JPH0573534B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a bolt mounting device, and more particularly to a socket constituting an automatic tightening device for tightening fastening members such as bolts from the underside of a workpiece. The present invention relates to a bolt mounting device that can automatically and efficiently set bolts, etc. supplied from a parts feeder to a parts feeder, etc.

[Background of the Invention] In recent years, the automation of assembly processes for mechanical products has progressed, and work that previously relied on workers is now being performed without human intervention due to the development of various devices. The work of tightening bolts, etc. is no exception.

In the assembly process of mechanical products, depending on the parts to be assembled, it may be necessary to tighten bolts or the like from below. Various automatic tightening devices that automate such bolt tightening work from below have also been put into practical use. For example, Utsukaisei No. 61-
An example of the automatic tightening device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 195932 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-282832 can be cited.

In this type of automatic tightening device, it is necessary that the bolt sent from a bolt supply device such as a parts feeder be set in a socket or chuck provided in the bolt rotating portion of the automatic tightening device reliably and in the correct orientation. However, as a practical matter,
The bolt is often held in a socket or chuck in a slightly slanted state, resulting in considerable trouble in the tightening operation. Also, especially
The bolt head may not fit into the socket's hexagonal hole. In this case, pause your work and
The worker must reinstall the bolt into the socket.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, and the present invention has been made in order to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages.When loading a bolt into a socket of an automatic tightening device located below a workpiece, it is necessary to hold the bolt and rotate it slightly. By configuring the bolt head to fit into the socket while holding the bolt, the bolt can be securely set in the socket, and subsequent bolt tightening work from below can be performed smoothly. The purpose is to provide a mounting device.

[Means for Achieving the Object] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a device for mounting a fastening member such as a bolt into a socket such as a nut runner with its threaded portion facing upward, A holder is provided with a set of retaining claws for receiving the bolt from a feeder with the bolt head directed downward and locking the bolt; a rotation mounting mechanism that holds the bolt and rotates the bolt as the bolt is displaced; a rod member that contacts the retaining claw to open the retaining claw; and the rotation mounting mechanism and the rod member are integrated in a vertical direction. The rod member and the rotation mounting mechanism are lowered under the driving action of the actuator, and after the bolt in the holder is held by the rotation mounting mechanism, the holding claw is opened by the rod member, and then the bolt is rotated. The device is characterized in that it is configured so that it can be attached to a socket of a nut runner or the like directly below the holder.

[Embodiments] Next, preferred embodiments of the bolt mounting device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3, reference numeral 10 designates a bolt mounting device according to the invention. This bolt mounting device 10 includes a board 14 fixed on a pedestal 12.
The bolt receiver holder 16 is fixed to the side of the board 14, and when the bolt receiver holder 16 is displaced downward in the vertical direction, the bolt receiver holder 16 is opened and the bolt in the bolt receiver holder 16 is inserted into the socket. It includes a bolt mounting part 18 for mounting.

First, the bolt receiver holder 16 will be explained.
The inside of this bolt receiving holder 16 is hollow in order to accommodate a bolt that is pressure-fed by compressed air from a parts feeder (not shown) through a feed pipe 20. Additionally, rotatable bolt holding claws 22 are provided on the mutually opposing side surfaces of the bolt holder holder 16.
a, 22b are provided. This bolt holding claw 22
A bolt is locked to the inwardly bent tip portions of a and 22b with the bolt head directed downward. Also,
Coil springs 24a and 24b are engaged with the rear end sides of the bolt holding claws 22a and 22b, so that
The bolt holding claws 22a, 22b are configured to be normally biased in the direction of closing under the force of the spring force of the coil springs 24a, 24b.

Next, a description will be given of the bolt mounting portion 18 that opens and closes the bolt holding claws 22a, 22b of the bolt receiving holder 16 and sets the bolt in the socket of the bolt tightening device.

The bolt mounting portion 18 includes opening/closing rods 28a and 28b fixed to the mounting plate 26, and a face which is a long bar-shaped member that is inserted into the bolt holder holder 16 to hold the bolt and is mounted while being rotated. Driver 30 and screw rod 31
and a rotating mounting mechanism consisting of these opening/closing rods 28.
a, 28b, and a cylinder 32 for raising and lowering the rotary mounting mechanism. Piston rod 34 of cylinder 32
are connected to the mounting plate 26, and the two guide rods 36a and 36b, which are suspended downward from the mounting plate 26, are connected to the support members 38a and 36b, which are respectively erected on the base plate 14.
Guide members 40a, 40 supported by 38b
b is slidably fitted. Opening/closing rod 28a, 2
When 8b descends, its tip will be attached to bolt holder holder 1.
It is fixed to the mounting plate 26 at a position where it abuts the tail ends of the bolt holding claws 22a, 22b provided at the bolts 6. In this case, the tips of the opening/closing rods 28a, 28b are tapered to facilitate opening when they come into contact with the bolt holding claws 22a, 22b. Also, for the mounting plate 26, long holes 42a, 4
It is preferable that the opening/closing rods 28a, 28b are attached via the opening/closing rods 2b so that the interval between the opening/closing rods 28a, 28b can be adjusted. This is the opening/closing rod 28a,
The tip of the bolt 28b repeatedly engages the bolt holding claws 22a, 2.
This is because the bolt holding claws 22a, 22b become smaller as they slide into contact with the bolts 2b.

Next, the face driver 30 is connected to a screw rod 31 for rotating it slightly angularly, and is attached to the mounting plate 26 via the screw rod 31. In this case, the screw rod 31 is loosely fitted into a sleeve 44 fixed to the mounting plate 26. Further, a helical groove 46 is formed on the circumferential surface of the screw rod 31, and a pin 46 protruding inside the sleeve 44 is provided in the helical groove 46.
8 engages. Further, a coil spring 52 is interposed between the spring receiver 50 at the lower end of the screw rod 31 and the lower end of the sleeve 44, and the face driver 30 is always urged downward under the elastic force of the coil spring 52. Ru. On the other hand, the tip of the face driver 30 is formed with a hole 54 into which the threaded portion of the bolt is fitted when it enters the bolt receiving holder 16. Note that reference numeral 56 indicates a stopper.

The bolt mounting device according to the present invention is basically configured as described above, and next, as an application example of the bolt mounting device 10, when a torque converter as a workpiece is assembled to an engine, In particular, a torque converter automatic assembly system that automatically performs the work of tightening bolts from below will be schematically described below.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 60 indicates a torque converter automatic assembly system. This torque converter automatic assembly system 60 includes a shuttle unit 64 that fixes a torque converter 62 as a workpiece in a reference direction, and a manipulator 65 that grips the torque converter 62 on the shuttle unit 64. 68
The present invention is comprised of a mobile loader 70 as a means for transporting the torque converter 62, a bolt mounting device 10 according to the present invention, and a bolt tightening device 72 that automatically tightens bolts from below.

The shuttle unit 64 is configured to be able to move horizontally on a rail mount 74. The mobile loader 70 is configured to be movable on a beam 78 extending horizontally from a support 76 via a rail under the driving action of a travel cylinder 80. Also,
The mobile loader 70 is equipped with an elevating cylinder 82 for elevating the manipulator 65. Under the driving action of the elevating cylinder 82, the manipulator 65 is lowered and the clamp arms 84a to 84b forming the manipulator 65 are placed on the shuttle unit 64. Grip the torque converter 62. In this case, the manipulator 65 is provided with a phase matching device 86 for changing the position of the screw hole of the torque converter 62.
Reference numeral 6 includes a gear 90 that meshes with the starter gear 88 of the torque converter 62, and a drive system that rotates the gear 90, including a pulse motor, a reduction gear, a clutch, and the like.

The bolt tightening device 72 tightens the cylinder 9 on the frame 92.
The nut runner 96 and the nut runner 96
The nut runner 96 is provided with a drive motor 98 and a cylinder 100 for raising and lowering the nut runner 96. A socket 102 into which the head of a bolt fits is provided on the upper surface of the nut runner 96 (see FIG. 1).

The bolt mounting device according to the present invention and the torque converter automatic assembly system having the bolt mounting device as a component are basically constructed as described above.Next, the operation and effects thereof will be explained.

First, in FIG. 4, the shuttle unit 64 is placed on the rail mount 74 with the screw holes of the torque converter 62 mounted on it aligned with the reference direction.
The torque converter 62 is positioned directly below the movable loader 70 shown in the figure. Therefore, the lifting cylinder 82 provided on the mobile loader 70
The manipulator 65 is lowered by extending a piston rod (not shown). Then, the manipulator 65 is operated to grip the torque converter 62 with the clamp arms 84a to 84c. Thereafter, the manipulator 65 is raised under the driving action of the lifting cylinder 82, and the piston rod of the traveling cylinder 80 is retracted to move the mobile loader 70 to a position directly above the engine 68 fixed on the jig pallet 66. At that position, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 82 is extended again, and the manipulator 65 is held while gripping the torque converter 62 with the clamp arms 84a to 84c.
By lowering the torque converter 62, the torque converter 62 is placed on the drive plate 104 of the engine 68. At this time, the screw hole drilled in the lower periphery of the torque converter 62 and the hole drilled in the periphery of the drive plate 104 are aligned. This is because the screw holes of the torque converter 62 are aligned with the reference direction on the shuttle unit 64 in advance. In addition, the phase matching device 86
The gear 90 is the starter gear 88 of the converter 62.
It meshes with the

Therefore, bolts are automatically supplied to the bolt tightening device 72 by the bolt mounting device 10 according to the present invention. The operation of the bolt mounting device 10 at that time is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

That is, the bolts pass through the feed pipe 20 under the pressure of compressed air from a parts feeder (not shown) for supplying bolts. At this time, the bolt 104 is fed into the bolt receiver holder 16 provided in the bolt mounting device 10 with its head directed downward. As shown in FIG. 2, the bolt 104 has a bolt holding claw 22a,
It is seated on the bent end of 22b. Therefore, when the cylinder 32 is driven and its piston rod 34 is moved backward, the opening/closing rods 28a, 28b and the face driver 30 are displaced downward, and eventually the third piston rod 34 is moved backward.
As shown in the figure, the threaded portion of the bolt 104 is completely inserted into the hole 54 at the tip of the face driver 30. If the piston rod 34 continues to move backward in this state, the mounting plate 26 and the sleeve 44 will move downward, while the face driver 30 will move downward.
Since the displacement of the coil spring 52 is restricted by the bolt holding claws 22a and 22b, the coil spring 52 is compressed. Further, when the piston rod 34 is moved backward, the tips of the opening/closing rods 28a and 28b come into contact with the rear ends of the bolt holding claws 22a and 22b, and these bolt holding claws 22a and 22b are moved as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. This results in rotation in the direction of expansion.

As a result, the tip of the face driver 30 protrudes from the bolt holder holder 16 by the elastic force of the coil spring 52 while holding the bolt 104.
The bolt 104 is inserted into the socket 102 of the nut runner 96 of the bolt tightening device 72 located below the bolt receiver holder 16.

At this time, when the face driver 30 and the screw rod 31 are displaced downward by the elastic force of the coil spring 52, the face driver 3
0 rotates. That is, since the pin 48 provided inside the sleeve 44 engages with the spiral groove 46 formed in the screw rod 31, the screw rod 31 is operated based on the same operating principle as a cylindrical cam.
This screw rod 31 rotates slightly.
The face driver 30, which is integral with the main body, rotates slightly. As a result, the bolt head is initially set to socket 10.
Even if the bolt 104 is not oriented in the same direction as the hexagonal hole 2, the head of the bolt 104 will surely fit into the hexagonal hole of the socket 102.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the bolt tightening device 72 is advanced under the driving action of the traveling cylinder 94, and after positioning the bolt 104 directly under the screw hole of the torque converter 62, the cylinder 100 is energized to tighten the nut runner. 96 is raised, and the drive motor 98 is rotated to screw in the bolt 104.

After tightening the bolt 104, move the nut runner 96 to the bolt holder holder 16 of the bolt mounting device 10.
Displace it to below. At this position, the next bolt is moved to the nut runner 96 by repeating the above-mentioned operation.
It is attached to the socket of At this time, since the gear 90 of the phase matching device 86 is meshed with the starter gear 88 of the torque converter 62, the torque converter 62 and the drive plate 104 are rotated by a predetermined angle by the phase matching device 86, and the next screw hole is rotated by the phase matching device 86. Adjust the phase of the position. Thereafter, the next bolt is tightened by the bolt tightening device.
By repeating the above operations, the work of attaching the torque converter 62 to the drive plate 104 of the engine 68 is automatically accomplished.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the bolt supplied from the parts feeder is lowered in the vertical direction and rotated slightly to stand upright without tilting the bolt with respect to the socket of the nut runner located directly below. The bolt is installed with its head facing down. For this reason, in a bolt tightening device that tightens bolts from below, bolts with the bolt heads facing downward can be reliably supplied to the sockets that make up the device, and as a result, the bolts can be securely attached to the workpiece. This has the advantage of being able to prevent threading and damage to bolts or workpieces.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various improvements and changes in design are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bolt mounting device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view showing a state in which the bolt mounting device according to the present invention receives a bolt in its bolt receiver holder, and FIG. 3 FIG. 4 is a partially sectional side view showing the operation of the bolt mounting device according to the present invention for mounting bolts on a nut runner, and FIG. FIG. 10... Bolt mounting device, 16... Bolt receiver holder, 18... Bolt mounting part, 20... Feeding pipe,
22a, 22b... Bolt holding claw, 24a, 24
b...Coil spring, 28a, 28b...Opening/closing rod, 30...Face driver, 31...
Screw rod, 32...Cylinder, 38a,
38b... Support member, 40a, 40b... Guide member, 48... Pin, 50... Spring holder, 52...
Spring, 54... Hole, 60... Torque converter automatic assembly system, 64... Shuttle unit, 66... Jig pallet, 68... Engine, 70... Mobile loader, 72... Bolt tightening device, 80... Traveling cylinder, 82... Lifting cylinder, 86... Phase matching device, 96... Nut runner, 102... Socket.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device for attaching a fastening member such as a bolt to a socket such as a nut runner with its threaded portion facing upward, the bolt head being directed downward from an automatic supply machine such as a parts feeder. a holder equipped with a set of retaining claws for receiving the bolt and locking the bolt; and a rotating mechanism that enters into the holder and holds the bolt at its tip and rotates the bolt as the bolt is displaced. The rod member includes a mounting mechanism, a rod member that comes into contact with the holding claw to open the holding claw, and an actuator that vertically raises and lowers the rotary mounting mechanism and the rod member integrally. The bolt is lowered under the driving action of the actuator, the bolt in the holder is held by a rotating mounting mechanism, the holding pawl is opened by a rod member, and the bolt is then rotated and mounted in a socket such as a nut runner directly below the holder. A bolt mounting device characterized by: 2. In the device according to claim 1, the rotary mounting mechanism includes a rod body that holds the threaded portion of the bolt at its tip, a screw rod connected to the rod body and having a spiral groove formed on its circumferential surface, and a screw rod that is connected to the rod body and has a spiral groove formed on its circumferential surface. It consists of a sleeve that holds a pin that engages with the pin and into which the screw rod is loosely fitted, and a coil spring that engages between the sleeve and the rod, and when the screw rod is displaced under the spring action of the coil spring. A bolt mounting device characterized in that the screw rod is rotated by a pin that engages with a spiral groove.