Fastener handling devices for fastener setting machines, and related methods

This application isa reissue of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/556,094, now U.S. patent No. 11,673,183, which isa continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/770,096, which is a U.S. National phase application of International Application No. PCT/GB2018/053527filed Dec. 5, 2018, which claims priority to Application No. GB 1720248.2 filed Dec. 5, 2017, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated by reference herein.

The parent application (U.S. application Ser. No. 16/770,096), entitled Fastener handling devices for Fastener Setting Machines, and related Methods, relates to a fastener track selection device, a fastener selection device, a fastener setting machine and associated methods. An application (GB1720275.5) having the GB and entitled Fastener Magazines and Related Supply Systems and Methods has the same filing date as the parent application and was also filed by the applicant in the UK. Likewise, an application (GB1720277.1) having the GB and entitled Nose Arrangements for Fastener Setting Machines and Related Methods has the same filing date as the parent application and was also filed by the applicant in the UK. Both GB and GB relate to fastener setting machines and associated methods of the same general type of that of the present invention. The content of GB and GB are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present application relates to fastener handling devices for handling fasteners for setting by a fastener setting machine, and to related methods. In particular, the present application relates to rivet handling devices for handling rivets for setting by a rivet setting machine, and to related methods. In particular, the rivets may be self-piercing rivets. In addition, this application relates to fastener handling devices incorporated into fastener magazines for storing fasteners, which may be rivets or self-piercing rivets. The rivet handling devices include in-line fastener track selection devices and in-line fastener selection devices.

Various systems and methods for setting fasteners are known which use a bulk-supply apparatus to supply the fasteners to a setting tool. In some systems, the setting tool comprises a nose and a punch for setting the fasteners. The setting tool may be mounted on a support structure such as a C-frame. The C-frame may be mounted on a robotic arm such that a large number of automatic operations per unit time may be accurately carried out by the robot.

Known bulk-supply apparatus includes flexible delivery tubes connected to one or more magazines which locally store a large number of fasteners; often of different shapes and sizes. The magazines may be removable. The fasteners may be supplied to the setting tool via the delivery tubes singularly, or in groups, and are typically supplied from the magazines ‘on demand’, i.e. when a specific type of fastener is required for fastening a workpiece of a given type.

The nose is generally disposed under the punch, and guides the punch and the fasteners during a setting operation. A die may be provided on the support structure, opposite the nose, to react the force applied by the punch of the setting tool to the fastener and workpiece during a setting operation. In this way, the workpiece is sandwiched between the nose and the die during a setting operation, and the punch is operated to set the fastener.

Systems of the type described above typically feed the fasteners to the nose through suitably profiled flexible delivery tubes which form part of a supply line. The fasteners may be delivered to the setting tool along the supply line through the use of compressed air and/or gravity. Further, supply of the fasteners to the setting tool generally also requires the presence of one or more fastener handling devices along the supply line. These handling devices will generally effect some form of management of the movement of one or more fasteners along the supply line.

Known handling devices may perform one or more operations to start, stop, trap, rotate, translate and/or transfer a fastener so that the required fastener is made available from the relevant fastener storage location to the setting tool for the relevant setting operation. By performing one or more of the above operations, the fastener handling apparatus can separate, hold, release and/or single out one or more fasteners at different stages along the rivet supply line. Ultimately, the required fastener reaches a fastener transfer area located in or adjacent the nose, whence the fastener is transferred to a standby position under the punch, in preparation for the setting operation.

There are several problems associated with the above known fastener handling devices. The fasteners, for example, may jam, tumble or become otherwise dislodged. Further, existing selection mechanisms may be able to handle only a single type of fasteners, or very limited different shapes and/or sizes thereof. Further still, the existing fastener handling devices may be too complex and thus demand high maintenance, repair, manufacture and/or replacement costs. As such, existing fastener handling devices may not be suitable for incorporation into rivet magazines, and particularly removable or replaceable rivet magazines.

It is therefore desirable to improve the design of the existing fastener handling devices. In particular, it is desirable to provide handling devices which can be satisfactorily incorporated into removable magazines for supplying fasteners, including fasteners of different type, size and or shape, particularly to a robot-mounted fastener settling tool.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an in-line fastener track selection device comprising: a stator having first, second and third fastener conduits; a rotor, rotatably mounted with respect the stator about a rotation axis, and comprising a rotor body and a connection space; the rotor being rotatable between a first position in which the connection space adjoins the first and second fastener conduits, such that, in use, a fastener may pass between the first and second fastener conduits via the connection space, and a second position in which the connection space adjoins the first and third fastener conduits, such that, in use, a fastener may pass between the first and third fastener conduits via the connection space.

In the first position, the rotor body may block the third fastener conduit such that, in use, a fastener cannot pass between the third fastener conduit and the first fastener conduit. In the second position, the rotor body may block the second fastener conduit such that, in use, a fastener cannot pass between the second fastener conduit and the first fastener conduit.

The connection space may be sized so as to, in use, accommodate a plurality of fasteners.

The connection space may be defined by a connection conduit. The connection conduit may be defined between a plurality of walls.

The connection conduit may be curved.

The first and second fastener conduits may be angularly spaced from one another about the rotation axis by about 135°. The first and third fastener conduits may be angularly spaced from one another about the rotation axis by about 135°. In other embodiments the first, second and third conduits may be spaced by any appropriate angular amount.

The connection conduit may comprise first and second ends, and the first and second ends may be angularly spaced from one another about the rotation axis by about 135°. Again, in other embodiments any appropriate angular spacing may be utilised.

The fastener track selection device may further comprise an actuator configured to rotate the rotor relative to the stator.

The actuator may be a rotary actuator or a linear actuator.

The actuator may be configured to rotate the rotor in a first direction to move the rotor from the first position to the second position. The actuator may further be configured to rotate the rotor in said first direction to move the rotor from the second position to the first position.

The rotor body may be generally disk-shaped.

The fastener track selection device may further comprise a biasing means configured to urge the rotor towards the stator in a direction generally parallel to the rotation axis.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a fastener setting machine comprising a fastener track selection device according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the second and third fastener conduits are configured to be supplied with fasteners from first and second upstream fastener sources, respectively, and wherein the first fastener conduit is configured to supply fasteners to a downstream fastener consumer.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a fastener setting machine comprising a fastener track selection device according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the second and third fastener conduits are configured to be supply fasteners to at least one downstream fastener consumer, and wherein the first fastener conduit is configured to receive fasteners from an upstream fastener source.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a fastener magazine comprising a fastener track selection device according to the first aspect of the invention. The fastener magazine may be a removable fastener magazine.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of selecting fasteners using an in-line fastener track selection device comprising: a stator having first, second and third fastener conduits; a rotor, rotatably mounted with respect the stator about a rotation axis, and comprising a rotor body and a connection space; the method comprising, rotating the rotor between a first position and a second position; wherein in the first position the connection space adjoins the first and second fastener conduits, such that a fastener may pass between the first and second fastener conduits via the connection space, and wherein in the second position the connection space adjoins the first and third fastener conduits, such that a fastener may pass between the first and third fastener conduits via the connection space.

The method may further comprise moving a fastener between the first and second fastener conduits via the connection space and/or moving a fastener between the first and third fastener conduits via the connection space, using pressurised gas or a vacuum supplied to one or more of the first, second and third conduits. The pressurised gas or vacuum may be maintained whilst the rotor is rotated between the first position and the second position.

Maintaining the pressurised gas or vacuum may reduce the complexity of the operation and/or reduce turbulent flow in the conduits, thereby resulting in smoother movement of fasteners through the relevant conduits.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided an in-line fastener selection device comprising fastener conduit having a first fastener conduit portion and a second fastener conduit portion, and an escapement mechanism located between the first and second fastener conduit portions; wherein the escapement mechanism has: a first configuration in which a first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is configured to block the passage of a leading fastener from a first section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first fastener conduit portion; a second configuration in which the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is configured to permit the passage of the leading fastener from the first section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first fastener conduit portion, and a second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is configured to block the passage of a trailing fastener from a second section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first section of the second fastener conduit portion; and a third configuration in which the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is configured to permit the passage of the trailing fastener from the second section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first section of the second fastener conduit portion, and the first or second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is configured to block the passage of the trailing fastener from the first section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first fastener conduit portion.

In embodiments in which in the third configuration the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is configured to block the passage of the trailing fastener from the first section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first fastener conduit portion, the first and third configuration may be the same—that is, within the claims, the terms third configuration and first configuration may be interchangeable.

In the first configuration the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be located in a first position and the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in a second position; and in the second configuration the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in a third position, and the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism is in a fourth position; and wherein the device is configured such that the first barrier portion is actuable from the first position to the third position coupled with the second barrier portion being actuated from the second position to the fourth position.

In the second configuration the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in a third position, and the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in a fourth position; and in the third configuration the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be configured to block the passage of the trailing fastener from the first section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first fastener conduit portion, and the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in a fifth position, and the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in a sixth position, wherein the device may be configured such that the first barrier portion is actuable from the third position to the sixth position coupled with the second barrier portion being actuated from the fourth position to the fifth position; or in the third configuration the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be configured to block the passage of the trailing fastener from the first section of the second fastener conduit portion to the first fastener conduit portion, and the second barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in the second position, and the first barrier portion of the escapement mechanism may be in the first position, wherein the device may be configured such that the first barrier portion is actuable from the third position to the first position coupled with the second barrier portion being actuated from the fourth position to the second position.

The device may be configured such that the escapement mechanism oscillates between the second and third configurations.

The escapement mechanism may have a fourth configuration in which the first barrier portion and/or the second barrier portion may be configured to hold the leading fastener or trailing fastener within the escapement mechanism such that the leading fastener or trailing fastener is not free to exit the escapement mechanism.

The fourth configuration may be between the first and second configurations.

In use, the first and second barrier portions may be configured to contact a head portion of the leading and trailing fasteners and/or the first and second barrier portions may be configured to contact a stem portion of the leading and trailing fasteners.

A rotor of the escapement mechanism may rotate about a rotation axis, relative to a stator, between the first and second configurations, and between the second and third configurations.

The rotor may comprise a base from which first and second pins extend in a direction generally parallel to the rotation axis; wherein the first barrier portion comprises the first pin and the second barrier portion comprises the second pin.

The rotor may comprise a base from which a pawl extends in a direction generally parallel to the rotation axis; wherein the first barrier portion comprises a first end of the pawl and the second barrier portion comprises a second end of the pawl.

The pawl may be generally arcuate in cross-section perpendicular to the rotation axis.

The fastener selection device may further comprise an actuator configured to rotate the rotor relative to the stator.

The actuator may be a rotary actuator or a linear actuator.

The escapement mechanism may translate between the first and second configurations, and between the second and third configurations. Said translation may be generally linear.

The escapement mechanism may comprise a barrier assembly comprising a primary barrier and two secondary barrier members. The first barrier portion may comprise the primary barrier, and the second barrier portion may comprise the secondary barrier members.

The primary barrier and secondary barrier members may be spaced along the direction of travel of fasteners along the conduit.

The secondary barrier members may be located either side of the fastener conduit.

The secondary barrier members may be spaced by a distance which is less than a maximum width of a fastener carried by the fastener conduit. The maximum width may be a diameter of a head portion of the fasteners.

The secondary barrier members may be spaced by a distance which is greater than a minimum width of a fastener carried by the fastener conduit. The minimum width may be a diameter of a stem portion of the fasteners.

When the escapement mechanism is in the second configuration, the secondary barrier members may extend into the fastener conduit.

When the escapement mechanism is in the second configuration, the secondary barrier members may be configured to trap the trailing fastener.