Turbocharger Vane Loading With Robotic Clearance Pre-Arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual loading of vanes onto a turbocharger rotor wheel is time-consuming and prone to errors, with high risks of part impact and eye fatigue, especially during the blank assembling, disassembling, and character-reading phases, which can lead to quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A method using an articulated arm with a vane gripper to load vanes onto a wheel, controlled by a computer device to adjust circumferential clearance, and optionally equipped with a safety system and camera for precise positioning and force measurement, along with an automated identification system to streamline the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual loading of vanes is used to adjust circumferential clearance, then clearance adjustment precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating the optimal arrangement of narrow and wide vanes using software before the actual loading process. The software determines the precise positioning of each vane type to achieve the target circumferential clearance, eliminating the need for iterative manual adjustments and significantly reducing both time consumption and productivity loss.
2Measurement precision
If manual disassembling and character reading is performed, then data accuracy is improved, but operator fatigue and error risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of reading characters with an automated optical character recognition (OCR) system. A camera captures images of the vanes, and software automatically reads and processes the identification characters, eliminating operator fatigue and human errors while maintaining high data accuracy.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple iterations of blank assembling are performed, then clearance optimization is improved, but time consumption and part impact risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the clearance optimization calculation in advance using specialized software that simulates different vane arrangements. This preliminary computational action determines the optimal configuration before physical assembly begins, eliminating the need for multiple iterative assemblies and significantly reducing both time consumption and the risk of part impact from repeated handling.
4Productivity
If automated articulated arm loading is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a robotic articulated arm system that performs multiple functions: positioning vanes, reading identification characters via integrated camera, and verifying installation. This multi-functional device consolidates several separate operations into one system, improving productivity while managing complexity through integration rather than proliferation of separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for loading blades onto a wheel by an articulated arm, including determining a list of blades which are intended to succeed one another along a guideway of the wheel in the order of this list, in a predefined direction of rotation from a notch until returning to this notch, such that the list has a predefined number of blades at a first end, termed first end blades, and a predefined number of blades at a second end of the list, termed second end blades, each of the first end blades having a circumferential size which is less than each of the second end blades; and—commanding the articulated arm so that the gripper seizes the blades and loads them into the notch according to the order of the list.