JP4124372B2 - Needle bearing assembly device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a needle bearing assembling apparatus in which a needle bearing is assembled and then inserted into a bearing hole of a workpiece.

Such a needle bearing assembly device is known, for example, a needle slot assembly jig is provided with an insertion slot and an assembly hole, and a needle roller holding groove is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the assembly shaft that goes into and out of the assembly hole. The needle roller inserted from the insertion slot is fitted and held in parallel with the axial direction, and the assembly shaft and the needle roller are pushed into the bearing hole of the work arranged coaxially with the assembly hole, and then the assembly shaft is The needle roller is retracted and adhered to the bearing hole of the workpiece with grease, and then the bearing shaft is fitted into the inner space surrounded by the needle roller.
JP-A-56-76353

In the known example of Patent Document 1, since the needle roller is held around the assembly shaft, the needle roller is previously inserted into the bearing hole until the assembly shaft is retracted after the needle roller is pushed into the bearing hole and the bearing shaft is fitted. It is designed to be held with grease applied to the top. Therefore, when the bearing shaft is pushed in, the needle roller falls off or rises, and there is a risk that it takes time to push the bearing shaft. It is also essential to apply grease to the bearing holes. Therefore, the main purpose of the present application is to enable the needle roller to be held in the bearing hole without grease.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 relating to the needle bearing assembling apparatus includes an assembly jig in which a needle roller is supplied from the outside through a feeder pipe, and the assembly jig is arranged side by side. The assembly includes a workpiece and an assembly shaft that is disposed on the opposite side of the workpiece with the assembly jig interposed therebetween, and advances and retreats on the axis of the assembly hole formed through the assembly jig, and the retainer supported by the assembly shaft is moved to the assembly hole. The needle roller is inserted into the insertion slot formed so as to extend upward from the assembly hole in parallel with the axial direction of the assembly hole, and is inserted into the roller hole of the retainer to assemble the needle bearing. A set of needle bearings in which the bearing is pushed out by the assembly shaft and inserted into the bearing hole of the work arranged coaxially with the assembly hole. In the device,
A bearing shaft is coaxially and detachably attached to the tip of the assembly shaft, and a retainer is fitted on the outer periphery of the bearing shaft and inserted into an assembly hole, and the needle roller is held on the retainer to assemble the needle bearing on the bearing shaft. ,
The assembled needle bearing is extruded to the workpiece side together with the bearing shaft with the assembly shaft, and the needle bearing and the bearing shaft are simultaneously inserted into the bearing hole of the workpiece.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, pressurized air is injected into the charging slot of the assembly jig to pressurize the needle roller, and an air escape portion is provided in the feeder pipe for allowing the pressurized air to escape. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the insertion slot has a first portion that extends substantially vertically in the vertical direction, a second portion that bends laterally, and a third portion that bends in the vertical direction and reaches the assembly hole again. It is characterized by comprising.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, an assembly inspection sensor for detecting an insertion leakage of the needle roller is provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the needle roller is inserted and held in a state where the retainer is fitted to the outer periphery of the bearing shaft to assemble the needle bearing, so that the needle bearing and the bearing shaft can be assembled.
Therefore, when the assembled needle bearing is pushed together with the bearing shaft into the bearing hole of the workpiece, the insertion of the bearing shaft is completed simultaneously with the pushing of the needle bearing. At this time, since the needle roller is supported by the bearing shaft on the center side of the retainer, even if the assembly shaft is retracted, the needle shaft can be prevented from falling off and rising, and there is no need to hold the needle roller with grease. It is not necessary to apply grease in advance into the bearing hole.
For this reason, it is not necessary to insert the bearing shaft again after the assembly shaft is retracted, so that the number of assembling steps of the needle bearing can be reduced, the assembling work can be performed easily and quickly, and the work efficiency can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the needle roller can be quickly moved in the charging slot with pressurized air to be fitted to the retainer, and the feeder pipe is provided with the air escape portion. An abnormal increase in internal pressure of the feeder pipe can be prevented, and back flow of the needle roller in the feeder pipe can be prevented.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the insertion slot is composed of the first to third portions, and the needle roller introduced into the insertion slot changes in the vertical direction, the substantially horizontal direction, and the substantially vertical direction. The needle roller is controlled to be fitted into the roller hole of the retainer in a state parallel to the axial direction of the bearing hole without standing in the charging slot.

According to the invention of claim 4, since the assembly inspection sensor for detecting the insertion leakage of the needle roller is provided, it is possible to automatically detect the roller hole in which the needle roller is not fitted.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for automatically attaching a needle bearing to a large end portion of a connecting rod of an engine as a work will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus, an assembly jig 2 for supporting a workpiece 1, a fixed cylinder 4 for moving a fixed shaft 3 for pressing and fixing the workpiece 1 against the assembly jig 2 side, and an assembly jig. 2 is provided on the side opposite to the fixed shaft 3 with the assembly cylinder 6 for advancing and retracting the assembly shaft 5 for assembling the needle bearing.

  In the present application, the forward and backward directions of the fixed shaft 3 and the assembly shaft 5 are forward movement and backward movement are backward movement. The fixed cylinder 4 itself can move forward and backward on the base.

The workpiece 1 includes a small end portion 7 and a large end portion 8 at both ends in the length direction, and is provided with bearing holes 9 and 10 (see FIG. 3), respectively.
The positioning hole 13 that protrudes substantially horizontally from the upper end portion of the upward extending portion 12 that protrudes upward from the assembly jig 2 is fitted into the bearing hole 9, thereby positioning the upper portion of the workpiece 1 relative to the assembly jig 2. The

  The assembling jig 2 includes a needle bearing assembly portion 14, and pressurized air is supplied to the upper portion thereof via an air hose 15. Further, a needle roller is sent from the hopper 17 to the assembly unit 14 via the feeder pipe 16. The hopper 17 is a well-known one that is disposed above the assembly part 14 and continuously feeds the needle rollers to the feeder pipe 16 in a line by vibration.

  A flange 18 is fitted and supported on the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 3 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and is pressed against the side surface of the large end portion 8 by a spring 19, and the large end portion 8 is pressed and fixed to the side surface of the assembly jig 2. The movement is energized as follows. The spring 19 can be an elastic member having an appropriate structure such as a coil spring.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly jig 2. An assembly hole 20 is formed through the assembly portion 14, and a part thereof is constituted by a transparent cover 21. The transparent cover 21 is made of a transparent resin and constitutes a part of the assembly hole 20 and also constitutes a part of an insertion slot to be described later, and is detachable so that the notch 23 of the assembly jig 2 is covered by the bolt 22. Mounted on. A joint 24 of the air hose 15 is provided on the upper part of the assembly part 14. The lower part of the upper extension part 12 is attached to and integrated with the assembly part 14.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an assembly state of the needle bearing in the assembly jig 2. The fixed shaft 3, the bearing hole 10, the assembly shaft 5, and the assembly hole 20 of the workpiece 1 are arranged coaxially. The front end of the fixed shaft 3 is fitted into the bearing hole 10 to support the large end portion 8 coaxially with the assembly hole 20. The bearing hole 10 and the assembly hole 20 have the same shape. The fixed shaft 3 has a cylindrical shape, and the bearing shaft 25 can be fitted into the hollow portion 3a.

  The other end of the bearing shaft 25 is removably fitted into a shaft hole 26 formed on the front end side of the assembly shaft 5. A retainer 27 is coaxially fitted to the outer periphery of the bearing shaft 25. The retainer 27 has a cylindrical shape, and a predetermined number of roller holes 28 are formed in a long hole shape or a substantially rectangular shape at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The longitudinal direction of the roller hole 28 is parallel to the axis C direction. Both axial sides sandwiching the roller hole 28 form an edge portion 29 where the roller hole 28 is not formed. The edge portion 29 is fitted to a small diameter portion 5a formed on the distal end side of the assembly shaft 5 on one end side in the axial direction (on the assembly cylinder 6 side), thereby holding the bearing shaft 25 coaxially.

  The figure shows a state in which the needle roller 30 is fitted and held in the roller hole 28. In this state, the retainer 27 is sandwiched between the tip ends of the fixed shaft 3 and the small diameter portion 5a at both ends in the axis C direction in the assembly hole 20. It is supported. The assembly shaft 5 is rotated at an equal angle by an angle of the roller hole 28 by a rotation mechanism (not shown) in the assembly cylinder 6. For this reason, the retainer 27 sandwiched between the fixed shaft 3 and the small diameter portion 5a. By rotating the assembly shaft 5, the assembly shaft 5 is rotated by an equal angle. When the needle roller 30 is fitted and held in all the roller holes 28, the needle bearing 31 is assembled.

  The assembly portion 14 is formed with a slot 32 extending radially upward of the assembly hole 20, with a lower end communicating with the assembly hole 20 and an upper end communicating with the input port 33. The needle roller 30 is fed from the feeder pipe 16 to the insertion port 33 in parallel with the axis C, and then is fed downward by the pressurized air of the air hose 15 and fitted into the roller hole 28. Reference numeral 34 denotes an air inlet communicating with the joint 24, and the pressurized air from the air hose 15 enters the input slot 32 from here. The position of the air inlet 34 is in the vicinity of the inlet 33.

  In order to prevent the needle roller 30 from flowing back through the feeder pipe 16 by the pressurized air that has entered the charging slot 32 from the air inlet 34, an air vent hole 35 is formed in the feeder pipe 16, so that the needle roller 30 flows backward. When the internal pressure of the feeder pipe 16 rises abnormally, the air in the feeder pipe 16 is released and the back flow of the needle roller 30 is prevented. The size and number of the air vent holes 35 are arbitrary. Further, the formation position is also free, and it is appropriately provided between the vicinity of the charging port 33 and the hopper 17.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an assembly process. A in the drawing shows the state before the retainer 27 is inserted into the assembly hole 20, that is, the state before FIG. 3. At this stage, the bearing shaft 25 and the retainer 27 are supported on the assembly shaft 5, and the assembly jig 2 is assembled. The assembly shaft 5 advances on the axis C with respect to the hole 20.

  On the other hand, as the fixed cylinder 4 moves forward, the fixed shaft 3 extends forward, and the tip thereof is inserted into the bearing hole 10 of the large end 8 to extend to the end of the assembly jig 2, and the bearing shaft is inserted into the shaft hole 3a. By fitting the front end side of 25, the bearing hole 10 and the assembly hole 20 are arranged coaxially, and at the same time, the flange 18 is urged by the spring 19 to press the large end 8 against the side surface of the assembly jig 2. The distal end of the fixed shaft 3 moves forward and is pressed against the work 1 side end of the retainer 27.

  Thereafter, the retainer 27 is set together with the bearing shaft 25 into the assembly hole 20, the roller hole 28 faces the lower end portion of the insertion slot 32, and the needle roller 30 is fitted into the roller hole 28, as shown in FIG. When the needle roller 30 is fitted into all the roller holes 28, the assembly of the needle bearing 31 is completed.

  FIG. 4B shows a step of pushing the needle bearing 31 into the bearing hole 10 after the needle roller 30 is assembled. The assembly shaft 5 is further advanced toward the workpiece 1 than in the state of FIG. When the needle bearing 31 is retracted simultaneously while being synchronized, the needle bearing 31 is pushed into the bearing hole 10 together with the bearing shaft 25.

  FIG. 4C shows a state in which the needle bearing 31 is pushed into the spring 19. After the needle bearing 31 is pushed into the bearing hole 10 and set, the fixed cylinder 4 is moved backward together with the fixed shaft 3, and the assembly shaft 5 is moved backward. Then, the needle bearing 31 remains in the bearing hole 10 together with the bearing shaft 25, and the assembly of the needle bearing 31 is completed.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the insertion slot 32. The lower end of the input slot 32 opens at the top of the inner wall of the assembly hole 20 at the outlet 40. The insertion slot 32 includes a vertical first portion 41 extending substantially vertically downward from the insertion port 33, and a lower second portion 42 which is bent substantially horizontally at the lower end thereof and extends forward in the traveling direction while being gently inclined. A third portion 43 extending from the tip to the outlet 40 substantially perpendicularly downward and leading to the outlet 40, and is bent continuously in three stages of the first portion 41 to the third portion 43.

  A part of the wall surface of the first portion 41 is formed by a convex portion 44 formed integrally with the transparent cover 21. That is, the lower part of the first portion 41 of the insertion slot 32 is opened by the notch 23, and this open part is covered by attaching the transparent cover 21 to the notch 23, and faces the convex 44. A lower portion of the first portion of the input slot 32 is formed between the standing wall portion of the assembly portion 14. When the first portion 41 is viewed from above in the drawing, the cross-sectional shape of the insertion slot 32 is a long hole shape or a substantially rectangular shape substantially the same as the roller hole 28, and the short width is the needle roller 30. The width of the longer side is approximately the same as the length of the needle roller 30. This passage cross-sectional shape maintains the same shape throughout the length of the input slot 32.

  The second portion 42 is formed between the upper wall of the passage and the lower slope 45 of the convex portion 44, and the step portion 46 on the assembly portion 14 side forming the lower wall of the passage. The shorter width of the second portion 42 is about the outer diameter of the needle roller 30, and the length in the traveling direction is shorter than one length of the needle roller 30. A part of the third portion 43 is formed by an inner wall 47 of the transparent cover 21 below the lower slope 45 and a lower standing wall 48 on the assembly portion 14 side.

  The length in the traveling direction of the needle roller 30 is the vertical length in the illustrated state of the first portion 41, the lateral length in the illustrated state of the second portion 42, and the vertical length in the illustrated state of the third portion 43. In this order, the length of the second portion 42 is equal to several outer diameters of the needle roller 30. The length of the third portion 43 is slightly larger than one outer diameter of the needle roller 30.

  The needle roller 30 that has entered the introduction slot 33 from the introduction slot 32 in a lateral orientation with the length direction substantially in the axial direction falls in the first portion 41 in a lateral orientation by pressurized air from the air inlet 34. Even if the needle roller 30 stands in the middle at this time, and the needle roller 30 is in the vertical orientation with the length direction directed in the vertical direction, the lower end of the first portion 41 forms the stepped portion 46 and falls onto this. As a result, it falls down and changes to a horizontal posture and enters the second portion 42.

  If the vertical posture remains on the stepped portion 46, the narrower opening width at the entrance of the second portion 42 is about the outer diameter of the needle roller 30, and therefore it cannot enter until the horizontal posture is reached. . Further, even if the needle roller 30 falls in a vertical posture, the tip portion collides with the step portion 46, so that the step portion 46 becomes a cushion and makes the needle roller 30 easy to fall down. Make conversion easy.

  Since FIG. 5 shows a cross section in a direction orthogonal to the axis C (FIG. 3), the state in which the cross section perpendicular to the axis of the needle roller 30 can be seen in this drawing is a lateral orientation. A state in which the length direction can be seen like the needle roller 30 indicated by the phantom line in the first portion 41 is a vertically oriented posture. Since only the first portion 41 is longer than the length of the needle roller 30 in the traveling direction of each portion, only the first portion 41 may be in the vertical orientation while the needle roller 30 is traveling. In addition, the second portion 42 and the third portion 43 cannot take a vertical orientation.

  The needle roller 30 that has entered the second portion 42 has a passage in the illustrated vertical direction width that is about the outer diameter of the needle roller 30, so that the needle roller 30 does not stand in the vertical direction but remains in the horizontal posture toward the third portion 43. Move forward to the left in the figure. At this time, even if the needle roller 30 rotates and tilts so that the length direction is parallel to the traveling direction, the length of the second portion 42 in the traveling direction is shorter than the length of the needle roller 30. Such an inclination is less likely to occur.

  Further, the entrance of the third portion 43 cannot be entered in an inclined state, and is aligned so as to be parallel to the axial direction. That is, the second portion 42 has a function of regulating the inclination in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the roller hole 28 of the needle roller 30 and controlling the posture so as to be parallel to the roller hole 28 and aligning them.

  The needle roller 30 that is aligned and enters the third portion 43 does not stand again because the traveling direction length of the third portion 43 is about the outer diameter of the needle roller 30, and the needle roller 30 does not stand up again from the outlet 40 of the third portion 43. It falls and is securely fitted into the roller hole 28 of the retainer 27 positioned below it by pressurized air. At this time, since the bearing shaft 25 is positioned on the inner peripheral side of the retainer 27, the needle roller 30 is supported by the bearing shaft 25 and is held without dropping from the roller hole 28 toward the center. When the needle roller 30 stands up and changes its position and clogs in the insertion slot 32, the cover 21 is transparent, so the clogged state can be easily confirmed from the outside, and the clogging can be removed by removing the cover 21. it can.

  The retainer 27 is rotated by the assembly shaft 5, and the roller holes 28 successively move below the outlet 40 to receive the needle roller 30. Therefore, when the retainer 27 is rotated once, the needle roller 30 is fitted into all the roller holes 28, and the needle bearing 31 is completed. After this assembly is completed, the retainer 27 is further rotated once, and the fitting leak of the needle roller 30 is inspected.

  A reflective optical sensor 50, which is a sensor for assembly inspection, is provided at a position on the front side in the rotational direction of the retainer 27 from the outlet 40 so as to face the inner wall surface of the assembly hole 20 in the assembly portion 14, and emit light to the outer peripheral surface of the retainer 27. Irradiation is performed to detect the presence or absence of reflected light. If the needle roller 30 is fitted in the position of the roller hole 28 passing in front of the optical sensor 50, the irradiation light of the optical sensor 50 is reflected by the needle roller 30, and the needle roller 30 is fitted by detecting this. Detect and confirm that they are aligned. On the other hand, if the needle roller 30 is not fitted, the roller hole 28 is open, so that the irradiation light of the optical sensor 50 passes through the roller hole 28 and does not reflect, so that the needle roller 30 is automatically fitted. Detect.

  A reference numeral 51 in FIG. 1 is a storage rack of a plurality of boxes 52 in which needle rollers having different counts are individually stored, and these boxes are distinguished as A, B, C. When using a certain number of needle rollers, for example, the one of the A box 52, the A box 52 is pulled out of the storage rack 51, the contents of the needle roller are put into the hopper 17, and the A box 52 is emptied. Is placed in the designated place 53.

  A box sensor 54 is provided at the designated location 53 to identify the type of the box 52, and this detection data is output to the control unit of the operation panel 55. On the other hand, the operator places the box 52 at the designated location 53 and then turns the selection dial 56 of the operation panel 55 to select the display of the number A to be used. If both the selection content and the detection content of the box sensor 54 are A, the control unit starts the operation of the assembly apparatus, and if they are different, displays an error without starting the operation. For this reason, the incorrect assembly by assembling with the combination with which a needle roller and a retainer differ can be prevented reliably.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the bearing shaft 25 and the retainer 27 are supported on the assembly shaft 5 and pushed into the assembly hole 20 of the assembly jig 2, thereby bringing the needle roller 30 into the retainer 27 as shown in FIG. 3. The needle bearing 31 can be assembled by automatically fitting and holding. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4B, the needle shaft 31 is pushed into the bearing hole 10 while the bearing shaft 25 remains integrated by moving the assembly shaft 5 forward while retracting the fixed shaft 3. . Thereafter, when the fixed shaft 3 and the assembly shaft 5 are retracted, the assembly of the needle bearing 31 with respect to the bearing hole 10 is completed as shown in FIG.

  At this time, since the bearing shaft 25 is fitted to the inside of the retainer 27 from the beginning, even when the needle bearing is pushed into the bearing hole 10 from the assembly hole 20, the needle roller 30 may fall off from the retainer 27 or float. The retainer 27 can be assembled accurately and quickly. Moreover, since the bearing shaft 25 is incorporated together, there is no need to push the bearing shaft 25 after the assembly shaft 5 is retracted, so that the number of assembling steps can be reduced and the assembling work can be made efficient.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to adhere and hold the needle roller 30 in the bearing hole 10 with grease, and it is not necessary to apply grease into the bearing hole 10 in advance. For this reason, it is not necessary to insert the bearing shaft 25 again after the assembly shaft 5 is retracted, the number of assembling steps of the needle bearing 31 can be reduced, the assembling work can be easily and quickly performed, and the work efficiency can be improved.

  Further, the needle roller 30 can be quickly moved in the charging slot 32 by the pressurized air so as to be fitted into the roller hole 28 of the retainer 27, and the air vent hole 35 is provided in the feeder pipe 16, so that the pressurized air Accordingly, an abnormal increase in the internal pressure of the feeder pipe 16 can be prevented, and the backflow of the needle roller 30 in the feeder pipe 16 can be prevented.

  Further, the insertion slot 32 is continuously bent with the first portion 41 in the vertical direction, the second portion 42 in the horizontal direction, and the third portion 43 in the vertical direction. The posture of the needle roller 30 is accurately controlled, and the needle roller 30 is securely fitted and held in the roller hole 28 of the retainer 27. At this time, even if the needle roller 30 stands temporarily in the first portion 41 by the stepped portion 46 of the second portion 42, it can be surely brought down to change the posture.

In addition, since the optical sensor 50 is provided as an assembly inspection sensor for detecting the fitting leakage of the needle roller 30, if there is a roller hole 28 in which the needle roller 30 is not fitted, this is surely and automatically performed. Since it can detect and a visual inspection can be made unnecessary, the work efficiency of inspection can be improved.

Perspective view showing the entire device Perspective view of assembly jig Sectional drawing which shows the assembly state of the needle bearing in an assembly jig Diagram showing the assembly process Expanded cross-sectional view showing the slot

Explanation of symbols

1: Workpiece, 2: Assembly jig, 3: Fixed shaft, 4: Fixed cylinder, 5: Assembly shaft, 6: Assembly cylinder, 10: Bearing hole, 20: Assembly hole, 25: Bearing shaft, 27: Retainer, 28 : Roller hole, 30: needle roller, 31: needle bearing, 32: loading slot

Claims (4)

An assembly jig to which the needle roller is supplied from the outside through the feeder pipe, a workpiece arranged side by side with the assembly jig, and an opposite side of the workpiece across the assembly jig, and penetrates the assembly jig An assembly shaft that advances and retreats along the axis of the formed assembly hole, and a retainer supported by the assembly shaft is inserted into the assembly hole, and the needle roller is inserted into the input slot formed to extend upward from the assembly hole. The needle bearing is assembled by inserting it in parallel with the axial direction of the retainer and inserting and holding it into the roller hole of the retainer. In the assembly device of the needle bearing to be inserted,
A bearing shaft is coaxially and detachably attached to the tip of the assembly shaft, and a retainer is fitted on the outer periphery of the bearing shaft and inserted into an assembly hole, and the needle roller is held on the retainer to assemble the needle bearing on the bearing shaft. ,
An assembly apparatus for a needle bearing, wherein the assembled needle bearing is pushed together with the bearing shaft to the workpiece side by the assembly shaft, and the needle bearing and the bearing shaft are simultaneously inserted into the bearing hole of the workpiece.   2. The needle according to claim 1, wherein the needle roller is pressurized by injecting pressurized air into the charging slot of the assembly jig, and an air escaping portion is provided in the feeder pipe for escaping the pressurized air. Bearing assembly device.   The insertion slot includes a first portion extending substantially vertically in a vertical direction, a second portion bent in a horizontal direction, and a third portion bent again in a vertical direction to reach an assembly hole. Needle bearing assembly device.   The assembly apparatus for a needle bearing according to claim 1, further comprising an assembly inspection sensor for detecting insertion leakage of the needle roller.

Images