Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ROBOTIC TOOL FOR PRECISE POSITIONING AND
SECUREMENT OF BOARD PIECES ON A PREFABRICATED WALL
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a robotic tool
for precise positioning and securement of board pieces on a
prefabricated wall.
BACKGROUND ART
io In the fabrication of prefabricated housings, wall
sections are constructed on platforms or jigs in accordance
with architectural drawings whereby each element
constituting the prefabricated structure is precisely
located and attached to other elements. For example, in the
construction of walls, studs are precisely located on an
outer wall sheet, such as plywood, particle board, etc.
sheet and secured thereto. Framing for window openings and
door openings is also secured to the sheeting. The use of
automatic nailing machines speeds up the construction of the
various components of prefabricated structures and this
involves qualified personnel, such as carpenters, to
construct various component parts of a building structure.
The use of such personnel does not assure a constant quality
in the production of component parts due to various factors
that affect the human intervention, such as fatigue, health
conditions, stress, etc. Accordingly, during quality
control inspections, it is often necessary to provide
corrective measures to retouch imperfections. Also, the use
of the human intervention necessitates the need to provide
insurance against accidents and to replace personnel when an
accident occurs.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is a feature of the present invention to
provide automation of at least certain tasks in the
construction of prefabricated walls using wood products.
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Another feature of the present invention is to
provide a robotic tool which is securable to an
articulatable arm of a programmable robot whereby to
position and secure board pieces, such as lats on a flat
wall surface of a prefabricated wall and at precise
locations thereon.
According to the above features, from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides a robotic tool
securable to an articulated arm of a programmable robot for
io precisely positioning and securing board pieces on a flat
surface of a prefabricated wall. The robotic tool comprises
a frame having secured thereto releasable grasping elements
for transporting one or more of the board pieces from a
storage location onto designated locations of the flat
i5 surface of the prefabricated wall. Fastening tools are
secured to the frame for inserting fasteners into the board
pieces at precise locations for engagement with structural
members located behind the flat surface. Automatic
positioning devices are provided for positioning the frame
20 for registry with a detected orientation of the
prefabricated building wall positioned at a work station.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention
25 will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic view of the
robotic tool constructed in accordance with the present
invention;
30 FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of the robotic tool;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the robotic tool
as viewed from the top;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the robotic tool
as viewed from the bottom showing the position of the
35 suction cups and nailing devices;
FIG. 5 is a further perspective view showing the
positioning lasers;
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FIG. 6 is a fragmented perspective view showing
a position of the scanner which is comprised of a laser and
camera; and
FIG. 7 is a transverse section view showing a
board piece, herein a lat, secured to an exterior wall of a
prefabricated wall structure and the position of a nail
inserted by the robotic tool and relative to a stud which
forms part of the prefabricated wall structure.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown
generally at 10 the robotic tool of the present invention
secured to an articulated arm 11 of a robot 12 such as of a
type fabricated by the ABB Company, and well known in the
art. As hereinshown the robotic tool 10 has a frame 13
which is provided with grasping means in the form of suction
cups 14 precisely mounted and adapted to pick up board
pieces, herein wood lats 15 from a storage location 16 and
to position them at designated locations on the flat surface
17 of a prefabricated wall section 18 and to secure the lats
thereon.
With further reference to Figures 3 to 7, the
frame is further provided with fastening tools 19 in the
form of automatic nailers comprised of a nailing gun 20
having a magazine 21 in all four corner portions of the
frame and disposed in alignment with one another. The use
of two nailing guns on each of two axes speeds up the
nailing sequence. The suction cups 14 are secured to a
pneumatic system by conduits 22, as shown in Figure 1, to
apply suction to the suction cups in order to engage the
lats 15 from their storage location 16 and to position them
at precise locations on the outer flat surface 17 of the
wall section 18.
In order to precisely align the frame with the
wall section 18, there is provided an automatic
triangulation positioning means in the form of positioning
lasers, herein a pair of position lasers 23, to detect a
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first fixed axis X and a further positioning laser 24 to
detect a transverse axis. These axes are established by
fixed members, herein member 25 for the pair of lasers 23
and fixed member 26 for the other laser 24. These lasers
are utilized to position the frame in relation to the base
of the robot. By the use of these three reference points
the position of the frame of the tool can be determined.
The wall section 18 is positioned at a precise work station
with reference to the reference points or members 25 and 26.
io As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the frame is further
provided with an attachment hub 27 to secure the tool to the
robotic arm 11. It is pointed out that the robot is
programmed to position the lats at precise locations on the
flat surface 17 of the wall section 18 and also to position
brad nails 28, as shown in Figure 7 at precise locations
whereby the nail penetrates the lat 15 and the wall board 29
forming part of the wall section and into a stud 30 which is
located in the rear surface of the wall board to provide a
secure attachment and not to obstruct the space between
studs where bats of insulation may be positioned.
As shown in Figure 6 there is further provided
scanning means in the form of a pointing laser 35 and a
camera 36 which are secured under the frame 11, as shown in
Figures 4 and 6 whereby to correct the positioning of the
lats, if offset. If the lat is not correctly positioned,
this detection means permits to rectify the position thereof
by the help of the suction cups. Also, if the lat is
distorted in its longitudinal direction, this will be
detected by the camera and the lat may be rejected and
discarded and replaced by a new lat, as determined by the
program of the robot.
As shown in the schematic drawing in Figure 2,
lats 15' may also be positioned transversely to the lats 15
such as, for example, if a window opening is to be cut out
between the lats 15'. The robot as herein designed can
handle two lats at the same time and of different lengths
and can be articulated to dispose these lats at any angle on
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a flat surface. It is further pointed out that by using a
set of fastening tools 19 along each of the axes of the
robot, the fastening of the lats can be effected more
accurately and quickly.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to
cover any obvious modifications of the preferred embodiment
described herein, provided such modifications fall within
the scope of the appended claims.
