Stepped Pin Loading Mechanism for Thick-First Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for loading planet carrier components are inefficient for stepped pins of varying diameters, as they require specific orientations of thin and thick segments, limiting automation and increasing labor costs.
Innovation Solution
A stepped pin loading mechanism featuring a vibrator bowl with a spirally rising discharge track and a swivel plate connected to a drive motor, with receiving slots and baffles that allow stepped pins to be oriented with thick segments ahead, facilitating selective loading and press-fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a vibrator bowl and tubular track are used to load wheel shafts, then automation is improved and labor cost is reduced, but the system cannot handle stepped pins of varying diameters requiring specific orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel plate is designed to rotate dynamically to different angles (0° or 180°) to adapt the orientation of stepped pins before loading. This dynamic adjustment allows the same automated system to handle pins with different orientation requirements without manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between automation and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the orientation parameter of the swivel plate (rotation angle) to accommodate different pin loading requirements. By adjusting this single parameter, the automated system can adapt to various stepped pin configurations while maintaining full automation, thus resolving the contradiction between automation extent and adaptability.
2Ease of manufacture
If stepped pins are conveyed with specific orientations (thin segments front or thick segments front), then press-fitting is facilitated, but the loading process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving slots are segmented into inner and outer segments with different widths. The inner segment accommodates pins with thick segments facing front, while the outer segment accommodates pins with thin segments facing front. This segmentation allows the system to handle different pin orientations using a relatively simple structural modification rather than a completely complex loading mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The swivel plate acts as an intermediary component between the vibrator bowl and the receiving slots. It mediates the orientation adjustment of stepped pins, converting random orientations into the required orientations (either thick segments front or thin segments front) before pins enter the receiving slots, thus facilitating press-fitting without excessive complexity.
3Productivity
If all stepped pins are loaded with consistent orientation (thick segments ahead), then subsequent conveying and press-fitting are optimized, but the loading mechanism requires additional orientation control
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel plate performs periodic rotation to adjust pin orientations at regular intervals during the loading process. This periodic action ensures that all stepped pins are consistently oriented with thick segments ahead before being loaded onto the planet carrier, optimizing subsequent conveying and press-fitting operations while using a relatively simple rotational mechanism.
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
Enables efficient and automated loading of stepped pins with thick segments ahead, optimizing the subsequent conveying and press-fitting process, reducing labor costs and improving production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a vibrator bowl or disk, wherein a spirally rising discharge track is connected to an outer side surface of a hopper of the vibrator bowl
Implementation Method 2
a swivel plate, which is linked with a drive motor and revolves on the swivel plate's own axis under the action of the drive motor
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a stepped pin loading mechanism which can be used for loading stepped pins, comprising a vibrator bowl. A spirally rising discharge track is connected to an outer side of a hopper of the vibrator bowl, and a swivel plate is provided on the discharge track, and several receiving slots are provided on the swivel plate. The strip-shaped receiving slot consists of an inner segment and an outer segment, and the width of the outer segment is greater than that of the inner segment. A front baffle and a rear baffle, both of which are provided with a through opening, are provided on the discharge track, an arc-shaped side baffle, which is located between the front baffle and the rear baffle to form a semi-enclosed structure, is provided on an outer circumferential side of the swivel plate. One end of the side baffle deviates from the through opening of the rear baffle, and the height of an upper edge of the side baffle gradually increases from the rear baffle to the front baffle so that an upper edge at the other end of the side baffle is as high as an upper side of the through opening of the front baffle.