Apparatuses and methods for separating, feeding and mounting O-rings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440171-B2
Application number	US-202016991561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2020
Priority date	Feb 13, 2018
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

The present application discloses an apparatus for separating and feeding O-rings, which includes a rotatable body including a storage portion and a separating portion; and a helix groove formed on the rotatable body across the storage portion and the separating portion, wherein a width and a depth of the helix groove are adapted to a wire diameter of a O-ring, and pitch of the helix groove on the separating portion increases along a feeding direction from the storage portion to the separating portion, wherein in response to a rotation of the rotatable body, the helix groove conveys a plurality of O-rings hanged on the storage portion to the separating portion to thereby separate the plurality of O-rings away from each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for separating and feeding O-rings, comprising:
a rotatable body comprising a storage portion and a separating portion; and
a helix groove formed on the rotatable body across the storage portion and the separating portion, wherein a width and a depth of the helix groove are adapted to a wire diameter of an O-ring, and pitch of the helix groove on the separating portion increases along a feeding direction from the storage portion to the separating portion,
wherein in response to a rotation of the rotatable body, the helix groove conveys a plurality of O-rings hanged on the storage portion to the separating portion to thereby separate the plurality of O-rings away from each other.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a limiting mechanism arranged over the separating portion and adapted to prevent the plurality of O-rings from being out of the helix groove during the conveying.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
a holding mechanism arranged over the storage portion and comprising:
a guiding section extended from an end of the limiting mechanism adjacent to the storage portion and away from the rotatable body in a direction opposite to the feeding direction; and
a holding section extending from an end of the guiding section away from the separating portion and adapted to be received in an operating mechanism of a robot to couple the limiting mechanism to the robot.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the limiting mechanism, the guiding mechanism and the holding mechanism are integrally formed.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a distance between the limiting mechanism and the rotatable body is smaller than the wire diameter of the O-ring.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the limiting mechanism is attached to the rotatable body by magnetic attraction.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the rotatable body is adapted to be received in an operating mechanism of a robot to thereby be coupled to the robot.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the helix groove on the storage portion in a plane parallel to the feeding direction is of an arc shape.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the helix groove on the separating portion in a plane parallel to the feeding direction is of a rectangular or trapezoidal shape.

10. A system, comprising:
a robot; and
an apparatus operably engaged with said robot to separate and feed O-rings, the apparatus comprising:
a rotatable body comprising a storage portion and a separating portion; and
a helix groove formed on the rotatable body across the storage portion and the separating portion, wherein a width and a depth of the helix groove are adapted to a wire diameter of an O-ring, and pitch of the helix groove on the separating portion increases along a feeding direction from the storage portion to the separating portion, wherein in response to a rotation of the rotatable body, the helix groove conveys a plurality of O-rings hanged on the storage portion to the separating portion to separate the plurality of O-rings away from each other.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a limiting mechanism arranged over the separating portion and adapted to prevent the plurality of O-rings from being out of the helix groove during the conveying.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a holding mechanism arranged over the storage portion and comprising:
a guiding section extended from an end of the limiting mechanism adjacent to the storage portion and away from the rotatable body in a direction opposite to the feeding direction; and
a holding section extending from an end of the guiding section away from the separating portion and adapted to be received in an operating mechanism of a robot to couple the limiting mechanism to the robot.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the limiting mechanism, the guiding mechanism and the holding mechanism are integrally formed.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein a distance between the limiting mechanism and the rotatable body is smaller than the wire diameter of the O-ring.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the limiting mechanism is attached to the rotatable body by magnetic attraction.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein a cross-section of the helix groove on the storage portion in a plane parallel to the feeding direction is of an arc shape.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein a cross-section of the helix groove on the separating portion in a plane parallel to the feeding direction is of a rectangular or trapezoidal shape.

18. A method, comprising:
rotating a rotatable body,
wherein the rotatable body comprises:
a storage portion and a separating portion,
wherein the rotatable body having a helix groove formed thereon across the storage portion and the separating portion,
wherein a width and a depth of the helix groove are adapted to a wire diameter of an O-ring, and a pitch of the helix groove on the separating portion increases along a feeding direction from the storage portion to the separating portion,
wherein a limiting mechanism is arranged over the separating portion, and a holding mechanism is arranged over the storage portion and comprises a guiding section and a holding section; and

conveying with the helix a plurality of O-rings hanged on the storage portion to the separating portion to separate the plurality of O-rings away from each other;
wherein the limiting mechanism prevents the plurality of O-rings from being out of the helix groove during the conveying;
wherein the guiding section extends from an end of the limiting mechanism adjacent to the storage portion and away from the rotatable body in a direction opposite to the feeding direction;
wherein the holding section extends from an end of the guiding section away from the separating portion and adapted to be received in an operating mechanism of a robot to couple the limiting mechanism to the robot.

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Li Cheng
• Gu Hao

Classifications

• B23P19/001 Primary

  Article feeders for assembling machines (screws or nuts being carried by a disposable strip or disc B25B23/045) · CPC title

• B23P19/084

  for placing resilient or flexible rings, e.g. O-rings, circlips · CPC title

• B25J15/0023

  Gripper surfaces directly activated by a fluid (flexible fingers B25J15/12) · CPC title

• Y10T29/53657

  to apply or remove a resilient article [e.g., tube, sleeve, etc.] · CPC title

• B25J13/086

  Proximity sensors · CPC title