Automatic screw system for joining components

Abstract

Screw system for joining components (6) for which high clamping forces are required for the screw connection, wherein the screw system comprises a screw unit (3) connected to an articulated robot arm (1), which includes a motor for the rotary drive, a torque shaft, a tool holder for a screw tool (4) and a feed head (5) which are located on a common screw axis, wherein the screw unit (3) is pivotably mounted about a joint which is arranged in the screw axis, so that a deflection of a robot axis of the articulated robot arm (1) due to clamping forces and a resulting tilt of the screw unit (3) is compensated by pivoting it, so that the screw axis maintains its perpendicular position to the plane of the components (6) to be joined, characterized in that the screw unit (3) is pivotably arranged in a holder (8) connected to the articulated robot arm (1),which has a bearing ball race (9), that the screw unit (3) has a spherical section element (10) which rests against the bearing ball race (9), that the holder (8) also has individual spring-loaded bearing balls (13) at an axial distance from the bearing ball race (9), which engage in recesses (14) of the screw unit (3) and can exit from the recesses (14), that the screw unit (3) is provided with a sleeve (11) on which the spherical section element (10) is axially displaceable, and that compression springs (12) are arranged between the sleeve (11) and the surrounding spherical section element (10), that the recesses (14) are formed in the sleeve (11), and that the compression springs (12) press the sleeve (11) with the recesses (14) against the bearing balls (13) and the spherical section element (10) against the bearing ball race (9),and that, when high contact forces are applied against the force of the compression springs (12), the screw unit (3) executes such a stroke that the bearing balls (13) emerge from the recesses (14) so ​​that the screw unit (3) can pivot.

Claims

Screw system for joining components (6) for which high clamping forces are required for the screw connection, wherein the screw system comprises a screw unit (3) connected to an articulated robot arm (1), which includes a motor for the rotary drive, a torque shaft, a tool holder for a screw tool (4) and a feed head (5) which are located on a common screw axis, wherein the screw unit (3) is pivotably mounted about a joint which is arranged in the screw axis, so that a deflection of a robot axis of the articulated robot arm (1) due to clamping forces and a resulting tilt of the screw unit (3) is compensated by pivoting it, so that the screw axis maintains its perpendicular position to the plane of the components (6) to be joined, characterized in that the screw unit (3) is pivotably arranged in a holder (8) connected to the articulated robot arm (1),which has a bearing ball race (9), that the screw unit (3) has a spherical section element (10) which rests against the bearing ball race (9), that the holder (8) also has individual spring-loaded bearing balls (13) at an axial distance from the bearing ball race (9), which engage in recesses (14) of the screw unit (3) and can exit from the recesses (14), that the screw unit (3) is provided with a sleeve (11) on which the spherical section element (10) is axially displaceable, and that compression springs (12) are arranged between the sleeve (11) and the surrounding spherical section element (10), that the recesses (14) are formed in the sleeve (11), and that the compression springs (12) press the sleeve (11) with the recesses (14) against the bearing balls (13) and the spherical section element (10) against the bearing ball race (9),and that, when high contact forces are applied against the force of the compression springs (12), the screw unit (3) executes such a stroke that the bearing balls (13) emerge from the recesses (14) so ​​that the screw unit (3) can pivot. Screw system according to claim 1, characterized in that the spherical section element (10) and the recesses (14) with the bearing balls (13) are arranged on an imaginary sphere (15), and that the screw unit (3) is pivotable about the center point (16) of the imaginary sphere (15). Screw system according to claim 2, characterized in that the center of the imaginary sphere (16) is the center of gravity of the screw unit (3).

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