Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
AUTOMATIC RIVET DIE
Field of Invention
This invention relates to a device or tool to rivet two pieces together and
the method relating
thereto. The invention also relates to an automatic rivet die to rivet two
pieces together each
having a plurality of aligned holes which includes slideable pins to catch the
rivets when an
upper and lower punch are in a separated position and to release the rivets
when the upper
punch moves relative to the lower punch so as to rivet the pieces together.
Background to the Invention
There are many applications where two pieces need to be fastened together.
Such pieces may
take on any number of configurations and orientations. One such application
includes the
riveting of two flat pieces together such as sheet or plate metal or the like.
Generally speaking
the pieces that need to be riveted will have holes in each piece that need to
be aligned for the
rivet to pass there through. It is not unusual where such two pieces will
include a plurality of
holes that align with one another where each set of aligned holes are adapted
to receive a
rivet there through for riveting purposes.
Currently the prior art requires an operator to align the two pieces together
so that the holes in
each of the parts are aligned and manually insert rivets either in a punch
assembly or die.
Accordingly the cycle time to manually align and insert the rivets in the
aligned holes of the
two pieces is huge; and this operation has become a bottleneck in production.
Accordingly there is a need for an automatic rivet feeding mechanism which is
less labour
intensive and where the cycle time between punching between an upper and lower
die is
improved.
Various devices and methods have heretofore been used by the prior art
including the
automated sidewall assembly machine disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,610,668.
Another device is shown in U.S. Patent No. 6,161,273 which relates to a method
and
apparatus performing rivet joints. This patent discloses a method and
apparatus performing
4482036.2
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
-2-
rivet joints that allow pivotal motion of the parts interconnected by such
joints with the
desired amount of clearance.
Another arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,774,968 which relates to
an
electromagnetic riveter recoil cushioning dampening and positioning system.
U.S. Patent
4,404,742 illustrates a method and apparatus for mounting rivets or the like
in a flexible
carrier.
Another arrangement is shown in U.S. Patent 4,133,096 which relates to an
apparatus and
method for self-positioning a squeezed rivet.
Finally U.S. Patent No. 5,476,204 teaches an automated stud setting apparatus.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved automated riveting
die which is easier
to use.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a device or tool to rivet two
pieces together each
having aligned holes comprising: a rivet holder body having a cylindrical hole
thereto
presenting an axis; an upper punch and a lower punch coaxially disposed along
the axis of the
cylindrical hole and moveable relative each other from a first separated
position to a second
riveting position with the aligned holes of the two pieces coaxially disposed
between the
upper and lower punches; structure for guiding a rivet to the rivet holder
body in a selected
orientation so as to fall through the cylindrical hole when the first and
second punches are in
the first separated position; structure for catching the falling rivet in the
cylindrical hole and
to withdraw from the cylindrical hole as the upper punch moves relative to the
lower punch to
the second riveting position so as to rivet the two pieces together.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide an automatic rivet die to
rivet two pieces
together each having a plurality of aligned holes comprising: a plurality of
rivet holder bodies
each having a cylindrical hole there through, each plurality of rivet holder
bodies presenting
an axis disposed parallel to one another; each rivet holder body having a
cylindrical hole
there through presenting an axis disposed parallel to one another; each rivet
holder body
having an upper punch and a lower punch coaxially disposed along the axis of
the cylindrical
hole and moveable relative each other from a first separated position to a
second riveting
position where each of the aligned holes of the plurality of aligned holes of
the two pieces are
coaxially disposed between one of the upper and lower punches respectively; a
plurality of
4482036.2
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
-j-
flexible tubes for the plurality of rivet holder bodies respectively for
guiding a plurality of
rivets respectively to each of the rivet holder bodies in a selected
orientation so as to fall
through the cylindrical holes of each of the rivet holder bodies when the
plurality of first and
second punches are each in the first separated position; three pins for each
rivet holder body
and slideable relative the rivet holder body, where each of the three pins are
disposed
generally perpendicular and equidistant about the axis of each of the rivet
holder bodies
where an end of each of the pins catches the falling rivet in the cylindrical
hole when the
upper and lower punches are in the first separated position and where the end
of each of the
pins moves away from the rivet as the upper punches move relative to the lower
punches to
the second riveting position and rivet the two pieces together.
It is a further aspect of this invention to provide a method of automatically
aligning and
riveting two pieces together each having holes there through comprising:
feeding a rivet
along a path in a selected orientation into a rivet holder body having a
cylindrical hole there
through presenting an axis so as to fall there through; moving an upper punch
relative to a
lower punch coaxially within the cylindrical hole along the axis from a first
separated
position to a second riveting position; catching the falling rivet in the
cylindrical hole when
the upper punch and lower punch are in the first separated position; releasing
the rivet when
the upper punch and lower punch move relative to one another to rivet the two
pieces
together.
These and other objects and features of the invention shall now be described
in relation to the
following drawings.
Drawings
Figure 1 is an exploded view of the invention to be described herein.
Figure 2 is a perspective and partial cross sectional view of the invention
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional side elevational view of the invention to be
described herein.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of Figure 3.
Figure 5 shows the two parts riveted together.
4482036.2
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
-4-
Detailed Description of the Invention
Like parts are numbered with like numbers throughout the figures. Furthermore
the drawings
may not necessarily be to scale.
Figure 1 illustrates a device, tool or automatic riveting die 2 to rivet two
pieces 4 and 6
together. Each of the pieces 4 and 6 include holes 8 and 10 respectively which
are aligned so
as to be riveted or fastened together by a rivet 12. The rivet can have any
number of
configurations and in the embodiment shown includes a head 14 and a chamfered
end 16. The
rivet is comprised of any common material such as soft metal or the like.
Furthermore a gig
can be used to align the holes 8 and 10 in a manner well known to people
skilled in the art.
Moreover the invention to be described herein can be used to fasten or rivet a
plurality of
holes 8 and 10 in the parts 4 and 6.
The device 2 comprises a rivet holder body 20 having a cylindrical hole 22
there through.
The cylindrical hole 22 presents an axis 24.
The device 2 also includes an upper punch 26 and a lower punch 28 coaxially
disposed along
the axis 24 of the cylindrical hole 22. The upper punch 26 is moveable
relative to the lower
punch 28 from a first separated position to a second riveting position where
the aligned holes
8 and 10 of the parts 4 and 6 are coaxially disposed between the upper and
lower punches 26
and 28 as shown.
The automatic rivet die 2 also includes means 30 for guiding a rivet 12 to the
rivet holder
body 20 in a selected orientation so as to fall through the cylindrical hole
22 when the first
and second punches 26 and 28 are in the first separated position. In the
embodiment as shown
in Figure 1 the means for catching 30 the falling rivet 12 comprises flexible
tubing 32 which
has a cross section 34 which is similar to the profile of the rivet 12. The
rivet 12 is moved
through the flexible tubing 32 by means of air pressure so as to move through
the flexible 32
to the inlet 36 of the rivet holder body 20. The inlet 32 is aligned with the
flexible tubing 30,
and has a similar cross section to the profile of the rivet 12. The inlet 36
intersects or
communicates with the cylindrical passage 22 so that when the rivet moves
through the
flexible tubing into the inlet 36 the rivet will then fall by gravity
downwardly as shown in
Figure 1.
4482036.2
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
-5-
The automatic rivet die 2 also includes means 40 for catching the falling
rivet 12 in the
cylindrical hole 22 when the upper punch 26 is in a first separated position.
The means for
catching 40 also withdraw from the cylindrical hole 22 as the upper punch 26
moves relative
to the lower punch 28 to the second riveting position so as to rivet the two
pieces 4 and 6
together as shown in Figure 5.
The catch means 40 comprise at least one pin 42 disposed for slideable
movement relative to
the rivet holder body 20 so as to catch the falling rivet 12 when the upper
and lower punches
26 and 28 are in the first separated position and withdraw from the
cylindrical hole 22 as the
upper punch moves relative to the lower punch to the second riveting position.
The catch means 40 include bores 44 in the rivet holder body 22. The bores 44
each have an
axis 46 which is disposed generally equidistant around the axis 24 and are
generally disposed
perpendicular thereto.
Each of the bores 44 include a spring 48 which is engageable with one end 50
of the pin 42.
The other end 52 of the pin 42 is adapted to catch the rivet 12 as best seen
in Figure 3. The
other end 52 of the pin can be angled as shown in Figure 3 so as to engage the
chamfered end
16 of the rivet 12. With the three pins as shown in Figure 4 the rivet 12 is
caught and
orientated in an upright position so as to minimize the misfeeding of a rivet
during a press
cycle which would otherwise result in a disastrous situation. In other words
the rivet is
oriented so that it is coatial with the axis 24, and upper punch 26 and lower
punch 28.
The pin 42 can have one end 50 which is smaller in diameter so as to fit
within the spring 48
with the larger diameter other end 52 as shown. A set screw 60 can be tapped
into the rivet
body holder as shown so as to adjust the tension of the spring. The spring 48
biases the other
end 52 of the pins 42 so as to catch the falling rivet 12 as previously
described. As the upper
punch 26 moves relative to the lower punch 28 the one end of the punch 70
contacts the head
14 of the rivet 12 so as to move downwardly as shown in Figure 3 and at the
same time
pushing against the other end 52 of the pins 42 causing the springs 48 to
contract and moving
or withdrawing the pins so as to allow the rivet 12 to slide into the aligned
holes 8 and 9 of
parts 4 and 6. The lower punch 28 has mounted thereon the parts 4 and 6.
Accordingly as the
punch continues to move down into the riveting position the rivet 12 is
deformed so as to
produce a riveted part as shown in Figure 5. The chamfered end 16 of the rivet
12 bears
against the upper punch 28 and is deformed there between.
4482036.2
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
-6-
The punch 26 moves relative the lower punch 28. Accordingly, lower punch 28
could be
stationary, or could also move, relative the upper punch 26.
The invention as described herein can be used to fasten at least two pieces 4
and 6 together
which can have a plurality of aligned holes 8 and 9. In this event a plurality
of rivet holder
bodies 20 would be used each of which would have an upper and lower punch 26
and 28 as
previously described.
Accordingly the invention as described herein also relates to an automatic
rivet die 2 to rivet
two pieces 4 and 6 together, each piece 4 and 6 having a plurality of aligned
holes 8 and 10
comprising a plurality of rivet holder bodies 20, each having a cylindrical
hole 22 there
through, each presenting an axis 24 disposed parallel to one another; for each
of the aligned
holes 8 and 10. Each of the rivet holder bodies 20 have an upper punch 26 and
a lower punch
28 coaxially disposed along the axis 24 of the cylindrical hole 22 and
moveable relative each
other from a first separated position to a second riveting position where each
of the plurality
of aligned holes of the two pieces are coaxially disposed between one of the
upper and lower
punches respectively. Furthermore a plurality of flexible tubing 30 is
presented for each of
the plurality of rivet holder bodies 20 respectively for guiding a plurality
of rivets 12
respectively to the rivet holder bodies 20 in a selected orientation so as to
fall through the
cylindrical holes 22 when the plurality of first and second punches for each
of the plurality of
rivet holder bodies 20 are in the first separated position. Furthermore three
pins 42 slidingly
move relative each of the rivet holder bodies 20 and are each disposed
generally
perpendicular and equidistant about the axis 24 of each of the rivet holder
bodies 20 where an
end 50 of each of the pins 42 catches the falling rivet 12 in the cylindrical
hole 22 and where
the upper and lower punches 26 and 28 are in the first separated position and
where another
end 52 of each of the pins 42 moves away from the rivet 12 as the upper punch
26 moves
relative to the lower punch 28 to the second riveting positions and rivet the
pieces together. In
other words the pieces shown in Figure 3 would have a plurality of aligned
holes 8 and 10
and there would be a plurality of devices 2 for each set of aligned holes 8
and 10.
The invention described herein also relates to a method of automatically
aligning and riveting
two pieces together each having holes there through including the steps of:
(a) feeding a rivet 12 along a path in a selected orientation into a rivet
holder die
20 having a cylindrical hole there through presenting an axis 24;
4482036.2
CA 02697877 2010-03-26
-7-
(b) relatively moving an upper punch 26 relative a lower punch 28 coaxially
within a hole 22 along the axis 24 from a first separated position to a second
riveting position;
(c) catching the falling rivet 12 in the cylindrical hole 22 when the upper
punch
26 and lower punch 28 are in the first separated position; and
(d) releasing the rivet 12 when the upper punch 26 and lower punch 28 move
relative to one another so as to rivet the pieces together.
As shown one of the pieces 6 has a chamfered end to receive the deformed rivet
12 when the
punches 26 and 28 squeeze the rivet. Moreover the method shows that a rivet is
fed along a
path in a first direction A and the axis 24 of the cylindrical hole 22 is in a
second direction.
Furthermore the first and second directions A and 24 are perpendicular to one
another.
Also the die 2 also includes an upper punch holder 90, upper backup plate 92,
and a lower
punch holder 94 and lower backup plate 96.
4482036.2
