate configuration, featuring inclined surfaces and a reverse rotation mechanism to align and feed bolts in a predetermined orientation, using magnets to attract and guide bolts through a selection block without sticking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If bolts are densely attracted and conveyed by magnets to the gap space, then conveyance efficiency is improved, but bolts become tangled and stuck in the entrance of the gap space
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate performs preliminary action by guiding and positioning bolts before they enter the gap space. The inclined surface预先 (in advance) separates bolts that are moving concentrically, preventing them from entering the gap space in a tangled state. This preliminary guidance action resolves the contradiction by preparing bolts for orderly entry while maintaining efficient conveyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate acts as an intermediary between the magnets and the gap space. It receives bolts from the magnets and directs them toward the gap space entrance, mediating the transition from concentrated magnetic attraction to orderly sequential entry. This intermediary structure prevents direct confrontation between densely conveyed bolts and the gap space entrance.
2Speed
If bolts are conveyed in a concentrated manner to the gap space, then feeding speed is improved, but bolts get caught between each other and the guide plate wall surface
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate segments the concentrated flow of bolts into individual trajectories. By providing an inclined surface and guiding structure, it divides the group of bolts into separate paths that lead one by one to the gap space entrance, preventing them from moving as a tangled mass while maintaining high feeding speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclined surface of the guide plate uses a curved geometry to smoothly redirect bolts from their concentric motion path toward the gap space entrance. This curved guidance surface allows bolts to transition smoothly without abrupt changes in direction, preventing tangling and catching while maintaining conveyance speed.
3Reliability
If the gap space is made wide enough for threaded portions to pass through, then passage reliability is improved, but the selection block size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate performs preliminary orientation and positioning of bolts before they reach the gap space. By ensuring bolts are properly aligned and oriented during the guidance phase, the gap space can be made narrower while still maintaining reliable passage, as bolts arrive in the correct configuration for efficient passage through the narrower opening.
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 bolt feeder aligns and feeds bolts one by one in a predetermined orientation, preventing tangling and sticking, and ensures efficient delivery to a subsequent station.
Implementation Method 1
one or more magnets placed on a back surface of the plate-shaped body to attract the bolts via the plate-shaped body
Data Source
AI summary
A bolt feeder includes: a rotating plate (12) arranged adjacent to a hopper (27) storing bolts (10); one or more magnets (15) to attract the bolts (10), from a back surface of the rotating plate (12), onto a front surface of the rotating plate (12); a selection block (13) having a gap space (13a) through which one bolt in a predetermined orientation out of the bolts (10) attracted by the one or more magnets (15) is allowed to pass; a motor (26) to cause the one or more magnets (15) to rotate and move from the hopper (27) toward the selection block (13); and a guide plate (29) extending upstream in a moving direction of the one or more magnets (15) from an entrance of the gap space (13a), and guiding the bolts (10) attracted by the one or more magnets (15) to the gap space (13a).