Hot melt rivet setting device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a hot-melt screw tightening device and a tightening method, and relates to the technical field of mechanical manufacturing and automatic control. The device comprises a feeding assembly, a rotating assembly installed on a Z-axis moving seat of the feeding assembly, a pneumatic pressing assembly, a screw overturning assembly and a screw conveying pipeline. The screw overturning assembly adsorbs, overturns and outputs the screw, and the screw conveying pipeline conveys the screw to a screw clamping nozzle of the pneumatic pressing assembly. The pneumatic pressing assembly applies a pressing force to a workpiece before tightening. The linear motion of the feeding assembly is matched with the rotary motion of the rotating assembly, so that the hot-melt drilling and tightening of the screw are realized. The application can accurately control and real-time adjust the rotating speed, the axial pressure and the torque, realize the automatic connection of the screw supply, overturning, conveying, clamping and tightening, and is suitable for the connection of different materials such as steel plates and aluminum alloys, and has high connection strength.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the fields of mechanical manufacturing and automation control technology, and in particular to a hot melt nail tightening device and tightening method. Background Technology

[0002] Friction Drilling Screw (FDS) is a connection process that utilizes the frictional heat generated between a high-speed rotating screw and a workpiece to soften the workpiece material and induce plastic deformation, thereby forming a threaded connection through the screw's self-tapping mechanism. This process eliminates the need for pre-drilling holes and requires assembly from only one side of the workpiece, making it suitable for connecting various material combinations such as aluminum alloys with aluminum alloys and aluminum alloys with steel plates.

[0003] In the process of realizing this invention, the inventors discovered that the prior art has at least the following problems: The hot melt nail connection process requires the equipment to simultaneously achieve high-speed rotation of the screw and precise control of axial pressure, so that sufficient frictional heat is generated between the screw and the workpiece material, thereby causing the material to undergo plastic deformation and then being tightened by the screw self-tapping screw to form a connection; the required rotational speed, axial pressure and torque are different at different stages of the connection process, and the existing tightening equipment is difficult to accurately control and adjust the above parameters in real time, resulting in unstable connection quality; in addition, the screw supply, posture adjustment, conveying and positioning links lack automated connection, affecting connection efficiency and connection consistency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a thermoplastic nail tightening device and a thermoplastic nail tightening method to achieve precise control of rotational speed and axial pressure during the thermoplastic nail tightening process, and to achieve automated connection of screw supply, flipping, conveying, clamping and tightening.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a hot-melt screw tightening device, comprising: a feed assembly for driving the device to move linearly along the Z-axis; a rotary assembly mounted on the Z-axis moving seat of the feed assembly for driving the screw to rotate at high speed to generate frictional heat and complete tightening; a pneumatic pressing assembly for applying a clamping force to the workpiece before tightening; a screw flipping assembly for receiving the screw and adsorbing, flipping, and outputting the screw; and a screw conveying pipeline, the upper end of which is connected to the screw air pipe connector outlet of the screw flipping assembly, and the lower end of which is connected to the screw clamp of the pneumatic pressing assembly, for conveying the flipped screw to the screw clamp; wherein, the linear motion of the feed assembly and the rotational motion of the rotary assembly are combined to achieve hot-melt drilling and tightening of the screw.

[0006] In some embodiments, the feed assembly includes a base, a servo motor, a reducer, a coupling, a lead screw, a lead screw mounting base, a guide rail, and a Z-axis moving base. The output end of the servo motor is connected to the lead screw via the reducer and the coupling to drive the lead screw to rotate. The lead screw mounting base radially positions the upper end of the lead screw to keep it coaxial during rotation. The Z-axis moving base engages with the lead screw and slides along the guide rail to move up and down along the guide rail during lead screw rotation. Thus, the speed and linear pressure of the linear motion can be precisely adjusted by controlling the servo motor.

[0007] In some embodiments, the guide rails are arranged in pairs, left and right. The Z-axis moving seat is slidably engaged with the guide rails on the left and right sides by two sets of guide rail sliders, so as to limit the Z-axis moving seat to move only in a straight line along the Z-axis direction, thereby improving the guiding accuracy and stability of the feed motion.

[0008] In some embodiments, the feed assembly is used to adjust the pressing speed and axial pressure of the Z-axis moving seat in real time according to the load of the workpiece, so as to adapt to different connection conditions.

[0009] In some embodiments, the rotating assembly includes a rotary servo motor, a motor mounting base, a splined shaft, a splined sleeve, a screwdriver shank, and a screwdriver head disposed at one end of the screwdriver shank. The rotary servo motor is fixed to the motor mounting base and is drivenly connected to the splined shaft. The splined shaft is drivenly connected to the screwdriver shank through the splined sleeve, so that the screwdriver shank rotates synchronously with the splined shaft while extending and retracting along the Z-axis. The rotational speed and torque can both be achieved by controlling the rotary servo motor.

[0010] In some embodiments, the spline sleeve is fitted over the outside of the spline shaft to transmit the rotation of the spline shaft to the screwdriver bar and to allow the screwdriver bar to move up and down relative to the spline shaft along the Z-axis with the spline sleeve.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotating assembly further includes a spring disposed below the splined sleeve for providing a restoring force to the screwdriver shank to compensate for axial displacement during tightening, thereby keeping the screwdriver tip and screw in contact during tightening.

[0012] In some embodiments, the screwdriver bit is a replaceable connection structure to adapt to thermoplastic screws of different head types, thereby improving the versatility of the device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the pneumatic pressing assembly includes a first cylinder arranged in a left-right pair, a screw clamp located at the bottom, a second cylinder, and a pressure head; the first cylinder is used to drive the pneumatic pressing assembly to move as a whole along the Z-axis direction, the second cylinder is used to drive the screw clamp to open and close left and right to clamp or release the screw, and the pressure head is located below the screw clamp or between the screw clamps to apply a clamping force to the workpiece before tightening.

[0014] In some embodiments, the pneumatic pressing assembly further includes two guide shafts, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the pneumatic pressing assembly to guide the press head and the screw clamp as they move up and down to maintain their straightness and prevent deviation during pressing and tightening.

[0015] In some embodiments, the pneumatic pressing assembly further includes a screw detection sensor, which is used to detect whether the screw has reached the position of the screw clamp, providing a positioning signal for subsequent tightening actions.

[0016] In some embodiments, the pneumatic pressing assembly further includes a linear displacement sensor for detecting the travel of the screw clamp or the press head and feeding back actual displacement data to the control system.

[0017] In some embodiments, the screw flipping assembly includes a flipping cylinder, a rotating block, a screw air pipe connector inlet, an air nozzle, and the screw air pipe connector outlet; the flipping cylinder is used to drive the rotating block to rotate 180° around its central axis, and the screw air pipe connector inlet, the air nozzle, and the screw air pipe connector outlet are all connected to the rotating block.

[0018] In some embodiments, the nozzle is used to generate suction when the screw enters the rotating block to keep the screw stable during the flipping process, and to apply airflow to the screw after the flipping is complete so that the screw exits from the rotating block through the screw air connector outlet.

[0019] In some embodiments, the upper end of the screw delivery pipeline is connected to the outlet of the screw air pipe connector, and the lower end is connected to the inlet of the screw clamp, and the screw delivery pipeline has a curved structure to adapt to the installation space of the device.

[0020] In some embodiments, the device further includes a control system, wherein the servo motor of the feed component and the rotary servo motor of the rotary component constitute a dual servo control system; the control system is used to control and monitor the downward pressure in the Z-axis direction, the rotational speed and torque of the rotary component, the screw positioning signal, and the pressure head displacement in real time, so as to realize the automated control of the hot melt drilling, hole forming and tightening process and ensure the connection quality of the hot melt nail.

[0021] In some embodiments, the screw flipping assembly, the screw delivery pipeline, and the pneumatic pressing assembly are sequentially connected to form a continuous screw delivery path, which enables the screw to be automatically flipped, delivered, clamped, and positioned from the screw supply system.

[0022] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for tightening hot-melt screws, comprising the following steps: receiving a screw through a screw flipping assembly, flipping the screw at a set angle, and outputting it; conveying the flipped screw to the screw clamp position of a pneumatic pressing assembly through a screw conveying pipeline; applying a clamping force to the workpiece through the pneumatic pressing assembly; driving the feed assembly downwards to make the screw contact the workpiece surface; driving the screw to rotate at high speed through a rotating assembly, using frictional heat to make the screw penetrate the workpiece and complete the tightening; wherein, the control system monitors and adjusts the Z-axis downward pressure, R-axis speed, and torque in real time to adapt to the connection requirements of workpieces of different materials.

[0023] In some embodiments, the hot melt screw tightening method further includes the following steps: after the screw is delivered to the screw clamp position of the pneumatic pressing assembly, the screwdriver head is driven to rotate clockwise and / or counterclockwise by a set angle through a rotating assembly, so as to align the screwdriver head with the head groove of the screw and drive the screw to rotate synchronously.

[0024] Based on the hot melt nail tightening device and method provided in the above embodiments of the present invention, by adopting at least one of the above technical solutions, the following beneficial effects can be achieved: First, the feed component and the rotating component are driven by servo motors respectively, and process parameters such as rotation speed, axial pressure, and torque can be precisely controlled and monitored and adjusted in real time, so that sufficient and stable frictional heat is generated between the screw and the workpiece material, ensuring the connection quality of the hot melt drilling and tightening process; Second, the screw flipping component, the screw conveying pipeline and the pneumatic pressing component form a continuous screw conveying path, realizing the automated connection of nail feeding, flipping, conveying, clamping and positioning, improving connection efficiency and consistency; Third, with the help of the hot melt self-tapping screw process, the device has the advantages of single-sided assembly and no need for pre-drilling, and can realize the connection of different materials such as steel plates and aluminum alloys, with high connection strength.

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0027] The invention will be more clearly understood with reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the hot melt nail tightening device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feed assembly (Z-axis assembly) in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotating component (R-axis component) in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the pneumatic pressing assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a second schematic diagram of the pneumatic pressing assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is the third schematic diagram of the pneumatic pressing assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the screw flipping assembly in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the combined structure of the screw flipping assembly and the pneumatic pressing assembly in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 101, Feed assembly; 102, Rotary assembly; 103, Outer cover; 104, Pneumatic pressing assembly; 105, Solenoid valve assembly; 106, Vacuum assembly; 107, Mounting base; 108, Terminal block; 109, Screw flipping assembly; 201, Rotary servo motor; 202, R-axis coupling; 203, Motor mounting base; 204, Splined shaft; 205, Connecting seat; 206, Splined sleeve; 207, Spring; 208, Slip ring; 209, Screwdriver handle; 210, Screwdriver head; 301, Base; 302. Servo motor; 303. Reducer; 304. Z-axis coupling; 305. Lead screw mounting bracket; 306. Guide rail; 307. Lead screw; 401. First cylinder; 402. Pressure head; 403. Screw clamp; 404. Screw delivery pipeline; 405. Screw detection sensor; 406. Linear displacement sensor; 407. Second cylinder; 408. Guide shaft; 501. Tilting cylinder; 502. Screw air pipe connector inlet; 503. Rotating block; 504. Air nozzle; 505. Second air nozzle; 506. Screw air pipe connector outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present application will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. It is understood that the illustrative embodiments of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, related methods, devices, and systems. The specific embodiments described herein are merely for explaining the present application and not for limiting it. Furthermore, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present application, and not all of the structures or processes.

[0030] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of this application will be presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of this application. To provide a thorough understanding of this application, many specific details will be included in the following description. This application may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of this application, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0031] Reference Figure 1 The hot melt nail tightening device provided in this embodiment of the invention includes a feed assembly 101 (i.e., Z-axis assembly), a rotation assembly 102 (i.e., R-axis assembly), a pneumatic pressing assembly 104, a screw flipping assembly 109, and a screw delivery pipeline 404. In one embodiment, the device further includes a mounting base 107, an outer cover 103, a solenoid valve assembly 105, a vacuum assembly 106, and a terminal block 108. The mounting base 107 is used for mounting and supporting the device; for example, the entire device is mounted to an external support device via the flange structure of the mounting base 107. The outer cover 103 covers the outside of the device and protects the internal components. The solenoid valve assembly 105 controls the airflow of each pneumatic component in the device. The vacuum assembly 106 provides negative vacuum pressure to the air nozzle 504 of the screw flipping assembly 109. The terminal block 108 is used for centralized wiring of the electrical circuits in the device.

[0032] The feed assembly 101 can achieve linear motion, which in turn drives some mechanisms in the rotary assembly 102 (excluding the rotary servo motor 201, R-axis coupling 202, motor mounting base 203, and spline shaft 204) to move up and down in the Z-axis direction; the speed and linear pressure of the linear motion can be achieved by controlling the servo motor 302 in the feed assembly 101. The rotary assembly 102 can achieve rotational motion, and the speed and torque of the rotation can be achieved by controlling the rotary servo motor 201 in the rotary assembly 102.

[0033] Reference Figure 3In one embodiment, the feed assembly 101 includes a base 301, a servo motor 302, a reducer 303, a Z-axis coupling 304, a lead screw fixing seat 305, a guide rail 306, a lead screw 307, and a Z-axis moving seat. The output end of the servo motor 302 is connected to the reducer 303, and the output end of the reducer 303 is connected to the lead screw 307 via the Z-axis coupling 304 to drive the lead screw 307 to rotate. The lead screw 307 is vertically arranged, and the lead screw fixing seat 305 radially positions the upper end of the lead screw 307, keeping the lead screw 307 coaxial and stable during rotation and preventing radial runout during high-speed rotation. The Z-axis moving seat is driven by the lead screw 307 (e.g., through a lead screw nut adapted to the lead screw 307). When the lead screw 307 rotates, the Z-axis moving seat moves up and down along the guide rail 306, thereby driving the mechanism mounted on it to feed or retract along the Z-axis direction.

[0034] Furthermore, the guide rails 306 are arranged in pairs on the left and right and fixed to the base 301. The Z-axis moving seat slides with the guide rails 306 on the left and right sides through two sets of guide rail sliders, thereby limiting the Z-axis moving seat to linear movement only along the Z-axis direction, improving the guiding accuracy and running stability of the feed. In one embodiment, the feed assembly 101 can adjust the pressing speed and axial pressure of the Z-axis moving seat in real time according to the load of the workpiece, that is, through closed-loop control of the rotation speed and output torque of the servo motor 302, the pressing speed and axial pressure can be precisely adjusted.

[0035] Reference Figure 2 In one embodiment, the rotating assembly 102 includes a rotary servo motor 201, an R-axis coupling 202, a motor mounting base 203, a splined shaft 204, a connecting seat 205, a splined sleeve 206, a spring 207, a sliding buckle 208, a screwdriver shank 209, and a screwdriver head 210 disposed at one end (lower end) of the screwdriver shank 209. The rotary servo motor 201 is fixed to the motor mounting base 203, and its output shaft is drivenly connected to the splined shaft 204 through the R-axis coupling 202; the splined shaft 204 is drivenly connected to the screwdriver shank 209 through the splined sleeve 206, so that the screwdriver shank 209 can extend and retract along the Z-axis direction while maintaining synchronous rotation with the splined shaft 204.

[0036] Specifically, the spline sleeve 206 is sleeved on the outside of the spline shaft 204 and splines into contact with it, used to transmit the rotation of the spline shaft 204 to the screwdriver shank 209. Simultaneously, the spline sleeve 206 can slide axially relative to the spline shaft 204, allowing the screwdriver shank 209 to move up and down relative to the spline shaft 204 along the Z-axis. Thus, when the feed assembly 101 drives the mechanisms in the rotating assembly 102 (excluding the rotary servo motor 201, R-axis coupling 202, motor mounting base 203, and spline shaft 204) to move along the Z-axis, the spline shaft 204 and the spline sleeve 206 maintain torque transmission while accommodating relative axial displacement. It is understood that the specific level of the spline fit can be selected according to assembly needs, as long as the transmission effect of "synchronously transmitting torque and allowing relative axial expansion and contraction" is achieved; this embodiment of the invention does not impose any limitations on this.

[0037] In one embodiment, the rotating assembly 102 further includes a spring 207 disposed below the spline sleeve 206, which provides a restoring force to the screwdriver shank 209 to compensate for axial displacement during tightening, so that the screwdriver head 210 remains in contact with the screw during tightening and avoids slippage. Figure 2 The diagram also shows the connecting seat 205 and the sliding buckle 208, which are structural components in the rotating assembly 102 that serve as connections and limits. Their specific forms can be selected according to assembly needs. In addition, the screwdriver head 210 is a replaceable connecting structure that can adapt to hot melt screws of different head types. By changing the screwdriver head 210, it can meet the tightening requirements of screws of different specifications, improving the versatility of the device.

[0038] Reference Figures 4 to 6 In one embodiment, the pneumatic pressing assembly 104 includes a first cylinder 401 arranged in pairs on the left and right, a pressing head 402, a screw clamp 403 located at the bottom, a second cylinder 407, two guide shafts 408, a screw detection sensor 405, and a linear displacement sensor 406. The extension and retraction movement of the first cylinder 401 drives the pressing mechanism of the pneumatic pressing assembly 104 to move along the Z-axis direction to press the plates to be connected with the pressing head 402. The movement of the pressing mechanism is guided by the two guide shafts 408, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the pneumatic pressing assembly 104 to ensure that the pressing head 402 and the screw clamp 403 maintain linearity and no deviation when moving up and down. The displacement of the pressing mechanism is fed back by the linear displacement sensor 406 to provide actual displacement data to the control system.

[0039] The extension and retraction of the second cylinder 407 drives the screw clamp 403 to open and close left and right, thereby clamping or releasing the screw. Under air pressure, the screw moves through the screw delivery pipe 404 to the screw clamp 403 and is clamped. The screw detection sensor 405 detects whether the screw has reached the position of the screw clamp 403 and sends a feedback signal indicating that it is in place. The pressure head 402 applies a stable clamping force to the workpiece before tightening.

[0040] It is understandable that the number and arrangement of the first cylinder 401, the specific opening and closing form of the screw clamp 403, and the relative position of the pressure head 402 and the screw clamp 403 can all be adaptively adjusted according to the workpiece shape and assembly space; the specific types of the screw detection sensor 405 and the linear displacement sensor 406 are not limited, and any sensor commonly used in this field that can achieve the corresponding detection function can be used.

[0041] Reference Figure 7 In one embodiment, the screw flipping assembly 109 includes a flipping cylinder 501, a screw air pipe connector inlet 502, a rotating block 503, an air nozzle 504, a second air nozzle 505, and a screw air pipe connector outlet 506. The screw air pipe connector inlet 502, the air nozzle 504, the second air nozzle 505, and the screw air pipe connector outlet 506 are all connected to the rotating block 503.

[0042] The working process of the screw flipping assembly 109 is as follows: Under air blowing conditions, the screw moves into the rotating block 503 through the screw air pipe connector inlet 502. The air nozzle 504 uses vacuum to generate suction to hold the screw, keeping it stable during the flipping process. Then, the flipping cylinder 501 drives the rotating block 503 to rotate 180° around its central axis, adjusting the screw's posture from the conveying posture to a posture suitable for tightening. After flipping to the correct position, the vacuum adsorption is released, the screw falls, and the second air nozzle 505 applies airflow to the screw, causing the screw to enter the screw conveying pipeline 404 through the screw air pipe connector outlet 506 and move forward in the pipeline.

[0043] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates the combined structure of the screw flipping assembly 109 and the pneumatic pressing assembly 104. The upper end of the screw delivery conduit 404 is connected to the screw air connector outlet 506, and the lower end is connected to the inlet of the screw clamp 403. The screw delivery conduit 404 has a curved structure to accommodate the installation space of the device. Thus, the screw flipping assembly 109, the screw delivery conduit 404, and the pneumatic pressing assembly 104 are sequentially connected to form a continuous screw delivery path, enabling the screw to be automatically flipped, delivered, clamped, and positioned from the screw supply system without manual intervention.

[0044] In one embodiment, the thermoplastic nail tightening device further includes a control system, wherein the servo motor 302 of the feed assembly 101 and the rotary servo motor 201 of the rotary assembly 102 constitute a dual servo control system. The control system precisely controls the downward pressure and moving speed in the Z-axis direction through the servo motor 302, and precisely controls the rotational speed (R-axis speed) and torque through the rotary servo motor 201. Combined with the screw positioning signal fed back by the screw detection sensor 405 and the pressure head displacement data fed back by the linear displacement sensor 406, the system monitors and adjusts various parameters in the connection process in real time, thereby realizing automated control of the thermoplastic drilling, hole formation and tightening process, and ensuring the connection quality of the thermoplastic nail.

[0045] Based on the above-described device, this invention also provides a method for tightening thermoplastic staples, comprising the following steps: (1) The screw is received by the screw flipping assembly 109 and flipped by a set angle (e.g., 180°) before being output; (2) The flipped screw is conveyed to the screw clamp 403 position of the pneumatic pressing assembly 104 through the screw conveying pipeline 404, and the screw detection sensor 405 feeds back the screw position signal. (3) In some embodiments, the rotating component 102 drives the screwdriver head 210 to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise by a set angle to align the screwdriver head 210 with the head groove of the screw and drive the screw to rotate synchronously. (4) Apply a clamping force to the workpiece using the pneumatic pressing assembly 104 to press the plates to be connected together; (5) The screw contacts the workpiece surface by driving the feed assembly 101 downward; (6) The screw is driven to rotate at high speed by the rotating component 102. The frictional heat generated by the friction between the screw and the workpiece material softens the material and causes plastic deformation. The screw drills into the workpiece, self-tapping and tightens. Throughout the process, the control system monitors and adjusts the Z-axis pressure, R-axis speed and torque in real time to adapt to the connection requirements of workpieces of different materials.

[0046] It is understood that at different stages of hot-melt drilling and tightening (such as friction heating, drilling through holes, tapping, and final tightening and bonding), the control system can set and adjust the corresponding speed, downward pressure and torque parameters in real time. For different material combinations such as aluminum alloy with aluminum alloy, aluminum alloy with steel plate, and different plate thicknesses, the corresponding process parameters can be preset or calibrated through process debugging. The specific values ​​of the parameters are not limited in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0047] It is understood that the screw flipping setting angle can be set according to the relative relationship between the screw feeding posture and the tightening posture required, and 180° is only one implementation method; the reduction ratio of the reducer 303 in the feed assembly 101, the number of guide rails 306, the specifications of the spring 207 in the rotating assembly 102, etc., can all be selected according to the actual working conditions; the features in the above embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict, and the combined technical solution still falls within the scope of the embodiments disclosed in this invention.

[0048] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For system embodiments, since they largely correspond to method embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0049] The methods and systems of the present invention may be implemented in many ways. For example, they may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above-described order of steps for the methods is for illustrative purposes only, and the steps of the methods of the present invention are not limited to the order specifically described above unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the present invention may also be implemented as a program recorded on a recording medium, the program comprising machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to the present invention. Thus, the present invention also covers recording media storing programs for performing the methods according to the present invention.

[0050] The description of this invention is given for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical application of the invention and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the invention and to design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for a particular purpose.

Claims

1. A thermoplastic nail tightening device, characterized in that, include: The feed assembly is used to drive the device to perform linear motion along the Z-axis direction; A rotary assembly, mounted on the Z-axis moving seat of the feed assembly, is used to drive the screw to rotate at high speed to generate frictional heat and complete the tightening; Pneumatic pressing assembly, used to apply clamping force to a workpiece before tightening; Screw flipping assembly, used to receive screws and to attract, flip and output them; The screw delivery pipeline is connected at the upper end to the screw air pipe connector outlet of the screw flipping assembly and at the lower end to the screw clamp of the pneumatic pressing assembly, and is used to deliver the flipped screw to the screw clamp. The linear motion of the feed assembly is combined with the rotational motion of the rotary assembly to achieve hot-melt drilling and tightening of the screw.

2. The hot melt nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feed assembly includes a base, a servo motor, a reducer, a coupling, a lead screw, a lead screw mounting base, a guide rail, and a Z-axis moving base. The output end of the servo motor is connected to the lead screw via the reducer and the coupling to drive the lead screw to rotate. The lead screw mounting base radially positions the upper end of the lead screw to keep the lead screw coaxial during rotation. The Z-axis moving base is driven by the lead screw and slides along the guide rail to move up and down along the guide rail during lead screw rotation.

3. The hot melt nail tightening device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide rails are arranged in pairs, left and right. The Z-axis moving seat is slidably engaged with the guide rails on the left and right sides by two sets of guide rail sliders, so as to limit the Z-axis moving seat to move only in a straight line along the Z-axis direction.

4. The hot melt nail tightening device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The feed assembly is used to adjust the downward speed and axial pressure of the Z-axis moving seat in real time according to the load of the workpiece.

5. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating assembly includes a rotary servo motor, a motor mounting base, a spline shaft, a spline sleeve, a screwdriver bar, and a screwdriver head disposed at one end of the screwdriver bar. The rotary servo motor is fixed to the motor mounting base and is drivenly connected to the spline shaft. The spline shaft is drivenly connected to the screwdriver bar through the spline sleeve, so that the screwdriver bar can extend and retract along the Z-axis while rotating synchronously with the spline shaft.

6. The hot melt nail tightening device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The spline sleeve is fitted over the outside of the spline shaft to transmit the rotation of the spline shaft to the screwdriver bar and to allow the screwdriver bar to move up and down relative to the spline sleeve along the Z-axis.

7. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rotating assembly also includes a spring disposed below the splined sleeve, which provides a restoring force to the screwdriver shank to compensate for axial displacement during tightening.

8. The hot melt nail tightening device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The screwdriver bit is a replaceable connection structure, used to adapt to hot melt screws of different head types.

9. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pneumatic pressing assembly includes a first cylinder arranged in pairs on the left and right, a screw clamp located at the bottom, a second cylinder, and a pressure head; the first cylinder is used to drive the pneumatic pressing assembly to move along the Z-axis, the second cylinder is used to drive the screw clamp to open and close to the left and right to clamp or release the screw, and the pressure head is located below the screw clamp or between the screw clamps to apply a clamping force to the workpiece before tightening.

10. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The pneumatic pressing assembly also includes two guide shafts, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the pneumatic pressing assembly to guide the press head and the screw clamp to maintain their straightness when they move up and down.

11. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The pneumatic pressing assembly also includes a screw detection sensor, which is used to detect whether the screw has reached the position of the screw clamp.

12. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The pneumatic pressing assembly also includes a linear displacement sensor, which is used to detect the movement stroke of the screw clamp or the pressure head and to feed back the actual displacement data to the control system.

13. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The screw flipping assembly includes a flipping cylinder, a rotating block, a screw air pipe connector inlet, an air nozzle, and the screw air pipe connector outlet; the flipping cylinder is used to drive the rotating block to rotate 180° around its central axis, and the screw air pipe connector inlet, the air nozzle, and the screw air pipe connector outlet are all connected to the rotating block.

14. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The air nozzle is used to generate suction when the screw enters the rotating block, so that the screw remains stable during the flipping process.

15. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the screw delivery pipeline is connected to the outlet of the screw air pipe connector, and the lower end is connected to the inlet of the screw clamp. The screw delivery pipeline has a curved structure to adapt to the installation space of the device.

16. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a control system, wherein the servo motor of the feed component and the rotary servo motor of the rotary component constitute a dual servo control system; the control system is used to control and monitor the downward pressure in the Z-axis direction, the rotational speed and torque of the rotary component, the screw positioning signal and the pressure head displacement in real time, so as to realize the automated control of the hot melt drilling, hole forming and tightening process and ensure the connection quality of the hot melt nail.

17. The thermosetting nail tightening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The screw flipping assembly, the screw delivery pipeline, and the pneumatic pressing assembly are connected in sequence to form a continuous screw delivery path, which enables the screw to be automatically flipped, delivered, clamped, and positioned from the screw supply system.

18. A method for tightening thermoplastic staples, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The screw is received by the screw flipping component, and the screw is flipped at a set angle before being output; The flipped screws are delivered to the screw clamp position of the pneumatic pressing assembly via the screw delivery pipeline; The pneumatic pressing assembly applies a clamping force to the workpiece. The screw contacts the workpiece surface by moving downwards via the feed assembly drive device. The screw is driven to rotate at high speed by a rotating component, and frictional heat is used to make the screw penetrate into the workpiece and complete the tightening. The system monitors and adjusts the Z-axis pressure, R-axis speed and torque in real time to adapt to the connection requirements of workpieces made of different materials.

19. The method for tightening thermoplastic studs according to claim 18, characterized in that, It also includes the following steps: After the screw is fed to the screw clamp position of the pneumatic pressing assembly, the screwdriver head is driven to rotate clockwise and / or counterclockwise by a set angle through the rotating assembly, so as to align the screwdriver head with the screw head groove and drive the screw to rotate synchronously.

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