JPH0822490B2 - Rotor positioning device for inner ring of Rzeppa joint - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a rotary positioning device for rotating an inner ring to a predetermined position in an automatic assembly machine for a Rzeppa joint or the like.

(Prior Art) A Rzeppa joint 1 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is used in a constant velocity joint portion of a driving force transmission system of an automobile. The Rzeppa joint 1 includes an outer ring 4 having a shaft portion 2 and a bowl-shaped portion 3, a cage 5 that is swingably housed inside the outer ring 4, and an inner ring 6 that is swingably housed inside the cage 5. And six balls 7 are provided. The ball 7 is fitted into a ball groove 8 provided in the outer ring 4, a through hole 9 provided in the cage 5, and a ball groove 10 provided in the inner ring 6. An inner tooth-shaped center hole is formed in the center of the inner ring 6.
11 are provided.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In order to assemble the Rzeppa joint 1 including the outer ring 4, the cage 5, the inner ring 6 and the like as described above, some kind of "knack" is required, so automatic assembly by a machine is not possible. Was considered difficult. Therefore, conventionally, the assembly work was performed manually, but the present inventors have developed an automatic assembly machine capable of automatically assembling the Rzeppa joint 1. In this automatic assembling machine, it is necessary to hold the inner ring 6 by a work holder during the assembly process and accurately regulate the position of the inner ring 6 in the rotational direction (circumferential direction) so that the ball groove 10 is at a predetermined position. However, conventionally, there is no suitable device that meets such a demand, and its development has been desired.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inner ring rotation positioning device capable of rotating the inner ring so that the ball groove of the inner ring is located at a predetermined position in an automatic assembly machine or the like that handles the inner ring of a Rzeppa joint. It is in.

[Means for Solving the Problems] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention developed to achieve the above object, a base, a hollow spindle rotatably provided on the base about a vertical axis, and the spindle An actuator for rotating in a predetermined angle range, a claw unit that is held by the spindle so as to be able to move up and down, and has a claw portion at the lower end that can be fitted into the ball groove of the inner ring of the Rzeppa joint, and the claw unit is raised. A first spring that biases the base member, a friction member that is non-rotatably attached to the base body, and is biased in a direction that contacts the end face of the inner ring, and is movable up and down in the spindle above the pawl unit. A slider having a lower end portion which is provided to contact with and separates from the upper end of the pawl unit, and which has a stronger elastic force than the first spring and is attached to the slider downward. A second spring, with the slider and a said second spring drivable slider drive means for pushing up direction against the elastic force has to be.

(Operation) When the rotary positioning device of the present invention is lowered from above the inner ring, the lower end of the friction member contacts the upper end surface of the inner ring. Further, when the pushing up force of the slider by the slider driving means is released, the slider and the pawl unit are integrally lowered by the elastic force of the second spring, and the pawl portion contacts the inner ring. By rotating the spindle to a predetermined angle in this state, the claw unit also rotates in the same direction as the spindle, and the claw portion also rotates in the same direction. Since the friction member is stationary and the friction member and the end surface of the inner ring are in frictional engagement with each other, even if the claw unit rotates in the above direction, the inner ring remains until the claw portion fits into the ball groove of the inner ring. Keeps stopped.
After the claw portion fits in the ball groove, the inner ring together with the claw portion is rotated to a predetermined angle as the claw unit rotates.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The rotary positioning device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The unit 12 is attached to the lift unit 15. The lifting / lowering unit 15 can be moved up and down by a linear actuator 18 such as an air cylinder along a pair of left and right vertical guide members 17 (only one is shown) provided on the fixed base 16. There is. The lower limit stroke end of the lift unit 15 is restricted by the stopper 19.

The lifting unit 15 is a pair of upper and lower base members extending in the horizontal direction.
It has 25, 26. Bearing assemblies 27 and 28 that receive loads in the radial direction and the thrust direction are provided on the base bodies 25 and 26, and a hollow spindle 31 is rotatably supported by the bearing assemblies 27 and 28 about a vertical axis.

The spindle 31 is the output shaft of the rotary actuator 32.
It is connected to 33. The actuator 32 is adapted to reciprocally rotate the spindle 31 about a vertical axis within an angle range of 60 ° or more, for example, 180 °. The spindle 31 in the illustrated example is configured to rotate within the above angle range by the protrusion 34 attached to the side surface thereof and the pair of stoppers 35 (only one side is shown) on the rotation trajectory of the protrusion 34. ing. However, the rotation range of the spindle 31 may be restricted by means other than the above.

A cylindrical retainer 40 is provided below the spindle 31 in a state where it is prevented from rotating by a key 41. The retainer 40 holds the claw unit 42 so that it can be raised and lowered. The claw unit 42 and the retainer 40 are prevented from rotating relative to each other by the key 43. A groove 44 continuous in the circumferential direction is provided in the lower portion of the retainer 40.

The claw unit 42 includes a rod portion 50 extending in the vertical direction, a spring seat 51 attached near the upper end of the rod portion 50, a bottom member 52 attached to the lower end side of the rod portion 50, and the bottom member 52. The center member 53 fixed to the above is provided. The bottom member 52 has a pair of claw portions 55 and 56 protruding downward. The claws 55 and 56 are the ball grooves 10 and 10 of the inner ring 6.
It is shaped so that it can be fitted from above. The upward stroke end of the pawl unit 42 with respect to the retainer 40 is restricted by the upper end surface of the bottom member 52 abutting against the lower end surface of the retainer 40. The sensor member 53 is tapered at the tip side so that it can be inserted into the center hole 11 of the inner ring 6.

A first compression coil spring is provided between the spring seat 51 and the retainer 40.
60 is provided in a compressed state. The first spring 60 constantly urges the pawl unit 42 in a direction to raise it.

A cylindrical housing 61 whose upper and lower ends are open is attached to the lower surface side of the base body 26. The housing 61 is provided concentrically with the spindle 31, and can be engaged with and disengaged from the retainer 40 by a locking mechanism 62. This locking mechanism
62 includes a protrusion 63 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the groove 44 of the retainer 40, and an operator 64 that can be pinched by fingers.
Can be used to move the stem 63 in the direction of pulling it out of the groove 44. The housing 61 can be removed when the protrusion 63 is removed from the groove 44.

A friction member 70, which is concentric with the housing 61, is provided on the opening side of the lower end of the housing 61 so as to be movable up and down. The friction member 70 also has a cylindrical shape, and is biased downward by the compression coil spring 71. The diameter of the lower end surface 70a of the friction member 70 is such that it can contact the end surface 6a of the inner ring 6.

A hollow slider 75 is built in the axially intermediate portion of the spindle 31. The slider 75 can move up and down in the axial direction inside the spindle 31. A pin 76 is fixed in a state of penetrating in the radial direction of the slider 75. Both ends of the pin 76 are vertically elongated holes 77, 78 provided in the spindle 31.
And protrudes to the outer surface side of the spindle 31. The lower end 79 of the slider 75 faces the upper end 80 of the pawl unit 42.

A second spring 86 is provided in a compressed state between the slider 75 and the spring seat 85. The second spring 86 is a slider
Biasing 75 downwards. The spring constant of the second spring 86 is larger than that of the first spring 60.

An annular member 91 having a flange 90 is attached to the slider 75 by a pin 76. The annular member 91 moves up and down integrally with the slider 75 via the pin 76, and the flange 90
The lower surface side of the roller can be supported by the roller 92. Second
As shown in the figure, the roller 92 is attached to the swing arm 93. The swing arm 93 is supported by a horizontal shaft 94 so as to be vertically rotatable, and is driven by an actuator 95 between a position shown by a solid line and a position shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. The actuator 95, the arm 93, the roller 92 and the like constitute a slider driving means 96. A sensor 97 is provided near the flange 90 to detect that the flange 90 has dropped to a predetermined position.

The inner ring 6 is held right below the pawl unit 42 by the work holder 98. The work holder 98 is open on the upper surface side, and the inner ring 6 is fitted and held rotatably around a vertical axis with the end surface 6a of the inner ring 6 facing upward.

Next, the operation of the embodiment 12 of the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

The inner ring 6 is a work holder by a transfer mechanism (not shown).
It is transferred to just below the claw unit 42 together with 98.
When the lifting / lowering unit 15 is lowered to the position regulated by the stopper 19, the center member 53 enters the center hole 11 of the inner ring 6 and the lower end surface 70a of the friction member 70 is moved to the inner ring as shown in FIG. It contacts the end face 6a of No. 6.

After that, as shown in FIG. 4, the roller 92 is driven in the direction away from the lower surface of the flange 90,
When the slider 75 is in the free state, the elasticity of the second spring 86 causes the slider 75 to descend, and the lower end portion of the slider 75 is lowered.
79 hits the upper end 80 of the claw unit 42. Since the elasticity of the second spring 86 is stronger than that of the first spring 60, the second spring 86
Elastic force overcomes the elastic force of the first spring 60, and the claw unit 42 comes to descend together with the slider 75. At this time, if the ball grooves 10, 10 of the inner ring 6 are located directly below the claws 55, 56, the claws 55, 56 fit into the ball grooves 10, 10 as they are. If the ball grooves 10 and 10 are not located directly below the claws 55 and 56,
When the lower end surfaces of the claw portions 55 and 56 contact the end surface 6a of the inner ring 6, the claw unit 42 stops descending.

The spindle 31 is rotated by operating the rotation actuator 32. When the spindle 31 rotates, the retainer 40 and the claw unit 42 rotate together with the spindle 31, and the claw portions 55 and 56 also rotate in the same direction.

The friction member 70 is held non-rotatably with respect to the fixed-side housing 61, and the end surface of the inner ring 6 is held by the friction member 70.
Since 6a is pressed, even if the claw unit 42 rotates in the above direction, the inner ring 6 is held stationary until the claw portions 55, 56 fit into the ball grooves 10, 10. Therefore, the claws 55, 56 rotate while sliding on the end surface 6a of the inner ring 6, and the claws 55, 56 fit into the ball grooves 10, 10 during the rotation. As shown in FIG. 5, when the claws 55 and 56 are fitted into the ball grooves 10 and 10, the inner ring 6
Since the torque acting on the inner ring 6 overcomes the frictional force between the inner ring 6 and the friction member 70, the inner ring 6 rotates integrally with the claw portions 55 and 56.

As shown in FIG. 6, since the ball grooves 10 are provided at six positions in the circumferential direction of the inner ring 6 at regular intervals of 60 °, while the pawl unit 42 rotates at least 60 °, the pawl portions 55, 56
Fit in the ball grooves 10, 10. In this way, the pawl unit 42 rotates to the predetermined position P and stops, whereby the inner ring 6
Stops at the predetermined rotation position. Since the grease is supplied in advance to the two outer peripheral portions of the inner ring 6 inside the work holder 98, the grease is applied in the circumferential direction of the inner ring 6 by rotating the inner ring 6 by 180 ° as described above. Can be expanded.

After the above process, the inner ring 6 is held at a predetermined rotation position, and then the roller 92 is raised, so that the slider 75 is pushed up against the elasticity of the second spring 86. Therefore, the claw unit 42 comes to stand by again in the raised position by the elastic force of the first spring 60. Further, when the lifting / lowering actuator 18 is operated, the lifting / lowering body unit 15 is lifted up along the guide member 17, and the rotary positioning device 12 is separated from the inner ring 6.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the inner race can be rotated to a predetermined circumferential position by utilizing the ball groove provided in the inner race of the Rzeppa joint. In the device of the present invention, while holding the inner ring by the friction member, the pawl unit is rotated while the elastic force of the spring is used to fit the pawl portion into the ball groove. The inner ring will not be damaged by applying no force.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rotary positioning device for an inner ring, Fig. 2 is a side view of the rotary positioning device, and Figs. 3 to 5 are views of the rotary positioning device. Sectional views showing different operating states, respectively
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the relationship between the inner ring and the claw portion, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the Rzeppa joint, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the Rzeppa joint. 1 …… Rzeppa joint, 6 …… Inner ring, 10 …… Ball groove, 12 …… Rotary positioning device, 25,26 …… Base body, 31 ……
Spindle, 32 ... Actuator, 42 ... Claw unit, 55, 56 ... Claw portion, 60 ... First spring, 70 ... Friction member, 75 ... Slider, 86 ... Second spring, 96 ... ... Slider drive means.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor, Hamabe Lighting 5-3-8, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor, Yuichi Hazaki, No. 1 Nakasiri, Hashime-cho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi Mitsubishi Motors Engineering Co., Ltd. Okazaki Plant (56) Bibliography Hei 1-92336 (JP, U) Heikai Sho 55-89538 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A base body, a hollow spindle rotatably provided on the base body about a vertical axis, an actuator for rotating the spindle within a predetermined angle range, and an up-and-down held by the spindle and at a lower end thereof. A claw unit having a claw portion that can be fitted in the ball groove of the inner ring of the Rzeppa joint, a first spring for urging the claw unit in the direction of raising the claw unit, and a non-rotatable member provided for the base body. A friction member urged in a direction of contacting an end face of the inner ring, a slider provided in the spindle above the pawl unit so as to be able to move up and down, and having a lower end portion contacting and separating from an upper end of the pawl unit; A second spring having a stronger elastic force than the first spring and biasing the slider downward, and a direction for pushing up the slider against the elastic force of the second spring. The inner ring of the rotational positioning device Tsue' path joint, characterized by comprising a drivable slide driving means.