DE102021114100A1 - Device and method for separating leg torsion springs - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for separating torsion springs (3) comprises a mandrel (2) on which several torsion springs (3) can be provided, a cylinder (19) for advancing the torsion springs (3) on the mandrel (2), a straight extension of the The fixed helical core (8) arranged on the mandrel (2), the thread pitch of which is matched to the geometry of the torsion springs (3), as well as a rotatable driver (13) concentrically surrounding the helical core (8), which is used to screw on the torsion springs (3) individually. is formed on the coil core (8).

Description

The invention relates to a method for separating leg torsion springs and a device suitable for carrying out such a separating method.

the DE 41 09 194 A1 describes a device for feeding small parts, in particular spiral springs. The device should be able to be used in production lines for assembling electromechanical functional units and comprises a storage container, which is a drum that can be rotated about its central axis. In the central area of its rotational circumference, the reservoir has a slot opening running all the way around, which ensures that the spiral springs can get into a guide channel of a stator device. From the guide channel, the spiral springs reach a discharge channel, with two sensor devices being connected upstream of the discharge channel. The sensor devices are linked to a control device which controls a so-called selection control in such a way that the individual coil springs to be used reach a receiving device. If there is no spiral spring that can be used, which is the case, for example, in the case of two spiral springs that are interlocked and twisted into one another, the selection control feeds the corresponding parts to a collection container, which receives those parts that are to be removed from the manufacturing process.

one in the DE 36 41 359 A1 The device described for automatically arranging and separating coil springs comprises a rotatable drum with a longitudinal axis inclined downwards. Inside the drum are two rollers with a comparatively small diameter, with a thread-like structure on one of the rollers making a significant contribution to conveying and separating the coil springs. On the inner peripheral surface of the drum there are driver elements which take the helical springs with them a little when the drum rotates, at most about half a revolution of the drum, and allow them to fall onto the rollers.

Another device for separating and feeding assembly parts, especially springs, is in DE 33 21 173 A1 disclosed. In this case, two loosening devices are provided for moving lumps of assembly relative to a housing wall.

A system for feeding fasteners to a facility for inserting and/or securing the fasteners in workpieces is disclosed in US Pat DE 197 56 798 A1 described. This system may include flexible delivery. A reloading and separating device, to which the flexible supply is connected, is operated with compressed air.

one in the EP 1 348 650 A1 described device for separating springs works with an air flow. the DE 31 42 282 A1 describes a device for separating springs, which includes a magnet. In the case of one in the DE 10 2010 021 474 A1 described conveying device for piece goods, in particular screws or bolts, the parts to be conveyed are pulled out of a container by magnetic force, with several magnets being attached to a chain as an endless conveying device.

Possible applications of torsion springs are in the documents DE 20 44 579 C3 and DE 101 10 367 A1 described. In contrast to compression springs designed as helical springs, torsion springs have, in addition to an area describing a thread shape, typically non-curved sections adjoining this area on both sides, which are intended to use the spring to exert a torque between two mutually rotatable components, with the pivot axis between the both members correspond to the central axis of the coiled portion of the torsion spring.

The invention is based on the object of specifying methods for separating leg torsion springs which are further developed than in the prior art, with the aim being to achieve a particularly favorable ratio between the complexity of the apparatus and the reliability of the process.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a device having the features of claim 1 for separating leg torsion springs. The object is also achieved by a method for separating torsion springs according to claim 5. The configurations and advantages of the invention explained below in connection with the separating method also apply analogously to the device with which torsion springs can be separated from one another, and vice versa.

The separating device comprises a mandrel on which several torsion springs can be provided, a cylinder for advancing the torsion springs on the mandrel, a fixed coil core arranged in a straight extension of the mandrel, the thread pitch of which is matched to the geometry of the torsion springs, and a coil core concentrically surrounding the coil core , Rotatable driver, which is designed for individually screwing the leg torsion springs onto the coil core. The spiral core represents a negative form of the torsion springs.

The separating device is thus suitable for handling leg torsion springs which, although they are already in the correct alignment on the mandrel, can still be partially plugged into one another or screwed into one another.

In a typical configuration, the separating device is aligned vertically, with the workpieces, ie torsion springs, being conveyed from the bottom to the top. The assembly, which includes the filament core and the rotatable driver, is also referred to as a handling assembly.

The coil core is preferably dimensioned in such a way that the leg torsion springs can be screwed onto its thread without deformation, in particular with play.

Alternatively, the thread pitch of the helical core can deviate slightly from the thread pitch of the torsion springs, resulting in a targeted tightening of the torsion springs on the filament core, the further a torsion spring is screwed from the driver onto the filament core.

• - eine Handhabungsbaugruppe wird bereitgestellt, welche durch einen Wendelkern, der ein die Form der Schenkeldrehfedern abbildendes Gewinde aufweist, und einen den Wendelkern konzentrisch umgebenden, drehbaren Mitnehmer gebildet ist,
• - die Handhabungsbaugruppe wird auf dem Dorn positioniert,
• - die Schenkeldrehfedern werden auf dem Dorn hochgeschoben, bis die oberste Schenkeldrehfeder durch den Mitnehmer greifbar ist,
• - die oberste Schenkeldrehfeder wird auf den Wendelkern durch Rotation des Mitnehmers aufgeschraubt, wobei die nächste Schenkeldrehfeder zunächst auf dem Dorn verbleibt und die oberste Feder bei der nächsten Vereinzelung darstellt.

In general, the torsion springs are separated, starting from the provision of a vertically aligned mandrel, on which numerous torsion springs are impaled in an at least partially overlapping manner, in the following manner:

• - a handling assembly is provided, which is formed by a helical core, which has a thread reflecting the shape of the leg torsion springs, and a rotatable driver concentrically surrounding the helical core,
• - the handling assembly is positioned on the mandrel,
• - the torsion springs are pushed up on the mandrel until the top torsion spring can be gripped by the driver,
• - The top torsion spring is screwed onto the coil core by rotating the driver, with the next torsion spring initially remaining on the mandrel and being the top spring for the next separation.

A leg torsion spring can be screwed onto the coil core, for example, until a stop position is reached. A sensor system that detects whether and to what extent a leg torsion spring is screwed onto the coil core can also be used. In any case, the handling assembly can be separated from the mandrel after screwing the uppermost leg torsion spring onto the coil core, with the same leg torsion spring being separated again from the handling assembly by unscrewing the coil core using the driver.

In an advantageous procedure, the torsion spring is transferred to a further device, for example an assembly machine, after it has been unscrewed from the coil core in a defined angular orientation, based on a rotation of the torsion spring about its own axis of symmetry.

According to one possible embodiment, the coil core has an outside diameter that is larger than the smallest inside diameter of the driver. In this way, in particular, a plain bearing of the rotatable driver can be realized by the coil core while securing the driver relative to the coil core in the axial direction.

After removing the handling assembly from the mandrel, the handling assembly can be fed to an assembly position in any orientation. For example, the isolated leg torsion spring can remain in a vertical orientation throughout. It is also possible, after the handling assembly has been lifted off the mandrel, to transfer the leg torsion spring manually or automatically into a horizontal or oblique orientation. In any case, the thread structure of the coil core ensures that the leg torsion spring cannot unintentionally become detached from the handling assembly.

• 1 eine Vorrichtung zur Vereinzelung von Schenkeldrehfedern in teils schematisierter Ansicht.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. Herein shows:

• 1 a device for separating leg torsion springs in a partially schematic view.

A separating device, identified overall by the reference number 1, is provided for the purpose of individually removing torsion springs 3, which are located on a mandrel 2, from the mandrel 2. The mandrel 2 is made of cardboard in the present case. To remove the pivoting torsion springs 3 from the mandrel 2, a handling assembly 7 is placed on the mandrel, which includes a stationary coil core 8 and a rotatable driver 13.

As long as the torsion springs 3 are attached to the mandrel 2, overlaps between rule individual leg torsion springs 3 be given. In particular, several leg torsion springs 3 can be screwed into one another. Each leg torsion spring 3 has a winding area 4 in which it is wound helically with a constant pitch. The winding area 4 ends at both ends in the form of a leg 5, 6, which is directed outwards.

The entire separating device 1 has a vertically aligned central axis MA, which corresponds to the axis of symmetry of the mandrel 2 and of the handling assembly 7 . During operation of the separating device 1, the filament core 8 is placed directly on the mandrel 2, with a small distance between the filament core 8 and the mandrel 2 also not being harmful. The coil core 8 can represent a one-piece component of the handling assembly 7, with different sections 9, 10, 11 being distinguishable from one another. Specifically, these are a threaded section 9, a guide section 10, which has a smooth cylindrical wall and connects to the threaded section 9 at the top, and a front section 11, which connects to the underside of the threaded section 9. The front section 11 ends in the form of a conical section 12 which facilitates the transfer of the torsion springs 3 from the mandrel 2 to the handling assembly 7 .

The driver 13 is placed concentrically over the coil core 8 , with a sleeve section 15 surrounding the threaded section 9 . The height of the sleeve section 15 to be measured in the longitudinal direction of the central axis MA corresponds approximately to the height of the threaded section 9 . At its upper end, the sleeve section 15 ends flush with the threaded section 9 . At this point, the sleeve section 15 merges into a bearing section 16 which has a reduced inside diameter compared to the sleeve section 15 . This forms an axial bearing surface 17 with which the driver 13 rests on the threaded section 9 . A bore 18 can be seen in the sleeve section 15, which can be used for connection to other components of the handling assembly 7, which are not shown.

If torsion springs 3 are to be transferred individually from the mandrel 2 to the handling assembly 7, the entire stack of torsion springs 3 impaled on the mandrel 2 is moved by means of a cylinder 19, which is 1 is shown only in outline, advanced in the direction of advance VR, which corresponds to the orientation of the central axis MA, that is to say raised in the present case. If the stack of leg torsion springs 3 is raised far enough, the leg 5 arranged furthest above can be gripped by an engagement contour 14 which is provided by the driver 13 . By subsequently turning the driver 13 by machine, the torsion spring 3 is screwed into the threaded section 9, which is to be understood as the negative form of the torsion spring 3, and at the same time is removed from the torsion springs 3 arranged further down and still on the mandrel 2.

After the leg torsion spring 3 has been completely accommodated in the handling assembly 7, it can be removed from the mandrel 2. The torsion spring 3 can then be removed from the handling assembly 7 at another location, also in a different orientation of the handling assembly 7, by rotating the driver 13 and, for example, transferred to an assembly machine or used directly in a device to be assembled.

Reference List

1

separation device

2

mandrel

3

torsion spring

4

winding area

5

leg

6

leg

7

handling assembly

8th

filament core

9

threaded section

10

guide section

11

front section

12

conical section

13

driver

14

attack contour

15

sleeve section

16

storage section

17

thrust bearing surface

18

drilling

19

cylinder

MA

central axis

VR

feed direction

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 4109194 A1 [0002]
• DE 3641359 A1 [0003]
• DE 3321173 A1 [0004]
• DE 19756798 A1 [0005]
• EP 1348650 A1 [0006]
• DE 3142282 A1 [0006]
• DE 102010021474 A1 [0006]
• DE 2044579 C3 [0007]
• DE 10110367 A1 [0007]

Claims (8)

Device for separating torsion springs (3), comprising a mandrel (2) on which several torsion springs (3) can be provided, a cylinder (19) for advancing the torsion springs (3) on the mandrel (2), a straight extension of the The fixed helical core (8) arranged on the mandrel (2), the thread pitch of which is matched to the geometry of the torsion springs (3), as well as a rotatable carrier (13) concentrically surrounding the helical core (8), which is used to screw on the torsion springs (3) individually. is formed on the coil core (8). device after claim 1 , characterized in that the coil core (8) has an outer diameter which is larger than the inner diameter of the driver (13). device after claim 2 , characterized in that the driver (13) is slide-mounted by the coil core (8) and is secured in the axial direction. Device according to one of Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that the coil core (8) is aligned vertically, as is the axis of rotation of the driver (13) which coincides with its central axis (MA). Method for separating leg torsion springs (3), with the following features: - Provision of a vertically aligned mandrel (2) on which leg torsion springs (3) are impaled in an at least partially overlapping manner, - Provision of a handling assembly (7) which is formed by a helical core (8) which has a thread that reproduces the shape of the leg torsion springs (3) and a rotatable driver (13) which concentrically surrounds the helical core (8), - positioning of the handling assembly (7) on the mandrel (2), - pushing the torsion springs (3) up on the mandrel (2) until the top torsion spring (3) can be gripped by the driver (13), - Screwing the top torsion spring (3) onto the coil core (8) by rotating the driver (13), with the next torsion spring (3) remaining on the mandrel (2). procedure after claim 5 , characterized in that the top leg torsion spring (3) is screwed onto the coil core (8) until it reaches a stop position. procedure after claim 5 or 6 , characterized in that the handling assembly (7) is separated from the mandrel (2) after screwing the uppermost leg torsion spring (3) onto the coil core (8) and at a later point in time the leg torsion spring (3) is unscrewed from the coil core (8) by means of the driver (13) is separated again from the handling assembly (7). procedure after claim 7 , characterized in that the leg torsion spring (3) after unscrewing from the coil core (8) in a defined angular orientation, based on a rotation of the leg torsion spring (3) around its own axis of symmetry, is transferred to a further device.

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