FR2842446A1 - Preparation device for split cones for installing small series of cylinder head valves comprises reception hopper, guide strip for ordered presentation outside hopper, discrimination device and reception magazine - Google Patents

Abstract

The preparation device comprises a reception hopper (1) for loose split cones (7), a guide strip (6,11) for the ordered presentation of the split cones outside the hopper and a split cones discrimination device (20,22,28) according to their orientation at exit from the presentation device. There is a reception magazine (25,27) for the split cones leaving the discrimination device.

Description

In the field of car manufacturing, we must distinguish between the

mass production,

  high rate, continuous operation over a long period of time and special or limited production carried out over a short period of time.

  Most often in the case of a limited manufacture, or even a program of repair or intervention after sale, the mass production tool is absolutely not suitable and many operations

are made by hand.

  This is for example the mounting of the valves on the cylinder head of an engine block in the case of small series or the refurbishment of an engine in the context of a standard exchange. This assembly sequence requires the preparation of the mounting of a cup on the valve stem by the establishment, prior to this

  mounting, two half-rings in the cup.

  The large-scale tooling assigned to this operation is of the type illustrated in documents EP-328 471, JP-06 238 534 and JP-04 360 736, implementing integrated chains from one or more vibratory bowls with a automated tooling for loading cups into demiballs and, finally, tools for mounting

  cups thus equipped on each valve stem.

  The present invention seeks to meet the unmet need for a simple operating preparation tool to be implemented quickly for very short times of use and

variable duration.

  For this purpose the invention therefore relates to a device for preparing half-rings adapted for mounting by small series of valves comprising: a hopper for receiving half-rings in bulk, - a device for orderly presentation of these half -bags outside the hopper - a device for discriminating the half-rings according to their orientation at the output of the presentation device, - at least one receiving magazine of the half-rings

  from the discrimination device.

  This is a small device whose components are simple to manufacture and implement. In particular, the hopper is bounded by two walls converging downwards, by two side walls and by a bottom of width substantially equal to the width of a half-ring while the ordered presentation device comprises: a strip arranged between the two convergent walls of the hopper and whose upper edge is the aforesaid bottom, movable between a first low position and a second high position in which it is flush with the upper edge of the side walls of the hopper, - a motor mechanism for moving the strip between these two positions, - a half-rings evacuation pusher over the edge of the side walls of the hopper, comprising a sweeping brush of the upper edge of the slider in the longitudinal direction of the latter and - a drive mechanism for cyclically maneuver the

brush in the aforesaid direction.

  The half-rings being half-frustoconical, in a first embodiment the discrimination device comprises a slidably mounted slideway perpendicular to the direction of the slide, having a half-ring housing movable between a first position in the extension of the Ruler and two other posi35 tions each located directly above a guide drop half-rings, the drawer being controlled by a linear actuator controlled by at least one detector of the dimension of the axial end of the half-ring placed

  in the drawer housing in its first position, as5 associated with a presence detector of this half-ring.

  Each store is preferably formed by a tubular enclosure having a diametrical or diagonal partition. In another embodiment of the discrimination device, the latter comprises, for frustoconical half-rings, a guide path of the half-rings extending the output of the ordered presentation device, to a service end, the path having an orifice whose shape is complementary to the axial section of a half-ring in an orientation, through which any thus oriented half-ring falls for

to be recycled.

  Other features and benefits of

  The invention will become apparent from the description given below of an exemplary embodiment.

  Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is an external view of the device according to the invention; FIGS. 2 and 3 are two orthogonal views of the hopper shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 5 is a detailed schematic view of a discrimination mechanism implemented in the field of view of the mechanism for operating the brush shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

device of the invention.

  FIG. 6 is a view from above of an alternative embodiment of the discrimination mechanism of FIG.

Figure 5.

  In Figure 1, the device of the invention comprises a hopper 1 limited by a front wall 2 and a rear wall 3 whose upper edges 2a, 3a converge downwards and by two side walls 4 and 5. The bottom of the hopper is constituted by a movable strip 6 whose width is substantially equal to the width of a half-ring 7 (see Figure 2), this movable strip being slidably mounted between the walls 2, 3, 4 and 5 between a position low, shown in the figures and a high position in which the upper edge 6a of the reglette is flush with the upper edge 4a, Sa side walls of the hopper. Note in particular in Figure 2 that the upper edge 6a of the strip 6 is equipped with a bead 8 which allows to retain the half-rings 7 when they are their hollow faces facing down. In the same way, the upper edges 4a and 5a comprise a bead 4b and 5b which will be in alignment with the bead 8 of the strip 6 in the upper position thereof. The movement of this slider between these two positions is provided by a cylinder 9. The slider may comprise a vibrator, known per se, so as to facilitate the evacuation of poorly presented demibags on its upper edge during its passage from its low position at its high position. This vibrator can be conventionally constituted by an unbalance that is to say a ball circulating in a pneumatic channel

  circular formed in the thickness of the strip 6.

  In operation, the ruler moves from its low position to its upper position through the mass of loose demibagues in the hoppers, so that, when it emerges from the half-rings, it bears on its upper edge 6a a series of half -bags that are ordered on

  along the longitudinal direction of the bead 8.

  The device according to the invention comprises above the hopper 1, a push mechanism 10 for evacuating the half-rings present in an orderly manner on the upper edge of the strip 6. This mechanism, shown in Figures 1 and 4, is essentially formed by a brush l whose support 12 is mounted on two axes 13a and 13b animated in synchronism with a vertical circular movement by means of two eccentric drive shafts 14 connected to each other by a belt drive 16 and pulley 17, one of the shafts 14 being coupled to a motor 18. The relative disposition of the brush relative to the slide in the raised position is such that the brush sweeps the slide during the rotating movement imparted by the motor 18, either in the direction of the wall 5 or, if we change the direction of rotation of the motor 18 in the direction of the wall 4. The half-rings that the edge 6a of the strip 6 is then pushed towards one or the other at be

  these walls to be extracted from the hopper.

  In the case shown, the direction of rotation of the shafts 14 is indicated A in FIG. 1 so that the brush accumulates the half-rings in the direction of the wall 5, these half-rings then overlapping the bead b of the upper edge 5a. this wall to enter the housing 19 of a drawer 20 of discrimination of

  half-rings depending on their orientation.

  The discrimination device shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 comprises the slide 20 slidably mounted on a support 21 secured to the wall 5 and actuated relative to this support 21 by means of a pneumatic actuator 22, which is formed of two identical jacks hitched together. one to the other by their body and for one to a bracket 23 of the support 21 while the other is directly connected to the drawer 20. With the cylinders 22 can be ordered by ordering their successive and / or simultaneous feeding place the drawer 20 in three positions. A first position, that shown in Figure 1, is such that the housing 19 is in the extension of the bead 5b of the wall 5. This position corresponds for example to the retraction of the rod of a cylinder and the extension the rod of the other cylinder. If the extended rod is retracted, the slide 20 is moved and the housing 19 is laterally displaced, for example towards the rear of the hopper, to be in line with a drop 24 formed in the sliding support. 21 of the drawer 20 just above a store 25 receiving half-cones. It can be seen that the chute 24 constitutes an inclined plane for the half-ring which tilts forward to fall into the

  store with its axis oriented vertically.

  The drawer can reach another position opposite to that just described with respect to the middle position which is shown in Figure 1, when the retracted rod of all the cylinders 22 is output. In this position, the housing 19 is in line with a second fall 26 which guides the half-rings

  until a store 27 so that they fall vertically in this store.

  It will be noted in FIG. 5 that the chute 24 and the chute 26 are oriented opposite one another. The reasons for this different orientation are as follows. When each half-ring reaches the housing 19, each half-ring being of half-frustoconical shape, it may randomly present one or the other of these large or small half-bases opposite the housing wall which forms a stop to its movement on the bead 5b. The presence of the half-ring is detected by a not shown sensor and the dimension of its half-base is detected by a sensor 28 which is connected to the control automaton of the actuator 22. If it is desired that the half -bags penetrate in each of the magazines 25, 27 by their smaller half-base, it is appropriate to move the housing 19 towards the fall 24 if the half-ring has the right of the sensor its smallest half-base as shown in 5, or in the direction of the fall 26 if it is the large half-base of the demibague which is in contact with the sensor 28. Thus the drawer, its actuator 22, the sensors including the sensor 28 and the falls 24 and 26 constitute a device for discriminating half-rings, according to their orientation to the

exit from the hopper.

  Each of the magazines 25, 27 may be constituted by a tube whose diameter is greater than the diameter of the largest half-base of each half-ring, this tube having a diametrical partitioning which thus delimits

  two compartments that can be filled successively.

  The store thus contains two columns of half-rings separated by the diametral partition, each half-ring of each column having a corresponding vis-à-vis in the other compartment. It is then enough for the operator

  to use the magazine in a known device for dispensing a pair of half-rings in each cup.

  In operation, the strip 6 moves from its low position to its high position loaded with an unknown number of half-rings, which by means of the brush 11 are pushed towards the wall 5. The housing 19 is in front of the bead 5b and a half-ring is detected in the housing 19 and is in contact with the sensor 28. The signal of this sensor generates the control of the appropriate displacement of the drawer which drives the half-ring placed in the housing 19 opposite the chute 24 or 26 appropriate. The drawer is then moved to return to the center position. Under the action of the brush it takes charge of a new half-ring detected by the sensors which again emit an appropriate command signal of the actuator 22. In the absence of half-rings detected, the strip 6 is moved from its upper position to its lower position and then raised, thus loading a certain amount of half-rings which are, one by one,

  processed by the discriminator device.

  Stores 25 and 27 may affect other forms. In particular, the tube may be of square section with a diagonal partition. When a column is completely completed, the operator or an automatism turns the magazine around its axis of 1800 to realize the

  filling the second compartment.

  Finally, reference will be made to Figure 6 which describes a

  economic variant of the device for dis10 crimination of half-rings according to their orientation.

  We find in this figure some of the elements already described with the same references. On the side 1 of the hopper 1, the latter comprises a part 30 which defines a guide path 31 whose bottom is provided with a bead 3la which extends the bead 4b. As previously described, the push mechanism in the case of FIG. 6 moves the half-rings of the edge of the strip 6 onto the bead 4b and then into the horizontal path 31 for guiding the piece 30 which is at the level of

top 4a of the wall 4.

  The guide path 31 has an orifice 32 whose section is substantially identical to the axial section of a half-ring 7a oriented to present its large base first in the extraction direction. It is understood that all the rings 7b oriented in the same way as the orifice 32, when they come in line with this orifice, the latter acts as a hatch. The half-ring 7b tilts, since one of its edges no longer has support, and passes through the hole 32 to fall in the room 30 in a recycling bin that an operator

  discharges manually and periodically into the hopper 1.

  On the other hand, the rings oriented in opposite directions, such as the ring 7a of FIG. 6, can pass over the orifice 32 without falling into it and continue in the guide path 31 until reaching a service end 31b of the path guide o each half-ring is driven by a device known in itself in a store

such as 25 or 27.

  The device of the invention may comprise a further piece such as 30 on the wall 5 of the hopper which can perform a sorting similar or opposite to that performed by the piece 30 according to the orientation of the orifice such as

that this room has.

  The advantage of this discrimination by a static means lies in the very low construction cost.

  to the mechanism described above and in the absence of maintenance.

Claims (5)

  1. Device for preparing half-rings adapted for mounting by small series of valves, characterized in that it comprises: - a hopper (1) for receiving half-rings (7) in bulk, - a device (6, 11) of orderly presentation of the half-rings out of the hopper (1), - a device (20, 22, 28) for discriminating the half-rings according to their orientation at the output of the presentation device,   - At least one store (25, 27) for receiving the half-rings from the discrimination device.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the hopper (1) is limited by two walls (2, 3), converging downwards, by two side walls (5) and by a bottom of width substantially equal to the width of a half-ring (7) and in that the ordered presentation device comprises: - a strip (6) arranged between the two convergent walls (2, 3) of the hopper (1) and whose edge (6a ) is the aforesaid bottom movable between a first low position and a second high position in which it is flush with the upper edge (4a, 5a) of the two side walls (4, 5) of the hopper (1), - a motor mechanism (9) to move the slider (6) between these two positions; - a pusher for evacuating the half-rings over the edge of the side walls (4,5) of the hopper, comprising a brush (11) for scanning the upper edge (6a) of the strip (6) in the longitudinal direction thereof and a driving mechanism (18, 14, 15, 13)   for cyclically operating the brush (11) in the aforesaid direction.   3. Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the half-rings (7) being half-frustoconical, the discrimination device comprises a slide (20) sliding perpendicular to the direction of the strip (6) , having a housing (19) half-rings, movable between a first position in the extension of the strip (6) and two other positions each located directly above a guide drop (24, 26) half rings (7), the slide (20) being controlled by a linear actuator (22) controlled by a detector (28) of the axial end dimension   the half-ring (7) placed in the housing (19) of the drawer (20) in its first position.   4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that each magazine (25, 27) is formed by a   tubular enclosure having a diametral partition.   5. Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the half-rings being frustoconical, the discrimination device com20 carries a guide path (31) of the half-rings extending the output of the ordered presentation device until at a service end (31b), the path having an orifice (32) whose shape is complementary to the axial section of a half-ring in a given orientation through which any half-ring thus oriented falls to be recycled.