Method and tool for installing fasteners

Abstract

Methods and tools for installing fasteners are provided. The fastener includes a sleeve and a pin that can be threadedly received in the sleeve. The method includes: inserting the fastener into an opening; grasping the pin tail; and radially deforming the sleeve tail relative to the fastener's centerline axis by automatically displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along a centerline axis. The method also includes rotatably shearing the pin tail from the pin's axis.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Some known one-sided (i.e., blind) fasteners are installed by sliding the fastener into a hole in the structure and applying torque to the fastener's pin. Rotation of the pin deforms the tail of the fastener, causing it to expand and form a retaining feature on the back of the structure. However, manually installing at least some known one-sided fasteners (e.g., using one or more manually operated hand tools, etc.) can be difficult and / or inefficient. For example, the strength required to manually install a one-sided fastener may make it difficult for a person to complete the installation, especially if that person needs to install a set of fasteners consecutively. Furthermore, and for example, manually installing one-sided fasteners can be time-consuming and / or labor-intensive. Summary of the Invention

[0002] In one aspect, a method is provided for installing a fastener into an opening in a structure. The fastener includes a sleeve and a pin that can be threadedly received in the sleeve. The method includes: inserting the fastener into the opening; grasping the tail of the pin; and radially deforming the tail of the sleeve relative to the centerline axis of the fastener by automatically displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along a centerline axis. The method also includes rotatably shearing the tail of the pin from the axis of the pin.

[0003] In another aspect, a method is provided for installing a fastener into an opening in a structure using a tool. The fastener includes a sleeve and a pin that can be threadedly received in the sleeve. The method includes: inserting the fastener into the opening; clamping a tool clamp onto the tail of the pin; and displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis by actuating a linear actuator to longitudinally displace the clamp relative to the structure along the centerline axis, causing the tail of the sleeve to deform radially outward relative to the centerline axis of the fastener. The method further includes: grasping the tail of the pin with a wrench of the tool interconnected with the clamp; and rotary shearing the tail of the pin from the pin's axis by actuating a rotary actuator to rotate the tool wrench.

[0004] In another aspect, a tool for installing a fastener is provided, the fastener including a sleeve and a pin that can be threadedly received in the sleeve. The tool includes a frame and a clamp mounted to the frame such that the clamp is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame. The clamp is configured to grip the tail of the pin of the fastener. The tool includes a linear actuator operatively connected to the clamp such that the linear actuator is configured to drive the clamp to move linearly relative to the frame. The tool includes a wrench mounted to the frame such that the wrench is configured to rotate relative to the frame. The wrench is configured to grip the tail of the pin. The tool includes a rotary actuator operatively connected to the wrench such that the rotary actuator is configured to drive the wrench to rotate relative to the frame. Attached Figure Description

[0005] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a tool for installing fasteners according to an embodiment.

[0006] Figure 2 It shows that it can be used Figure 1 The image shows a perspective view of the fasteners installed by the tools.

[0007] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 The fastener shown is a cross-sectional view.

[0008] Figures 4a to 4f It shows the use of Figure 1 The tool installation shown in the image Figure 2 and Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of the fastener is shown in the figure.

[0009] Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tool for installing fasteners according to another embodiment.

[0010] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for installing fasteners into an opening in a structure according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for installing fasteners into an opening in a structure using tools, according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how an aircraft is implemented.

[0013] Figure 9 It is a block diagram of the implementation methods for aircraft production and maintenance.

[0014] Figure 10 An electronic device according to an embodiment is illustrated in functional blocks. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The foregoing overview and the following detailed description of certain embodiments will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. As used herein, elements or steps stated in the singular and preceded by the words "an" or "a kind" should be understood to not necessarily exclude a plural of elements or steps. Furthermore, the reference to "an embodiment" is not intended to be construed as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the described features. Moreover, unless expressly stated otherwise, embodiments that "comprise" or "have" elements or multiple elements having a particular property may include additional elements that do not have that property.

[0016] While various spatial and directional terms (such as “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” etc.) are used to describe embodiments of this disclosure, it should be understood that these terms are used only relative to the orientation shown in the accompanying drawings. The orientation may be inverted, rotated, or otherwise changed such that if the structure is flipped 180 degrees, the top side becomes the bottom side, and if the structure is pivoted 90 degrees, the top side becomes the left or right side, etc.

[0017] Certain embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and tools for installing fasteners into openings in a structure. These embodiments provide inserting the fastener into the opening, grasping the pin tail, and radially deforming the tail of the sleeve relative to the centerline axis of the fastener by automatically displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the centerline axis. The pin tail is also rotated and sheared from the pin axis.

[0018] Some embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and tools for installing fasteners in unconventional ways. Some embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and tools capable of installing unilateral fasteners by longitudinally displacing and rotating the pin of the fastener. Some embodiments of this disclosure enable automated fastener installation. Some embodiments of this disclosure enable fastener installation under transition or interference fit conditions. Some embodiments of this disclosure reduce the difficulty of fastener installation. For example, some embodiments of this disclosure reduce the effort required to install fasteners. Some embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and tools for installing fasteners more efficiently. For example, some embodiments of this disclosure are less time-consuming and / or less labor-intensive.

[0019] Now referring to the attached diagram, in Figure 1 The document provides methods for installing fasteners (e.g., Figure 2 Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a tool 100 (such as a fastener 200). The tool 100 includes a frame 102, a clamp 104 mounted to the frame 102, a wrench 106 mounted to the frame 102, a linear actuator 108, and a rotary actuator 110. The clamp 104 is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame 102, and the wrench 106 is configured to rotate relative to the frame 102. The linear movement of the clamp 104 relative to the frame 102 is driven by the linear actuator 108. The rotation of the wrench 106 relative to the frame 102 is driven by the rotary actuator 110. As will be described in more detail below, the linear actuator 108 and the rotary actuator 110 enable the fastener to be mounted using the automatic linear movement of the clamp 104 and the automatic rotation of the wrench 106, respectively.

[0020] Frame 102 extends a length along a central longitudinal axis 112. Frame 102 includes a base 114. During fastener installation, the base 114 of frame 102 is configured to engage with a fastener (e.g., Figure 2The frame is physically engaged with the fasteners (such as fasteners 200 shown in Figure 4) and / or the structure in which the fasteners are mounted (e.g., structure 250 shown in Figure 4). As used herein, the term "frame" includes any type of support structure having any size, shape, and geometry, such as, but not limited to, housings, bases, shells, frames, etc., as shown and described herein. In other words, the frame 102 is not limited to the specific embodiment shown herein, but may additionally or alternatively include any other structure that enables the tool 100 to function as described and / or shown herein.

[0021] The clamp 104 is mounted to the frame 102 such that the clamp 104 is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame 102. Specifically, the clamp 104 is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame 102 along a central longitudinal axis 112, such as... Figure 1 Arrows 116 and 118 are shown in the diagram. Directions 116 and 118 are parallel to the central longitudinal axis 112. As will be described below, the linear movement of clamp 104 relative to frame 102 during fastener installation allows clamp 104 to move along the centerline axis of the fastener (e.g., ...). Figure 2 The clamp 104 moves longitudinally relative to the structure in which the fastener is mounted (such as the centerline axis 202 shown in Figure 4). In the embodiment shown herein, the clamp 104 is mounted on a rod 120 of the frame 102. The rod 120 defines a track along which the clamp 104 travels (i.e., on the track) as the clamp 104 moves longitudinally relative to the frame 102 along the central longitudinal axis 112. In other words, the clamp 104 moves along the rod / track 120 and the central longitudinal axis 112. However, in addition to or in place of the rod 120, the clamp 104 may be mounted to the frame 102 using any other mechanism, structure, etc., that enables the clamp 104 to move longitudinally relative to the frame 102 along the central longitudinal axis 112, such as, but not limited to, bearings, gears, guide rails, pulleys, guides, cables, chains, other types of rods, other types of tracks, etc.

[0022] The clamp 104 is configured to grip the pin of the fastener (e.g., Figure 2 The pin tail (e.g., to pin 206 as shown in Figure 4) Figure 2 (e.g., pin tail 218 shown in Figure 4). In other words, the clamp 104 is configured to clamp the pin tail of the fastener. When clamped to the pin tail of the fastener, the longitudinal movement of the clamp 104 relative to the frame 102 allows the clamp 104 to move along the centerline axis of the fastener (e.g., ...). Figure 2 (as shown in Figure 4, centerline axis 202, etc.) relative to the sleeve of the fastener (e.g., Figure 2The pin of the fastener is moved longitudinally (i.e., displaced) to the sleeve 204 shown in Figure 4, as will be described below. When the fastener is held by the tool, the centerline axis of the fastener is parallel to the center longitudinal axis 112.

[0023] The clamp 104 may include any clamping mechanism that enables the clamp 104 to grip the pin tail of the fastener, such that the clamp 104 can be longitudinally displaced relative to the sleeve of the fastener along the centerline axis of the fastener (e.g., configured to displace, capable of displace, etc.) the pin of the fastener. In the embodiment shown herein, the clamping mechanism of the clamp 104 includes two or more jaws 122 that can move radially inward toward the central longitudinal axis 112 (e.g., tighten, etc.) to compress the pin tail between them. However, the clamp 104 may additionally or alternatively include any other clamping mechanism that enables the clamp 104 to function as described and / or shown herein, such as, but not limited to, collars, chucks, strips, other circular and semi-circular clamping mechanisms, chucks, other types of jaws, etc.

[0024] Furthermore, the clamping mechanism of clamp 104 can be configured to clamp (i.e., grasp) the tail of the pin in any configuration that allows clamp 104 to function as described and / or shown herein. In other words, the clamping mechanism of clamp 104 can be configured to grasp one or more of a variety of different configurations of the pin tail. For example, the jaws 122 of clamp 104 are configured to grasp the neck of the pin tail (e.g., Figure 2 (e.g., neck 228 shown in Figure 4). Other examples of the gripping mechanism of the clamp 104 that can be configured to grip (i.e., hold) the pin tail structure include, but are not limited to, collars, flanges, lugs, textured surfaces, etc.

[0025] The clamping mechanism of the clamp 104 (e.g., gripper 122, etc.) can be actuated by any power source, mechanism, structure, etc. to grip the pin tail, such as, but not limited to: manually using one or more gears, teeth, handles, knobs, levers and / or opening keys (e.g., chuck opening keys, etc.); automatically using pneumatic power sources, electric power sources and / or hydraulic power sources, etc.

[0026] As briefly described above, tool 100 includes a linear actuator 108 for longitudinally moving clamp 104. Specifically, linear actuator 108 is operatively connected to clamp 104 such that linear actuator 108 is configured to drive (e.g., actuate, enable, allow, etc.) clamp 104 linearly relative to frame 102 along a central longitudinal axis 112. In other words, the linear movement of clamp 104 relative to frame 102 along central longitudinal axis 112 is driven by linear actuator 108. Linear actuator 108 enables the automatic linear movement of clamp 104 to be used for mounting fasteners.

[0027] The linear actuator 108 may include any type of linear actuator and any associated components (e.g., linkage devices, etc.), such as, but not limited to, hydraulically actuated pistons, other types of hydraulic linear actuators, magnetic linear actuators, screw-type linear actuators, ball screws, lead screws, screw jacks, roller screws, linear motors, telescopic linear actuators, solenoids, servo mechanisms, servo motors, hydraulic linear actuators, pneumatic linear actuators, electric linear actuators, electromechanical linear actuators, electric motors, gears, chains, pulleys, differentials, counterweights, etc. The linear actuator 108 may be actuated by any power source, such as, but not limited to, pneumatic power sources, electric power sources, hydraulic power sources, etc.

[0028] Wrench 106 is mounted to frame 102 such that wrench 106 is configured to rotate relative to frame 102. Specifically, wrench 106 is configured to rotate relative to frame 102 about a central longitudinal axis 112, such as... Figure 1 Arrows 124 and 126 are shown in the diagram. As will be described below, the rotation of wrench 106 relative to frame 102 during fastener installation allows wrench 106 to rotate about the centerline axis of the fastener relative to the structure in which the fastener is mounted (and relative to the sleeve of the fastener). In the embodiment shown herein, wrench 106 is indirectly mounted to frame 102 via clamp 104. Specifically, wrench 106 is mounted to clamp 104 via one or more bearings 128, which allow wrench 106 to rotate about a central longitudinal axis 112 relative to clamp 104 and frame 102. In some other embodiments, wrench 106 is directly mounted to frame 102 (e.g., via one or more bearings, etc.) for rotation about the central longitudinal axis 112 relative to frame 102. While wrench 106 is configured to rotate relative to clamp 104, in some other embodiments, clamp 104 is configured to rotate together with wrench 106 relative to frame 102. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the wrench 106 is mounted to the clamp 104 such that the wrench 106 travels longitudinally along the central longitudinal axis 112 relative to the frame 102 as the clamp 104 travels. In other words, in Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the wrench 106 is indirectly mounted to the frame 102 via the clamp 104.

[0029] Bearing 128 may include any type of bearing, such as, but not limited to, sliding bearings, bushings, journal bearings, sleeve bearings, rifle bearings, composite bearings, rolling element bearings, ball bearings, roller bearings, jewel bearings, fluid bearings, magnetic bearings, flexible bearings, etc. In addition to or as a substitute for bearing 128, wrench 106 may be mounted to clamp 104 and / or frame 102 using any other mechanism, structure, etc., that allows wrench 106 to rotate relative to frame 102 about central longitudinal axis 112, such as, but not limited to, gears, guide rails, tracks, pulleys, guides, cables, chains, etc.

[0030] Wrench 106 is configured to grip the pin tail of a fastener. When wrench 106 grips the pin tail, rotation of wrench 106 relative to frame 102 allows wrench 106 to rotate the fastener pin about the fastener's centerline axis relative to the fastener's sleeve, as described below. Wrench 106 may include any gripping mechanism that allows wrench 106 to grip the fastener pin tail to allow wrench 106 to rotate about the fastener's centerline axis relative to the fastener's sleeve (e.g., configured to rotate, capable of rotating, etc.) the fastener pin. In the embodiment shown herein, the gripping mechanism of wrench 106 includes a socket 130 that includes a spline 132 configured to interact with the spline of the pin tail (e.g., ...). Figure 2 The wrench 106 engages with the spline 230 shown in Figure 4 (i.e., splines 132 and 230 are complementary in shape). However, in addition to the groove 130 and / or spline 132, or as an alternative to the groove 130 and / or spline 132, the wrench 106 may include any other gripping mechanism that enables the wrench 106 to function as described and / or shown herein, such as, but not limited to, planar, blade, hexagonal, square, triangular, six-lobed, other polygonal structures, textured surfaces, collars, chucks, strips, other circular and semi-circular gripping mechanisms, clamps, claws, other gripping mechanisms, grooves having one or more of the above structures, etc.

[0031] Furthermore, the gripping mechanism of wrench 106 can be configured to grip (e.g., engage, interlock, etc.) any structure that enables wrench 106 to function as described and / or shown herein. In other words, wrench 106 can be configured to grip one or more of a variety of different structures of the pin tail. For example, spline 132 of wrench 106 is configured to engage with the spline of the pin tail (e.g., Figure 2 Engagement with spline 230 as shown in Figure 4. Other examples of the gripping pin tail structure that the wrench 106 can be configured to include, but are not limited to, planar, blade, hexagonal, square, triangular, six-lobed, other polygonal structures, textured surfaces, etc.

[0032] Tool 100 includes a rotary actuator 110 for rotating wrench 106. Specifically, the rotary actuator 110 is operatively connected to wrench 106 such that it is configured to drive (e.g., actuate, enable, allow, etc.) wrench 106 relative to frame 102 about a central longitudinal axis 112. In other words, the rotation of wrench 106 relative to frame 102 about the central longitudinal axis 112 is driven by rotary actuator 110. Rotary actuator 110 enables fasteners to be installed using the automatic rotation of wrench 106.

[0033] The rotary actuator 110 may include any type of rotary actuator and any associated components (e.g., linkage devices, etc.), such as, but not limited to, rotary screws, electric motors, stepper motors, servo motors, torque motors, memory wires, hydrodynamic actuators, vacuum actuators, hydraulic rotary actuators, pneumatic rotary actuators, electric rotary actuators, electromechanical rotary actuators, servo mechanisms, gears, chains, pulleys, differentials, etc. The rotary actuator 110 may be actuated by any power source, such as, but not limited to, pneumatic power sources, electric power sources, hydraulic power sources, etc.

[0034] In some embodiments, tool 100 includes one or more actuators 134 for manually actuating linear actuator 108 and / or one or more actuators 136 for manually actuating rotary actuator 110. For example, an operator manually selects actuator 134 to actuate linear actuator 108 to longitudinally displace (i.e., move) clamp 104 relative to frame 102 along the central longitudinal axis 112 of tool 100. In other words, manually selecting actuator 134 causes linear actuator 108 to automatically displace clamp 104 relative to frame 102 along the central longitudinal axis 112. Furthermore, and for example, an operator manually selects actuator 136 to actuate rotary actuator 110 to rotate wrench 106 relative to frame 102 about the central longitudinal axis 112. In other words, manually selecting actuator 136 causes rotary actuator 110 to automatically rotate wrench 106 relative to frame 102 about the central longitudinal axis 112. Starters 134 and 136 may each include any type of starter, such as, but not limited to, buttons, switches, levers, knobs, etc.

[0035] In addition to or as an alternative to these actuators 134 and / or 136, tool 100 may include and / or be communicatively coupled to one or more optional electronic devices 138 that control the actuation of linear actuator 108 and / or rotary actuator 110. Electronic device 138 includes one or more processors 140 and one or more optional memories 142. In some embodiments, electronic device 138 is configured to perform the functions described herein. Figure 6 and7 The described method includes some or all of the operations for installing fasteners (e.g., activation of a linear actuator, activation of a rotary actuator, etc.). In some embodiments, electronic device 138 controls the positioning of tool 100 at the intended location of the structure in which the fastener is installed. In some other embodiments, tool 100 is manually positioned at the installation location by an operator.

[0036] Electronic device 138 refers to any device that executes instructions (e.g., as an application / software, operating system function, or both) to achieve the operations and functions associated with electronic device 138. In some embodiments, electronic device 138 includes mobile electronic devices or any other portable devices, such as mobile phones, laptop computers, tablets, computing boards, netbooks, etc. In some embodiments, electronic device 138 includes non-portable devices, such as desktop personal computers, servers, controllers, self-service terminals, desktop devices, industrial control equipment, etc. In some embodiments, electronic device 138 represents a set of processing units, servers, other computing devices, etc.

[0037] In some embodiments, the electronics 138 is located on the tool 100, while in other embodiments, the electronics 138 is located outside the tool 100 (e.g., at a location where a larger system implementing the tool 100 is located, at a location far from where a larger system implementing the tool 100 is located, etc.). In some embodiments, a sensing device (not shown; e.g., a feedback control loop, etc.) guides the tool 100 to provide alignment of the wrench 106 with the fastener.

[0038] Figure 2 and Figure 3 It shows that tool 100 can be used ( Figure 1 The fastener 200 is installed as shown in Figure 4. Fastener 200 is only meant as a non-limiting example of a fastener that tool 100 can use to install. Therefore, tool 100 is not limited to installing fastener 200, but tool 100 can be used to install fasteners with other sizes, shapes, geometries, etc.

[0039] Fastener 200 extends a length along a centerline axis 202 and includes a sleeve 204 and a pin 206 that can be threadedly received in the sleeve 204. The sleeve 204 extends along the centerline axis 202 from a flange 208 of the sleeve 204 to a tail 210 of the sleeve 204. The sleeve 204 includes an opening 212 extending along its length. The opening 212 of the sleeve 204 is threaded along at least a portion of its length. In other words, the sleeve 204 includes an inner surface 216 extending into the sleeve 204 defining the opening 212. Figure 2 One or more threads 214 (not visible in the middle) Figure 2(Not visible in the text). As will be described in more detail below, the tail 210 of the sleeve 204 is configured to deform radially outward relative to the centerline axis 202 during the installation of the fastener 200.

[0040] Pin 206 extends a length along centerline axis 202. Pin 206 includes a pin tail 218 and a shaft 220, which extends outward from the pin tail 218 along centerline axis 202. The shaft 220 of pin 206 is threaded along at least a portion of its length, such that the shaft 220 is configured to be received threadedly in sleeve 204. Specifically, the shaft 220 includes an outer surface 224 extending from the shaft 220. Figure 2 One or more threads 222 (not visible in the middle) Figure 2 (Not visible in the middle). Thread 222 allows shaft 220 to be received by thread in opening 212 of sleeve 204.

[0041] Pin 206 pin tail 218 includes flange 226 ( Figure 2 (Not visible in the middle). Flange 226 has a complementary shape to flange 208 of sleeve 204, such that flange 226 of pin tail 218 is configured to sit (e.g., abut against) flange 208 of sleeve 204. Pin tail 218 of pin 206 includes neck 228 and spline 230. As will be described in more detail below, clamp 104 of tool 100 ( Figure 1 (and Figure 4) are configured to grip the neck 228 of the pin tail 218, and the wrench 106 of the tool 100 ( Figure 1 (and Figure 4) are configured to engage with the spline 230 of the pin tail 218 during the installation of the fastener 200.

[0042] The pin tail 218 of pin 206 is fragile, therefore the pin tail 218 of pin 206 is configured to break off from the shaft 220 of pin 206 during the installation of fastener 200. Specifically, the pin tail 218 of pin 206 is configured to shear off from the shaft 220 of pin 206 when the flange 226 of the pin tail 218 sits against the flange 208 of sleeve 204 and a predetermined amount of torque is applied to pin 206. For example, the pin tail 218 of pin 206 may be configured to shear along shear line 232 ( Figure 2 (Not visible in the middle) Disconnects from the shaft 220 of pin 206. After the pin tail 218 has disconnected from the shaft 220, a portion of the pin tail 218 remains on the shaft 220. For example, after the pin tail 218 has been sheared from the shaft 220, the tapered section 226a of the flange 226 can remain on the shaft 220, as... Figure 4f As shown in the example.

[0043] Now see Figures 4a to 4f The description describes the operation of tool 100 installing fastener 200 within opening 252 of structure 250. For example... Figure 4aAs shown, the opening 252 of structure 250 includes a countersunk hole 254 along the front side 262 of structure 250. The flange 208 of sleeve 204 and the countersunk hole 254 are complementary in shape so that the flange 208 can be located within the countersunk hole 254. Although the opening 252 shown herein has a cylindrical (i.e., circular cross-section) shape, tool 100 is not limited to installing fasteners into a cylindrical opening, but can be used to install fasteners into an opening that includes any shape other than or alternative to a cylindrical shape.

[0044] To install the fastener 200 within the structure 250, the fastener 200 is inserted into the opening 252 such that the tail 210 of the sleeve 204 of the fastener 200 extends outward along the rear side 256 of the structure 250 (i.e., opposite to the front side 262), and the flange 208 of the sleeve 204 is located within the countersunk hole 254 of the opening 252, as shown. Figure 4b As shown in the diagram. In some embodiments, the fastener 200 has a clearance fit within the opening 252, wherein the fastener 200 can be inserted into the opening 252 manually (e.g., by an operator, etc.) or automatically (e.g., using one or more other devices such as, but not limited to, a robotic arm or other robotic device, electronic device 138, etc.) using relatively small force. In some other embodiments, the fastener 200 has an interference fit (e.g., a transition, etc.) within the opening 252, wherein the fastener 200 is forced, pushed, hammered, and / or riveted into the opening 252, for example, manually (e.g., by an operator, etc.) or automatically (e.g., using one or more other devices such as, but not limited to, a robotic arm or other robotic device, electronic device 138, etc.).

[0045] Once the fastener 200 is received (e.g., located in, etc.) within the opening 252, the tool 100 is positioned above the fastener 200 such that the clamp 104 extends around the neck 228 of the pin 218 and the spline 132 of the wrench 106 engages with the spline 230 of the pin 218, as... Figure 4c As shown. For clarity, in Figure 4c Linear actuator 108 (not shown) Figure 1 and Figure 4d ) and rotary actuator 110 ( Figure 1 and Figure 4eThe tool 100 then clamps the clamp 104 onto the pin 218 of the fastener. Specifically, the jaws 122 of the clamp 104 move radially inward toward axes 112 and 202, thereby gripping the neck 228 of the pin 218. In some other embodiments, the fastener 200 is first inserted (i.e., loaded) into the tool 100 (e.g., manually by an operator, automatically by the tool 100 gripping the fastener 200 from its source, etc.), and then inserted into the opening 252 using the tool 100 (i.e., while being held by the tool 100). Figure 4c As shown, when the fastener 200 is held by the tool 100, the centerline axis 202 of the fastener 200 extends parallel and collinearly with the center longitudinal axis 112 of the tool 100.

[0046] The installation of fastener 200 also includes radially outward deformation of the tail 210 of sleeve 204 relative to the centerline axis 202 of fastener 200. By activating linear actuator 108 to longitudinally displace clamp 104 along axes 112 and 202 relative to structure 250 in direction 116, the pin 206 of fastener 200 is longitudinally displaced along centerline axis 202 relative to sleeve 204 in direction 116, causing deformation of tail 210, as follows: Figure 4d As shown in the diagram. In other words, deforming the tail 210 radially outward relative to the centerline axis 202 includes using a linear actuator 108 to automatically shift the pin 206 longitudinally relative to the sleeve 204 along the centerline axis 202. Figure 4d As can be seen, the radial outward deformation of the tail 210 of the sleeve 204 relative to the centerline axis 202 causes the tail 210 to enlarge along the dimension of the back side 256 of the structure 250. The enlarged tail 210 forms a retaining feature that mates with the flange 208 of the sleeve 204 to retain the fastener 200 within the opening 252 (and thereby fasten the two parts 258 and 260 of the structure 250 together). For clarity, in Figure 4d The rotary actuator 110 is not shown in the diagram.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment of tool 100, the base 114 of the frame 102 of tool 100 includes one or more legs 144 extending over and engaging with the flange 208 of sleeve 204 and the front side 262 of structure 250. Thus, when clamp 104 moves pin 206 longitudinally relative to sleeve 204 along centerline axis 202, base 114 rests against the front side 262 of structure 250 and against flange 208 of sleeve 204. Although linear actuator 108 and clamp 104 are shown in the illustrated embodiment as pulling the pin 206 of a fastener to move pin 206 longitudinally relative to sleeve 204 along centerline axis 202, alternatively or otherwise, linear actuator 108 and clamp 104 can move pin 206 longitudinally relative to sleeve 204 along centerline axis 202 by pulling pin 206.

[0048] Now for reference Figure 4e and Figure 4f The installation of fastener 200 also includes rotatably shearing the pin tail 218 of pin 206 from the shaft 220 of pin 206. Optionally, the installation of fastener 200 includes waiting for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., one second, five seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds, etc.) after radially outward deformation of the tail 210 of sleeve 204, and then rotatably shearing the pin tail 218 from the shaft 220 of pin 206. For clarity, in Figure 4e Linear actuator 108 is not shown. In other words, some embodiments of tool 100 are configured to include a delay between radially outward deformation of tail 210 and rotational shearing of pin tail 218 from shaft 220. In some embodiments, tool 100 is configured such that the amount of delay (i.e., a predetermined amount of time) is adjustable, which can increase the flexibility of tool 100, allow for improvements to tool 100, and / or enable adjustment of tool 100 for different fastener diameters.

[0049] By activating the rotary actuator 110 to rotate the wrench 106 of the tool 100 about axes 112 and 202 (e.g., in direction 124, etc.), the pin 206 of the fastener 200 is rotated relative to the sleeve 204 of the fastener 200 about the centerline axis 202, rotatably shearing the pin tail 218 from the pin shaft 220. In other words, rotatably shearing the pin tail 218 from the shaft 220 involves automatically rotating the pin 206 relative to the sleeve 204 about the centerline axis 202 using the rotary actuator 110. Figure 4e As shown, the rotation of pin 206 relative to sleeve 204 will cause the shaft 220 of pin 206 to... Figure 4d The pin 206 is further screwed into sleeve 204 at the position shown until the flange 226 of pin 218 is located (e.g., seated, etc.) within flange 208 of sleeve 204. Pin 206 is then screwed into sleeve 204 relative to the centerline axis 202. Figure 4eFurther rotation to the position shown causes the pin tail 218 of pin 206 to break off from the shaft 220 of pin 206 (e.g., along shear line 232, etc.), as... Figure 4f As shown. In other words, rotating the shear pin 218 from the shaft 220 includes rotating the pin 206 relative to the sleeve 204 until the pin 218 is disconnected from the shaft 220 of the needle 206.

[0050] Optionally, the pin tail 218 is rotatably sheared from the shaft 220 such that the broken end portion 264 of the shaft 220 is substantially flush with the front side 262 of the structure 250 and / or the flange 208 of the sleeve 204, for example as... Figure 4f As shown. In other embodiments, the broken end portion 264 of the shaft 220 is above and / or below the front side 262 and / or flange 208 (e.g. Figure 4f (As seen in the text)

[0051] Figure 5 The following diagram illustrates the installation of fasteners (e.g., Figure 2 Another embodiment of the tool 300 (such as the fastener 200 shown in Figure 4). The tool 300 includes a frame 302, a clamp 304 mounted to the frame 302, a wrench 306 mounted to the frame 302, a linear actuator 308, and a rotary actuator 310. The clamp 304 is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame 302, and the wrench 306 is configured to rotate relative to the frame 302. The linear movement of the clamp 304 relative to the frame 302 is driven by the linear actuator 308. The rotation of the wrench 306 relative to the frame 302 is driven by the rotary actuator 310. The linear actuator 308 and the rotary actuator 310 enable the fastener to be mounted using the automatic linear movement of the clamp 304 and the automatic rotation of the wrench 306, respectively.

[0052] Tool 300 is configured to automatically insert fasteners into openings (e.g., opening 252 shown in FIG. 4) with an interference fit. In other words, tool 300 is configured to mount fasteners into openings with an interference fit to the fasteners. The clamp 304 of tool 300 includes a sleeve (e.g., ...) configured to engage with the fastener when the fastener is held by tool 300. Figure 2 The flange of the sleeve 204 (as shown in Figure 4) (e.g., Figure 2 One or more legs 344 engage with the flange 208 shown in Figure 4. For example, the legs 344 of the tool 300 are configured to engage with... Figure 4c The leg 144 of the base 114 of the middle tool 100 engages with the flange 208 of the sleeve 204 in a manner substantially similar to that of the flange of the sleeve.

[0053] The legs 344 of the clamp 304 are configured to move longitudinally relative to the jaws 322 of the clamp 304 along the central longitudinal axis 312 of the tool 300, as... Figure 5 As indicated by arrows 346 and 348. In other words, the support leg 344 is configured to extend outward away from the gripper 322 in direction 346 and retract inward toward the gripper 322 in direction 348. The relative movement between the gripper 322 of the clamp 304 and the support leg 344 allows the position of the support leg 344 to be adjusted along the central longitudinal axis 312 relative to the position of the gripper 322, for example, to accommodate the pins of fasteners (e.g., during different stages of the installation process). Figure 2 The tool 300 may include a linear actuator 350 operatively connected to the leg 344 such that the linear actuator 350 is configured to drive (e.g., actuate, enable, allow, etc.) the leg 344 to move linearly relative to the gripper 322 along the central longitudinal axis 312.

[0054] The linear actuator 350 may include any type of linear actuator and any associated components (e.g., linkage devices, etc.), such as, but not limited to, hydraulically actuated pistons, other types of hydraulic linear actuators, magnetic linear actuators, screw-type linear actuators, ball screws, guide screws, screw jacks, roller screws, linear motors, telescopic linear actuators, solenoids, servo mechanisms, servo motors, hydraulic linear actuators, pneumatic linear actuators, electric linear actuators, electromechanical linear actuators, electric motors, gears, chains, pulleys, differentials, counterweights, etc. The linear actuator 350 may be actuated by any power source, such as, but not limited to, pneumatic power sources, electric power sources, hydraulic power sources, etc.

[0055] To automatically insert the fastener into the opening using an interference fit, the fastener is first (e.g., manually by an operator, automatically by tool 300 gripping it from its source, etc.) inserted (i.e., loaded) into tool 300. Linear actuator 350 adjusts the position of leg 344 relative to jaw 322 so that tool 300 holds the fastener, such that leg 344 engages with the flange of the fastener's sleeve, while jaw 322 engages with the pin end of the fastener (e.g., ...). Figure 2 The neck of the pin (e.g., to the pin tail 218 shown in Figure 4, etc.) Figure 2The tool 300 is then positioned at the mounting location (i.e., above the opening) such that the base 314 of the frame 302 is braced against the front side (e.g., the front side 262 of the structure 250 shown in Figure 4). The linear actuator 308 is then activated to move the clamp 304 longitudinally relative to the base 114 and the structure (e.g., the structure 250 shown in Figure 4) in the direction of arrow 318 along the central longitudinal axis 312. As the clamp 304 moves longitudinally toward the structure in direction 318 along axis 312, the legs 344 of the clamp 304 are locked in place relative to the jaws 322 of the clamp 304 (e.g., using linear actuator 350), causing the legs 344 to move toward the structure together with the jaws 322. Therefore, as the clamp 304 moves longitudinally along axis 312 in direction 318 toward the structure, the engagement between the leg 344 and the flange of the fastener sleeve forces the fastener into the opening until the flange of the sleeve is located within the seat of the opening (e.g., countersunk hole 254 shown in FIG. 4). Thus, the clamp 304 of the tool 300 enables the fastener to be automatically inserted into the opening with an interference fit.

[0056] Once the fastener has been automatically inserted into the opening via an interference fit, the remaining steps of the installation process can be performed to complete the fastener installation. During the remaining steps of the installation process, the relative movement between the legs 344 of the clamp 304 and the jaws 322 can be used to accommodate different relative positions between the pin and sleeve of the fastener. For example, when the clamp 304 moves in the direction of arrow 316, the linear actuator 350 can control the legs 344 to move away from the extension of the jaws 322 (i.e., in direction 346) to form a retaining feature for the fastener (e.g., in...). Figures 4e to 4f (Extended tail 210, etc. shown). When the gripper 322 moves away from the structure, the extension of the leg 344 maintains engagement between the leg 344 and the sleeve flange, such that when the fastener pin moves relative to the sleeve to form a retaining feature, the leg 344 can rest against the sleeve flange. Furthermore, and for example, when the fastener pin rotates to hold the pin tail of the flange (e.g., ... Figure 2 When the flange 226 shown in Figure 4 is located inside the flange of the sleeve, the linear actuator 350 can control the retraction of the leg 344 toward the gripper 322 (i.e., in the direction 348).

[0057] Figure 6 This illustrates a method for fastening fasteners (e.g., according to an embodiment) according to an embodiment. Figure 2 A flowchart of method 400 for installing fasteners (such as fastener 200 shown in Figure 4) into an opening (e.g., opening 252 shown in Figure 4) of a structure (e.g., structure 250 shown in Figure 4). The fasteners include sleeves (e.g., Figure 2(as shown in Figure 4, sleeve 204, etc.) and a pin that can be received in the sleeve by thread (e.g., Figure 2 (e.g., pin 206 shown in Figure 4). Method 400 includes inserting a fastener into an opening in the structure at 402. At 404, method 400 includes gripping the pin tail. In some embodiments, gripping the pin tail at 404 includes engaging a spline with the pin tail at 404a.

[0058] Method 400 includes radially outward deformation of the sleeve's tail relative to the fastener's centerline axis at 406 by automatically displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis. In some embodiments, radially outward deformation of the sleeve's tail at 406 by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis includes using a linear actuator (e.g., ...) at 406a. Figure 1 And the linear actuator 108 shown in Figure 4, Figure 5 The linear actuator 308 shown automatically displaces the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis. Furthermore, some embodiments that radially deform the tail of the sleeve at 406 by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis include pulling the pin at 406b. Alternatively, radially deforming the tail of the sleeve at 406 by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis includes bracing against the side of the structure and the flange of the sleeve at 406c.

[0059] At 408, method 400 includes rotatably shearing the pin tail from the pin's axis. In some embodiments, rotatably shearing the pin tail from the pin's axis at 408 includes rotating the pin relative to the sleeve at 408a until the pin tail breaks off from the pin's axis. In some embodiments, rotatably shearing the pin tail from the pin's axis at 408 includes using a rotary actuator (e.g., at 408b) Figure 1 And the rotary actuator 110 shown in Figure 4, Figure 5 The rotary actuator 310 shown causes the pin to rotate automatically relative to the sleeve. Optionally, rotatably shearing the pin tail from the pin's axis at 408 includes shearing the pin tail from the axis at 408c, such that the axis is substantially flush with at least one of the sides of the structure or the flange of the sleeve.

[0060] Some embodiments of method 400 also include, at 410, waiting a predetermined amount of time before rotatably shearing the pin tail from the pin axis after the tail of the sleeve has been deformed radially outward.

[0061] Figure 7 The embodiments are shown for using tools (e.g., Figure 1 And the tool 100 shown in Figure 4, Figure 5 The tool 300 shown (etc.) will fasten the fastener (e.g., Figure 2 A flowchart of method 500 for installing fasteners (such as fastener 200 shown in Figure 4) into an opening (e.g., opening 252 shown in Figure 4) of a structure (e.g., structure 250 shown in Figure 4). The fasteners include sleeves (e.g., Figure 2 (as shown in Figure 4, sleeve 204, etc.) and a pin that can be received in the sleeve by thread (e.g., Figure 2 (e.g., pin 206 shown in Figure 4). Method 500 includes inserting a fastener into an opening in the structure at 502. In some embodiments, inserting the fastener into the opening in the structure at 502 includes automatically inserting the fastener into the opening at 502a using an interference fit. At 504, method 500 includes clamping a tool's clamp onto the tail of the pin. In some embodiments, clamping the tool's clamp onto the tail of the pin at 504 includes grasping the neck of the tail of the pin at 504a.

[0062] At 506, method 500 includes activating a linear actuator (e.g., Figure 1 And the linear actuator 108 shown in Figure 4, Figure 5 The linear actuator 308 shown causes the clamp to move longitudinally relative to the structure along the centerline axis, causing the pin to move longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis, and causing the tail of the sleeve to deform radially outward relative to the centerline axis of the fastener.

[0063] At 508, method 500 includes grasping the pin tail of a pin using a wrench of a tool interconnected with a clamp. In some embodiments, grasping the pin tail of a pin using a wrench of a tool at 508 includes engaging the wrench with the spline of the pin tail at 508a.

[0064] Method 500 includes activating a rotary actuator (e.g., at 510) Figure 1 And the rotary actuator 110 shown in Figure 4, Figure 5 The rotary actuator 310 shown (e.g.) rotates the tool's wrench to rotaryly shear the pin tail from the pin's shaft. In some embodiments, rotaryly shearing the pin tail from the pin's shaft at 510 includes rotating the pin relative to the sleeve using the wrench at 510a until the pin tail breaks off from the pin's shaft. Alternatively, rotaryly shearing the pin tail from the pin's shaft at 510 includes rotating the wrench relative to the tool's clamp at 510b. Rotaryly shearing the pin tail from the pin's shaft at 510 may optionally include shearing the pin tail from the shaft at 510c, such that the shaft is substantially flush with at least one of the side of the structure or the flange of the sleeve.

[0065] Some embodiments of method 500 also include waiting a predetermined amount of time at 512 after the tail of the sleeve is radially outwardly deformed before the tail of the pin is rotatably sheared from the axis of the pin.

[0066] Now for reference Figure 8 Examples of this disclosure can be described in the context of using the methods and tools disclosed herein to construct and / or repair (e.g., maintain, inspect, modify, reconfigure, refurbish, repair, replace, etc.) one or more parts of an aircraft 600, which includes a fuselage 602 having multiple advanced systems 604 and an interior 606. Examples of advanced systems 604 include one or more of a propulsion system 608, an electrical system 610, a hydraulic fluid system 612, a control system 614, and an environmental system 616. Any number of other systems may be included. Although a fixed-wing passenger aircraft is shown, the methods and tools disclosed herein can be used with any other type of aircraft, such as, but not limited to, transport aircraft, military aircraft, rotorcraft (e.g., helicopters, etc.), lighter-than-air vehicles (e.g., balloons, etc.). Furthermore, although aerospace examples are shown, the principles can be applied to other industries, such as, but not limited to, the automotive industry, the marine industry, etc.

[0067] It is possible to do as Figure 9 Examples of this disclosure are described within the context of the illustrated aircraft manufacturing and maintenance method 700. In the pre-production process, the illustrative method 700 may include an aircraft (e.g., Figure 8 The specifications and design of the aircraft (e.g., 600 shown) 702 and material procurement 704 are carried out. During production, the manufacturing of aircraft parts and sub-components 406 and system integration 708 are performed. Subsequently, the aircraft may undergo certification and delivery 710 for service 712. However, when in use by consumers, routine maintenance and repairs 714 are arranged for the aircraft (this may also include inspection, modification, reconfiguration, refurbishment, repair, replacement, etc.). For example, the operating environment of the methods and tools disclosed herein may include the aircraft's fuel tanks, wings, fuselage, etc., and one or more methods and / or tools disclosed herein may be used therein to maintain one or more components of the aircraft.

[0068] Each process in the illustrative method 700 can be performed or executed by a system integrator, a third party, and / or an operator (e.g., a consumer, etc.). For the purposes of this description, a system integrator may include, but is not limited to, any number of aircraft manufacturers and main system subcontractors; a third party may include, without limitation, any number of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers; and an operator may be an airline, leasing company, military enterprise, service provider, etc.

[0069] This disclosure may be used in accordance with Figure 10The electronic device (i.e., computing device) of the embodiment of the functional block diagram 800 operates together with the electronic device (i.e., computing device). In one embodiment, components of the computing device 802 are implemented as part of an electronic device according to one or more embodiments described in this specification. The computing device 802 includes one or more processors 804, such as microprocessors, controllers, and / or any other suitable type of processor for processing computer-executable instructions to control the operation of the electronic device. In some embodiments, platform software including an operating system 806 and / or any other suitable platform software is provided on the device 802 so that application software 808 can be executed on the device.

[0070] Computer-executable instructions are provided using any computer-readable medium accessible by computing device 802. Computer-readable media include, for example, but not limited to, computer storage media such as memory 810 and communication media. Computer storage media such as memory 810 include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented using any method or technique for storing information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, etc. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, Digital Universal Disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information for access by the computing device. Conversely, communication media embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, etc., in modulated data signals such as carrier waves and / or other transmission mechanisms. As defined herein, computer storage media does not include communication media. Therefore, computer storage media should not be construed as the propagation of signals themselves. Propagation of signals themselves are not instances of computer storage media. Although the computer storage medium (memory 810) is shown as being within the computing device 802, those skilled in the art will understand that in some embodiments, the storage is distributed or remotely located and accessed via a network or other communication link (e.g., using communication interface 812).

[0071] In some embodiments, the computing device 802 includes an input / output controller 814 configured to output information to one or more output devices 816, such as a display and / or a speaker, which may be separate from or integrated into the electronic device. In some embodiments, the input / output controller 814 is also configured to receive and process input from one or more input devices 818 (e.g., a keyboard, microphone, and / or touchpad). In one embodiment, the output device 816 also functions as an input device. An example of such a device is a touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, the input / output controller 814 also outputs data to devices other than the output devices, such as a locally connected printing device. In some embodiments, a user provides input to the input device 818 and / or receives output from the output device 816.

[0072] In some implementations, the functions described herein are performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. According to an implementation, computing device 802, when executed by processor 804, is configured by program code to perform implementations of the described operations and functions. Alternatively or additionally, the functions described herein are performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. Examples, but not limited to, illustrative types of hardware logic components include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), program-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and the like.

[0073] While some embodiments described and shown in this specification are implemented in servers, controllers, cloud services, smartphones, mobile phones, personal computers, and / or tablets, these are merely examples of devices and not limitations. As those skilled in the art will understand, this specification is applicable to a wide variety of different types of devices, such as portable and mobile devices, for example, laptop computers, tablet computers, etc.

[0074] At least some of the functions of the different elements in the figure can be performed by other elements in the figure or entities not shown in the figure (e.g., processors, network services, servers, applications, computing devices, etc.).

[0075] Although described in conjunction with examples of computing system environments, the examples of this disclosure can be implemented with many other general-purpose or special-purpose computing system environments, configurations, and / or devices.

[0076] Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and / or configurations suitable for use with any aspect of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, mobile computing devices, personal computers, server computers, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, mobile phones, mobile computing devices and / or communication devices, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, controllers, and distributed computing environments including any of the aforementioned systems and / or devices. Such systems and / or devices are capable of accepting input from a user in any manner, including from input devices such as keyboards or pointing devices, via gestures, proximity input (e.g., by hover), and / or via voice input.

[0077] Embodiments of this disclosure can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices, including software, firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof. Computer-executable instructions may be organized into one or more computer-executable components or modules. Typically, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. Aspects and embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented with any number and organization of such components or modules. For example, aspects and embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to the specific computer-executable instructions or specific components or modules illustrated in the drawings and described herein. Other examples of this disclosure may include different computer-executable instructions and / or components having more or less functionality than shown and described herein.

[0078] In instances involving general-purpose computers, aspects and implementations of this disclosure transform a general-purpose computer into a dedicated computing device when configured to execute the instructions described herein.

[0079] The following clauses describe other aspects:

[0080] Clause Set A:

[0081] A1. A method for installing a fastener into an opening in a structure, the fastener comprising a sleeve and a pin threadedly received in the sleeve, the method comprising:

[0082] Insert the fastener into the opening;

[0083] Grab the tail of the pin;

[0084] By automatically shifting the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis, the tail of the sleeve deforms radially outward relative to the centerline axis of the fastener; and

[0085] The pin tail is sheared off by rotating it from the pin's axis.

[0086] A2. The method according to clause A1, wherein rotating the pin tail from the pin shaft includes rotating the pin relative to the sleeve until the pin tail breaks off from the pin shaft.

[0087] A3. The method according to clause A1 also includes waiting a predetermined amount of time after the tail of the sleeve is deformed radially outward and before the tail of the pin is rotatably sheared from the axis of the pin.

[0088] A4. The method according to clause A1, wherein the radial outward deformation of the tail of the sleeve by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve longitudinally along the centerline axis includes resting against the side of the structure and the flange of the sleeve.

[0089] A5. The method according to clause A1, wherein radially outward deformation of the tail of the sleeve by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis includes pulling the pin.

[0090] A6. The method according to clause A1, wherein the radial outward deformation of the tail of the sleeve by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve longitudinally along the centerline axis includes using a linear actuator to automatically displace the pin relative to the sleeve longitudinally along the centerline axis.

[0091] A7. The method according to clause A1, wherein rotatingly shearing the pin tail from the pin axis includes using a rotary actuator to automatically rotate the pin relative to the sleeve.

[0092] A8. The method according to clause A1, wherein the pin tail of the grasping pin includes spline engagement with the pin tail of the pin.

[0093] Clause Set B:

[0094] B1. A method for installing a fastener into an opening in a structure using a tool, the fastener comprising a sleeve and a pin threadedly received in the sleeve, the method comprising:

[0095] Insert the fastener into the opening;

[0096] Clamp the tool into the end of the pin;

[0097] By activating the linear actuator, the clamp is moved longitudinally relative to the structure along the centerline axis, causing the pin to move longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis, and causing the tail of the sleeve to deform radially outward relative to the centerline axis of the fastener.

[0098] The wrench of a tool interconnected with a clamp is used to grasp the end of the pin; and

[0099] By activating the rotary actuator to rotate the tool's wrench, the pin tail is rotaryly sheared from the pin's axis.

[0100] B2. The method according to clause B1, wherein rotatingly shearing the pin tail from the pin shaft comprises using a wrench to rotate the pin relative to a sleeve until the pin tail breaks off from the pin shaft.

[0101] B3. The method according to clause B1, wherein rotating the pin tail from the pin axis includes a wrench rotating relative to a tool clamp.

[0102] B4. The method according to clause B1 also includes waiting a predetermined amount of time after the tail of the sleeve is radially outwardly deformed before rotatingly shearing the tail of the pin from the axis of the pin.

[0103] B5. The method according to clause B1, wherein clamping the tool to the end of the pin includes grasping the neck of the end of the pin.

[0104] B6. The method according to clause B1, wherein grasping the end of a pin with a wrench of a tool includes engaging the wrench with the spline of the end of the pin.

[0105] B7. The method according to clause B1, wherein inserting a fastener into an opening includes automatically inserting the fastener into the opening using an interference fit.

[0106] Clause Set C:

[0107] C1. A tool for installing a fastener, the fastener comprising a sleeve and a pin threadedly received in the sleeve, the tool comprising:

[0108] frame;

[0109] A clamp is mounted to the frame such that the clamp is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame and is configured to grip the pin tail of a fastener pin.

[0110] A linear actuator, operably connected to the fixture, is configured to drive the fixture to move linearly relative to the frame.

[0111] A wrench, mounted to a frame such that the wrench is configured to rotate relative to the frame, and the wrench is configured to grip the end of a pin; and

[0112] A rotary actuator is operatively connected to the wrench such that the rotary actuator is configured to drive the wrench to rotate relative to the frame.

[0113] C2. The tool according to clause C1, wherein the linear movement of the clamp relative to the frame along the centerline axis of the fastener is configured to move the pin of the fastener along the centerline axis relative to the sleeve of the fastener, such that the tail of the sleeve deforms radially outward relative to the centerline axis.

[0114] C3. The tool according to clause C1, wherein rotation of the wrench relative to the frame about the centerline axis of the fastener is configured to rotate the pin of the fastener relative to the sleeve of the fastener, thereby further screwing the shaft of the pin into the sleeve, wherein further rotation of the wrench about the centerline axis relative to the frame is configured to disengage the pin tail from the pin shaft.

[0115] C4. Tools pursuant to Clause C1, wherein the linear actuator includes at least one of a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, or an electric linear actuator.

[0116] C5. Tools pursuant to Clause C1, wherein the rotary actuator includes at least one of a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, or an electric rotary actuator.

[0117] C6. Tools pursuant to Clause C1, wherein the wrench is configured to rotate relative to the clamp.

[0118] C7. Tools pursuant to Clause C1, wherein at least one of the clamps or wrenches includes a groove for the end of a gripping pin.

[0119] C8. A tool pursuant to Clause C1, wherein the clamp is configured to grip the neck of the pin tail.

[0120] C9. Tools pursuant to Clause C1, wherein the wrench includes a spline configured to engage with the spline of the end of a pin.

[0121] C10. The tool pursuant to Clause C1 further includes at least one processor configured to control the activation of at least one of a linear actuator or a rotary actuator.

[0122] As used herein, structures, constraints, or elements “configured” to perform a task or operation are specifically structurally formed, configured, or adapted in a manner corresponding to the task or operation. For clarity and to avoid ambiguity, objects that can only be modified to perform a task or operation are not “configured for” performing the task or operation as used herein.

[0123] Any ranges or values ​​given herein may be extended or changed without loss of the desired effect, as will be clear to those skilled in the art.

[0124] Although the subject matter has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

[0125] It will be understood that the above benefits and advantages may apply to one implementation or to several implementations. The implementation is not limited to an implementation that solves any or all of the stated problems or has any or all of the stated benefits and advantages. It will be further understood that reference to "one" means one or more of those items.

[0126] Unless otherwise specified, the execution or order of the operations in the examples of this disclosure shown and described herein is not essential. That is, unless otherwise specified, operations may be performed in any order, and examples of this disclosure may include more or fewer operations than those disclosed herein. For example, a particular operation is contemplated to be performed before, simultaneously with, or after another operation (e.g., different steps, etc.) or to be performed within the scope of aspects and embodiments of this disclosure.

[0127] The term "comprising" is used in this specification to mean including one or more features or actions that follow it, without excluding the presence of one or more additional features or actions. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that additional elements besides those listed may be present. In other words, the use of "comprising," "including," "having," "containing," "involving," and variations thereof is intended to cover both the items listed thereafter and any additional items. Furthermore, the reference to "one embodiment" is not intended to be construed as excluding the presence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the listed features. The term "exemplary" is intended to mean "an instance of."

[0128] When introducing elements or instances thereof from various aspects of this disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” are intended to mean the presence of one or more elements. In other words, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the indefinite articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” as used in the specification and claims should be understood to mean “at least one.”

[0129] The phrase “one or more of the following: A, B, and C” means “at least one of A and / or at least one of B and / or at least one of C.” As used in the specification and claims, the phrase “and / or” should be understood to mean “any one or both” of the elements so combined, i.e., elements that are present in combination in some cases and separately in others. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be interpreted in the same way, i.e., “one or more” elements so combined. Other elements may optionally be present, whether related to or unrelated to those specifically identified by the “and / or” clause. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising,” in one embodiment, a reference to “A and / or B” may refer only to A (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, only to B (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, both A and B (optionally including other elements); and so on.

[0130] As used in the specification and claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and / or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and / or” should be interpreted as inclusive, i.e., including multiple elements or at least one of the elements in the list, but also including more than one, and optionally, additional unlisted items. Only explicitly indicating the opposite terms, such as “only one” or “exactly one”, or when used in a claim, “consisting of” will refer to including many elements or exactly one of the elements in the list. In general, when preceded by exclusive terms such as “either,” “one of,” “only one,” or “exactly one of,” the term “or” should be interpreted only as indicating an exclusive alternative (i.e., “one or another but not two”). When used in a claim, “consisting substantially of” has its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0131] As used in the specification and claims, when referring to a list of one or more elements, the phrase "at least one" should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list, but not necessarily including every element explicitly listed in the list, and does not exclude any combination of elements in the list. This definition also allows for the optional presence of elements other than those specifically specified in the list referred to by the phrase "at least one," whether related to or unrelated to those specifically specified elements. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or equivalently "at least one of A or B," or equivalently "at least one of A and / or B") may in one embodiment refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) A without B (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) B without A (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, refer to at least one (optionally including more than one) A and at least one (optionally including more than one) B (and optionally including other elements), and so on.

[0132] The use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," and "third" in the claims to modify the claim elements themselves does not imply any priority, precedence, or order of action of one claim element relative to another claim element, or the temporal order of the actions of the methods of execution. Ordinal terms are used only as labels to distinguish one claim element with a certain name from another element with the same name (but only in ordinal numbers) to differentiate claim elements.

[0133] Having described aspects of this disclosure in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the aspects of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Because various changes can be made to the above-described constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of the aspects of this disclosure, all content contained in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0134] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above embodiments (and / or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Furthermore, many modifications may be made to adapt particular situations or materials to the teachings of various embodiments of this disclosure without departing from the scope of this disclosure. While the dimensions and types of materials described herein are intended to define parameters of various embodiments of this disclosure, these embodiments are by no means restrictive but rather exemplary. Many other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the above description. Therefore, the scope of the different embodiments of this disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents. In the appended claims, the terms “comprising” and “wherein” are used as concise English equivalents of the corresponding terms “including” and “wherein”. Furthermore, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used merely as labels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. In addition, the limitations of the following claims are not written in the form of means plus function and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C., 112(f). Unless, and up to such claims, the phrase “means for…” is used expressly after a statement of function to avoid further structural limitations.

[0135] This written description uses examples to disclose various embodiments of this disclosure, including the best mode, and also enables any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments of this disclosure, including making and using any device or system and performing any combined methods. The patentable scope of the various embodiments of this disclosure is defined by the claims and may include other examples that would occur to a person skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to fall within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that are not indistinguishable from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal language of the claims.

Claims

1. A method (400) for installing a fastener into an opening in a structure using a tool, the fastener comprising a sleeve and a pin receivable by means of a thread in the sleeve, the method (400) comprising: Step (402): Insert the fastener into the opening; Step (404), grasping the pin tail, including clamping the tool's clamp to the pin tail; Step (406) involves automatically displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis of the fastener, causing the tail of the sleeve to deform radially outward relative to the centerline axis, wherein the deformation of the tail (210) is achieved by activating a linear actuator (108) to displace the clamp longitudinally relative to the structure along the centerline axis, thereby displacing the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis; and Step (408): Rotarily cut the pin tail from the axis of the pin. The clamping of the tool to the tail of the pin includes grasping the neck (228) of the tail (218) of the pin; and The step (406) of radially outwardly deforming the tail of the sleeve by automatically shifting the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis includes: step (406c) resting against the side of the structure and the flange of the sleeve.

2. The method (400) of claim 1, wherein The step (408) of rotatably cutting the pin tail from the shaft of the pin includes step (408a) of rotating the pin relative to the sleeve until the pin tail is disconnected from the shaft of the pin.

3. The method (400) of claim 1, further comprising: Step (410) involves waiting a predetermined amount of time after step (406) of radially outwardly deforming the tail of the sleeve and before step (408) of rotatably shearing the tail of the pin from the axis of the pin.

4. The method (400) according to claim 1, wherein, The step (406) of radially outwardly deforming the tail of the sleeve by automatically shifting the pin longitudinally relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis includes: step (406b) pulling the pin.

5. The method (400) according to claim 1, wherein, The step (406) of radially outwardly deforming the tail of the sleeve by automatically displacing the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis includes: step (406a) using a linear actuator to automatically displace the pin relative to the sleeve along the centerline axis.

6. The method (400) according to claim 1, wherein, The step (408) of rotatably cutting the pin tail from the axis of the pin includes: step (408b) using a rotary actuator to automatically rotate the pin relative to the sleeve.

7. The method (400) according to claim 1, wherein, The step (404) of grasping the pin tail includes: step (404a) engaging the spline of the pin tail.

8. A tool (100, 300) for installing a fastener (200) into an opening in a structure (250), the fastener comprising a sleeve (204) and a pin (206) threadedly received in the sleeve (204), the tool (100, 300) comprising: The frame (102, 302) includes the base; A clamp (104, 304) is mounted to the frame (102, 302) such that the clamp (104, 304) is configured to move longitudinally relative to the frame (102, 302), and the clamp (104, 304) is configured to grip the pin tail (218) of the pin (206) of the fastener (200) by clamping the pin tail (218) of the pin (206). A linear actuator (108, 308), operatively connected to the clamp (104, 304), is configured to drive the clamp (104, 304) to move linearly relative to the frame (102, 302), wherein the linear movement of the clamp (104, 304) relative to the frame (102, 302) along the centerline axis (202) of the fastener (200) is configured to cause the fastener (200) to... The pin (206) moves relative to the sleeve (204) of the fastener (200) along the centerline axis (202), such that the tail (210) of the sleeve (204) deforms radially outward relative to the centerline axis (202), wherein, when the clamp moves the pin (206) relative to the sleeve (204) along the centerline axis (202), the base rests against one side of the structure (250) and against the flange (208) of the sleeve (204). A wrench (106, 306), the wrench being mounted to the frame (102, 302) such that the wrench (106, 306) is configured to rotate relative to the frame (102, 302), and the wrench (106, 306) is configured to grip the pin tail (218) of the pin (206); and A rotary actuator (110, 310), operably connected to the wrench (106, 306), is configured to drive the wrench (106, 306) to rotate relative to the frame (102, 302). The clamps (104, 304) are configured to grip the neck (228) of the pin tail (218) of the pin (206).

9. The tool (100, 300) according to claim 8, wherein, The rotation of the wrench (106, 306) relative to the frame (102, 302) about the centerline axis (202) of the fastener (200) is configured to rotate the pin (206) of the fastener (200) relative to the sleeve (204) of the fastener (200), thereby further screwing the shaft (220) of the pin (206) into the sleeve (204), wherein further rotation of the wrench (106, 306) relative to the frame (102, 302) about the centerline axis (202) is configured to disengage the pin tail (218) of the pin (206) from the shaft (220) of the pin (206).

10. The tool (100, 300) according to claim 8, wherein, The wrench (106, 306) is configured to rotate relative to the clamp (104, 304).

11. The tool (100, 300) according to claim 8, wherein, At least one of the clamps (104, 304) or the wrench (106, 306) includes a groove (130) that grips the pin tail (218) of the pin (206).

12. The tool (100, 300) according to claim 8, wherein, The wrench (106, 306) includes a spline (132) configured to engage with the spline (230) of the pin tail (218) of the pin (206).

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