Retainer Gripping Structure for Stable Cotter Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve spring assembling devices do not account for variations in cotter dimensions within the retainer, leading to assembly defects when mounting retainers to valve stems, as the cotters can protrude excessively and cause jamming or misalignment.
Innovation Solution
A retainer gripping device with a retainer gripping unit, a retainer supporting portion, and a cotter supporting portion, featuring a plunging pin member with a tapered end and biasing members to position cotters correctly, ensuring they are lifted higher than the retainer's edge, preventing assembly defects by maintaining the cottters' position during assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the retainer is gripped and conveyed without supporting the cotters, then the device structure is simple, but assembly defects occur when the cotters protrude too far from the retainer
Solution Approach 1:
The cotter supporting portion is configured to support the lower end edge portions of the cotters in advance before the retainer mounting operation. This preliminary action ensures that even if cotters protrude due to dimensional variations, they are properly positioned and prevented from causing assembly defects during subsequent operations.
2Reliability
If the cotters are supported to prevent protrusion, then assembly reliability is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cotter supporting portion is nested within the retainer gripping unit structure. The supporting portion is provided at an upper step from the retainer supporting portion, creating a compact nested arrangement that minimizes overall device complexity while still providing the necessary cotter support function.
3Ease of manufacture
If dimensional variations in cotters are not considered, then the manufacturing process is simple, but product quality deteriorates due to assembly defects
Solution Approach 1:
The cotter supporting portion changes the positional parameter of the cotters by supporting their lower end edge portions and lifting them upward. This parameter change compensates for dimensional variations in the cotters, ensuring consistent positioning accuracy without requiring tighter manufacturing tolerances on the cotters themselves.
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 device effectively suppresses assembly defects by stabilizing the cotters' position within the retainer, allowing for proper mounting and clamping of valve springs between the retainer and the cylinder head, even with dimensional variations in the cotters.
Implementation Method 1
a first biasing member that is configured to bias the plunging pin member toward a side of the cotter supporting portion
Implementation Method 2
a second biasing member that is configured to bias the cotter presser member toward a side of the cotter supporting portion
Data Source
AI summary
A retainer gripping device, configured to grip a retainer accommodating a set of cotters inside the retainer, includes a retainer gripping unit, a retainer supporting portion, and a cotter supporting portion. The retainer gripping unit is configured to grip the retainer. The retainer supporting portion is configured such that the retainer gripped by the retainer gripping unit is placed in a state in which the set of cotters are accommodated inside the retainer. The cotter supporting portion is configured to support lower end edge portions of the cotters accommodated inside the retainer in a state in which the lower end edge portions are lifted upward higher than a lower end edge portion of the retainer.