Insert insertion tool and robot equipped with same

Abstract

To propose an insert insertion tool which can suppress vibration during movement etc. while having a function for absorbing pressing force generated by a floating mechanism, and to propose a robot including the insert insertion tool.SOLUTION: An insert insertion tool 1 includes a floating mechanism having: movable parts 10, 11 having a male screw part 11c which is threadedly engaged with a coiled insert i; fixed parts 5, 6, 7 which support the movable parts 10, 11 in a manner that the movable parts 10, 11 may move in a vertical direction; and an elastic part 9 which biases the movable parts 10, 11 upward. Further, the insert insertion tool 1 includes suppression mechanisms 8, 11d which suppress vertical movement of the movable parts 10, 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an insert insertion tool for inserting an insert into a female threaded portion of a workpiece, and a robot equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when using a workpiece made of a relatively weak base material such as light metals such as aluminum or synthetic resin, an insert may be inserted into the female thread of the workpiece beforehand. The insert can reduce the load on the base material when the screw is fastened, so that it is possible to prevent damage to the workpiece when the screw is fastened. The insert can also increase the fastening force of the screw.

[0003] As such an insert, a coil-shaped insert is known, which is formed by winding a steel wire having a diamond cross section into a shape similar to a cylindrical compression coil spring, and has an outer peripheral side with a male thread and an inner peripheral side with a female thread. Also, as a tool used when inserting the coil-shaped insert into the female thread of the workpiece, an insert insertion tool having a male thread that screws into a female thread provided on the inside of the insert is known.

[0004] When inserting an insert into a female thread of a workpiece using an insert insertion tool, first, the above-mentioned male thread is rotated while approaching and then contacting an insert supplied by an insert supply device or the like, thereby threading the female threaded portion provided on the inside of the insert with the male thread. Then, the male thread with which the insert is threaded is moved directly above the female thread provided on the workpiece, and the male thread is rotated while lowering. As a result, the male threaded portion provided on the outside of the insert is threaded with the female thread of the workpiece, and the insert is inserted into the female thread. After that, the male thread of the insert insertion tool is rotated in the reverse direction, and only the male thread is pulled out while the insert remains in the workpiece, completing the insertion of the insert into the workpiece.

[0005] However, since the coil insert is in the form of a cylindrical compression coil spring as described above and has both the properties of a screw and a spring, it will deform if an excessive force is applied to it. That is, when the male thread of the insert insertion tool is screwed into the insert, the insert may be deformed by the pressing force generated when the male thread comes into contact with the insert.

[0006] In view of such problems, a floating mechanism has been proposed that can absorb the pressing force from the male thread portion of the insert insertion tool and prevent the deformation of the insert. For example, Patent Document 1 shows a floating mechanism that can absorb the pressing force when the male thread portion comes into contact with the insert by connecting a rotation driver portion having a male thread portion and a slide via a leaf spring (first leaf spring means). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-320440 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In this way, the floating mechanism is configured to float the part having the male thread by a spring. However, such a floating mechanism may cause a malfunction except when the male thread is brought close to the insert and further into contact with it. For example, when the male thread is moved to the vicinity of the insert, or when the insert screwed to the male thread is moved to the vicinity of the workpiece, the rotation driver part having the male thread may vibrate significantly in the vertical direction due to the change in acceleration during the movement. If the male thread is moved to the vicinity of the insert or the workpiece while still vibrating, it may collide with the insert or the workpiece and damage them. Furthermore, if it is necessary to wait until the vibration subsides, the operation time will be extended and the operation efficiency will be reduced.

[0009] In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide an insert insertion tool and a robot equipped with the same that have the function of absorbing the pressing force from a floating mechanism while suppressing vibration during movement, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention relates to a movable part having a male threaded portion that screws into a coil-shaped insert, and a fixed part that supports the movable part so that the movable part can move in the up and down direction. Between the movable part and the fixed part, In the insert insertion tool, a floating mechanism having an elastic portion that biases the movable portion upward is provided. a rotation mechanism that rotates the male screw portion, and a control unit that controls the operation of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism, wherein the suppression mechanism has a magnetic material portion provided on either the movable portion or the fixed portion, and an electromagnet portion provided on the other of the movable portion or the fixed portion and capable of switching between generation and disappearance of a magnetic force directed toward the magnetic material portion, and the control unit controls the operation of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism so that, when the male screw portion is rotating, vertical movement of the movable portion is permitted, and, when the rotation of the male screw portion is stopped, vertical movement of the movable portion is suppressed. It is characterized by:

[0012] Also The present invention relates to an insert insertion tool having a floating mechanism including a movable part having a male threaded part that screws into a coil-shaped insert, a fixed part that supports the movable part so that the movable part can move in the vertical direction, and an elastic part that is interposed between the movable part and the fixed part and urges the movable part upward relative to the fixed part. The insert insertion tool further includes a suppression mechanism that suppresses the vertical movement of the movable part, The suppression mechanism includes a moving part provided on either the movable part or the fixed part and movable toward or away from the other of the movable part or the fixed part, and a contact part provided on the moving part, and when the suppression mechanism is moved forward by the moving part, the contact part comes into contact with the other of the movable part or the fixed part. R It is also characterized by the above.

[0013] In addition, in such an insert insertion tool, it is preferable to include a rotation mechanism that rotates the male threaded portion, and a control unit that controls the operation of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism, and the control unit controls the operation of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism so that when the male threaded portion is rotating, the movable portion is capable of moving in the vertical direction, and when the rotation of the male threaded portion is stopped, the vertical movement of the movable portion is suppressed.

[0014] The present invention also relates to a robot including any one of the insert insertion tools described above. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the insert insertion tool and the robot equipped with the insert insertion tool of the present invention, when the male thread of the insert insertion tool comes into contact with the insert, the floating mechanism can absorb the pressing force from the male thread acting on the insert. In addition, the suppression mechanism can suppress the vertical movement of the movable part having the male thread, so that the vibration of the male thread can be suppressed in the work that may have previously caused the male thread to vibrate (for example, the work of moving the male thread to the vicinity of the insert). Therefore, there is no risk of collision with the insert or workpiece, which was a problem in the past, causing damage to them, and there is also no need to prolong the work time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an insert insertion device using an insert insertion tool and a robot equipped with the insert insertion tool according to the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2A is a partially enlarged view of the insert insertion device shown in FIG. 1 around an insert insertion tool, and FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of the periphery of a rotation driver portion. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the insert insertion device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of inserting an insert into a workpiece using the insert insertion device shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing teaching data for executing the process shown in FIG. 4 using the insert insertion tool shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the area around the insert insertion tool according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a partially enlarged view of the area around the insert insertion tool, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the area around the rotary driver portion in a side view when the suppression mechanism is in operation, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of the area around the rotary driver portion in a side view when the suppression mechanism is not in operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an insert insertion device 1, which is an embodiment of an insert insertion device employing an insert insertion tool and a robot equipped with the insert insertion tool according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience, the following description will be given in the right, left, front, rear, top, bottom, and X, Y, and Z directions shown in the drawings.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the insert insertion device 1 of this embodiment is composed of an insert insertion tool 2, a robot 3 that three-dimensionally moves the insert insertion tool 2 relative to a workpiece W, and an insert supply device 4 that supplies an insert i (see Fig. 4) to the insert insertion tool 2. The workpiece W of this embodiment has a female thread portion T as shown in Fig. 4(e).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the insert insertion tool 2 includes a base 5 that is attached to a Z unit 18 of a robot 3, which will be described later. The base 5 in this embodiment is plate-shaped, and a notch 5a is provided in the center of the base 5 in the left-right direction as shown in the figure. The base 5 also includes circular holes on both the left and right sides of the notch 5a, and a cylindrical slide shaft 6 is attached to the hole in a state of being oriented in the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the slide shaft 6 is held to the base 5 by a set screw S1. A plate-shaped fixed plate 7 is attached to the front of the base 5 by a screw S2. An electromagnet unit 8 is attached to the rear surface of the fixed plate 7 in the center of the left-right direction by a screw S2. The electromagnet unit 8 generates a magnetic force when energized, and the magnetic force disappears when energization is stopped.

[0020] The insert insertion tool 2 also includes a coil-shaped compression spring 9 inserted through each of the two slide shafts 6 .

[0021] Furthermore, the insert insertion tool 2 has two holes through which the two slide shafts 6 are respectively inserted, and is equipped with a movable plate 10 that is movable in the up and down direction relative to the slide shafts 6. As shown in the figure, the movable plate 10 is inserted into the slide shafts 6 with a compression spring 9 interposed between the movable plate 10 and the base 5. In other words, the movable plate 10 is supported in a state in which it is biased upward by the compression spring 9.

[0022] The movable plate 10 of this embodiment also has a hole in the center in the left-right direction, and the rotary driver unit 11 is held in this hole by a set screw S1. The rotary driver unit 11 has a main body 11b with a built-in rotary driver motor 11a (see FIG. 3) and a male screw unit 11c rotated by the rotary driver motor 11a, and is attached to the movable plate 10 with the male screw unit 11c positioned below the main body 11b. When the movable plate 10 is inserted into the slide shaft 6, the rotary driver unit 11 attached to the movable plate 10 fits inside the notch 5a described above. When the movable plate 10 is attached to the slide shaft 6 as shown in FIG. 2(b), a small gap G1 is provided between the main body 11b and the base 5, and a small gap G2 is provided between the main body 11b and the electromagnet unit 8.

[0023] The main body 11b in this embodiment has a magnetic body portion 11d at least in a portion (specifically, at least a portion facing the electromagnet portion 8 when the movable plate 10 is supported by the compression spring 9). The magnetic body portion 11d functions as a magnetic body that is attracted to or repelled by the magnetic force from the electromagnet portion 8. The magnetic body portion 11d may be a soft magnetic body such as iron, or a hard magnetic body such as a permanent magnet. In this embodiment, the material constituting the outer case of the main body 11b is a soft magnetic body, and the entire main body 11b functions as the magnetic body portion 11d.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4(a), the male thread portion 11c has a male thread shape that fits into a female thread portion provided on the inside of the insert i. A hook 11e that engages with a concave notch N provided on the inside of the insert i is provided at the tip of the male thread portion 11c. The hook 11e is movable radially inward and outward with respect to the insert i, and is biased radially outward.

[0025] The insert insertion tool 2 also includes an insertion tool control unit 12 shown in Fig. 3. The insertion tool control unit 12 is electrically connected to the electromagnet unit 8 and the rotation driver motor 11a.

[0026] As described above, when the movable plate 10 is attached to the slide shaft 6, there are minute gaps G1 and G2 between the base 5 and the electromagnet unit 8 relative to the main body unit 11b. The movable plate 10 can also move vertically relative to the slide shaft 6. That is, the movable plate 10 to which the rotary driver unit 11 is attached is not fixed vertically, but is stationary at a position where the weights of the movable plate 10 and the rotary driver unit 11 and the biasing force of the compression spring 9 are balanced, so that it is kept in a floating state. Therefore, when an upward or downward force is applied to the rotary driver unit 11 in this state, the rotary driver unit 11 moves upward or downward relative to the base 5, even if the magnitude of the force is minute, and therefore the applied force can be absorbed.

[0027] In this embodiment, the floating mechanism is constituted by the base 5, slide shaft 6, fixed plate 7, and their surrounding components (corresponding to the "fixed part" in this specification), the movable plate 10, rotary driver section 11, and their surrounding components (corresponding to the "movable part" in this specification), and the compression spring 9 (corresponding to the "elastic part" in this specification).

[0028] On the other hand, when the magnetic body part 11d of the main body part 11b is attracted to the electromagnet part 8 by the magnetic force generated by the electromagnet part 8, the movable plate 10 is fixed to the electromagnet part 8, so that the movement in the vertical direction is suppressed. That is, a magnetic force is generated in the electromagnet part 8 by energization, and the magnetic body part 11d is attracted to the electromagnet part 8. A resistance force is generated when the movable plate 10 moves in the vertical direction due to the contact between the magnetic body part 11d and the electromagnet part 8 or a moment generated in the magnetic body part 11d. When the energization is stopped, the magnetic force of the electromagnet part 8 disappears, so that the resistance force when the movable plate 10 moves in the vertical direction also disappears. Note that even when a repulsive force is applied from the electromagnet part 8 to the magnetic body part 11d (for example, when a permanent magnet that repels the magnetic force from the electromagnet part 8 is used as the magnetic body part 11d), a moment is generated in the main body part 11b, so that a resistance force is generated when the movable plate 10 moves in the vertical direction, and the vertical movement of the movable plate 10 can be suppressed.

[0029] In this manner, in this embodiment, the electromagnet portion 8 and the magnetic portion 11d constitute a suppression mechanism that suppresses the movement of the movable plate 10 in the up and down directions.

[0030] The above-mentioned rotation driver motor 11a corresponds to the "rotation mechanism" in this specification, and the insertion tool control unit 12 corresponds to the "control unit" in this specification.

[0031] Next, the robot 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 3 of this embodiment includes a robot base 13, a pair of columns 14 provided on the left and right sides of the robot base 13, and an arm 15 suspended over the columns 14. A teaching / operation unit 16 is provided on the front side of the robot base 13, which is used when an operator inputs teaching data or performs various operations. The robot 3 also includes an X-table 17 provided on the upper surface of the robot base 13 and moves the workpiece W in the X-axis direction. The robot 3 also includes a Z-unit 18 to which the base 5 of the insert insertion tool 2 is attached and which moves the insert insertion tool 2 in the Z-axis direction, and a Y-unit 19 which holds the Z-unit 18 and is movable in the Y-axis direction relative to the arm 15.

[0032] The robot 3 also includes a robot control unit 20 shown in Fig. 3. The robot control unit 20 is electrically connected to the X-drive motor 17a, Z-drive motor 18a, and Y-drive motor 19a provided in the X-table 17, Z-unit 18, and Y-unit 19 described above. The robot control unit 20 is also electrically connected to the teaching / operation unit 16 described above and a program / teaching data storage unit 21 that stores a program for operating the robot 3 and teaching data input from the teaching / operation unit 16, etc. The robot control unit 20 is further electrically connected to the insertion tool control unit 12 described above and a supply device control unit 23 provided in the insert supply device 4, which will be described later, so that the insert insertion tool 2, the robot 3, and the insert supply device 4 cooperate to perform a predetermined task.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows an example of the teaching data stored in the program / teaching data storage unit 21. In the teaching data shown in FIG. 5, the position coordinates of the X table 17, the Y unit 19, and the Z unit 18, that is, the position coordinates of the destination of the insert insertion tool 2 relative to the workpiece W, the speed condition during the movement, and the command executed (output) by the robot control unit 20 after the movement are set for each point number. Note that the numbers attached to the position coordinates XYZ and the number attached to the speed condition V shown in FIG. 5 correspond to the number attached to the point number P, and the position coordinates and the speed may not change even if the attached numbers are different. For example, the position coordinate Y1 at point number P1 and the position coordinate Y2 at point number P2 are the same position in the following description. The robot control unit 20 reads the teaching data in the order of the point numbers, and sequentially transmits commands corresponding to each point number to cause the insert insertion tool 2, the robot 3, and the insert supply device 4 to execute a predetermined task.

[0034] Next, the insert supplying device 4 will be described. The insert supplying device 4 of this embodiment is provided on the upper surface of the robot base 13 as shown in Fig. 1. The insert supplying device 4 includes a supplying device drive motor 22 shown in Fig. 3 and a supplying device control unit 23 electrically connected to the supplying device drive motor 22. Although detailed explanation of the configuration will be omitted, the insert supplying device 4 can move the inserts i stored in a bulk state in the insert supplying device 4 to a predetermined supply position while aligning them by driving the supplying device drive motor 22.

[0035] Next, a process of inserting the insert i into the female thread portion T of the workpiece W by the insert insertion device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0036] First, when the insertion operation starts, the X-table 17 on which the workpiece W is placed and the insert insertion tool 2 are waiting at their home positions (the X-table 17 is at position X0 in the X-axis direction, and the insert insertion tool 2 is at positions Y0 and Z0 in the Y-axis direction and Z-axis direction) based on the teaching data of point number P0 shown in Fig. 5. In this state, the rotation driver motor 11a is OFF (rotation is stopped), and the electromagnet unit 8 is ON (magnetic force is generated). That is, in this state, the male screw unit 11c is not rotating, and the vertical movement of the movable plate 10 is suppressed.

[0037] Then, when the robot control unit 20 receives a command to start the work by operating the teaching / operation unit 16, the robot control unit 20 moves the X table 17 to the position X1 at a speed V1 and moves the insert insertion tool 2 to the positions Y1 and Z1 at a speed V1 based on the teaching data of the point number P1 stored in the program / teaching data storage unit 21. After the movement, the male thread portion 11c of the insert insertion tool 2 is located directly above the supply position of the insert i in the insert supply device 4. When the insert insertion tool 2 moves, the rotation driver motor 11a is OFF and the electromagnet unit 8 is ON, so that the vertical movement of the movable plate 10 is suppressed. That is, since the vertical vibration of the rotation driver unit 11 accompanying the movement of the insert insertion tool 2 is suppressed, even if the male thread portion 11c is moved to the vicinity of the insert i immediately after the movement, the collision between the male thread portion 11c and the insert i can be prevented. After the insert insertion tool 2 has moved to positions Y1 and Z1, the robot control unit 20 turns on the rotation driver motor 11a (rotating in the CW direction) and turns off the electromagnet unit 8. This causes the male threaded portion 11c to rotate clockwise (see FIG. 4(a)), and the movable plate 10 becomes free to move up and down.

[0038] Next, the robot control unit 20 lowers the Z unit 18 at a speed V2 based on the teaching data of point number P2 stored in the program / teaching data storage unit 21 (see FIG. 4(b)). Since the male screw portion 11c rotates during the descent, the male screw portion 11c engages with a female screw-shaped portion provided on the inside of the insert i, and the male screw portion 11c is drawn into the insert i. On the other hand, depending on the variation in the shape of the insert i and the attitude of the insert i when it is supplied by the insert supply device 4, the amount by which the male screw portion 11c is actually drawn into the insert i may deviate slightly from the amount of descent of the Z unit 18 based on the teaching data. However, since the electromagnet portion 8 is OFF when the Z unit 18 descends and the movable plate 10 is in a state in which it can freely move in the vertical direction, this deviation is absorbed and no excessive force is applied from the male screw portion 11c to the insert i. As the male thread portion 11c and the insert i are further screwed together, the hook 11e provided at the tip of the male thread portion 11c engages with the notch N of the insert i. When the Z unit 18 descends to a predetermined position, the robot control unit 20 turns off the rotation driver motor 11a and turns on the electromagnet unit 8. Therefore, the rotation of the male thread portion 11c stops, and the vertical movement of the movable plate 10 is restricted.

[0039] Thereafter, the robot control unit 20 raises the Z unit 18 at a speed V3 based on the teaching data of point number P3 stored in the program and teaching data storage unit 21 (see FIG. 4(c)). During the raising, and even when the raising is completed and the insert i is lifted up from the insert supplying device 4 (see FIG. 4(d)), the rotation driver motor 11a is OFF and the electromagnet unit 8 is ON, so that the rotation of the male screw unit 11c stops and the vertical movement of the movable plate 10 is restricted.

[0040] Thereafter, the robot control unit 20 moves the insert insertion tool 2 at a speed V4 based on the teaching data of the point number P4 stored in the program and teaching data storage unit 21. As a result, the male thread portion 11c into which the insert i is screwed moves to just above the female thread portion T of the workpiece W. When the male thread portion 11c moves to just above the female thread portion T, the rotation driver motor 11a is OFF and the electromagnet unit 8 is ON, so that the vertical vibration of the rotation driver unit 11 is suppressed. Therefore, according to the insert insertion tool 2 of this embodiment, the stop time required until the vibration during the movement subsides, which was conventionally required, is not required, so that the next operation can be started immediately after the male thread portion 11c is moved to just above the female thread portion T. Then, after the male thread portion 11c is moved to just above the female thread portion T, the robot control unit 20 turns on the rotation driver motor 11a (rotating in the CW direction) and turns off the electromagnet unit 8. As a result, the male screw portion 11c rotates clockwise, and the movable plate 10 becomes capable of moving freely in the vertical direction (see FIG. 4(e)).

[0041] Next, the robot control unit 20 lowers the Z unit 18 at a speed V5 based on the teaching data of point number P5 stored in the program and teaching data storage unit 21 (see FIG. 4(f)). Since the male thread portion 11c rotates during the descent, the male threaded portion provided on the outside of the insert i engages with the female thread portion T of the workpiece W, and the male thread portion 11c holding the insert i is pulled into the female thread portion T. Meanwhile, the amount by which the male thread portion 11c is actually pulled into the female thread portion T may deviate slightly from the amount of descent of the Z unit 18 based on the teaching data due to the machining accuracy when forming the female thread portion T in the workpiece W and the variation in the thread portion start position in the female thread portion T. However, when the Z unit 18 descends, the electromagnet unit 8 is OFF and the movable plate 10 is in a state in which it can move freely in the vertical direction, so this deviation is absorbed and excessive force is not applied from the male thread portion 11c to the insert i, and excessive force is not applied to the female thread portion T via the insert i. Then, when the Z unit 18 descends to a predetermined position, the robot control unit 20 reverses the rotation direction of the rotation driver motor 11a (the rotation direction is CCW, and the rotation driver motor 11a is turned ON). At this time, the electromagnet unit 8 is kept OFF.

[0042] After that, the robot control unit 20 raises the Z unit 18 at a speed V6 based on the teaching data of point number P6 stored in the program and teaching data storage unit 21 (see FIG. 4(g)). During the raising, the male screw portion 11c rotates counterclockwise, and the male screw portion 11c and the insert i are released from the threaded engagement, so that only the male screw portion 11c can be raised while the insert i is left in the workpiece W (see FIG. 4(h)). Note that the amount of rise of the male screw portion 11c when the male screw portion 11c and the insert i are released from the threaded engagement and the amount of rise of the Z unit 18 based on the teaching data may differ due to variations in the insert i. However, since the electromagnet portion 8 is OFF when the Z unit 18 rises and the movable plate 10 is in a state in which it can move freely in the vertical direction, this deviation can be absorbed.

[0043] When the Z unit 18 has completed rising, the robot control unit 20 turns off the rotation driver motor 11a and turns on the electromagnet unit 8 to complete one operation of inserting the insert i into the workpiece W. If the next operation of inserting the insert i is to be performed, the robot control unit 20 executes the steps of point numbers P1 to P6 again. After all operations have been completed, the robot control unit 20 executes the step of point number P0 and notifies the worker that all operations have been completed.

[0044] Although the embodiments embodying the present invention have been illustrated above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention described in the claims unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description. Furthermore, the effects of the above embodiments are merely examples of the effects resulting from the present invention, and do not mean that the effects of the present invention are limited to the above effects.

[0045] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the electromagnet portion 8 and the magnetic body portion 11d are used as a suppression mechanism for suppressing the vertical movement of the movable plate 10, but other configurations may also be used.

[0046] FIG. 6 shows the insert insertion tool 2 using a solenoid 24 as a suppression mechanism. The solenoid 24 of this embodiment includes a solenoid body 24a attached to the rear surface of the fixed plate 7, a plunger 24b, and a rubber part 24c provided at the tip of the plunger 24b. The solenoid body 24a is electrically connected to the insertion tool control unit 12 shown in FIG. 3. The solenoid 24 of this embodiment is a so-called pull-type solenoid, and the plunger 24b is configured to protrude by a spring mechanism (not shown) provided inside the solenoid body 24a, while being retracted into the solenoid body 24a when electricity is applied to the solenoid 24. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6(c), when the plunger 24b is retracted, there is a gap between the main body 11b and the rubber part 24c of the rotary driver part 11, but when the plunger 24b protrudes as shown in FIG. 6(b), the rubber part 24c comes into contact with the main body 11b.

[0047] The solenoid body 24a and the plunger 24b described above correspond to the "moving portion" in this specification, and the rubber portion 24c corresponds to the "contact portion" in this specification.

[0048] When such a solenoid 24 is used, the plunger 24b is retracted by energizing the solenoid body 24a, and the rubber part 24c is not in contact with the body part 11b. That is, in this state, the movable plate 10 can move freely in the vertical direction, so even if the male screw part 11c comes into contact with the insert i, an excessive force is not applied to the insert i. On the other hand, when the energization of the solenoid body 24a is stopped, the rubber part 24c comes into contact with the body part 11b, so that the vertical movement of the movable plate 10 is suppressed, and the vertical vibration of the rotary driver part 11 can be suppressed.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the rubber portion 24c is in contact with the main body portion 11b, but the rubber portion 24c may be eliminated and the tip of the plunger 24b may be in contact with the main body portion 11b. The solenoid 24 is not limited to a pull type solenoid, and a push type solenoid may be used. An air cylinder may be used instead of the solenoid 24.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the floating mechanism and the suppression mechanism are provided outside the rotary driver unit 11. However, these mechanisms may be built into the rotary driver unit 11.

[0051] 2, the electromagnet section 8 is provided on the fixed plate 7, which is the "fixed section," and the magnetic section 11d is provided on the rotary driver section 11, which is the "movable section." Alternatively, the electromagnet section 8 may be provided on the "movable section," and the magnetic section 11d may be provided on the "fixed section." In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the solenoid 24 provided on the fixed plate 7, which is the "fixed section," may be provided on the "movable section," and may be configured so that the rubber section 24c comes into contact with a member that is the "fixed section" when the plunger 24b is advanced.

[0052] Furthermore, the floating mechanism suppressed by the suppression mechanism of the above-mentioned embodiment floats the rotary driver unit 11 in the vertical direction by a configuration in which the movable plate 10 is biased upward by the compression spring 9 and is movable in the vertical direction relative to the slide shaft 6, but a floating mechanism that moves in three directions, up / down, left / right, front / rear, as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, may be provided. That is, in this case, by putting the suppression mechanism into operation, movement not only in the vertical direction but also in the left / right and front / rear directions is suppressed, so that vibration in each direction can be suppressed.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the control unit is configured so that the insertion tool control unit 12 and the robot control unit 20 function in cooperation with each other, but the control unit may be configured so as to be composed of only the insertion tool control unit 12. For example, as described in Figs. 4 and 5, since the ON / OFF switching timing of the rotation driver motor 11a and the ON / OFF switching timing of the suppression mechanism are the same, when the insert insertion tool 2 is used as a single tool, the insertion tool control unit 12 may be provided with the same switch circuit for turning the rotation driver motor ON / OFF and the suppression mechanism ON / OFF, and the operator may operate the switch to switch between a state of the rotation driver motor 11a: ON and the suppression mechanism: OFF and a state of the rotation driver motor 11a: OFF and the suppression mechanism: ON. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 2: Insert insertion tool 3: Robot 5: Base (fixed part) 6: Slide shaft (fixed part) 7: Fixing plate (fixing part) 8: Electromagnet part (suppression mechanism) 9: Compression spring (elastic part) 10: Movable plate (movable part) 11: Rotation driver part (moving part) 11a: Rotation driver motor (rotation mechanism) 11c: Male thread 11d: Magnetic body part (suppression mechanism) 12: Insertion tool control unit (control unit) 24: Solenoid (suppression mechanism) 24a: Solenoid body (moving part) 24b: Plunger (moving part) 24c: Rubber part (contact part) i:insert

Claims

1. An insert insertion tool including a floating mechanism having a movable part having a male threaded part that screws into a coil-shaped insert, a fixed part that supports the movable part so that the movable part can move in the vertical direction, and an elastic part that is interposed between the movable part and the fixed part and biases the movable part upward relative to the fixed part, A suppression mechanism that suppresses vertical movement of the movable part; A rotation mechanism that rotates the male screw portion; a control unit for controlling operations of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism, The suppression mechanism is a magnetic material portion provided on either the movable portion or the fixed portion; an electromagnet portion provided on the other of the movable portion and the fixed portion, capable of switching between generation and disappearance of a magnetic force directed toward the magnetic material portion; The control unit of the insert insertion tool controls the operation of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism so that when the male threaded portion is rotating, the movable portion is capable of moving in the vertical direction, and when the rotation of the male threaded portion is stopped, the vertical movement of the movable portion is suppressed.

2. An insert insertion tool equipped with a floating mechanism having a movable part having a male threaded portion that screws into a coil-shaped insert, a fixed part that supports the movable part so that the movable part can move in the vertical direction, and an elastic part that is interposed between the movable part and the fixed part and urges the movable part upward relative to the fixed part, A suppression mechanism is provided to suppress the vertical movement of the movable part, The suppression mechanism is a moving part provided on one of the movable part and the fixed part and movable toward and away from the other of the movable part and the fixed part; and a contact part provided on the moving part, An insert insertion tool in which, when advanced by the moving part, the contact part comes into contact with either the movable part or the fixed part, the other of the contact part.

3. A rotation mechanism that rotates the male screw portion; a control unit for controlling operations of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism, The insert insertion tool according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the rotation mechanism and the suppression mechanism so that when the male threaded portion is rotating, the movable portion is capable of moving in the vertical direction, and when the rotation of the male threaded portion is stopped, the vertical movement of the movable portion is suppressed.

4. A robot comprising the insert insertion tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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