O-Ring Mounting With Frustum Guidance for End-Surface Grooves
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for automated assembly of O-rings, particularly flexible O-rings, are inefficient and labor-intensive due to their ease of deformation and entanglement, and are not suitable for mounting on end surfaces of work pieces, limiting their application in industries such as robotics.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising picking components and a guiding component with a frustum portion is used to separate, feed, and mount O-rings onto work pieces, utilizing a robot to move the components and guide the O-rings into grooves on end surfaces, ensuring efficient and accurate placement regardless of deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vibration is used to separate and feed O-rings, then rigid O-rings (small I/W ratio) can be separated efficiently, but flexible O-rings (large I/W ratio) cannot be separated because they are easily deformed and entangled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the separation mechanism from vibration-based to expansion-based. The picking components expand radially outward to contact and separate O-rings, which works for both rigid and flexible O-rings regardless of their I/W ratio. This parameter change in the separation mechanism resolves the contradiction between productivity for rigid O-rings and adaptability to flexible O-rings.
2Extent of automation
If traditional automated assembly methods are used, then O-rings can be mounted on outer/inner circumferences efficiently, but they cannot be mounted in grooves on end surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal mounting apparatus that can handle multiple mounting scenarios: outer circumference, inner circumference, and end surface grooves. The picking components and guiding component are designed to be adaptable to different groove configurations, enabling the same automated system to perform multiple mounting functions that were previously impossible for end surface applications.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual assembly is used for flexible O-rings in end surface grooves, then accurate placement is possible, but assembly efficiency is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guiding component with a frustum portion as an intermediary between the picking components and the groove. This frustum portion receives the O-ring from the picking components and guides it into the groove, ensuring accurate placement while enabling automated operation. The intermediary component resolves the contradiction by providing the precision needed for accurate placement while allowing high-speed automated 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
The apparatus enables efficient and automated separation, feeding, and mounting of O-rings, including flexible ones, on end surfaces of work pieces, improving assembly efficiency and accuracy by using a robot to handle and position the O-rings within the grooves.
Implementation Method 1
the O-ring is pushed into the groove along the tapered surface
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for mounting an O-ring to a work piece, including: a plurality of picking components operable to move away from each other to contact and expand the O-ring to pick the O-ring or to move towards each other to release the O-ring; and a guiding component including a frustum portion arranged coaxially with a groove of the work piece, a large end face of the frustum portion arranged adjacent to an end surface of the work piece on which the groove is formed, wherein a diameter of the large end face is substantially same as an inner diameter of the groove, wherein the picking components are operable to release the O-ring onto a tapered surface of the frustum portion so that the O-ring is pushed into the groove along the tapered surface.