SCREW ALIGNERS

Abstract

A screw aligner comprises a body having a first surface, an opposite second surface, and a thickness between the first and second surfaces. The body may further include a first through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface, a screw alignment feature concentrically disposed with the first through-hole and extending from the first surface through a portion of the thickness, a buffer chamber concentrically disposed with the first through-hole and extending from the second surface through a portion of the thickness, and a threaded portion axially disposed between the screw alignment feature and the buffer chamber. The body may further include a second through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface and a third through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface.The screw aligner further includes a buffer arranged in the buffer chamber.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for aligning a screw head to a socket, and more particularly to a screw aligner for aligning a screw head to a socket during a robotic screw picking operation.

[0002] For background information, please refer to the documents DE 10 2021 200 922 A1 and DE 10 2009 053 130 A1.

[0003] Typically, aligning a bushing with a screw head during a take-up operation can be difficult due to the geometries of the screw head and bushing. When attempting to align the bushing with the screw head, inadvertent rotation can occur due to contact between the bushing and the screw head. Such rotation and movement of the screw can result in damage to the screw thread and a loss of manufacturing time. The deficiencies of existing devices and methods are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention. SUMMARY

[0004] According to the invention, a screw aligner is presented that includes a body that may have a first surface, an opposite second surface, and a thickness between the first and second surfaces. The body may further include a first through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface, a screw alignment feature concentrically disposed with the first through-hole and extending from the first surface through a portion of the thickness, and a buffer chamber concentrically disposed with the first through-hole and extending from the second surface through a portion of the thickness. The body may further include a threaded portion axially disposed between the screw alignment feature and the buffer chamber. The body may further include a second through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface and a third through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface.The screw aligner includes a buffer arranged in the buffer chamber.

[0005] The screw aligner may include one or more of the following optional features. For example, the threaded portion may be configured to vertically constrain a screw. The buffer may be configured to rotationally constrain a screw. Additionally or alternatively, the buffer may be made of a resilient material. The screw aligner may further include one or more fasteners disposed in the second and third through-holes to secure the screw aligner to a frame. The buffer may be axially enclosed between the body and the frame. The buffer chamber may laterally align the buffer with the threaded portion of the body.

[0006] Further described is a nested assembly system comprising a nested receptacle connected to a frame. The nested receptacle may include a top surface, a bottom surface, and a thickness between the top surface and the bottom surface, a through hole extending from the top surface through the bottom surface, and a counterbore concentric with the through hole. The nested assembly system includes a screw aligner connected to the frame.The screw aligner may include a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a thickness between the first and second surfaces, a first through-hole extending from the first surface through the second surface and aligned with the through-hole of the nested receptacle, a buffer chamber concentrically disposed with the first through-hole and extending from the second surface through a portion of the thickness of the screw aligner, and a threaded portion axially disposed within the first through-hole. The nested locating system includes a buffer disposed within the buffer chamber between the screw aligner and the frame. The nested locating system includes a washer having an opening disposed within the counterbore, and a screw having a screw shank and a screw head connected to the screw shank.The screw shank passes through the washer opening and through the through hole of the nested retainer. The nested assembly system includes a tool configured to be actuated clockwise, counterclockwise, and axially relative to the screw.

[0007] The nested arrangement system may include one or more of the following optional features. For example, the buffer may be enclosed between the screw aligner and the frame. Additionally or alternatively, the buffer may be made of a resilient material, the buffer chamber may laterally align the buffer with the threaded portion of the body, the screw head may have a hexagonal shape, and / or the tool may be a hex bit socket. Clockwise rotation of the tool may thread the screw shank into the threaded portion of the screw aligner. The rotation of the screw may be stopped by the buffer.

[0008] A method for a nested assembly of a screw and a washer is also described. The method comprises the steps of providing a washer with an opening in a counterbore, the opening being concentric with a through hole of a nested receptacle, inserting a screw shank of the screw through the opening of the washer and the through hole such that a distal end of the screw contacts a threaded portion of a screw aligner, rotating a bushing clockwise that is disposed axially over the screw, contacting a screw head connected to the screw shank with the bushing so that the screw rotates clockwise, rotating the screw into the threaded portion of the screw aligner until the clockwise rotation is stopped by a buffer, and engaging the screw head with the bushing.turning the screw head and washer counterclockwise relative to the screw aligner and pulling the screw and washer out of the nested receptacle with the socket.

[0009] The method for a nested assembly of a screw and washer may include one or more of the following optional features or steps. For example, receiving the screw head with the bushing may also include axially receiving the screw head through the bushing when rotation of the screw is stopped. Furthermore, withdrawing the screw and washer may also include retaining the screw and washer with a magnet disposed in the bushing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The drawings described here are for illustrative purposes only; they show: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a system including a robot, a nested receptacle, and a screw aligner in accordance with the principles of the present invention; Fig. 2A a top view of the screw aligner of Fig. 1; Fig. 2B a side view of the screw aligner of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a cross-sectional view of the system of Fig. 1 according to the principles of the present invention; Fig. 4 a cross-sectional view of the system of Fig. 1 according to the principles of the present invention; and Fig. 5 a cross-sectional view of the system of Fig. 1 according to the principles of the present invention.

[0011] In all drawings, corresponding reference symbols designate corresponding parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] In Fig. 1, a nested assembly system 10 is shown that includes a robot 20, a nested receptacle 30, and a screw aligner 100. Generally, the robot 20 may include a base 21 connected to a frame 22. The robot 20 may further include a mounting arm 23 connected to a head 24. The mounting arm 23 is capable of moving laterally with respect to the base 21 so that the head 24 can engage the nested receptacle 30. When the robot 20 is aligned with or otherwise engaged with the nested receptacle 30, the robot 20 may insert a washer 40 and a screw 50 into the nested receptacle 30 via the head 24. The washer 40 and the screw 50 may be inserted into the nested receptacle 30 by other means, such as by a feeder or an operator. The head 24 may be a tool such as a hexagon bit socket 25 ( Fig. 3) or another tool corresponding to the screw 50, which is coupled to the head 24 and is actuated (ie rotated) by a drive train arranged in the head 24 (e.g. by a motor).

[0013] With further reference to Fig. 1, the nested receptacle 30 may be coupled to the frame 22 and disposed adjacent to the base 21 of the robot 20. In other words, the nested receptacle 30 may include a carrier 31 coupled to the frame 22 and a main body 32 coupled to the carrier 31 to be disposed axially of the frame 22. Referring to Fig. 3, the main body 32 may include a top surface 33, a bottom surface 34, and a thickness 35 between the top surface 33 and the bottom surface 34. A through hole 36 may be arranged in the main body 32 so that it extends from the top surface 33 through the bottom surface 34. The thickness 35 of the main body 32 and the diameter of the through hole 36 may be selected based on the dimensions (e.g., shank diameter and shank length) of the screw 50 so that the screw 50 can be easily inserted through the through hole 36 and a portion of the screw 50 protrudes from the bottom surface 34 of the main body 32. A counterbore 37 may be arranged concentrically with the through hole 36. The counterbore 37 may protrude into the main body 32 so that the washer 40 can be held laterally in the counterbore 37 during assembly.

[0014] The washer 40 may be a standard washer with an opening 41 or any other washer such as is used in the automotive industry. As best described in Fig. 3, the screw 50 may include a shaft 51 with a distal end 52 and a proximal end 53. A screw head 54 may be connected to the screw shaft 51 near the proximal end 53. The screw head 54 may have a hexagonal shape or other shape corresponding to a tool such as the socket 25. A threaded portion 55 may, for example, be disposed along a portion of the shaft 51 between a leg 56 and a tip 57. The leg 56 may be disposed axially along the shaft 51 between the screw head 54 and the threaded portion 55. The tip 57 may extend axially from the threaded portion 55 and be disposed at the distal end 52 of the screw shaft 51. It should be appreciated that during operation or assembly, other screws may be selected or used that have a different appearance and / or different features than the screw 50 shown in the figures.For example, the screw shaft 51 may not have a leg 56 and / or a tip 57. Instead, the threaded portion 55 may extend the entire length of the shaft 51.

[0015] In the Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B, the screw aligner 100 is shown with a body 102 having a first or upper surface 104, an opposite second or lower surface 106, and a thickness 108 extending between the first and second surfaces 104, 106. The body 102 may include a first through-hole 110, a second through-hole 112, and a third through-hole 114, all extending from the upper surface 104 through the lower surface 106. The second and third through-holes 112, 114 may be configured (e.g., threaded) to receive a fastener 115 (e.g., a mounting screw) to secure the screw aligner 100 to the frame 22, such as in Fig. 3. A counterbore or screw alignment feature 116 may be arranged concentrically with the first through-hole 110 and extend through a portion of the thickness 108 from the top surface 106. The alignment feature 116 may be desired to position the screw 50 within the first through-hole 110. The body 102 may also include a counterbore or buffer chamber 118 arranged concentrically with the first through-hole 110 and extend from the bottom surface 106 through a portion of the thickness 108. The buffer chamber 118 may be configured to receive a buffer 120 ( Fig. 3) made of rubber, polymer, or other material capable of elastic deformation. As described in Fig. 3, the buffer 120 may be axially trapped between the screw aligner 100 and the frame 22, so that the buffer 120 cannot be easily removed from the buffer chamber 118. A threaded portion 122 may be axially disposed in the first through-hole 110. As shown in Fig. 3, the threaded portion 122 may be axially disposed between the alignment feature 116 and the buffer chamber 118. The threaded portion 122 may correspond to the threaded portion 55 of the screw 50 such that the threaded portion 55 may be screwed into the threaded portion 122 of the screw aligner 100. Furthermore, the buffer chamber 118 may laterally align the buffer 120 with the threaded portion 122 such that the screw 50 may contact the buffer 120.

[0016] With reference to the Fig. 3-5, a method for a nested arrangement of the screw 50 and the washer 40 with the screw aligner 100 is explained in more detail below. With particular reference to Fig. 3, the washer 40 may be provided and arranged in the counterbore 37 of the nested receptacle 30 such that the opening 41 is generally concentric with the through-hole 36. As shown, the screw 50 may be provided and arranged through the opening 41 of the washer 40 and extend through the through-hole 36 of the nested receptacle 30 such that a portion of the screw 50 protrudes above the bottom surface 34 of the nested receptacle 30. As shown, the distal end 52 of the screw 50 may rest on and / or contact the threaded portion 122 of the screw aligner 100. At this point, the nested arranging system 10 may begin the receiving operation of the screw 50 and the washer 40. The bushing 25 can be actuated clockwise (e.g., via the drive train or otherwise) and moved axially (e.g., by the robot 20 or otherwise) so that the bushing 25 contacts the screw head 54.As a result, the contact between the bushing 25 and the screw head 54 causes the screw 50 to rotate clockwise within the nested receptacle 30. Without the screw aligner 100, the screw 50 would typically rotate continuously until the bushing 25 and the screw head 54 are aligned, which typically results in damage to the screw thread due to contact between the thread and the through hole of the nested receptacle. Here, however, the threaded portion 55 of the screw 50 is screwed into the threaded portion 122 of the first through hole 110 of the screw aligner 100 as a result of the contact between the bushing 25 and the screw head 54. This allows the screw 50 to be vertically constrained by the threaded portion 122 of the screw aligner 100.The screw 50 can be further screwed into the screw aligner 100 until the screw 50 touches the buffer 120, which can stop the rotation of the screw 50.

[0017] With reference to Fig. 4, the buffer 120 may eventually stop the rotation of the screw 50, e.g., due to friction between the screw 50 and the buffer 120. As shown, the buffer 120 may be made of a material configured to elastically deform as the screw 50 is threaded into the threaded portion 122 of the screw aligner 100. The contact between the screw 50 and the buffer 120 may rotationally restrict the screw 50, preventing the screw 50 from rotating clockwise. In this way, the buffer 120 may prevent further rotation of the screw 50, even though the bushing 25 is still contacting the screw head 54. By vertically and rotationally restricting the screw 50, the bushing 25 becomes more likely to align with the screw head 54, allowing the bushing 25 to engage the screw head 54.In other words, when the screw 50 stops rotating due to contact with the rotating bushing 25, the geometry of the bushing 25 (e.g., a hexagon) can more easily align with the geometry of the screw head 54 (e.g., a hexagon), allowing the screw head 54 to be received by the bushing 25. This may be desirable, for example, for reasons of time savings in manufacturing processes.

[0018] With reference to Fig. 5, once the bushing 25 has received the screw head 54, the screw 50 and washer 40 can be held together in the bushing 25 (e.g., by a magnet in the bushing 25 or by other means). To complete the receiving operation of the screw 50 and washer 40, the bushing 25 can be actuated counterclockwise (e.g., via the drive train or by other means) so that the threaded portion 55 of the screw 50 is rotated out of the threaded portion 122 of the screw aligner 100. By removing the screw 50 from the threaded portion 122, the screw 50 is freed from any axial constraint with respect to the screw aligner 100 and can thus be withdrawn axially, together with the washer 40, from the nested receptacle 30, as shown in Fig. 5 is shown.

Claims

[1] Screw aligner (100) comprising: a body (102) comprising: a first surface (104), an opposite second surface (106) and a thickness (108) between the first and second surfaces (104, 106), a first through-hole (110) extending from the first surface (104) through the second surface (106), a screw alignment feature (116) arranged concentrically with the first through-hole (110) and extending from the first surface (104) through a portion of the thickness (108), a buffer chamber (118) arranged concentrically with the first through-hole (110) and extending from the second surface (106) through a part of the thickness (108), a threaded portion (122) disposed axially between the screw alignment feature (116) and the buffer chamber (118), a second through-hole (112) extending from the first surface (104) through the second surface (106), and a third through-hole (114) extending from the first surface (104) through the second surface (106), and a buffer (120) arranged in the buffer chamber (118). [2] The screw aligner (100) of claim 1, wherein the threaded portion (122) is configured to vertically constrain a screw (50). [3] The screw aligner (100) of claim 1, wherein the buffer (120) is configured to rotationally restrict a screw (50). [4] The screw aligner (100) of claim 1, wherein the buffer (120) is made of an elastic material. [5] The screw aligner (100) of claim 4, wherein the buffer (120) is made of rubber. [6] The screw aligner (100) according to claim 5, wherein the buffer (120) elastically deforms when a screw (50) is inserted into the first through hole (110) and fastened by the threaded portion (122). [7] The screw aligner (100) of claim 1, further comprising one or more fasteners (115) disposed in the second and third through-holes (112, 114) for securing the screw aligner (100) to a frame (22). [8] The screw aligner (100) of claim 7, wherein the buffer (120) is axially enclosed between the body (102) and the frame (22). [9] The screw aligner (100) of claim 1, wherein the buffer chamber (118) laterally aligns the buffer (120) with the first through-hole (110) of the bodies (102). [10] The screw aligner (100) of claim 9, wherein the buffer chamber (118) laterally aligns the buffer (120) with the threaded portion (122).

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