US2068683A - Mechanism for assembling bearings - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 26, 193?. F. KETCHAM ET Al. 2,068,683

MECHANISM FOR ASSEMBLING BEARINGS Original Filed March 30, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet //6 y' :MMM/' ATTRNEYS,

Jan. 26, 1937.

F. KETCHAM Er AL 2,068,683

MECHANISM FOR ASSEMBLING BEARINGS Original Filed March 50, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A55 BY Me ATTORNEYS. /J

Jan. 26, 1937. l F KETCHAM v|51- AL 2,068,683

MECHANISM FOR ASSEMBLING BEARINGS Original Filed March 30, 1933 3 Sheets-Shea?I 3 [BY u l Amym A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1937 MECHANSM FR ASSEMBLNG BEARNGS Frank Ketcham, Dearborn, and George E. Dunn, Detroit, Mich., assignors to The Universal Products Company, Delaware Enc., a corporation of 3 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for assembling roller bearings or the like and it has particular relation to a machine wherein a hopper feed mechanism is utilized. It constitutes a division of our co-pending application for patent, Serial Number 663,444, led March 30, i933.v

An object of the present invention is to provide a machine which will assemble a plurality of rollers in predetermined grouped positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which will separate rollers from a loose quantity and position them in predetermined relatio-n.

Other objects of the invention will become l apparent from the following description, the

drawings relating thereto and the claims hereinafter set forth.

For an understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a view in front elevation of the improved machine, a portion of the front panel thereof being broken away to show the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View in top plan of the same with a part of the hopper and discharge conduit thereof shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary View, partly in elevation and partly in section, taken on the line Illfl of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6- of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on the line l-l of Fig. 6 with the axially movable roller assembling -mandrel shown in position for having the rollers assembled therearound.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the improved machine is assembled on a table or frame comprising a horizontally disposed top plate l5 of substantially rectangular shape, supported by depending legs l disposed at the four corners thereof. A horizontally disposed shelf ll' is secured to the legs l5 in spaced relation, below the top i5 upon which the motor drive units are mounted, and a vertically disposed front panel I8 closes the space between the top i5 and shelf il at the front side of the machine.

The improved roller bearing assembling ma* chine comprises a shallow annular hopper, generally designated as IS in Fig. 1, which is formed (Cl. B21-i3d) by a vertically disposed stationary annular rim 2li, a cover plate 2l, and a stationary base member 22. The base 22 is provided with a depending tubular neck 23, the lower end of which is securely held in a mounting bracket 24 by a set screw 25. The hopper is provided with a rotatable bottom 26 mounted at the top end of a vertically disposed shaft 2l which is journaled in opposed taper roller bearings 28 and 29, which are assembled in a cup-shaped member 30. The lower or base end of the cup 3i) is exteriorly threaded for engaging complementary threads formed on the interior of the neck 23 at the lower end thereof. A nut 3l is threaded on the shaft '2l immediately below the cup 3G for adjusting and retaining the opposed taper roller bearings 2t and 29 with their respective bearing raceways.

The shaft 2l is of reduced diameter immediately below the threaded portion which receives the nut 3! and extends downwardly through an opening 32 formed in the top I5 and the lower end thereof carries a horizontally disposed belt pulley 33 rigidly aiixed thereto for receiving a V-shaped drive belt 36.1. The drive belt 34 is given a quarter turn to pass over and be driven by a vertically positioned belt pulley 35 which is rigidly affixed to-a horizontally disposed countershaft 35. The countershaft 3S is journaled in bearings 3l and 38 carried at the lower end of depending brackets 39 and l0 respectively which are rigidly secured to the underside of the top member l5.

Rotation is imparted to the countershaft 36 by an electric motor lli mounted on the shelf I'l, the drive of which is imparted through a chain i2 and sprocket wheels 43 and it mounted on the motor armature shaft and countershaft 3B, respectively.

The side wall 26 of the hopper, at a point closely adjacent to the top surface of the revolving bottom 2li, is provided with a tangentially disposed opening for receiving one end of a roller discharge conduit 55. Means are provided immediately in front of the opening for controlling the flow of rollers into the discharge conduit 55, which comprises a horizontally rotatable disc llt having a finger or lug dl thereon which protrudes into the pathway of the rollers being fed to the discharge conduit, the disc B6 being positioned in a horizontally disposed slot formed in the hopper side wall 2l). Means are provided for rotating the disc i6, and comprise a vertically disposed shaft 58, the lower end of which is journaled in a suitable bearing assembly 19. The disc i5 and shaft L38 are driven by a link belt 55 which passes around the sprocket on the shaft i8 and around a similar sprocket 5| rigidly aiiixed to the upper end of the shaft 21 immediately beneath the hopper bottom 25.

The conduit i5 which receives rollers 52 as they are discharged from the hopper by centrifugal action, is made in sections with suitable collars 53 and 55 so that it may be readily removed in case of jamming or other trouble which interrupts the iiow of rollers therethrough.

As shown in Fig. '1, the other end of the conduit 35 terminates at, and is supported by an upstanding bracket 55 which carries a plate 55 rigidly secured thereto by screws 51, a slot being provided at the end of the plate 55 adjacent to the terminating end of the conduit 45, so that rollers passing endwise through the conduit in end to end abutting relationship are projected across the slot and strike against a closed end wall to stop further axial movement of the roller.

Referring also to Figs. 3, 4 and 6, means are provided for engaging the rollers projected into the slot and forcing them downwardly in a substantially vertically disposed passageway and comprise a pair of depending fingers 58 and 55 which are rigidly secured to the ends of horizontally disposed rocker arms 50 and 6| respectively, which are journaled on a cross shaft 52. The shaft G2 is supported by an upstanding bracket 53, the lower end of which is rigidly mounted to the top plate l5 and the upper end of which is bifurcated to form spaced parallel arms 54 and 55, which receive the rocker arms therebetween, and in the upper ends of which the shaft 52 is supported.

As best shown by Fig. 4, the rocker arms 55 and 5| are adapted to have individual and independent movement from a single or common source of actuation and which is secured by a transversely disposed yoke member 56, which is pivoted medially of its ends on a pin 51, the ends of the yoke arms being bifurcated so as to be of upstanding U-shape to embrace horizontally disposed rigidly mounted pins 68 and 59 mounted in the ends of the rocker arms 55 and 5| respectively which are opposite to the ends having the fingers 53 and 59.

The yoke member 55 is pivoted to the upper end of a push rod 15, the lower end of which is threaded to receive a pair of nuts 1| and axially bored to receive the upper end of an axially disposed, downwardly projecting pin 12. The lower end of the pin 12 is slidably received in an axially disposed bore 13 of a push rod 14. The push rods 1D and 1li `are normally held in spaced relation by a helical compression spring 15, the upper end of which surrounds the lower end of the push rod lil and bears against the adjusting nut 1|, and the lower end of which similarly surrounds the upper end of push rod 14 and bears against a nut 11 which is threaded on the top end thereof. Axial movement is imparted to the two part push rod assembly in an upward direction by a cam 18 which is fixed to a horizontally journaled counter-shaft 15 shown by Figs. l and 2.

The push rod land rocker arms are normally yieldingly urged downward by helical tension springs B5 and 8|, the upper ends of which are attached to the pins 53 and 59, respectively, and i.the lower ends of which are anchored to horizontally disposed brackets 8,2 and 83 which are integrally formed on the bifurcated ends 511 and 65 respectively, of the supporting bracket 53.

Again referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the countershaft 19 is journaled at opposite ends in the lower ends of depending brackets 65 and 85, the upper ends of which are rigidly secured to the underside of the top plate |5. Rotation is imparted to the counter-shaft 19 by a belt 85 which passes around a pulley 81 fixed on the counter-shaft 35 and a similar pulley wheel iixed to the counter-shaft 15.

Now referring to Fig. 6 particularly, as the rollers are forced downwardly by the iingers 58 and 59 of the rocker arms, they are deflected by the sloping end surface 91 of a block 88 which is rigidly fastened to the bracket 55 by screw 89. The end of the block 88 having the sloping surface 51, is of substantially horizontal V-shape and the sloping surface 91 co-acts with one end 95 of a horizontally disposed slide plate member 9 l, which is normally urgedtoward the block 88 by a helical compression spring 52. One end ofthe spring 52 abuts against a fixed block 55 and the other end thereof bears against an upstanding stud 95 riveted to the top surface of the slide plate 9|. A set screw 95 is threaded into a fixed block 95, for adjustably positioning the end with respect to the sloping upper surface 91 of block 85, so as to provide a restricted passageway of slightly smaller size than the diameter of rollers 52, thus causing the slide plate 9| to be moved slightly against the action of spring 92 when the rollers 52 are forced down the passagewayy by the ngers 58 and 59. The blocks 93 and 96 are joined to each other by top plate 98 and rigidly secured by screws 99 and |00.

A horizontally disposed passageway which forms a magazine ll is provided between the bottom surface of the slide plate 9| and the top surface of a block |02 which is rigidly secured to the upstanding bracket 55 by cap screws |53. The magazine mi is substantially of the same depth as the maximum diameter of the rollers 52 so that the rollers are received therein in side by side relationship. Y

A yielding follower in the form of a pusher plate |55 has one end slidably received in the magazine mi, and the other end thereof secured to a cross-head |05 which is slidably journaled on a fixed rod |55. A helical compression spring |51 surrounds the outer end of the xed rod |55 and bears between the cross head |05 and an adjustable nut |58 which is threaded on the end of the rod for varying the tension on the spring |01.

A vertically disposed slot |59 is provided in the block |52, the upper end of which communicates with the magazine |5i and the lower end of which discharges into a box or container ||0 so as to take care of the overflow of rollers from the magazine when a certain predetermined number have been forced therein and thus caused the follower |54 to be pushed back against the action of the spring |51 until the top end of the slot |59 is uncovered.

Rollers are fed out of the magazine |0| by the follower |55 which pushes the rollers toward the block 85. The V-shaped end of the block 88 has its lower sloping surface in spaced relation to a complementary surface ||2 formed on the block |52 and the apex of the V-shaped end of the block 8S is positioned above the horizontal centerline of the magazine mi so that when rollers in the magazine are pushed toward the block 83, they will have a tendency to feed downwardly into the slot formed between the surfaces and l i2. The vertical edge of the block |02 adjacent the surface l2 is in spaced parallel relation to a complementary surface of the bracket to form a vertically disposed slot H3, the lower end of which is in registry with a similar slot formed in a cylindrical bushing H4 which is rigidly mounted in the supporting bracket 55.

As shown best by Fig. '7, the bushing H4 is adapted to receive the enlarged shank H5 having a horizontally disposed mandrel H'o threaded thereinto, the outer surface of which is serrated and in concentrically spaced relation to the interior of the bushing, a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the rollers 52. The shank or head H5 to which the mandrel H6 is attached inaxial relationship, has a sliding bearing fit within the Abushing H4 so as to hold the mandrel H5 centrally located within the bushing and permit rotative as well as axial movement therein.

The shank or head H5 is integrally formed on one end of a horizontally disposed shaft H1 which is slidably and rotatably journaled in upstanding spaced brackets H8 and H9 and in a similar bearing |25 located adjacent the opposite end thereof and which is shown by Fig. 3. Means are provided for rotating the shaft H1 and comprise a gear Wheel 2| splined to the shaft Ill' between the brackets H8 and H9 so as to be rotatably xed thereto but permit axial sliding movement of the shaft through the gear wheel.

The gear |2| meshes with a mutilated gear I2 2 which is of larger size and has sufficient number of teeth thereon to impart one complete rotation to the gear |2| and then permit a time period before again rotating it. The mutilated gear |22 is fixed on a horizontally disposed counter-shaft |23, Which is journaled adjacent one end in the bracket H3 and at a point adjacent its other end in a bearing bracket |24. The ceuntershaft |25, at the end thereof adjacent the bearing |24, is provided with a bevel gear |25 which meshes with and is driven by a similar bevel gear |25 rigidly fixed to a cross countershaft |21, which is journaled in bearings |28 and |29 located adjacent the opposite ends thereof. The shaft |21 is in the same horizontal plane as the shaft H1 and, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the end of the shaft H1 opposite to the shank head H5, is bifurcated and provided with a roller |35 journaled between the arms of the bifurcation and which is engaged by a cam |3| fixed on the shaft |21 for imparting movement to the shaft |I1 at a time when the mutilated gear |22 is not in engagement with and rotating the gear |2I.

Rotation is imparted to the shaft |21 by a` link belt |32 which engages a pulley wheel |33 fixed on one end o-f the shaft |21 outward from the bearing |29. The belt |32 is driven by a pulley wheel |34 of a speed reduction unit I 35. Power is imparted to the speed reduction unit 55 by an electric motor |35 which is connected thereto by shafts |31 and |38 and a flexible coupling |35 which interconnects adjacent ends of said shafts. The motor I 35 is rigidly bolted to the shelf I1.

Snap switches |40 and |4| are mounted on the front plate I8 for controlling circuits to the electric motors 4| and I 35 respectively.

Means are provided for stripping the rollers from around the mandrel H6 and comprise a pair of stripper plates |42 and |43 shown also by Fig. 6 xedly attached to rock shafts |44 and |45 respectively. The shafts |44 and |45 are interconnected by meshed gears |46 and |41 respectively so that rotation of one of the shafts will cause similar rotation of the other shaft but in the opposite direction. The upper ends of the stripper plates |42 and |43 are out out in semi-circular shape, as shown in |48 and |49 respectively, so as to snugly surround the mandrel I I5 and engage behind the rollers on the mandrel when the mandrel is projected out of bushing H4 so that the rollers are stripped therefrom upon retraction of the mandrel.

As shown best in Fig. 3, rocking movement of the shaft |45 is secured through the medium of a lever |50 which is rigidly affixed to said shaft and one end of which is engaged by a cam I 5| xed to the end of the shaft |23 which protrudes beyond the bearing I I8. Contact is maintained between the long end of the lever |50 and cam |5| by a helical tension spring |52, one end of which is anchored to the top plate I5 and the other end of which is attached to the end of the lever.

Means are provided for aiding the operator of the machine to hold a roller bearing member in position to receive the rollers from the mandrel H5, and comprises an upstanding bracket |54 rigidly mounted on the top plate |5 by cap screws |55. The upper end of the bracket |54 is provided with a frusto-spherical socket opening |56 of such contour as to snugly receive a bearing member |51 and hold the same in concentric registry with the mandrel HB.

The interior of the bearing member |51 is preferably provided with a coating of cup grease so as to retain the rollers 52 therein upon withdrawal of the mandrel H6. Such withdrawal of the mandrel is accomplished by a helical compression spring |58 which surrounds the shaft H1 and'bears between the fixed bracket H9 and a collar |59 which is secured to the shaft H 1, so as to normally maintain the roller |30 of shaft I I1 in contact with the cam |3| at all times.

In the operation of this machine, a quantity of rollers 52 are placed in the hopper I9 and the cover plate 2| placed thereon. The motor 4| is then started which, through link belt 42, counter-shaft 36, belt 34 and shaft 21, will rotate the bottom 26 of the hopper and thus by centrifugal force align a series of rollers 52 about the side wall 20 of the hopper in the lower corner thereof at the junction of the side wall and rotating bottom 2B. projected into the discharge conduit 45 by centrifugal force and the flow of rollers into the conduit is aided by the agitator comprising the cam finger 41 on disc 46, which is rotated through the link belt 50 from the shaft 21.

It is to be noted that the direction of rotation of the hopper bottom 26 and the disc 46 are the same so that the lug 41, as it passes into the hopper, moves in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the rollers being fed into the discharge conduit so as to strike against the rollers located adjacent the opening to conduit 45 and push them backward and out of line with the opening. It will be observed that by reason of the chain drive of disc 46 from the hopper shaft 21, the lineal feed of the periphery of the hopper will greatly exceed that of the finger 41. Hence the ringer will strike and remove from the entrance to the conduit 45 only a few out of a relatively large number of rollers fed to the conduit. This does not materially interfere with the feeding of the rollers but does provide a positive means for occasionally clearing the entrance to the conduit 35 of any rollers These aligned rollers are fil which, due to misalignment, may block the opening.

As the rollers pass through the discharge conduit they enter the passageway at theqterminatingend thereof and abut against the opposite wall of the passage. `Movement, of the rollers down the vertical slotr and through the restricted opening formed by the sloping .surface'gl' of block 88 and the adjacent end @d of the spring pressed plate 9| is accomplished by Verticalmovement of the iing'ers 523 and il@ which are attached to the rocker arms 6|) and El. f

Movement is imparted to these rocker arms to cause reciprocation of the fingers by the push rods 'lil and 'ii which are normally held in spaced relation by the compression spring lt. Axial movement of the push rod assembly is caused by the cam 1S which is driven from the countershaft 3S through the belt 85. In the event one of the rollers should not be projected completely into the vertical slot or passageway from thev discharge conduit 45, such roller will not be broken or bent by reason ofthe flexible drive through thek compression spring 76 or if the roller is only part way acrossk the passageway, the finger 5B, which has avshorter contacting end than the ringer 59, may move downwardly independently of the finger 59 by reason of the rocking yoke $56 which is pivoted to the top end of the push rod it and through which movement is imparted to the rocker arm t@ and tl against the tension of springs 8@ and di.

As rollers 52 are fed downwardly through the restricted opening and into the magazine iti, they will at first continue their downward movement in the slot. H3 until-contact is made -with the mandrel l@ which at that time is in the position shown in Fig. 'l of the drawings. Continued feeding of the rollers will cause the follower itil to move tothe left, as viewed in -Fig. 6, until the follower lili uncovers the overflow slot ilg, at which rtime any further or additional rollers drop downwardly into the box li.

At this time the motor |35is started which, through the shafts iSl and |38, gear reduction unit |35, and belt |32, will cause rotation of the cross counter-shaft lill.. Rotationof this shaft will in turn, through the medium of the beveled gears |25 and 25, cause rotation of the countershaft B23, which carries the mutilated gear |22. When the teeth on the gear |22 engage with the teeth on the gear |25, which is slidably keyed to the shaft lil, one complete rotation of the shaft takes place, such rotation causing the rollers 52 to be carried around the mandrel l i6 soas to completely ll the space between the mandrel and the interior of the cylindrical bushing lift. The mechanism is so timed that at this point the shaft lil is moved axially to the right to move the mandrel out of the bushing.

As the shaft Hl begins to move axially, the operator places the bearing member 25? in the socket l so as to be in position to receive the series of rollers which are grouped around-the periphery of the mandrel HB; When the rollers have been projected into the memberY l5? by the mandrel, the relieved sideof the cam |55 is in position to permit rocking movement of lever i5@ which is caused by the tension'spring |52, such rocking movementJ causing'rotation of the shafts Ulli and |135 in opposite directions by reason of the meshed gears liti and im Xed to said shafts. Rotation of the shafts causes the upper ends of the stripper plates M2 and |43 to move inwardly and surround the mandrel immediately back of the rollers thereon and remain in this position until the compression spring |58 returns the shaft lil to its original position, at which time the cam actuates the lever |58 to restore the stripper plates to their former, positions.

lThe capacity of the vertical slot l i3 and of the magazine |0| is such that a sufficient number of rollers are provided to quickly iill the space around the mandrel upon rotation thereof, the feeding of the rollers downwardly and around the mandrel being accelerated by the spring pressed.v follower |04.

The layer or" cup grease around the inner periphery of the bearing member |51 retains the rollers 52 therein while the operator removes the bearing member from the socket |56 and during the time until the bearing is assembled onY its trunnion. Y

Although but one specific embodiment or" this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim:

l. A mechanism for feeding roller bearings in end-.to-end relation comprising ahopperhaving an annular side wall, a rotatable bottom in the hopper, lmeans for rotating the bottom, said side wall having an opening for the discharge in endto-end relation of rollers carried by the outer edge of said bottom, and means movable entirely across said opening for intermittently displacing rollers located within the hopper and adjacent said opening from a position inline with said opening. Y

2. A mechanism for feeding roller bearings i end-to-end relation comprising a hopper having an annular side wall, a rotatable bottom in the hopper, means for rotating the bottom, said side wall having an opening of sufficient size to receive only a single roller at a time in an endwise direction for the discharge in end-to-end relation of rollers carried by the outer edge of said bottom, means for engaging and deflecting rollers located within thehopper and adjacent said opening from a position in line with said opening, and means for operating said last named means to deect said rollers at intervals spaced in time suciently to permit thedischarge of a plurality of rollers through said opening between deflecting operations.

3. A mechanism for feeding roller bearings in end-to-end relation comprising a hopper having an annular side wall', a rotatable bottom in the hopper, means for rotating the bottom, said side wall havingan opening for the discharge in endto-end relation of rollers carried by the outer edge of said bottom, and means for intermittently displacing rollers located within the hopper and adjacent said opening from a position in line with-said opening, said means comprising a hori- Zontal rotatable disc carrying a projection adapted to move in a pathv extending entirely across said opening.

' FRANK KETCHAM.'

GEORGE E.' DUNN.

Images