Patent Application
20210354916
The present invention relates to component feeding systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems for feeding cylindrical components to other equipment for further processing.
Component feeding systems are often used to feed raw materials to additional manufacturing equipment for further processing. In one conventional component feeding system for feeding cylindrical components, a batch of components is held in a hopper. The component feeder then separates a single cylindrical component from the batch and provides the single component for subsequent manufacturing processes. In such conventional component feeding systems for feeding cylindrical components, the component feeder can become stuck or can accidentally provide more than one component. In addition, some cylindrical components include knurled or stamped ends such that when the components are in a batch the components do not lay flat, which can increase the likelihood of delays. In these cases, the additional manufacturing processes cannot continue until the component feeding system is running properly, which increases both cost and throughput time. An improved component feeding system is required to improve the efficiency of the feeding system and reduce downtime.
Various embodiments provide a system to singulate a component from a batch of components for further manufacturing processes. The system includes a hopper comprising a back wall, a hopper wall, and a singulating wall, the hopper wall and singulating wall coupled to the back wall. A singulating blade is configured to slide between the hopper wall and the singulating wall between a first position and a second position. The hopper is sized and configured to receive a batch of components, and a feed surface of the hopper allows the components to move toward the singulating blade. The singulating blade is actuated to move toward a component pocket defined by the singulating wall. As the singulating blade moves toward the component pocket, the singulating blade contacts a component from the batch of components and moves the component toward the component pocket. The component is then deposited in the component pocket, and the actuator moves the singulating blade back to its original position. The component within the component pocket can then be moved for subsequent manufacturing processes.
Additional embodiments provide a system for singulating a component. The system includes a hopper configured to contain at least one component. The hopper includes a back wall, a hopper wall, a singulating wall, and a feed surface. The back wall is connected to both the hopper wall and the singulating wall. A singulating blade is configured to slide between the singulating wall and the hopper wall between a first position and a second position, the singulating wall defining a component pocket sized and configured to receive the component. An actuator is in communication with the singulating blade, the actuator configured to move the singulating blade between the first position and the second position so as to selectively carry the component to the component pocket. The singulating blade defines a top portion configured to contact the component as the singulating blade moves between the first position and the second position.
Further embodiments provide a system for singulating a component. The system includes a hopper configured to contain at least one component. The hopper includes a back wall, a hopper wall, and a singulating wall, where the back wall is connected to both the hopper wall and the singulating wall. A feed surface is configured to direct the component toward the singulating wall. A singulating blade is configured to slide between the singulating wall and the hopper wall between a first position and a second position, the singulating wall defining a component pocket sized and configured to receive the component. An actuator is in communication with the singulating blade, the actuator configured to move the singulating blade between the first position and the second position so as to selectively carry the component to the component pocket.
These and other features, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the several drawings described below.
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims, in which:
The singulating blade 110 may be constructed of, for example metallic materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, or other metals suitable for manufacturing. The singulating blade 110 may also be constructed of, for example, plastic materials such as polycarbonate, ABS, or other plastics suitable for manufacturing. The choice of material may depend on the particular manufacturing environment. The singulating blade 110 is coupled with an actuating mechanism operable to move the singulating blade 110 from a first position to a second position, and back to the first position. The actuating mechanism may be pneumatic, hydraulic, or any other type of actuator that would be suitable for manufacturing. The choice of actuator may depend on the particular manufacturing environment.
The hopper wall 108 further includes a feed surface 120. The hopper wall 108 may also include a vertical surface 122. The combination of the back wall 104, the hopper wall 108, the singulating wall 118, and the feed surface 120 defines a space in which the component batch 114 is held during the component feeding process. The component batch 114 comprises individual components 116. In some embodiments, each component 116 may be a raw cylindrical rod without any indentations, knurling, etc. In other embodiments, each component 116 may be a cylindrical rod with sections that have been knurled, stamped, or otherwise modified before entering the hopper 102. In some embodiments, the feed surface 120 may be angled such that the components 116 travel down the feed surface 120 toward the singulating blade 110.
The top plate 106 is rigidly connected to the singulating wall 118 such that a component pocket 112 is defined. The component pocket 112 is sized and configured to receive a component 116 and retain the component 116 until the component 116 is removed from the component pocket 112 for further processing by other manufacturing equipment.
In one embodiment, a component feeding operation is started and the component batch 114 is loaded into the hopper 102. The hopper 102 may be sized and configured such that the component batch 114 does not protrude beyond the boundaries of the hopper wall 108 and the singulating wall 118. In some arrangements, the hopper 102 may be sized and configured such that the component batch 114 protrudes beyond the boundaries of the hopper wall 108 and the singulating wall 118. As the components 116 of the component batch 114 settle into the hopper 102, the components 116 travel down the feed surface 120 toward the singulating blade 110. In some embodiments, the singulating blade 110 may be sized and configured such that the width (e.g., thickness) of the singulating blade 110 is equal to the diameter of the components 116. The singulating blade 110 may also be sized and configured such that the width of the singulating blade 110 is larger than or smaller than the diameter of the components 116.
The actuator in communication with the singulating blade 110 is activated, and the singulating blade 110 begins to travel toward the component pocket 112. As the singulating blade 110 travels toward the component pocket 112, the top of the singulating blade 110 contacts a component 116 and propels the component 116 toward the component pocket 112 as well. As the component 116 moves toward the component pocket 112, the component 116 contacts other components 116 in the component batch 114. Because the components 116 are cylindrical, the components 116 not in contact with the top of the singulating blade 110 roll off of the component 116 that is in contact with the top of the singulating blade 110 such that when the singulating blade 110 reaches the component pocket 112 only the component 116 that is in contact with the top of the singulating blade 110 reaches the component pocket 112. Additionally, as the singulating blade 110 moves through the component batch 114, the movement causes the components 116 within the component batch 114 to move away from the singulating blade 110, creating a loosening effect, which allows the singulating blade 110 to travel with a low amount of friction between the singulating blade 110 and the component batch 114.
The component 116 then enters the component pocket 112. In some embodiments, the component 116 rolls off of the singulating blade 110 into the component pocket 112. In some embodiments, the component 116 is pulled into the component pocket 112 using a vacuum source. The component 116 remains in the component pocket 112 until additional manufacturing equipment removes the component 116 from the component pocket 112 for additional manufacturing operations.
The actuator then moves the singulating blade 110 away from the component pocket 112 until the singulating blade 110 returns to its original position. As the singulating blade 110 moves toward its original position, the movement causes the components 116 of the component batch 114 to move toward the singulating blade 110. When the singulating blade 110 comes to rest in its original position, another component 116 contacts the top of the singulating blade 110, and the singulating process can be repeated.
In some instances, the singulating blade 110 may be actuated but fail to move a component 116 to the component pocket 112. This may be due to the component 116 not being in full contact with the singulating blade 110 when the singulating blade 110 began to move, or the component 116 being shaped such that it rolled off of the singulating blade 110 before reaching the component pocket 112. In these types of instances, even though the component 116 does not reach the component pocket 112, the singulating process does not need to stop. In a number of conventional singulating processes, when a component is not loaded or selected properly, the mechanism may get stuck or fail, and the process must be stopped so an operator can clear the failure and resume the process. In contrast, the singulating process embodied by the component feeder system 100 discussed herein will not jam, stick, or fail if a component 116 fails to reach the component pocket 112; the singulating blade 110 will simply return to its original position and begin the process again. Testing results have shown that the component feeder system 100 successfully completed 7500 cycles without a fault. However, even in the case of a fault, the component feeder system 100 has a cycle time of approximately ⅓ the cycle time of a conventional feeder system such that the component feeder system 100 is still faster than a conventional feeder system in feeding a subsequent component 116.
In some embodiments, the feed surface 502 defines a constant angle between the feed surface 502 and the singulating wall 118, and the feed surface 502 terminates at a flat bottom 504. The flat bottom 504 extends from the feed surface 502 and terminates at the singulating blade 110. Using a system that incorporates the flat bottom 504 may be beneficial when working with components that have a higher coefficient of friction. As described with reference to
In some embodiments, the feed surface 506 is a convex surface that terminates at a flat bottom 504 (shown, for example, in
In some embodiments, the feed surface 508 defines a constant angle between the feed surface 508 and a vertical surface 510. A flat bottom 504 extends from the vertical surface 510 and terminates at the singulating blade 110. Using a system that incorporates the feed surface 508, the vertical surface 510, and the flat bottom 504 may be useful when working with components that may be ridged and have high friction between the components. The vertical surface 510 and the singulating wall 118 are parallel to each other and serve to reduce the pressure between the components. In some instances, the components have a coefficient of friction large enough such that the components can get stuck on each other and create a bridge between the vertical surface 510 and the singulating wall 118. The bridge of components can support the weight of the rest of the components resting on top of the bridge, and the components below the bridge within the space defined by the vertical surface 510, the flat bottom 504, and the singulating wall 118 can move more freely toward the singulating blade 110.
Additional features may be implemented separately from, or in conjunction with, the features described in
In some embodiments, the singulating wall 604 defines an angle between the singulating wall 604 and the feed surface 606 such that the angle between the two is less than, or equal to, ninety degrees. Using a system that incorporates the singulating wall 604 and the feed surface 606 can serve to reduce the number of components that are picked up by the singulating blade 110.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the singulating wall 706 defines ports 708 that extend parallel to the top plate 106 through the singulating wall 706 from a vertical face of the singulating wall 710 through the opposite face of the singulating wall 706. In some arrangements, the ports 708 do not extend through the opposite face of the singulating wall 706. The ports 708 may be fluidly connected to a source of compressed gas such that the compressed gas can blow excess components 116 off of the singulating blade 110 as the singulating blade 110 moves toward the component pocket 112. In this way, the ports 708 help ensure that only one component 116 reaches the component pocket 112.
In some embodiments, the singulating blade 806 defines channels 808 that extend the length of the singulating blade 806 from the top of the singulating blade 806 that contacts the components 116 to the opposite end of the singulating blade 806. The channels 808 may be fluidly connected to a vacuum source such that the vacuum source pulls the component 116 toward the singulating blade 806 as the component 116 is moving toward the component pocket 112, thereby preventing the component 116 from rolling off of the singulating blade 806.
In some embodiments, the singulating blade 810 includes a section of reduced thickness 812, the section of reduced thickness 812 located at the top of the singulating blade 810 that contacts the components 116. Using a singulating blade 810 that incorporates a section of reduced thickness 812 may be useful when working with components 116 of a diameter such that, for example, the singulating blade 110 with a thickness equal to the diameter of the component 116 would be infeasible. A singulating blade 810 that incorporates a section of reduced thickness 812 may also be useful when working with materials of the singulating blade 810 that, in a thickness suitable for the application, do not exhibit sufficient physical properties required for proper singulating blade functionality.
In some embodiments, the component pocket 1010 is defined by the singulating wall 1011 and the top plate 106. The component pocket 1010 includes a beveled edge 1012. The beveled edge 1012 is angled away from the singulating blade 110, serving to prevent the component 116 from rolling out of the component pocket 1010. Shaping the component pocket 1010 in this manner reduces the need to include additional mechanisms to hold the component 116 in place to prevent the component 116 from rolling out of the component pocket 1010.
In some embodiments, the component pocket 1014 is defined by the singulating wall 1020 and a top plate 1016. The top plate 1016 can travel along the singulating wall in the directions indicated by the arrow 1018. In one embodiment, the top plate 1016 is positioned such that the component 116 fits in between the top plate 1016 and the component pocket 1014. To remove the component 116 for further manufacturing operations, the top plate 1016 can move and expose the component such that the component 116 can be manipulated and moved for subsequent manufacturing processes. The movement of the top plate 1016 can occur via hydraulic, pneumatic, manual, or other methods by which components may be moved during a manufacturing process.
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately” and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the invention as recited in the appended claims.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the Figures. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes, and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple components or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any method processes may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/757,342 filed Nov. 8, 2018, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/058745 | 10/31/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62757342 | Nov 2018 | US |
