JP2010036214A - Self-piercing rivet setting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent idling of a punch by detecting whether or not a self-piercing rivet is present in a driving chamber of a receiver section. <P>SOLUTION: A self-piercing rivet setting machine 1 has a receiver section 17 disposed at one end side of a C-shaped frame 5 to receive a self-piercing rivet fed from a feeder 14. The receiver section 17 has a rivet-reach detection sensor 23 to detect presence or absence of a self-piercing rivet 8 in a driving chamber 21. If the rivet-reach detection sensor 23 detects absence of any self-piercing rivet in the driving chamber 21, the driving of the punch is prevented in response to a signal from the sensor 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-piercing rivet fastening machine, and more particularly, to a self-piercing rivet fastening machine that can prevent the self-piercing rivet from being blanked.

  An example of a self-piercing rivet fastening machine is described in JP-T-2007-530287 (Patent Document 1). The self-piercing rivet is composed of a flange-shaped head and a hollow cylindrical leg hanging from the head. When the self-piercing rivet is driven into a plurality of fastening members such as two panels by a punch and a die, the leg is a panel. The leg is deformed so that the tip end of the leg expands while perforating (drilling), and a plurality of members to be fastened are connected to each other by the deformed and expanded leg portion and the head. Self-piercing rivets are suitable for connecting aluminum bodies that are unsuitable for welding, and aluminum bodies are being adopted in automobile bodies that are currently being reduced in weight, so demand is expected to increase in the future.

  The self-piercing rivet fastening machine described in Patent Document 1 has a C-shaped frame, a punch is disposed on one end side of the C-shaped frame, and a die is disposed on the other end side so as to face the punch. . A receiver portion for receiving a self-piercing rivet fed from a feeding device for the self-piercing rivet is provided on one end side of the C-shaped frame, and a feeding tube extending from the feeding device is connected to the receiver portion. . The punch is attached so that the self-piercing rivet sent to the driving chamber of the receiver unit is driven toward the die, and the self punched into a plurality of fastened members arranged between the punch and the die. The pierce rivet is driven while drilling, and a plurality of fastened members are fastened to each other.

Special table 2007-530287 JP-A-6-039650

  In the self-piercing rivet fastening machine of Patent Document 1, sensors (281, 283) that detect the presence of self-piercing rivets are provided in a feeding tube between the feeding device and the receiver unit. Such a sensor prevents punch blanking when there is no self-piercing rivet in the receiver. This detection of the presence of the self-piercing rivet is preferable because it prevents punch punching, but it detects the presence of the self-piercing rivet in the feeding tube, and the self-piercing rivet that has reached the driving chamber of the receiver unit. It does not detect the presence of. Therefore, in the self-piercing rivet fastening machine of Patent Document 1, there is still room for improvement in terms of preventing punch punching.

  Patent Document 2 describes a self-piercing rivet fastening machine that detects the presence of a fastened member and prevents the self-piercing rivet from being idle when the fastened member is not between the punch and the die. . Patent Document 2 does not describe detection of the presence of a self-piercing rivet in the receiver unit.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to detect whether or not the self-piercing rivet is in the driving chamber of the receiver unit and reliably prevent punch punching.

  In order to achieve such an object, a self-piercing rivet fastening machine according to the present invention has a C-shaped frame, a punch is disposed on one end side of the C-shaped frame, and a die is disposed on the other end side so as to face the punch. And a receiver portion for receiving a self-piercing rivet fed from a feeding device for a self-piercing rivet is provided on one end side of the C-shaped frame, and a feeding tube extending from the feeding device is connected to the receiver portion. The punch is mounted so that the self-piercing rivet sent to the driving chamber of the receiver unit is driven toward the die, and is punched into a plurality of fastened members arranged between the punch and the die. The self-piercing rivet is a self-piercing rivet fastening machine in which a plurality of fastened members are fastened to each other by punching while the self-piercing rivet is punched. A rivet arrival detection sensor for detecting whether or not an asrivet exists is provided, and when the rivet arrival detection sensor detects that no self-piercing rivet is present in the driving chamber, in response to a signal from the sensor The punch is configured to be prevented from being driven.

  As described above, the receiver unit is provided with a rivet arrival detection sensor that detects whether or not a self-piercing rivet exists in the driving chamber, and the rivet arrival detection sensor is self-piercing into the driving chamber when the punch is driven. When it is detected that no rivet is present, the punch is prevented from being driven in response to a signal from the sensor, so that punch punching is reliably prevented.

  In the self-piercing rivet fastening machine, the receiver unit receives the self-piercing rivet sent from the feeding tube, receives the self-piercing rivet from the inlet passage, and crosses the punch driving passage so that the self-piercing rivet is received by punching. The rivet arrival detection sensor is provided at a position adjacent to the driving chamber and not hindering the inlet passage. In this fastening machine, a swivelable gate that can open a part of the inlet passage and the driving chamber is provided in the receiver unit. This gate normally closes the inlet passage and the driving chamber, and is clogged with self-piercing. In the case of removing a rivet or the like, it can be swung so as to open a part of the entrance passage and the driving chamber. Further, in the fastening machine, the rivet arrival detection sensor is disposed at a position that does not hinder the opening and closing of the gate and is opposed to the entrance passage. In order to detect the self-piercing rivet sent from the feeding device of the self-piercing rivet, a rivet feed detection sensor is provided at the outlet portion of the feeding device or the inlet portion of the feeding tube. Appropriate or inappropriate feeding of the self-piercing rivet from the feeding tube to the front of the driving chamber can be detected.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an entire self-piercing rivet fastening machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a self-piercing rivet fastening machine 1 has a C-type frame 5 having a connecting portion 3 to an articulated robot arm 2. The C-type frame 5 is formed of a rigid body in which a vertical arm provided with an upper horizontal arm 6 and a connecting portion 3 and a lower horizontal arm 7 are integrated. One end of the C-shaped frame 5, that is, the end of the upper horizontal arm 6 presses the punch 9 formed to hold the self-piercing rivet 8 (FIG. 2) toward the lower die 10 during the fastening operation. It is fixed to a cylindrical punch driving section 11 as a punch driving means. In the present embodiment, the punch drive unit 11 includes an electric motor, a spindle that is rotated up and down by the electric motor, and a rod that extends from the spindle to the punch 9. The spindle is moved downward by the rotation of the electric motor. Then, the self-piercing rivet held by the punch 9 is strongly pushed into the die 10 side. The punch 9 can be moved backward by the reverse rotation of the electric motor. The driving means for the punch may be hydraulic pressure, pneumatic pressure, or other driving means. The die 10 is disposed at the other end of the C-shaped frame 5, that is, at the end of the lower horizontal arm 7 so as to face the punch 9, and is disposed so as to receive the legs of the self-piercing rivet driven by the punch 9. Yes.

  A controller 13 is connected to the self-piercing rivet fastening machine 1, and the controller 13 controls the operation of the punch driving unit 11. Further, the self-piercing rivet fastening machine 1 is connected with a feeding tube 15 extending from a feeding device 14 for self-piercing rivets, and feeds the self-piercing rivets one by one below the punch 9 one by one. A receiver portion 17 that receives the self-piercing rivet and holds it in a position where the self-piercing rivet is driven is provided at a portion of the upper horizontal arm 6 of the C-shaped frame 5 where the punch 9 is provided. A feeding tube 15 is connected to the receiver unit 17. The self-piercing rivet feeding device 14 is controlled by the controller 13 to appropriately control the driving of the punch 9 and the feeding of the self-piercing rivet.

  2 and 3 show a longitudinal sectional view and a partially broken perspective view of a portion where the receiver unit 17 and the punch 9 of the self-piercing rivet fastening machine 1 are provided. The receiver unit 17 receives the self-piercing rivet sent from the feeding tube 15, receives the self-piercing rivet from the inlet passage 18, and intersects the drive passage 19 of the punch 9 so that the self-piercing rivet 8 is formed by the punch 9. And a driving chamber 21 formed at a position to be hit. A nose 23 that forms a drive passage 19 for the punch 9 is provided below the driving chamber 21. The self-piercing rivet 8 sent through the feeding tube 15 is automatically fed by, for example, compressed air in an appropriate posture in the inlet passage 18 and the driving chamber 21 of the receiver unit 17. The self-piercing rivet 8 held in an appropriate posture in the driving chamber 21 is driven toward the die 10 (FIG. 1) by the lowering of the punch 9, and a plurality of covered rivets 8 disposed between the punch 9 and the die 10. A self-piercing rivet 8 driven by a punch 9 is driven into a fastening member (not shown) while being punched, and a plurality of members to be fastened are fastened together. The self-piercing rivet 8, in the lowermost member to be fastened, has a leg portion that expands radially outward before the lower surface without punching the member to be fastened, and finishes driving in front of the lower surface without penetrating the lower surface. To do.

  The receiver unit 17 is provided with a rivet arrival detection sensor 23 that detects whether or not the self-piercing rivet 8 exists in the driving chamber 21. The rivet arrival detection sensor 23 is provided at a position adjacent to the driving chamber 21 and not obstructing the inlet passage 18. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the receiver portion 17 is provided with a rotatable gate 25 that can open a part of the inlet passage 18 and a part of the driving chamber 21. The gate 25 normally closes the inlet passage 18 and the driving chamber 21 so as to open a part of the inlet passage 18 and a part of the driving chamber 21 in order to remove, for example, a clogged self-piercing rivet. It is the structure which can be swiveled to. When such a gate 25 is present, the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 is provided at a position that does not hinder the opening and closing of the gate 25. In order to satisfy these conditions, in the illustrated embodiment, the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 is positioned adjacent to the driving chamber 21 and opposed to the inlet passage 21 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. It is arranged at the position to do. The rivet arrival detection sensor 23 is typically an optical sensor, but may be another sensor, for example, a sensor using a proximity switch. The output signal of the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 is input to the controller 13 via the line 27.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a rivet feed detection sensor 26 is provided at an outlet portion of the feeding device 14 for the self-piercing rivet, an inlet portion of the feeding tube 15, or the vicinity thereof. The rivet feed detection sensor 26 detects the delivery of the self-piercing rivet from the feeding device 14 to the receiver unit 17. The rivet feed detection sensor 26 is typically a sensor that uses a change in the impedance of an electromagnetic coil, but may be a sensor that uses another proximity switch. The output signal of the rivet feed detection sensor 26 is input to the controller 13 along with other signals via the line 29.

  When the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 detects that no self-piercing rivet is present in the driving chamber 21 of the receiver unit 17, the controller 13 drives the punch 9 in response to a signal from the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 ( Is configured to prevent. As described above, when the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 detects that the self-piercing rivet is not present in the driving chamber 21 when the punch 9 is driven, the punch 9 is prevented from being driven. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the punch 9 from being idle. Further, after receiving the self-piercing rivet feed signal from the rivet feed detection sensor 26, the controller 13 detects the self-pierce rivet arrival signal from the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 and recognizes the proper feed of the self-piercing rivet. When the feeding time exceeds a certain time, it is possible to detect improper feeding. That is, by using the rivet arrival detection sensor 23 and the rivet feed detection sensor 26, it is possible to detect whether the self-piercing rivet is fed from the feeding tube 15 to the front of the driving chamber 21.

It is a lineblock diagram of the self-piercing rivet fastening machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-section of the receiver part and punch part of the self-piercing rivet fastening machine of FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view of a receiver part and a punch part of the self-piercing rivet fastening machine of FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self piercing rivet fastening machine 2 Robot arm 3 Connection part 5 C type | mold frame 6 Upper horizontal arm 7 Lower horizontal arm 8 Self piercing rivet 9 Punch 10 Die 11 Punch drive part 13 Controller 14 Self piercing rivet feeding device 15 Feeding tube 17 Receiver 18 Entrance passage 19 Drive passage 21 Driving chamber 22 Nose 23 Rivet arrival detection sensor 25 Gate 26 Rivet feed detection sensors 27 and 29 lines

Claims (5)

It has a C-shaped frame, a punch is disposed on one end side of the C-shaped frame, a die is disposed on the other end side so as to face the punch, and a self-piercing rivet is disposed on the one end side of the C-shaped frame. A receiver portion for receiving a self-piercing rivet fed from the feeding device is provided, and a feeding tube extending from the feeding device is connected to the receiver portion, and the punch is a driving chamber of the receiver portion The self-piercing rivet is attached so as to be driven toward the die, and the self-piercing rivet driven by the punch is perforated in a plurality of fastened members arranged between the punch and the die. A self-piercing rivet fastening machine in which the plurality of members to be fastened are fastened to each other,
The receiver unit is provided with a rivet arrival detection sensor that detects whether a self-piercing rivet exists in the driving chamber,
When the rivet arrival detection sensor detects that no self-piercing rivet is present in the driving chamber, the rivet arrival detection sensor is configured to prevent driving of the punch in response to a signal from the sensor.
This is a self-piercing rivet fastening machine.   2. The self-piercing rivet fastening machine according to claim 1, wherein the receiver section receives an self-piercing rivet sent from the feeding tube, receives the self-piercing rivet from the inlet passage, and drives the punch. And a driving chamber formed at a position where the self-piercing rivet is hit by the punch, and the rivet arrival detection sensor is adjacent to the driving chamber and does not obstruct the inlet passage. A self-piercing rivet fastening machine characterized by being provided.   3. The self-piercing rivet fastening machine according to claim 2, wherein the receiver unit is provided with a pivotable gate capable of opening a part of the inlet passage and the driving chamber, and the gate is normally provided with the inlet passage. The self-piercing rivet is closed and the self-piercing rivet is closed, and the self-piercing rivet can be swung so as to open a part of the inlet passage and the driving chamber. Piercing rivet fastening machine.   4. The self-piercing rivet fastening machine according to claim 3, wherein the rivet arrival detection sensor is disposed at a position that does not hinder the opening and closing of the gate and is opposed to the entrance passage. Self-piercing rivet fastening machine.   The self-piercing rivet fastening machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the self-piercing rivet fastening device is configured to detect a self-piercing rivet sent from the feeding device of the self-piercing rivet. A self-piercing rivet fastening machine, characterized in that a rivet feed detection sensor is provided at an inlet of the tube.

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