Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02022978 1999-11-12
60,152-455
FA&TENLx Irt~TAyATION A_PPA_RaTLIS
The present invention relates generally to devices used in
the installation of fasteners and more specifically relates to fastener
installation apparatuses which must operate in a high volume capacity.
Easter installation apparatuses which must operate in a
high volume env:Lronment are generally known in the art. For
example, U.S. Patent No. 4,765,057 (hereinafter '057) issued to
Muller on August 23, 1988 discloses a fastener installation
apparatus (Figures 15 through 26) for installing self-piercing
and riviting fasteners of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No.
4,555,838 (hereinafter '838).
Although the fastener installation appnratue disclosed in the
'057 patent functi.one satisfactorily in the majority of applications,
certain deficiencies were evidenced during its operation. The majority
of these deficiencies focus upon a portion of the fastener apparatus
which is responsible for orienting fasteners prior to and during their
installation. This portion of the installation apparatus responsible
for orienting the feetenera is generally called the nose assembly and
more specifically relates to the portion of the noe~e assembly which is
comprised of elide members 306, springs 308, screws 309 and snap rings
310 (see U.S. Patent No. '057, Figures 15, 16, 18 and 19).
The focus of the difficulties with the prior art noes
assembly center upon two spaced slide members 306 each having a conical
opening or recess 304. The two spaced elide members are inwardly biased
by way of spring 308. When a fastener 300 is delivered between the
conical opening 3(14 of the two spaced elide members 306, the conical !
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opening acts to center the fastener 300 thereby properly orienting it
for installation. Installation is achieved by the prior art apparatus
by engaging a plunger 260 with the fastener 300 and forcing the fastener
through the conical opening of the two spaced slide members. As the
fastener is being forced through the conical opening by the plunger,
slide members are urged outwardly by the fastener as it passes through
the conical opening.
One of the shortcomings of the prior art nose assembly was
that the cumbersome nature of the nose assembly mechanism 254 prevented
its use on panels which were not substantially flat in the z~nediate
area where the fastener was to be installed. This shortcoming was
mainly due to the space required by the 53 pieces of the nose assembly.
Thus, in applications where the fastener had to be inserted in a deep
depression which was surrounded by closely spaced sidewalls, the '057
apparatus could not be used because of the access space required by the
nose assembly. This drawback proved to be of major significance
inasmuch as many automotive panels consist of highly irregular contours
and accordingly, could not be used in cooperation with the fastener
installation apparatus disclosed in the '057 patent.
A second problem which became evident in the slide member
portion of the nose assembly was its susceptibility to failure in the
environment in which it is predominantly used. More specifically,
because the installation apparatus is mainly used to install
self-piercing type fasteners in a production environment, metal chips,
grease, dirt and other abrasives eventually found their way between the
moving parts of the nase assembly, particularly the parts surrounding
the two spaced slide members. These contaminants affected the vertical
movement of the slide members which in turn affected their ability to
properly orient the fasteners during the tame in which the plunger
pushed the fasteners through the conical opening. The inability of the
spaced slide members to apply uniform pressure to the fastener as it
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passed through the conical opening, caused the fastener to cock as it
travelled through the conical opening. When the fastener exited the
conical opening in a cocked or improper orientation, it would enter the
panel improperly and accordingly be fastened to the panel improperly.
Moreover, depending upon the extremity of the misalignment, opportunity
was presented for much damage to be done to the underlying die button or
nose assembly.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention
to provide an apparatus for installing fasteners which has an improved
nose assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus for automatically dispensing fasteners in an orientation which
facilitates their attachment to a panel.
It is still a further object of the present invention to
provide a device for properly orienting self-attaching fasteners so that
their assembly orientation onto a panel is predictable. '
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
nose assembly for metering the passage of self-attaching fasteners in a
way to prevent damage to the nose assembly, underlying die button and
associated panel.
In light o~ the foregoing objects, the present invention
provides an installation apparatus for attaching fasteners to a panel,
each fastener including a barrel portion at one end and a generally
coaxially extending body portl.pn, the installation apparatus including:
a base member, a nose member spaced apart from and movable with respect
to the base member, the nose member including a first passage for
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receiving a fastener and communicating with a transverse glunger
passage, a plunger having a free end movable with the base member, the
free end adapted to be received through the plunger passage for driving
one of the fasteners therethrough, the plunges free end having internal
sidewalls defining a bore and a bore opening therein to receive the body
portion of the fastener, the panel located adjacent to the plunger
passage, a fastener holder disposed between the plunger passage and the
panel, the holder having generally inwardly sloping internal sidewalk
defining s comically shaped passage therethrough, the passage walls
forming a first and second opening in the holder, the first opening
adapted to receive the barrel portion end of a fastener from the plunger
passage, the comically shaped passage adapted to center and support a
fastener for installation to the panel, wherein upon receipt of a
fastener within the comically shaped passage of the holder, the nose
member moves relative to the plunger causing the plunger bore to receive
the fastener body, thereby insuring accurate orientation and alignment
of the fastener for installation, and actuating means far actuating the
apparatus to move the plunger through the plunger passage, the plunger
moving the fastener through the comically shaped passage of the fastener
holder, and causing the fastener to exit from the holder through the
second opening of khe holder whereby the fastener contacts the panel.
In a preferred embodiment, the generally inwardly sloping
internal sidewalla of the holder blend into generally downwardly sloping
internal sidewalls, wherein the generally downwardly sloping internal
sidewalls define in combination an internal cylindrical surface adapted
to receive the barrel portion of a fastener.
The second opening of the holder is preferably smaller than
the first holder opening and the holder sidewalls are preferably
radially elastic thereby acting to hold a fastener in its proper
orientation as the plunger pushes it through the fastener holder.
Preferably the holder is constructed from a single plastic member and
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wherein the cup sidewalls are slit therethrough, the slits beginning at
said second opening and extending into the holder sidewalls towards the
first opening. In a preferred embodiment, the holder is constructed
from urethane and the construction of the holder includes casting the
holder from liquid urethane. In a preferred embodiment, the first
passage of the nose member defines an obtuse angle with said transverse
plunger passage wherein the fasteners drop into the plunger passage from
the first passage and the apparatus includes a transfer means for
transferring the fasteners one at a time through the first passage into
the conically shaped passage of the holder, the inwardly eloping walls
of the holder acting to orient the fasteners for installation and the
head portion of the fastener adapted to be received arid oriented in the
comically shaped surface of the holder.
The base member is preferably attached to a movable platen of
a press and the base and nose members are operably interconnected by a
piston means, the piston means adapted to move the nose member relative
to the base member causing the plunger bore to receive the body portion
of the fastener, the actuating means operating the press platen thereby
closing the space between the plunger and the panel, thereby driving the
fastener through the holder passage and placing the fastener in contact
with the panel.
In its most preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes
sensing means extending through the plunger bore to engage the fastener
body and sense the propriety of the fasteners orientation in the holder,
the sensing means operably connected to the actuating means to cause the
plunger to move through the plunger passage when the fastener is
properly oriented in the holder as determined by the sensing means.
These features, together with other objects and advantages
which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of
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construction and operatian as more fully hereinafter are described and
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a partial exploded view of the installation
apparatus of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a partial sectional view of the nose portion of
the present invention.
FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the fastener holder taken
substantially along lines 3-3 of FIGURE ~s.
FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the fastener holder taken
substantially along lines 4-4 of FTGURE 3.
FIGURE 5 is a partial sectional view of the installation
apparatus of the present invention showing the nose portion in an open
position. ,
FIGURE 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the apparatus
of the present invention showing the nose portion in a ready position.
FIGURE 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the
installation apparatus of the present invention showing the apparatus in
a closed position.
DETgiT ~'D DESCRTPT~ON OF THE PREFERREA E~I~~
As described above, the disclosed installation apparatus of
this invention is particularly adapted for mesa production applications,
including those aasaciatcd with automotive applications. 7~he type of
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fasteners which are envisioned to be used in association with the
disclosed installation apparatus are primarily those which are known as
stud-type fasteners of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,555,838;
however, the disclosed installation apparatus of the present invention
is not limited to the configuration of the fastener disclosed in the
'838 patent. Moreover, it is envisioned that thread mounted fasteners,
adhesive mounted fasteners and even fasteners which are welded in place
can all be utilized with the disclosed installation apparatus.
The preferred fastener to be used in the disclosed
installation apparatus is the self-piercing and riviting fastener. This
type of riviting fastener has a generally cylindrical head portion which
is designed to permanently attach to a workpiece or panel, particularly
a metal sheet or the like, such as is utilized by the automotive
industry for body panels and component parts. Although the fastener
element head portion is preferably cylindrical, other geometries may be
employed such as polygonal, etc. As described in the above referenced
'838 and '057 patents, the self-piercing fastener is particularly suited
for use with the disclosed installation apparatus in conjunction with a
conventional die press, such as is utilized by the automotive industry
to form sheet metal parts, including body panels and structural
comgonents. In such applications, the die press installs one or more
fastening elements with each stroke of the press, wherein the fastener
element becomes a permanent part of the panel. As used herein, panel
refers to any plate, panel or metal sheet. Self-piercing fasteners may
be utilized in any application where rivits or weld fasteners are
presently used, such as securing panels together. The apparatus of the
present invention is particularly adapted for glacing a fastener in its
proper orientation and keeping the fastener properly oriented while
delivering the fastener to the panel.
Now referring to the drawing of FIG11RE 1, nose assembly 10 is
primarily responsible for properly orienting a fastener (or fastener
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element) 34 and delivering it to a panel (or workpiece not shown), Nose
assembly 10 consists of magazine plate 14, fastener holder 16, fastener
holder ring 17 and fastener holder retainer 18. Fastener holder 16 is
adapted to be received within fastener holder ring 17. Fastener holder
retainer 18 has an internal bore 21 which is adapted to receive and
retain fastener holder 16 and fastener holder ring 17. Fastener holder
retainer 18 has two ears 26 which axe adapted to be receive within
channel 28 and pinned therein by roll pins 20.
Fastener 34 is delivered to nose assembly 10 via first
passage (or feed passage) 22. These fasteners are delivered one at a
time through a delivery system (not shown). Fastener 34 is delivered
through first passage 22 and travels down first passage 22 by way of an
urging force. This urging force can be pressurized air, gravity or some
combination of the two. Fastener 34 is delivered along passage 22
intersecting transverse plunger passage 24, thereby causing it to drop
through first opening 59 and into the generally inwardly sloping
internal surface 30 of fastener holder 16. After the fastener is
received between surface 30, a piston assembly (not shown) moves the
entire nose assembly 10 upwardly thereby causing plunger 12 to be
received within transverse plunger passage 24. Aa the mechanism
continues to move nose aseembly 10 upwardly the body portion 38 of
fastener 34 is received within plunger bone 32. 7:he relative movement
between nose assembly 10 and plunger 12 causes the fastener head or
barrel 36 to be received within generally inwardly sloping internal
surface 30 of fastener holder 16. Because holder 16 is composed of
elastic or preferably resilient material, its walls easily deform
radially outwardly thereby gripping and centering fastener 34 within
transverse plunger passage 32. In, the final step of maneuvering
fastener 34; plunger l2 moves through (or reciprocates within)
transverse plunger passage 24 thexeby pushing fastener 34 out through
the second opening (or exit opening) 6l of fastener holder 16 (second
opening not visible) and onto do adjacent panel (or workplace not shown).
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Now referring to the drawing of FIGURE 2, nose assembly 10
receives fastener 34 (not shown) through first passage 22. First
passage 22 is generally downwardly sloping so as to use gravity in the
assisting fastener 34 in its decent. After traversing first passage 22,
fastener 34 begins a downward decent by virtue of it entering transverse
plunger passage 24. The downward decent of fastener 34 is halted once
fastener head or barrel 36 contacts generally inwardly sloping internal
surface 30 of fastener holder 16. Fastener holder ring 17 is supported
along its bottom surface 40 by ledge 42 of retainer 1$. Holder 16 is
supported within fastener holder retainer 1$ by being supported about
its peripheral shoulder 44 by holder ring 17. Holder ring 17 has an
internal step 23 to lend additional support to holder 16 when it
performs its centering function. Fastener holder retainer 18 is pinned
to magazine plate 14 by virtue of roll pine 20.
Now referring to the drawing of FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 4,
fastener holder 16 is comprised of a holder body sidewalls 46 having
generally inwardly sloping internal surface 30. In the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, holder 16 ie unitary and its
surface 30 slopes at an approximate angle of 45 degrees with respect to
axial line 4$ (slope shown at reference number 50). The preferred slope
50 of surface 30 may vary depending upon the contour of fastener head
36, overall fastener geometry, the composition material of fastener 34
and other variables. Inwardly sloping surface 30 generally forms a
comically shaped passage (or opening) 5$ which is adapted to center and
support fastener 34 in preparation of dispensing fastener 34 onto a
panel. Inwardly sloping surface 30 preferably blend into generally
downwardly sloping internal surface 52. Holder 16 is fashioned from
material which is radially elastic and resilient, thereby allowing
downwardiy sloping surfaces 52 to radially expand around fastener head
36 thereby griping and orienting fastener '34 so that it is coaxially
aligned with axial line 4$ of fastener holder 16.
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As fastener head 36 passes beyond generally downwardly
sloping internal surfaces 52, a second set of generally inwardly sloping
internal surfaces 56 contact the fastener head 36. Second set of
sloping surfaces 56 generally restrict conical passage 58 even greater
than the restriction presented by generally downwardly sloping surfaces
52 and accordingly, exert a greater centering force on fastener 34 than
experienced between downwardly sloping surfaces 52. This greater
intensity of force acts to assure fastener 34 will be maintained along
center line 48 as it traverses conical passage 58. ftim 60 of holder
body 46 is curved or chamfered to permit gradual transfer of fastener 34
from conical passage 58 and onto panel (not shown).
Holder body 46 preferably includes slits 62 which are cut
radially through the holder body sidewalls 46. The slits 62 preferably
begin in the area where inwardly sloping surface 30 blend into
downwardly sloping surfaces 52 (shown at reference number 64), and
continue through the holder body sidewalls 46 thereby exiting the bottom
end 65 of holder body 46. Slits 62 aid body sidewalls 46 in elastically
expanding about fastener head 36 throughout the duration in which
fastener 34 is pushed through conical passage 58 by plunger 12. Without
the inclusion of slits 62 there may be some tendency of fastener head 36
to gouge or tear sidewalls 46 especially along surface 56. Accordingly,
slits 62 allow sidewalls 46 to apply ample pressure to fastener 34
without unduly restricting its passage through conical passage 58.
Many different materials may be used in the construction of
fastener holder 16, the primary requirement being that the material be
elastic enough to permit passage of fastener 34 through conical passage
58 while still providing sufficient inward urging to keep fastener 34
coaxially aligned with axial line 48. The material is preferably
resilient to recover its original shape following each installation. In
the preferred embodiment of the present invention, urethane plastic
having a durometer of 60A rendered goad results.
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By constructing nose assembly 10 as shown in FIGURE 1, much
simplification was introduced into the nose assembly design over that
nose design previously disclosed in the '057 patent. This
simplification evidenced itself in the elimination of approximately 27
parts from the '057 design and also resulted in a wider range o.f
applications in which nose assembly 10 could be used because the
reduction of parts allowed for its reduction in size and accordingly it
can easily access irregular panel contours which the prior art design
could not.
Now referring to the drawing of FIGURE 5, nose assembly 10 is
shown in the type of environment in which it is preferably used. This
environment typically includes chute system 65, piston assembly 68, die
press platen 70, plunger 12 and die 72. The female die or die button 72
is generally located and secured in the opposite or lower die platen
(not shown) and panel 82 is secured to prevent relative movement between
panel 82 and die button 72. Fastener 34 is deposited in chute system 66
by a metering apparatus (not shown). Fastener 34 progresses through
chute system 66 via first passage 22. This progression can be caused by
the introduction of various forces to fastener 34 such as gravity,
pressurized air and the like. When fastener 34 .completes its traversal
of first passage 22 it is transferred to transverse plunger passage 24
by virtue of the communication which exists between first passage 22 and
transverse plunger passage 24. Fastener 34 eventually comes to rest
between inwardly sloping surface 30 of holder 16. This completes the
loading of fastener 34 within nose assembly 10.
Now referring to the drawing of FIGURE 6, after fastener 34
is received between inwardly sloping surface 30 of fastener holder body
46, piston assembly 68 is activated by piston assembly activation means
(not shown). When piston assembly 68 is activated piston head 76 is
forced upwardly (by mehns of air pressure, hydraulic pressure or other
forcing means) and assumes the position shown in FIGURE 6. When piston
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head 76 is forced upwardly it pulls with it rod 78 and consequently,
magazine plate 14 which is attached to rod 78. When magazine plate 14
moves upwardly it moves fastener 34 upwardly with it and causes the
fastener body portion 38 to be received within plunger bore 32. Plunger
bore bottom surface 80 forces the fastener head or barrel 36 to be
engaged between downwardly sloping internal surfaces 52 of fastener
holder 16. Because fastener holder 16 is preferably constructed from a
resilient plastic, such as urethane or the like, holder 16 acts to
orient fastener 34 properly in preparation for fastening it to panel
82. Proper orientation of fastener 34 is of the utmost importance in
fastener installation apparatuses of this type, because eves a small
amount of misalignment can cause the fastener to jam in the nose
assembly during assembly operation thereby destroying the nose assembly
10, die 72 or gavel 82. Under extreme conditions, nose assembly 10
could even be so extremely damaged so as to crack or separate.
In addition to elastically retaining fastener 34 by virtue of
downwardly sloping surfaces 52, fastener head 36 is supported along a
second set of generally downwardly sloping internal surfaces 84. This
second set of downwardly sloping surfaces 84 gives added support to the
aligning forces supplied by the first set of downwardly sloping internal
surfaces 52 and acts to guarantee the alignment of fastener 34 along
dispensing axis 88. It is important to note, that the ability of holder
16 to align fastener 34 within transverse plunger passage 24 ,lies in
great part to the fact that unlike the mechanical nose assembly of the
'057 patent which relied upon sliding members and spring forces, holder
16 relies on its own inherent properties of elasticity to create the
aligning forces.
This unique approach to the fastener alignment problem has
eliminated, for all practical purposes, the handicapping effects of
abrasives, tars and gums, and other contaminations which the ,nose
assembly 10 is subject to in a normal production environment.
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It is preferred that a proximity detection means be utilized
with the disclosed apparatus so that if fastener 34 should cock or
otherwise become misaligned within transverse plunger passage 24, the
press plate 70 would be prohibited from proceeding to the installation
step of FIGURE 7. This proximity means is partially comprised of rod 90
and rod head 92. Rod 90 is disposed within a second plunger bore 94.
Second plunger bore 94 communicates with plunger bore 32 and allows rod
90 to contact the end of fastener body 38. Rod head 92 is adapted to be
received within rod head bore 96 and travels therein as it follows rod
90. Proximity means (not shown) detects the relative position of rod
head 92 and disables the movement press platen 70 if any misalignment
between fastener 34 and transverse plunger passage 24 should occur. The
final installation step of the disclosed apparatus will now be explained
in conjunction with FIGURE 7.
Now referring to the drawing of FIGURE 7, upon receiving and
enabling signal from proximity detector means (not shown) press platen
70 begins a downward descent relative to panel (or workpiece) 82 and die
72. Upon contact between the lower face 98 of fastener holder retainer
18 and panel 82, nose assembly 10 is halted from any further downward
movement by virtue of lower face 98 contacting panel 82. As press
platen 70 continues to drive downwardly, plunger 12 continues to travel
downwardly within transverse plunger passage 24 thereby pushing fastener
34 through conical passage 58 of fastener holder 16. When fastener 34
is of the self-attaching type, plunger 12 provides sufficient downward
force to cause fastener head 36 to penetrate panel 82 and enter die 72.
Dis 72 is adapted to properly deform fastener head 36 so as to cause it
to grip panel 82. It is important to note that fastener holder 16 must
accommodate the passage of plunger 12 through its conical passage 58.
This means that the material used to construct fastener holder 16 must
have the unique combination to be strong enough to present sufficient
inward urging upon fastener 34 for the purposes of properly orienting it
while being elastic enough so as to not tear or become permanently
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deformed by virtue of accommodating the passage of plunger 12. As was
stated earlier, urethane of durometer 60A provided this unique
combination of inwardly urging force and elasticity.
Having described the preferred installation apparatus of the
present invention, it is understood that various modifications may be
made within the purview of the appended claims. The dimensions of the
holder, holder ring, and other nose assembly components will depend upon
the particular application and fastener geornetry. As described above,
however, the installation apparatus of the present invention is
particularly suitable for placement of fasteners onto a panel, and
particularly suited for the permanent attachment of self-piercing and
riviting type fasteners to relatively thin panels, such as those
utilized for body and structural components in the automotive and
appliance industries.
