DESC:Field of the invention:
The present invention relates to suspension system and more particularly relates to circlip singling dispenser for suspension systems.
Background of the invention:
Circlips are normally ring fasteners having circular or rectangular cross section with open ends. These are made of semiflexible metal wires that can be snap fitted onto places like machine grooves of dowel pin and so on. This fasteners are capable of permitting rotational movements while restricting the lateral movements of the machine parts where it is assembled. Circlips are used in the suspension systems to retain the front fork seal with the outer tube and are available in different shapes. The circlips are inserted into outer tube manually during the stage of assembly process and proceed for further operations. The manual insertion process requires special skills to ensure the positioning of seating in the grove properly to achieve the promised functionality. Hence, the process of manual insertion is hectic and a high fatigue action to the technician’s fingers which concerns long hours working, consistency and safety.
A circlip dispenser currently available having a stack rod forms a circlip magazine. A hand tool is used for dispensing the circlips and it is in the form of a pair of spring jaws. When the spring jaws applied on the lowermost circlip in the magazine stack, they sprung apart by the circlip and being forced therebetween to grip the lowermost circlip which can be withdrawn by the tool. However, a hand tool for taking the dispensed circlip to the shaft and on forcing the circlip home within a groove of a target object requires manual efforts.
The dispenser mentioned above may able to handle the circlips of both external and internal which are positioned axially of the shaft or rod or into the bore or housing. Here the circlips are positioned by axial movement of the shaft or bore which receives them and having means engageable by a hand tool for opening or closing the jaws thereof. However, such devices requires the apertures in the jaws or circlips themselves having the jaws exposed, so that the studs of the hand tool can enter these apertures and being positioned between the jaws to pick the respective circlip from the stack.
Accordingly, there exists need to provide a singling dispenser for a safety and non-fatigue Circlip insertion.
Object of the invention:
An object of the present invention is to dispense circlips individually from a stack.
Another object of the present invention is to automate the process of dispensing and insertion of a circlip into the groves of a mechanical component.
Yet another object of the present invention is to eliminate the concern of safety and fatigue in dispensing and inserting a circlip into the groves of suspension systems.
Summary of the Invention
The circlip singling dispenser for suspension assembly for dispensing circlips singly on a grove on a target object of a suspension assembly. The dispenser comprising a magazine mounted upon a slicer, a locator placed close to the magazine, an adapter positioned on the locator, a pusher mounted on the sliding mechanism and a sensor secured in the vicinity of the magazine. The magazine having a plurality of circlips staked theron. The locator locates the position of each circlip of the plurality of circlips on the magazine. The adapter slides through a sliding mechanism between the locator and a spot above the grove on the target object of a suspension assembly. The pusher is positioned close to the adapter such that the pusher gets actuated upon detecting the adaptor being positioned on the locator. Wherein, the magazine and the slicer reciprocate the sliding motion of the adapter to dispenses each circlip of the plurality of circlips on the magazine, one at a time through the locator, the pusher orients the circlip in a required compressed state into the locator, relocates the circlip into the adaptor, further actuates and insert each circlip on the grove on the target object of the suspension assembly separately.
Brief description of the drawings:
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the disclosure is read in conjunction with the following figures, wherein
Figure 1 shows a schematic view of singling dispenser in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 1a and 1b show another schematic view of singling dispenser in operation in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 2 shows a closer view of singling dispenser in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 3 shows a sliding arrangement of adapter of the singling dispenser in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of circlip in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 5a shows a schematic of a shock absorber inserted with circlip in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 5b shows a closer view of shock absorber with circlip inserted with the circlip in accordance with the present invention.
Detailed Description of the invention:
The foregoing objects of the invention are accomplished, and the problems and shortcomings associated with prior art techniques and approaches are overcome by the present invention described in the present embodiments.
The present invention provides a circlip singling dispenser for dispensing, locating and inserting circlip into a grove on an outer tube of suspension assembly. The method entirely eliminates the manual intervention in the process of insertion and avoids the possibility of safety hazard and fatigue issues related to operator.
The present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. These reference numbers are shown in bracket in the following description and in the table below.
Table:
Component name: Component No:
Circlip singling dispenser 100
Circlip 10
Circlip Magazine 11
Adapter 12
Circlip Locator 13
Pusher 14
Slicer 15
Outer tube 16
Grove 17
Inner tube 18
Sliding Mechanism 19
Suspension assembly 20

Referring to the figures from 1 to 5, there is shown a circlip singling dispenser for suspension assembly (hereinafter ‘the dispenser (100)’), in accordance with the present invention. The dispenser (100) comprising a magazine (11), an adapter (12), a locator (13), a pusher (14) and a slicer (15).
The magazine (11) is an elongated tube loaded with a plurality of circlips (10). The plurality of circlips (10) are encompassed on the magazine (11) with required orientation depending up on the circlip (10) profile /shape. The dispenser (100) further comprises a sensor (not shown) adapted to monitor the number of circlips encircled on the magazine (11). Preferably the sensor is a photosensor secured in the vicinity of the magazine (11). The circlip magazine (11) is mounted upon the slicer (15) and is integrated to each other. The adapter (12) is mounted on the locator (13) and are capable of sliding from circlip dispense position of the magazine (11) to the grove (17) on the target object of a suspension assembly (20). In the preferred embodiment, the target object of the suspension assembly (20) is diameter of the outer tube of the suspension assembly (20).
Specifically, the locator (13) and the adapter (12) are organized on a sliding mechanism (19) that drives the components in lateral direction. The pusher (14) is an actuation mechanism positioned closer to the adapter (12). The pusher (14) slides on the sliding mechanism (19) and gets actuated upon detecting the adaptor (12) being positioned on the locator (13). The circlip magazine (11) and slicer (15) together can reciprocate the sliding arrangement of the adapter (12) and dispenses circlip (10) one at a time. In an embodiment, the actuation mechanism of the pusher (14) operates on electrically or solenoid operated pneumatic actuation.
Again referring to the figures from 1 to 5, in an aspect of the invention, an operation of the dispenser (100) is described. The plurality of circlip (10) is loaded at the circlip magazine (11) initially. The plurality of circlip (10) is handled through the locator (13) that is at home position at the beginning. Then the adapter (12) is moved to a position above the outer tube (16) of the suspension assembly (20). The pusher (14) gets actuated when the adaptor (12) is positioned on the locator (13) for transferring the circlip (10) from the locator (13) to the adaptor (12). The Pusher (14) orients the circlip (10) in a required compressed state into the locator (13), and relocates circlip (10) into the adaptor (12). The pusher (14) is then actuated to insert the circlip (10) on the grove (17) on the target object (16) of the suspension assembly (20). The circlip is released into the desired grove (17) position and get locked to the required location.
When lowermost circlip in the plurality of circlips stalked on the magazine (11) be withdrawn, the remaining circlips fall by gravity and a further circlip is thereby fed to the dispensing point of the magazine (11). Further, the pusher (14) is retracting to its original position for dispensing the next circlip in the circlip magazine (11).
The sensor secured in close proximity to the magazine (11) keeps on monitoring thereon throughout the dispensing operation. This allows replacement of fresh filled magazine (11) upon detecting, minimum number of circlips (10) available on the magazine (11) such that dispenser does not operate empty and stays idle. Thus the process of dispensing, locating and insertion of the circlip (10) is automatic and entirely eliminates any manual intervention to the operation.
Advantages
1. The process of insertion of the circlip is automated and avoids the possibility of safety hazard and fatigue issues of operators.
2. The process offers zero defects which can avoid accident at Vehicle level.
3. The circlip magazine allows a smooth flow and single part dispensing of the circlip.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the present invention.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. The circlip singling dispenser for suspension assembly (100) for dispensing circlip singly on a grove (17) on a target object (16) of a suspension assembly (20), the dispenser (100) comprising:
a magazine (11) secured upon a slicer (15), the magazine (11) having a plurality of circlips (10) encompassed thereon;
characterized in that;
a locator (13) placed close to the magazine (11), the locator (13) locates the position of each circlip of the plurality of circlips (10) on the magazine (11);
an adapter (12) positioned on the locator (13), the adapter (12) is capable of sliding through a sliding mechanism (19), between the locator (13) and a spot above the grove (17) on the target object (16) of a suspension assembly (20);
a pusher (14) mounted on the sliding mechanism (19), the pusher (14) is positioned close to the adapter (12) such that the pusher (14) gets actuated upon detecting the adaptor (12) being positioned on the locator (13); and
a sensor secured in close proximity to the magazine (11), the sensor is adapted to monitor the number of circlips encircled on the magazine (11);
wherein, the magazine (11) and the slicer (15) reciprocate the sliding motion of the adapter (12) to dispense each circlip (10) of the plurality of circlips loaded on the magazine (11), one at a time through the locator (13), the pusher (14) orients the circlip (10) in a required compressed state into the locator (13), relocates the circlip (10) into the adaptor (12), further actuates and insert each circlip (10) on the grove (17) on the target object (16) of the suspension assembly (20) separately.

2. The circlip singling dispenser for suspension assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magazine (11) and the slicer (15) are integrated to each other.
3. The circlip singling dispenser for suspension assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a photosensor.


Prafulla Wange
(Agent for the applicant)
(IN/PA-2058)