Fastener connecting device, fastener feeding method, connecting method, and manufacturing method of connected body

Abstract

To provide a joining device of a fastener which can quickly supply many fasteners without complicating a mechanism and improve the production efficiency of a joint body, a feeding method of the fastener, a joining method, and a manufacturing method of the joint body.SOLUTION: A joining device 10 comprises: a fastener feeding mechanism 100 which feeds hollow fasteners one by one; a fastener joining mechanism 200 which joins the fed fastener to a joining member; a fastener conveyance unit 300 which conveys the fastener; and a feeding side controller 40 and a joining side controller 50. At the non-detection of the fastener by an arrival sensor of the fastener joining mechanism 200, one fastener is fed from the fastener feeding mechanism 100 to the fastener conveyance unit 300. When a passage detection sensor provided in the middle of the fastener conveyance unit 300 detects the passage of the fed fastener, and pressurized air is supplied into a conveyance path of the fastener conveyance unit 300 to pressure-feed the fastener in the fastener conveyance unit 300 toward the fastener joining mechanism 200.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastener connecting device, a fastener feeding method, a connecting method, and a method for manufacturing a connected body. [Background technology]

[0002] Methods for joining metal materials using fasteners such as rivets include a method of mechanically joining multiple components by caulking with a rivet, a joining method using SPR (Self-Pierce Riveting), a method of welding by clamping a rivet between electrodes, and a method of joining by MIG welding a hollow rivet (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] In these joining methods, there is a device for supplying fasteners such as rivets that conveys the fasteners through a feed conduit in a C-frame, receives the fasteners with an elastically biased catch element at the end of the feed conduit, and supplies the fasteners one by one to the driving part (Patent Document 4). In this device, it is necessary to push the following fastener toward the catch element in order to spread it apart. There is also a device that arranges multiple fasteners one on top of the other and supplies them one by one from the bottom to the joint (Patent Document 5). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-207898 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 042472 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2018 / 123716 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 4355380 [Patent Document 5] JP 2018-108621 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The joining methods described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are widely used for joining thin plate parts such as the roofs of automobiles. The fasteners applied to such parts have a substantially flat shape in side view (the overall shape of the head and shaft of the fastener), and are lighter and more easily turned over than normal bolts and rivets, making them very difficult to handle.

[0006] Furthermore, a fastener separation mechanism is required to separate the fasteners one by one from a stacked state, as in conventional fastening devices. However, providing such a separation mechanism near the joints would complicate the mechanism and increase the weight of the device, and furthermore, the cylinder and other parts that act as the driving source would be bulky, making it difficult to install the separation mechanism on the arm of a multi-axis robot or the like for installation. Even if it were installed, the freedom of the joining work would be hindered due to interference from the device, which would be a factor in reducing productivity.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fastener joining device, a fastener feeding method, a joining method, and a method for manufacturing a joined body that can quickly supply a large number of fasteners without complicating the mechanism and improve the production efficiency of joined bodies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention comprises the following configurations. (1) a fastener feeding mechanism that feeds out solid fasteners one by one, a fastener joining mechanism that joins the fed out fasteners to a joining member, a fastener transport unit that is connected to the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism and transports the fasteners, and a controller that controls the drive of the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism; Equipped with The fastener feed mechanism includes: A parts feeder that aligns a large number of the stored fasteners in a single row; A separating mechanism that separates one of the fasteners from the row of aligned fasteners and sends the fastener to the fastener transport section; a passage detection sensor disposed midway through the fastener transport section and detecting passage of the fastener sent toward the fastener connecting mechanism; having The fastener coupling mechanism includes: a receiver section that receives the fasteners transported from the fastener transport section; an arrival sensor for detecting whether the fastener has arrived at the receiver portion; having When the arrival sensor does not detect the fastener, the controller causes the separating mechanism to send one of the fasteners to the fastener transport section, and when the passage detection sensor detects the passage of the sent out fastener, the controller supplies pressurized air into the transport path of the fastener transport section to pressure-transport the fastener in the transport path toward the fastener joining mechanism. Fastener joining device. (2) A fastener feeding method for joining a fastener to a joining member by a joining device including a fastener feeding mechanism for feeding solid fasteners one by one, a fastener joining mechanism for joining the fed fasteners to a joining member, and a fastener transport unit connected to the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism for transporting the fastener, the method comprising: When an arrival sensor that detects whether the fastener has arrived at a receiver section of the fastener connecting mechanism that receives the fastener transported from the fastener transport section does not detect the fastener, The fastener feed mechanism separates one of the fasteners from the row of fasteners in which the fasteners are aligned in a row, and sends the separated fastener to the fastener transport section; When a passage detection sensor disposed midway through the fastener transport section detects the fastener that has been sent out, supplying pressurized air into the conveying path of the fastener conveying section to pressure-feed the fasteners in the conveying path toward the fastener connecting mechanism; Fastener delivery method. (3) A joining method, comprising: pushing the fastener transported to the fastener joining mechanism by the fastener feeding method described in (2) from a waiting position where the fastener is received by the receiver portion to a joining position where a die and a punch are arranged; and joining the fastener to the joining member at the joining position. (4) A method for manufacturing a joint, comprising spot welding an intermediate joint in which the fastener and the joint member are joined by the joining method described in (3) to another joint member. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a large number of fasteners can be supplied quickly without complicating the mechanism, and the production efficiency of joined bodies can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a bonding apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a fastener. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the fastener feeding mechanism. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the aligning and conveying mechanism and the cutting mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the cross-sectional shape of a conveying hose. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the end effector. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main parts of the receiver and the push-out portion. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the receiver taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8, and a die and a punch. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the receiver portion with the block shown in FIG. 9 removed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of the joining device. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a driving procedure of the fastener feeding mechanism. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a process explanatory diagram showing (A) to (E) a procedure for separating a fastener in the separating mechanism. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a process explanatory diagram showing a stepwise procedure from (A) to (C) for pressure-feeding a fastener using a conveying hose. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing a driving procedure for the fastener joining mechanism. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a process explanatory diagram showing, in (A) to (D), the procedure from fastener transfer to fastening in the fastener fastening mechanism. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a process explanatory diagram showing, in stages (A) to (C), how joining members into which fasteners have been driven are spot-welded. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a joining device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [Configuration of the joining device] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a bonding apparatus. The joining device 10 includes a fastener feed mechanism 100, a fastener joining mechanism 200, and a fastener transport unit 300. The joining device 10 drives a fastener into a joining member to join the fastener and the joining member. An intermediate joined body in which the fastener and the joining member are integrated is spot welded to another joining member to form a joined body of a desired structure.

[0013] The fastener feeding mechanism 100 feeds fasteners one by one from a large number of fasteners supplied to the fastener transport section 300. The fastener transport section 300 has a transport hose 301 connecting the fastener feeding mechanism 100 and the fastener connecting mechanism 200, and transports the fasteners fed from the fastener feeding mechanism 100 to the fastener connecting mechanism 200 within the pipe of the transport hose 301. The fastener connecting mechanism 200 receives the fasteners transported from the fastener feeding mechanism 100, and drives the received fasteners into the connecting members.

[0014] The fastener feed mechanism 100 is connected to the feed-side controller 40 and is driven and controlled in response to a drive signal output from the feed-side controller 40. The fastener joining mechanism 200 is connected to the joining-side controller 50 and is driven and controlled in response to a drive signal output from the joining-side controller 50. The feed-side controller 40 and the joining-side controller 50 are computer devices equipped with a calculation unit such as a CPU and a storage unit such as a memory or storage, and are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other. The feed-side controller 40 and the joining-side controller 50 each drive each of the fastener feed mechanism 100 and the fastener joining mechanism 200 in response to a program previously stored in the storage unit, an input drive program, input information, etc.

[0015] Here, a configuration example is shown in which the feed side controller 40 and the joining side controller 50 are separate controllers, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the two controllers may be combined into one controller, or a configuration in which three or more controllers are combined may be used.

[0016] <Fasteners> FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the fastener 20, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener 20 shown in FIG. The fastener 20 has a head 21 and a shaft 23. The head 21 is disc-shaped with a larger diameter than the shaft 23, and the shaft 23 is generally cylindrical and protrudes from the center of the head 21 in the axial direction. An annular groove 25 is provided along the entire circumference of the shaft 23 at the connection between the head 21 and the shaft 23. The annular groove 25 is formed in a flange 21a that protrudes radially outward from the shaft 23 in the head 21. A projection 27 is formed on the tip surface of the shaft 23. The fastener 20 has an axial length shorter than the diameter of the shaft 23, and is generally flat in side view. The fastener 20 has a solid structure without a hollow portion, and the fastener 20 stopped at the standby position P1 can be detected by an arrival sensor 209 described later.

[0017] The fastener feeding mechanism 100, the fastener connecting mechanism 200, and the fastener transport section 300 will be described in detail below. <Fastener feed mechanism> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the fastener feeding mechanism 100. As shown in FIG. The fastener feeding mechanism 100 includes a hopper 110, a parts feeder 130, an alignment and transport mechanism 150, a separation mechanism 170, and a passage detection sensor 190.

[0018] The hopper 110 stores a large number of fasteners 20 and feeds a predetermined amount of fasteners 20 to the parts feeder 130 at a predetermined timing. The parts feeder 130 automatically aligns the fasteners 20 in a certain position by using vibration. Here, the fasteners 20 are aligned in a position in which the heads 21 are on top and the shafts 23 are on the bottom as shown in FIG. 2. A conveyor rail 151 of the alignment conveyor mechanism 150 is connected to an outlet 131 extending from a part of the outer periphery of the parts feeder 130 at an incline from the horizontal direction. The conveyor rail 151 supports the lower side of the flanges 21a of the fasteners 20 to hold the fasteners 20 in a certain position and sends the fasteners 20 from the parts feeder 130 downstream in the conveying direction while keeping them aligned in a line. In this way, the alignment conveyor mechanism 150 sends the fasteners 20 aligned by the parts feeder 130 to the separation mechanism 170 while sliding them along the incline by gravity on the inclined conveyor rail 151.

[0019] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the aligning and conveying mechanism 150 and the cutting mechanism 170. As shown in FIG. The separating mechanism 170 is disposed along the inclined conveying rail 151, and has a first plunger 173 having a first rod 171 on the upstream side (upper side) in the conveying direction, and a second plunger 177 having a second rod 175 on the downstream side (lower side) in the conveying direction. The first rod 171 and the first plunger 173 form a first stopper, and the second rod 175 and the second plunger 177 form a second stopper.

[0020] The first rod 171 and the second rod 15 are moved forward and backward on the conveyor rail 151 individually by driving the first plunger 173 and the second plunger 177, and function as stoppers that stop or pass the fastener 20 on the conveyor rail 151. The separating mechanism 170 separates one fastener 20 from the row of fasteners 20 aligned on the conveyor rail 151, and sends it out to the conveyor hose 301. In the separating mechanism 170, the fastener 20 also moves along the slope by gravity.

[0021] One end of a conveying hose 301 of a fastener conveying section 300 is connected to the discharge port 179 of the cutting mechanism 170. A passage detection sensor 190 is provided near the discharge port 179 at a position within the range in which the conveying hose 301 slopes downward. The passage detection sensor 190 is provided downstream of the cutting mechanism 170 in the fastener conveying direction, and detects the passage of a fastener 20 sent out in the conveying hose 301 towards the fastener joining mechanism 200.

[0022] The passage detection sensor 190 uses a circular magnetic sensor disposed surrounding the conveying hose 301 here, but is not limited to this and may use sensors of other types and shapes.

[0023] <Fastener transport section> The fastener transport section 300 includes an elongated transport hose 301 . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the cross-sectional shape of conveying hose 301. As shown in FIG. The conveying hose 301 is formed with a conveying path 303 (through hole) along its longitudinal direction for conveying the fastener 20. The cross-sectional shape of the conveying path 303 is not particularly limited as long as the fastener 20 being conveyed can be conveyed from one end of the conveying hose 301 to the other end while maintaining a constant posture without being turned over in the conveying path 303. As an example, FIG. 6 shows a conveying path 303 having a rectangular cross-sectional shape that is slightly larger than the maximum height and maximum width of the fastener 20. The conveying path 303 is formed airtight, and the fastener 20 is conveyed from one end of the conveying hose 301 to the other end by pressurized air supplied into the conveying path 303 without being turned over.

[0024] A resin hose that is lightweight, flexible, and can be flexibly arranged can be used as the conveying hose 301, but is not limited thereto. For example, at least a part of the fastener conveying section 300 may include a conveying member made of metal, hard resin, or the like, to which the conveying path is fixed.

[0025] In addition, an air pump 181 that supplies pressurized air to the conveying path 303 of the conveying hose 301, and an air supply flow path 180 having a valve 183 are connected between the cutting mechanism 170 and the fastener conveying section 300. The air supply flow path 180 supplies pressurized air generated by the air pump 181 to the conveying path 303 at a predetermined timing by opening and closing the valve 183.

[0026] <Fastener joining mechanism> 1, the fastener joining mechanism 200 includes a multi-axis robot 201 and an end effector 203 provided on the tip axis of the multi-axis robot 201. One end of a conveying hose 301, the other end of which is connected to the fastener feed mechanism 100, is connected to the end effector 203. The position and orientation of the end effector 203 can be arbitrarily set in three dimensions within the range of the degrees of freedom of the robot arm.

[0027] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the end effector 203. The end effector 203 includes a C-shaped frame 205, a receiver section 207, an arrival sensor 209, a push-out section 211, and a joint section 213. The receiver section 207 receives the fastener 20 (not shown) conveyed through the conveying hose 301. The arrival sensor 209 detects whether the fastener 20 is placed in the receiver section 207. The push-out section 211 pushes out the fastener 20 placed in the receiver section 207 along the axis of the die 215 and punch 217 of the joint section 213 (from the standby position P1 to the joining position P2 in FIG. 9). In the joint section 213, the fastener in the joining standby position is driven into the joining member, and the fastener and the joining member are joined. The receiver section 207, the push-out section 211, and the joint section 213 are each fixed to the C-shaped frame 205.

[0028] The joining section 213 includes a die 215 that is brought into contact with the joining members, a punch 217 that is disposed between the die 215 and the joining members, and a punch drive mechanism 219 that moves the punch 217 toward the die 215 to drive the fastener into the joining members. The die 215 is fixed to one end 205a of the C-frame 205, and the punch 217 and the punch drive mechanism 219 are both disposed at the other end 205b of the C-frame 205. This ensures high rigidity during punching operation. The receiver section 207 and the push-out section 211 are stored compactly inside the C-frame 205 without protruding outside the frame.

[0029] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main parts of the receiver section 207 and the push-out section 211. Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the receiver section 207 taken along line IX-IX shown in Fig. 8, and showing the die 215 and the punch 217.

[0030] 8 and 9, a transport hose 301 is connected at an angle to the fastener transport path 221 of the receiver portion 207, and fasteners 20 are supplied one by one from the transport hose 301 to the fastener transport path 221. A pair of continuous grooves 221a (only one of the continuous grooves 221a is shown in FIG. 9) that support the heads 21 (flanges 21a) of the fasteners 20 are formed in the fastener transport path 221, and the fasteners 20 are transported by the pair of continuous grooves 221a while maintaining a position with the heads 21 facing upward.

[0031] 9, in the receiver portion 207, a lever 225 that can swing around an axis 223, a compression spring 227 provided on a block 220, and an arrival sensor 209 are arranged in this order along the fastener transport direction of the fastener transport path 221. The compression spring 227 biases a tip portion 225a of the lever 225 toward the fastener transport path 221. The arrival sensor 209 detects the fastener 20 transported along the fastener transport path 221.

[0032] Lever 225 uses the elastic force of compression spring 227 to press head 21 of fastener 20 moving along fastener transport path 221, thereby decelerating fastener 20. The pressing force of lever 225 on fastener 20 is appropriately set according to the type of fastener 20 (shape, size, material, etc.) by adjusting the elasticity of compression spring 227, the position of adjustment pin 229 that prevents lever 225 from rotating, etc.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the receiver portion 207 with the block 220 shown in FIG. 9 removed. The fastener 20, decelerated by the lever 225, hits a pair of receiver pieces 243 arranged on both sides of the fastener conveying path 221, and stops. The pair of receiver pieces 243 are supported so as to be able to swing about an axis 245, and have a shape bent in a direction in which the downstream sides in the conveying direction approach each other. A spring (elastic body) 247 is arranged in contact with the outer surface of the receiver piece 243, which is opposite to the opposing surfaces on the downstream side in the conveying direction. The spring 247 biases the receiver pieces 243 on the downstream side in the conveying direction in a direction in which they approach each other (arrow Rc). As a result, the pair of receiver pieces 243 make the width of the fastener conveying path 221 on the downstream side in the conveying direction smaller than the width of the head 21 of the fastener 20, thereby preventing the fastener 20 from passing through.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 9, the arrival sensor 209 is disposed above the standby position P1 of the fastener 20. The arrival sensor 209 of this configuration detects the arrival (presence) of the fastener 20 through a through hole 231 formed in the receiver portion 207. As the arrival sensor 209, for example, a non-contact sensor such as a laser sensor using laser light can be adopted, but is not limited to this. When the arrival sensor 209 is a laser sensor, it irradiates detection light to the fastener 20 disposed at the standby position P1 through the through hole 231. Then, it receives the reflected light reflected by the fastener 20, and detects the presence or absence of the fastener 20 at the standby position P1 according to the received reflected light.

[0035] In the space 235 on the shaft portion 23 side (lower side in FIG. 9) of the fastener 20 in the standby position P1, the pusher 233 of the pushing-out portion 211 is arranged to be movable in the direction of the arrow K1. When the pusher 233 moves in the K1 direction, the fastener 20 is pushed in the direction of the arrow K2. At this time, the pair of receiver pieces 243 shown in FIG. 10 rotate in the reverse direction of the arrow Rc around the shaft 245 against the elastic force of the spring 247 by the fastener 20 pushed downstream in the conveying direction. As a result, the receiver pieces 243 on the downstream side in the conveying direction are separated from each other, the width of the fastener conveying path 221 is expanded, and the fastener 20 is pushed from the standby position P1 to the joining position P2.

[0036] At the joining position P2, the above-mentioned die 215 and punch 217 are arranged as shown in Fig. 9. The punch 217 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and is supported by the C-frame 205 so as to be movable toward the die 215 by driving a punch driving mechanism 219 shown in Fig. 7. A sensor (punch sensor 237) that detects the fastener 20 at the joining position P2 is arranged on the punch base end side of the punch 217 (opposite the tip on the die 215 side).

[0037] The fastener 20 pushed out to the joining position P2 hits and is positioned against a stopper member 239. The punch sensor 237 detects the presence or absence of the fastener 20 pushed out to the joining position P2 through the through hole 217a of the punch 217. As the punch sensor 238, a non-contact sensor using, for example, a laser beam is used, similar to the arrival sensor 209, but is not limited to this.

[0038] [Joining device operation procedure] Next, the operation procedure of the joining device 10 having the above configuration will be described in order. <Fastener transfer procedure by fastener feed mechanism> Fig. 11 is a control block diagram of the joining device 10. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing a driving procedure of the fastener feed mechanism 100. First, the feeding side controller 40 transmits a drive signal SPF to the parts feeder 130, and the parts feeder 130 aligns the fasteners 20 supplied from the hopper 110 (FIG. 4) by vibration and sends them out to the aligning and conveying mechanism 150 in a single line (S11).

[0039] The fasteners 20 sent to the aligning and conveying mechanism 150 are sent along the conveying rails 151 of the aligning and conveying mechanism 150 to the cutting mechanism 170 . FIG. 13 is a process explanatory diagram showing steps (A) to (E) of a procedure for separating the fastener 20 by the separating mechanism 170.

[0040] 13A, in the separation mechanism 170, the first rod 171 of the first plunger 173 on the upstream side in the conveying direction is pulled back from the conveying path of the conveying rail 151 (PASS position), and the second rod 175 of the second plunger 177 on the downstream side in the conveying direction is pushed out into the conveying path of the conveying rail 151 (STOP position). When the multiple fasteners 20 arrive at the separation mechanism 170 in this state, the leading fastener 20-1 abuts against the second rod 175 and stops. As a result, the multiple fasteners 20 sent from the alignment and conveying mechanism 150 are arranged in the separation mechanism 170 (S12).

[0041] Here, an arrival signal SRE indicating whether or not the fastener 20 is present at the standby position P1 (FIG. 9), output by the arrival sensor 209 described above and shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, is confirmed (S13), and if the fastener 20 is present at the standby position P1, the fastener 20 at the standby position P1 is sent to the joining position P2 to be removed, and is discharged from the standby position P1 (S14). The confirmation of the arrival signal SRE and the process of discharging the fastener 20 are performed by communication between the feed side controller 40 and the joining side controller 50.

[0042] Once it is confirmed that no fastener 20 is present in the standby position P1, one fastener 20 is sent from the separating mechanism 170 toward the fastener connecting mechanism 200 (S15). A specific procedure for separating one fastener 20 by the separating mechanism 170 at this time will be described.

[0043] After the multiple fasteners 20 arrive at the separation mechanism 170, the feed side controller 40 outputs a drive signal SP1 to the first plunger 173. In response to the drive signal SP1, the first plunger 173 pushes the first rod 171 to the STOP position, as shown in Fig. 13(B). This causes the leading fastener 20-1 to be sandwiched between the first rod 171 and the second rod 175, as shown in Fig. 13(C).

[0044] Next, the feed side controller 40 outputs a drive signal SP2 to the second plunger 177. In response to the drive signal SP2, the second plunger 177 pulls the second rod 175 back to the PASS position as shown in FIG. 13(D) and sends out only the leading fastener 20-1 downstream in the conveying direction. Thereafter, the second plunger 177 pushes out the second rod 175 to the STOP position as shown in FIG. 13(E), and the first plunger 173 pulls the first rod 171 back to the PASS position as shown in FIG. 13(A). This causes the next fastener 20 to be sent to come into contact with the first rod 171 and stop.

[0045] By repeating the above operations, the multiple fasteners 20 sent from the alignment and conveyance mechanism 150 are cut one by one and sent downstream in the conveyance direction at a predetermined timing. Then, the leading fastener 20-1 sent out from the cutting mechanism 170 is conveyed toward the fastener joining mechanism 200 through the conveying hose 301. Note that the configuration and operation of the cutting mechanism 170 shown in Fig. 13 are one example and are not limited to this system.

[0046] FIG. 14 is a process explanatory diagram showing a stepwise procedure (A) to (C) of pressure-feeding fastener 20 using conveying hose 301. 14(A), when a plurality of fasteners 20 are arranged on the separation mechanism 170, as shown in FIG. 14(B), the feed-side controller 40 outputs a drive signal SP2 to the second plunger 177, which causes the second plunger 177 to move the second rod 175 to the PASS position, and the leading fastener 20-1 slides down the conveyor rail 151 and moves within the conveyor path 303 of the conveyor hose 301. When the fastener 20-1 passes the position of the passage detection sensor 190, the passage detection sensor 190 detects the passage of the fastener 20-1 and outputs a passage detection signal STU to the feed-side controller 40.

[0047] When the passage detection signal STU is input (S16), the supply side controller 40 outputs a drive signal SPO to the valve 183, as shown in Fig. 14(C). In response to the drive signal SPO, the valve 183 sends pressurized air generated by the air pump 181 to the conveying path 303 of the conveying hose 301. Then, the fastener 20-1 moving along the conveying path 303 is accelerated by the supplied pressurized air, and is rapidly pressure-fed to the fastener joining mechanism 200 (S17).

[0048] <Fastener transfer and joining procedure using the fastener joining mechanism> Next, a procedure for transporting and fastening a fastener by the fastener fastening mechanism 200 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing a procedure for driving the fastener joining mechanism 200. As described above, the fasteners 20 are transported one by one from the fastener feed mechanism 100 through the transport hose 301 to the waiting position P1 (see FIG. 9) of the fastener joining mechanism 200. The fasteners 20 in the waiting position P1 are pushed out to the joining position P2 and hammered into the joining members 30 one by one.

[0049] FIG. 16 is a process explanatory diagram showing the procedure from transport of the fastener 20 to joining in the fastener joining mechanism 200, with steps (A) to (D). As shown in Fig. 16(A), the transported fastener 20 (the leading fastener 20-1 described above) is decelerated by contact with the lever 225 biased by the compression spring 227 as shown in Fig. 16(B), and is sandwiched between a pair of receiver pieces 243 and stops at standby position P1. The arrival sensor 209 arranged at standby position P1 detects the fastener 20 that has stopped at standby position P1 (S21), and when detected, outputs an arrival signal SRE to the joining side controller 50 (see Fig. 11) (S22).

[0050] When the fastener 20 reaches the standby position P1, the joining side controller 50 checks the output of a detection signal of the fastener 20 from the punch sensor 237 (S23). If the punch sensor 237 detects the fastener 20, it means that the fastener 20 remains at the joining position P2, so the pushing-out portion 211 is driven to eject the fastener 20 from the joining position P2 (S24).

[0051] When the punch sensor 237 does not detect the fastener 20, the joining-side controller 50 outputs a drive signal SPU to the push-out unit 211. Then, as shown in (C) of Fig. 16, the push-out unit 211 receives the drive signal SPU, moves the pusher 233 toward the joining position P2, and pushes out the fastener 20 from the standby position P1 to the joining position P2 (S25).

[0052] At this time, the fastener 20 is pressed against a stopper member 239 shown in Fig. 10 and stops, and is positioned at the joining position P2. The punch sensor 237 outputs a detection signal SPT of the fastener 20. Also, the pusher 233 is returned to the original retracted position.

[0053] Then, the joining-side controller 50 receives the detection signal SPT of the fastener 20 output by the punch sensor 237 and recognizes that the fastener 20 has been set at the joining position P2 (S26).

[0054] 1 to change the position and posture of the end effector 203, and sandwich the joining member 30 between the fastener 20 at the joining position P2 and the die 215. That is, the fastener 20 and the joining member 30 are sandwiched between the punch 217 and the die 215 (S27).

[0055] Then, the joining-side controller 50 outputs a drive signal SPS to the punch drive mechanism 219. Then, as shown in Fig. 16(D), the punch drive mechanism 219 receives the drive signal SPS and pushes the punch 217 toward the die 215. As a result, the shaft portion 23 of the fastener 20 punches through the joining member 30, and is integrated with the joining member 30 (S28).

[0056] Through the above procedure, one fastener 20 is fixed to the connecting member 30. Note that the method of connecting the fastener 20 to the connecting member 30 described above is not limited to this, and other known connecting methods may be used.

[0057] Next, a procedure for spot welding the joining member 30 into which the fastener 20 is driven will be described. <Spot welding> FIG. 17 is a process explanatory diagram showing, in stages (A) to (C), how joining member 30 into which fastener 20 has been driven is spot-welded.

[0058] 17(A), the joining member 30 into which the fastener 20 has been driven is firmly crimped and joined as the material 30a plastically flows into the annular groove 25 of the fastener 20. In the intermediate joined body 60 of the fastener 20 and the joining member 30, the fastener 20 does not fall out of the joining member 30, and therefore the handleability of the intermediate joined body 60 is improved.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 17(B), the intermediate joint body 60 and another joining member 33 are overlapped in the plate thickness direction, and the position of the head 21 of the fastener 20 is sandwiched between a pair of welding electrodes 401, 403. Then, a welding current I is passed between the pair of welding electrodes 401, 403. As a result, as shown in Fig. 17(C), a joint body 70 is obtained in which a nugget N is formed between the tip of the shaft portion 23 of the fastener 20 and the joining member 33.

[0060] Here, an example is shown in which the fastener 20 is provided at one location, but any number of fasteners 20 can be provided at any location.

[0061] According to the joining device 10 configured as above, the fastener feed mechanism 100 separates the fasteners 20 one by one and sends them out to the conveying hose 301 when the arrival sensor of the fastener joining mechanism 200 does not detect the fasteners 20. This makes it possible to prevent the fasteners 20 from being sent to the fastener joining mechanism 200 in duplicate.

[0062] In addition, the fastener 20 sent to the fastener joining mechanism 200 is placed in the standby position and then sent to the joining position by the push-out mechanism. The next fastener 20 is sent from the fastener feed mechanism 100 and placed in the vacant standby position. When the fastener 20 is joined to the joining member at the joining position, the next fastener 20 is sent from the standby position to the vacant joining position. In this way, when the fastener 20 is provided for joining from the joining position, the next fastener 20 is immediately supplied from the standby position to the joining position, so that the waiting time for the fastener 20 to be transported is significantly reduced. And, since the fastener 20 can be continuously supplied, it is possible to always load at a uniform timing regardless of the number of joining points. On the other hand, in the conventional method in which a certain number of fasteners are stocked as a unit near the joining position, the loading work of the next unit of fasteners is required after a certain number of joinings, so the timing of loading according to the number of joining points cannot be flexibly set.

[0063] In addition, since there is no need to provide a fastener separating mechanism near the joining position as in the conventional method, the fastener joining mechanism 200 does not have a complex configuration, making it possible to reduce the weight and improve workability, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0064] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and these are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0065] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: (1) a fastener feeding mechanism that feeds out solid fasteners one by one, a fastener joining mechanism that joins the fed out fasteners to a joining member, a fastener transport unit that is connected to the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism and transports the fasteners, and a controller that controls the drive of the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism; Equipped with The fastener feed mechanism includes: A parts feeder that aligns a large number of the stored fasteners in a single row; A separating mechanism that separates one of the fasteners from the row of aligned fasteners and sends the fastener to the fastener transport section; a passage detection sensor disposed midway through the fastener transport section and detecting passage of the fastener sent toward the fastener connecting mechanism; having The fastener coupling mechanism includes: a receiver section that receives the fasteners transported from the fastener transport section; an arrival sensor for detecting whether the fastener has arrived at the receiver portion; having When the arrival sensor does not detect the fastener, the controller causes the separating mechanism to send one of the fasteners to the fastener transport section, and when the passage detection sensor detects the passage of the sent out fastener, the controller supplies pressurized air into the transport path of the fastener transport section to pressure-transport the fastener in the transport path toward the fastener joining mechanism. Fastener joining device. According to this fastener joining device, the fastener feed mechanism separates the fasteners one by one and sends them to the fastener joining mechanism, thereby simplifying the configuration of the fastener joining mechanism and enabling it to accommodate any number of joining points, thereby improving productivity.

[0066] (2) The fastener joining device described in (1) above, wherein the separation mechanism is provided on a conveying rail that is inclined downward, and slides one of the separated fasteners downstream in the conveying direction by gravity. According to this fastener joining device, a drive source for moving the fastener downstream in the conveying direction is not required, and the mechanism can be simplified.

[0067] (3) The separating mechanism includes a first stopper arranged upstream in the conveying direction of a leading fastener among the plurality of fasteners arranged in a row along the conveying rail, and a second stopper arranged downstream in the conveying direction of the leading fastener, The first stopper stops the movement of the fasteners subsequent to the leading fastener toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, The second stopper stops the movement of the leading fastener downstream in the conveying direction, The fastener joining device according to (2), wherein only the leading fastener is moved downstream in the conveying direction by releasing the second stopper. With this fastener joining device, multiple fasteners are stocked on the conveying rail using the second stopper, and the first stopper separates the leading fastener between the first and second stoppers, and the second stopper is released, so that the leading fastener can be sent downstream in the conveying direction while all fasteners other than the leading fastener are blocked by the first stopper.

[0068] (4) The first stopper includes a first rod and a first plunger that moves the first rod toward and away from the transport rail, The fastener joining device described in (3) above, wherein the second stopper comprises a second rod and a second plunger that moves the second rod forward and backward along the conveying rail. With this fastener joining device, the first rod and the second rod can be inserted into or removed from the conveying rail by driving the first plunger and the second plunger, making it easy to block or allow the fastener passing through the conveying rail.

[0069] (5) A fastener joining device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the passage detection sensor is positioned within a range inclined downwardly of the fastener transport section on the connection side with the fastener feed mechanism. According to this fastener connecting device, the passage of the fastener is detected within the inclination range of the fastener transport section, so that the fastener within the fastener transport section can be reliably detected.

[0070] (6) The fastener joining device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the passage detection sensor is a magnetic sensor. According to this fastener joining device, fasteners can be detected reliably and without contact.

[0071] (7) The fastener joining device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the fastener has a disk-shaped head and a shaft portion whose diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the head, and the shaft length is shorter than the diameter of the shaft portion. This fastener joining device can join a flat fastener whose shank length is shorter than the diameter of its shank to a joining member.

[0072] (8) A fastener joining device as described in any one of (1) to (7), wherein the fastener joining mechanism includes a push-out portion that pushes the fastener from a waiting position where the fastener is received by the receiver portion to a joining position where the fastener is joined to the joining component. According to this fastener joining device, the fasteners sent from the fastener separating mechanism are temporarily stored in a waiting position, and the stored fasteners in the waiting position are supplied to the joining position. This allows the fasteners to be supplied to the joining position more quickly than when they are supplied directly from the fastener separating mechanism to the joining position.

[0073] (9) The receiver section includes a pair of receiver pieces arranged on both sides of a transport path of the fasteners transported from the fastener transport section and supported so as to be capable of approaching and separating from each other toward a center in a width direction of the transport path; The fastener joining device according to any one of (1) to (8), further comprising an elastic body that biases the pair of receiver pieces toward a center in the width direction of the transport path. According to this fastener joining device, the resiliently biased receiver piece can stop the fastener being conveyed and hold it without allowing it to return to the conveyance path.

[0074] (10) The fastener connection mechanism includes: Die and A punch arranged to be movable toward the die; a punch drive mechanism that moves the punch toward the die; Equipped with The fastener joining device according to (8) or (9) comprises a fastener extruded between the die and the punch, a joining member sandwiched between the die, and the fastener is driven against the joining member by the punch driving mechanism. According to this fastener joining device, the shaft of the fastener is struck against a joining member sandwiched between a die and a punch, and the fastener is joined to the joining member.

[0075] (11) The fastener joining mechanism comprises a C-frame having the die disposed at one end and the punch and punch drive mechanism disposed at the other end. According to this fastener joining device, the die and punch are arranged in a C-frame, allowing for stable processing with high rigidity.

[0076] (12) A fastener feeding method for joining a fastener to a joining member by a joining device including a fastener feeding mechanism for feeding solid fasteners one by one, a fastener joining mechanism for joining the fed fasteners to a joining member, and a fastener transport unit connected to the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism for transporting the fastener, the method comprising: When an arrival sensor that detects whether the fastener has arrived at a receiver section of the fastener connecting mechanism that receives the fastener transported from the fastener transport section does not detect the fastener, The fastener feed mechanism separates one of the fasteners from the row of fasteners in which the fasteners are aligned in a row, and sends the separated fastener to the fastener transport section; When a passage detection sensor disposed midway through the fastener transport section detects the fastener that has been sent out, supplying pressurized air into the transport path of the fastener transport section to pressure-feed the fasteners in the transport path toward the fastener connecting mechanism; Fastener delivery method. According to this fastener feeding method, the fastener feeding mechanism separates the fasteners one by one and sends them to the fastener joining mechanism, thereby simplifying the configuration of the fastener joining mechanism and improving productivity as it can accommodate any number of joining points.

[0077] (13) A joining method, comprising: pushing the fastener transported to the fastener joining mechanism by the fastener feeding method described in (12) from a waiting position where the fastener is received by the receiver portion to a joining position where a die and a punch are arranged; and joining the fastener to the joining member at the joining position. According to this joining method, the fasteners sent from the fastener separating mechanism are temporarily stored in a waiting position, and then the stored fasteners in the waiting position are supplied to the joining position. This allows the fasteners to be supplied to the joining position more quickly than when they are supplied directly from the fastener separating mechanism to the joining position.

[0078] (14) A method for manufacturing a joint, comprising spot welding an intermediate joint body in which the fastener and the joint member are joined by the joining method described in (13) to another joint member. According to this method for manufacturing a joint, by spot welding the fastener and other joint members, welding of a variety of joint members to each other can be easily performed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 10 Bonding equipment 20 Fasteners 21 Head 21a Flange 23 Shaft 25 Annular groove 27 Protrusion 30 Joining materials 40 Feeding side controller 50 Joint side controller 60 Intermediate conjugate 70 Zygote 100 Fastener feed mechanism 110 Hopper 130 Parts Feeder 131 Exit section 150 Alignment and transport mechanism 151 Transport rail 170 Separation mechanism 171 First rod (first stopper) 173 First plunger (first stopper) 175 Second rod (second stopper) 177 Second plunger (second stopper) 179 Outlet 180 Air supply passage 181 Air Pump 183 Valve 190 Passage detection sensor 200 Fastener joining mechanism 201 Multi-axis robot 203 End Effector 205 C-frame 207 Receiver 209 Arrival Sensor 211 Push-out section 213 Joint 215 Die 217 Punch 217a Through hole 217b Punch tip 219 Punch drive mechanism 220 Block 221 Fastener conveyor 221a Continuous groove 223 Axis 225 Lever 225a Tip 227 Compression Spring 229 Adjustment pin 231 Through hole 233 Pusha 235 Space 237 Punch Sensor 239 Stopper member 243 Receiver Piece 245 Axis 247 Spring 300 Fastener conveying section 301 Conveyor hose 303 Transport Path 401 Welding electrodes 403 Welding electrodes

Claims

1. a fastener feeding mechanism that feeds out solid fasteners one by one; a fastener joining mechanism that joins the fed out fasteners to a joining member; a fastener transport unit that is connected to the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism and transports the fasteners; and a controller that controls the drive of the fastener feeding mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism. Equipped with The fastener feed mechanism includes: a parts feeder for arranging the stored multiple fasteners in a line; a separating mechanism that separates one of the fasteners from the row of aligned fasteners and sends the single fastener to the fastener transport section; a passage detection sensor disposed midway through the fastener transport section and detecting passage of the fastener sent toward the fastener connecting mechanism; having The fastener coupling mechanism includes: a receiver section that receives the fasteners transported from the fastener transport section; an arrival sensor for detecting whether the fastener has arrived at the receiver portion; having the controller causes the separating mechanism to send one of the fasteners to the fastener transport section when the arrival sensor does not detect the fastener, and when the passage detection sensor detects the passage of the sent out fastener, supplies pressurized air into the transport path of the fastener transport section to pressure-feed the fastener in the transport path toward the fastener joining mechanism; The fastener joining mechanism includes a push-out portion that pushes out the fastener from a retreat position where the fastener is received by the receiver portion to a joining position where the fastener is joined to the joining member. Fastener joining device.

2. 2. The fastener joining device according to claim 1, wherein the separating mechanism is provided on a conveying rail that is inclined downward, and one of the separated fasteners slides down downstream in the conveying direction by gravity.

3. The separating mechanism includes a first stopper arranged upstream in the conveying direction of a leading fastener among the plurality of fasteners arranged in a row along the conveying rail, and a second stopper arranged downstream in the conveying direction of the leading fastener, The first stopper stops the movement of the fasteners subsequent to the leading fastener toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, The second stopper stops the movement of the leading fastener downstream in the conveying direction, The fastener joining device according to claim 2 , wherein only the leading fastener is moved downstream in the conveying direction by releasing the second stopper.

4. the first stopper includes a first rod and a first plunger that moves the first rod toward and away from the transport rail; The fastener joining device according to claim 3 , wherein the second stopper comprises a second rod and a second plunger that moves the second rod forward and backward along the transport rail.

5. A fastener joining device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the passage detection sensor is positioned within a range inclined downwardly of the fastener transport section on the connection side with the fastener feed mechanism.

6. The fastener joining device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the passage detection sensor is a magnetic sensor.

7. The fastener joining device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the fastener has a disk-shaped head and a shaft portion whose diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the head, and the shaft length is shorter than the diameter of the shaft portion.

8. The fastener joining device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the fastener joining mechanism is provided with a joining position sensor that detects the fastener at the joining position.

9. The receiver section includes a pair of receiver pieces disposed on both sides of a transport path for the fasteners transported from the fastener transport section and supported so as to be movable toward and away from each other toward a center in a width direction of the transport path; The fastener joining device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: an elastic body that biases the pair of receiver pieces toward a center in the width direction of the transport path.

10. The fastener coupling mechanism includes: Die and A punch arranged to be movable toward the die; a punch drive mechanism that moves the punch toward the die; Equipped with A fastener joining device as described in claim 8 or 9, wherein the fastener extruded between the die and the punch and the joining member are sandwiched between the die and the fastener, and the fastener is driven against the joining member by the punch driving mechanism.

11. The fastener application apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the fastener application mechanism comprises a C-frame having the die disposed at one end and the punch and punch drive mechanism disposed at the other end.

12. A joining method for joining a fastener to a joining member by a joining device including a fastener feed mechanism that feeds out solid fasteners one by one, a fastener joining mechanism that joins the fed out fasteners to a joining member, and a fastener transport unit that is connected to the fastener feed mechanism and the fastener joining mechanism and transports the fastener, comprising: When an arrival sensor that detects whether the fastener has arrived at a receiver section of the fastener connecting mechanism that receives the fastener transported from the fastener transport section does not detect the fastener, The fastener feed mechanism separates one of the fasteners from the row of fasteners in which the fasteners are aligned in a row, and sends the separated fastener to the fastener transport section; When a passage detection sensor disposed midway through the fastener transport section detects the fastener that has been sent out, A joining method comprising: a fastener feeding method in which pressurized air is supplied into a conveying path of the fastener conveying section to pressure-feed the fastener in the conveying path toward the fastener joining mechanism; extruding the fastener transported to the fastener joining mechanism from a waiting position where the fastener is received by the receiver section to a joining position where a die and a punch are arranged; and joining the fastener to the joining member at the joining position.

13. The fastener joining mechanism includes a joining position sensor that detects the fastener at the joining position, The joining method according to claim 12, wherein when the fastener is not detected by the joining position sensor, the push-out portion supplies the fastener of the receiver portion to the joining position, so that when the fastener is joined to the joining member at the joining position, a next fastener is immediately supplied from a standby position to the joining position which has become vacant.

14. A method for manufacturing a joint, comprising spot welding an intermediate joint body in which the fastener and the joint member are joined by the joining method according to claim 13 to another joint member.

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