US3054169A

US3054169A - Apparatus for assembling c-rings on shafts

Info

Publication number: US3054169A
Application number: US3689A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Bourque
Original assignee: ACTON LAB Inc
Current assignee: ACTON LAB Inc; ACTON LABORATORIES Inc
Priority date: 1960-01-20
Filing date: 1960-01-20
Publication date: 1962-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 1979-09-18

Description

Sept. 18, 1962 c. E. BOURQUE 3,054,169

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING C-RINGS ON SHAFTS Filed Jan. 20, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

CHARLES E. BOURQUE zVzzaZz'i/M ATTORNEYS Sept. 18, 1962 C. E BOURQUE APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING C-RIN Filed Jan. 20, 1960 GS ON SHAFTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

INVENTOR.

CHARLES E. BOURQUE BY 3%, *W

ATTORNEYS Sept. 18, 1962 C. E. BOURQUE APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING C-RINGS ON SHAFTS Filed Jan. 20, 1960 FIG.4

7( 'M LL' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. CHARLES E. BOURQUE V. ATTORNEYS U it d States Pate 3,054,169 APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING C-RINGS N SHAFTS Charles E. Bourque, Waltham, Mass, assignor to Acton Laboratories, Inc., Acton, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 20, 1960, Ser. No. 3,689 8 Claims. (Cl. 29-208) This invention deals with the problem of assembling C-rings on cylindrical shafts.

Heretofore, several devices have been designed to facilitate the application of C-rings to shafts. Most of these devices have been in the form of hand tools. These have operated well but are satisfactory only where a low rate of production can be tolerated. Some attempts have been made to provide high-speed machines for attaching C-rings to shafts on an automatic basis, but these have been unsatisfactory for various reasons, including high cost, excessive bulk, unreliability, and lack of adjustability.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide novel apparatus for assembling C-rings on shafts, said apparatus being capable of relatively high production and free of the disadvantages common to apparatus heretofore available for the same purpose.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side View in elevation of a device constructed according to the present invention for attaching 6- rings to shafts, certain parts being broken away for convenience of description;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the ringapplying mechanism shown at the top right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of mechanism shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing how the C-rings are assembled on the magazine or supply rod;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate sequentially how a C-ring is applied to a shaft by means of the reciprocating slide; and

FIG. 8 shows a modified form of slide.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the device comprises a hollow base 2 and a removable cover 4. The base 2 includes a top wall 6 on which is mounted a solenoid 8 having an armature or plunger 10. The rear end of armature 10 is pivotally connected to the top end of an operating rod 12 which is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 14 secured to a pair of spaced cars 16 formed on the underside of top wall 6 (only one ear 16 is visible in the drawings). Top wall 6 has a relatively large opening 18 located between cars 16, and rod 12 extends loosely through this opening. The

bottom end of rod 12 is connected to one end of a tension spring 20. The other end of spring 20 is connected to the head of a bolt 22 which is releasably anchored in the side wall of base 2. Spring 20 acts to pivot rod 12 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1).

Also secured to top wall 6 in cantilever fashion isan elongated base plate 24 which extends forwardly away from base 2 and solenoid 8. Positioned on base plate 24 is an operating slide 26. The slide is retained on base plate 24 by two

guide members

28 and 30 which overlie and lightly engage

flanges

32 and 34 respectively formed at the opposite sides of slide 26.

Guides

28 and 30 are held in place by screws bolts 36 (FIGS. 2 and 4).

The slide is operated by solenoid 8. The solenoid arma ice pivotally connects ears 42 to armature 10. The opposite end of sleeve 40 is threaded to receive a headless bolt 46 which extends through an upstanding tongue 48 of a round plug member 50. A collar 52 is mounted on bolt 46. C01- lar 52 is locked in place by a set screw 54 and acts to keep a nut 55 which is mounted on the outer end of bolt 46 tight against tongue 48 so that plug member 50 will move back and forth with armature 10. Plug member 50 is rotatably seated in a mating cavity formed in the top side of slide 26. The two pivotal connections between slide 26 and armature 10 compensate for any misalignment between these two members and are made permissible by virtue of the fact that the path of movement of the slide is determined solely by

guide members

28 and 30 and base plate 24.

Attached to and extending beyond the forward end of slide 26 is a ring engaging finger 56. The latter is seated in a groove formed on the bottom side of slide 26 and is held in place by a screw 58. The thickness of finger 56 is a function of the thickness of the C-rings to be applied by the device; the former can be equal to but preferably is smaller than the latter thickness.

The forward end of base plate 24 is provided with a countersunk hole 60 located in the path of movement of slide 26. Force fitted in this hole is a bushing 62. The top end 64 of the bushing is flush with the top surface of base plate 24, except for a portion 66 which projects above the base plate. The outer curved surface of this portion 66 extends through an angle of less than 180 degrees and terminates at a flat vertical face 68. The bushing has a central hole 70 which is substantially D-shaped. The diameter of hole 70 is larger than the outside diameter of the shafts which are to be fitted with C-rings. The flat vertical face 68 has an arcuate groove 72 whose center of curvature is the same as that of hole 70. However, the radius of curvature of groove 72 is less than that of hole 70 and is only slightly larger than the outside radius of the shafts which are to be fitted with C-rings. The bottom end of hole 70 is flared as shown so as to facilitate inserting shafts into the bushing.

Mounted on base plate 24 beyond slide 26 is a vertical support 76 to the top of which is attached a horizontal arm 78. Machine bolt 80 connects support 76 to base plate 24, and another machine bolt 82 connects arm 78 to support 76. Arm 78 extends over hole 60 in base plate 24 and is provided with a vertically extending bore 84 in which is slidably mounted a hollow shaft 86. A set screw 88 locks shaft 86 in any selected level. Shaft 86 is in axial alignment with hole 60 and bushing 62.

Shaft 86 comprises a series of successive axially extending

bores

90, 92, 94, 96, and 98. The bottommost bore 90 has a radius about equal to the radius of groove 72 of bushing 62. Preferably, the bottom end of bore 90 is flared as shown to facilitate insertion of a shaft which is to be provided with a C-ring. Bore 92 is substantially smaller in diameter and is just large enough to slidably accommodate a first vertical rod 100. Bore 94 is slightly larger than bore 92 so as to keep to a minimum the total amount of surface area of rod v that is in physical contactwith shaft 86. This reduces friction. Bore 96' is larger than bore 94 and forms with the latter a shoulder or stop 102 for the enlarged head 104 on rod 100. Head 104 projects into bore 98 which is threaded to receive' a bushing 106. Slidably positioned within bushing 106 is an enlarged head portion 108 of a second rod 110. Bushing 106 has a bottom end wall 112 provided with an opening to accommodate rod 110. End wall 112 functions as a stop or shoulder for the head of rod 110; A nut 1'14 locks the bushing to shaft 86.

The top end of bushing 106 has an annular extension 118 which is force fitted into a suitable hole formed in the L-shaped bracket 120. A small switch 122 is secured to the bracket. Witch 122 is of conventional construction and comprises a button or ball 124 which is held out by aspring member (not shown) contained within the switch housing. When the button is forced inwardly, the switch is actuated to closed or open position. In this case, it is preferred to use a normally open switch which is closed when the button is depressed. Button 124 is in position to be engaged and depressed by the head 108 of rod 110 when the latter is moved upwardly by rod 100. One side of switch 122 is connected by a lead wire 126 to one of the terminals of solenoid '8. The other side of switch 122 is connected by a lead wire 128 to one side of an on-off switch 138 mounted in the side wall of base 2. The other side of switch 138 and the other terminal of solenoid 8 are connected to leads 140 and 142 which are part of a conventional power cord 144. Although not shown, it is to be understood that cord 144 will be provided with a plug whereby it may be plugged into a wall outlet or other power supply receptacle.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, arm 78 also acts as a support for a magazine or supply rod 148. The latter is located between shaft 86 and slide 26 and is tilted so as to bring the bottom end closer to the center hole in bushing 62 and to move the top end away from the switch 122. The latter makes it easier to add additional rings to the supply rod which is loaded from the top. The bottom end of rod .148 is spaced from the top surface of base plate 24 by an amount greater than the thickness of one but less than the thickness of two C-rings. As shown in FIG. 5, the cross-section shape of rod 148 includes a semicircular portion 152 sized to fit within the semicircular portion of the -ring 154. The ends of the C-ring are enlarged inwardly so as to provide shoulders 156 which hold them on the rod. When the rings are stacked on the supply rod, the bottommost one 158 will drop off of the rod onto bushing 62 to one side of its center hole (see FIG. 6). Thereafter when a shaft 160 which is to be provided with a C-ring is inserted up through the bushing into contact with rod 100, the latter will force rod 110 upwardly against button 124, closing switch 122. Immediately, solenoid 8 will be energized, forcing armature forward toward supply rod 148. Finger 56 will engage the bottommost ring 158 and thrust it forward into engagement with shaft 160. The ends of the ring will spread just enough to accept the shaft. FIG. 7 illustrates the position of the C-ring at the end of the forward stroke of the slide. It is to be noted that in this figure the extremities of the C-ring are close to and may even engage lightly the vertical face 68 of the upstanding portion 66 of bushing 62. Any tendency of the rings to rotate around the shaft 160 instead of moving in a straight line toward the shaft is canceled out when one or the other end of the C-ring engages the vertical face 68 of the bushing.

Movement of the slide is very fast and is barely discernible by the naked eye. The slide will remain extended so long as the solenoid is energized. However, as a practical matter, there is a natural tendency for the operator to release the upward pressure on rod 100 as soon as he hears the click which results when a ring is snapped onto a shaft. Regardless of the operators speed in inserting and removing a shaft, the machine will apply a ring to each and every shaft that closes switch 122.

An important advantage of the invention is provided by making shaft 86 adjustable up and down. Since a C-ring must be slipped into a groove on a shaft, as, for example, groove 164 (FIGS. 6 and 7), the shaft must be inserted to the depth necessary to place the groove at the same level as the bottommost C-ring 158. Otherwise, the ring will not go on the shaft; or, if it does go on, it will be in the wrong location or injured. With the present invention it is possible to accommodate shafts of different lengths or shafts of the same length but with the groove formed at a different location. The shaft 86 is set so that when the end of a given shaft just actuates the switch, the groove on the shaft will be visible just above base plate 24.

Since it may be desired to accommodate shafts and rings of various sizes in order to make maximum use of the invention, bushing 62 is removable and may be replaced with a bushing having a smaller or larger internal diameter. Similarly, the supply rod is removable by means of screws 166 and may be replaced by another rod capable of holding smaller or larger C-rings.

It is also contemplated that the finger may be provided with asemicylindrical slot in its leading edge to accommodate the C-ring. This has the advantage of applying pressure to the C-ring at a plurality of points, thereby eliminating any tendency of the rings to spin out of or deviate from the desired straight line path.

FIG. 8 illustrates this feature. Here the slide 26 has a finger 56a whose leading edge 170 is slotted to provide a curved constant radius edge 172 which encompasses an angle of approximately degrees. The radius of curvature of edge 172 is substantially the same as the outside edge of the semicylindrical portion 154 (FIGS. 5 and 8) of the 0-ring. Hence the slot will accommodate a substantial portion of the C-ring and by so doing will produce a more uniform and accurate transfer of rings from supply rod 148 to the shafts 160.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts specifically described or illustrated, and that within the scope of the appended claims, it may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described or illustrated.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying C-rings to shafts comprising a base plate, means for storing C-rings and for feeding them one at a time to a predetermined position on said base plate, a bushing positioned in a hole in said base plate, said bushing having an opening to accommodate shafts onto which C-rings are to be applied, a slide on said base plate, said slide movable to pick up a C-ring at said predetermined position and convey it forward into engagement with a shaft which may be projecting up through said bushing, first electrically actuatable means operative to move said slide forward, second means for moving said slide rearward, and third means for actuating said first means, said third means including an actuatable switch for said first means and a movable element operative when moved to actuate said actuatable switch, said movable element located above said bushing in position to be moved by a shaft projecting up out of said bushing.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said first means is a solenoid, and said element is movable toward and away from said bushing.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said bushing has a projecting flat vertical face at its top end, said face located to limit rotation of a C-ring thrust forward by said slide, whereby to facilitate application of said C-ring to a shaft projecting up through said bushing.

4. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the normal position of said movable element is adjustable up and down relative to said bushing, whereby C-rings may be applied at different locations on different shafts.

5. Apparatus for assembling C-rings on shafts, said apparatus comprising a base plate, a bushing supported by said base plate having an opening sized to accommodate shafts of a given outside diameter, means for storing C-rings sized to snap onto said shafts and for feeding said c-rings one at a time to a predetermined position, a slide mounted on said base plate, said slide movable to convey C-rings from said predetermined position to said bushing with sufiicient force to snap said 0- rings onto shafts which may be projecting up through said bushing, said slide normally displaced from said predetermined position, first means for moving said slide through said predetermined position toward said bushing, whereby to transfer a C-ring from said predetermined position onto a shaft projecting up through said bushing, a normally off switch, switch operating means in position to be actuated by a shaft thrust through said bushing, means controlled by said switch for operating said first means each time said switch is closed, and means for returning said slide to its normal position upon reopening of said switch.

6. Apparatus as defined by claim 5 wherein said switch operating means is movable toward and away from said bushing, whereby C-rings may be applied at different locations on shafts of the same length.

7. Apparatus for putting C-shaped snap rings on shafts, said apparatus comprising a horizontal base plate having an aperture through which shafts to be provided with snap rings may be inserted, a vertically reciprocal rod located above said base plate in position to be engaged and moved upward by a shaft thrust upward through said aperture, means for holding a supply of snap rings and for discharging them one at a time on said base plate at a predetermined position, movable means for removing a snap ring from said predetermined position and forcing it onto a shaft disposed in said aperture, and means for operating said movable means in response to vertical movement of said rod.

8. Apparatus as defined by claim 7 wherein said movable means is a fiat member slidahly supported on said base, and said last-mentioned operating means is a solenoid having an energizing circuit which includes a control switch that is actuated by said rod during vertical movement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,775,283 Greer Dec. 25, 1956 20 2,837,812 Erdmann June 10, 1958 2,895,214 Erdmann July 21, 1959