Tapping screw fastening jig and fastening method using the tapping screw fastening jig

Abstract

To provide a tapping screw fastening jig which can easily position a guide component.SOLUTION: A tapping screw fastening jig includes a guide component, and a positioning component, wherein the guide component has a first base member where guide hole parts to which tapping screws can be inserted are provided at positions corresponding to each lower hole in a used state where the tapping screw fastening jig is used, the positioning component has a second base member, and at least positioning pins which are provided on the second base member and are provided at positions corresponding to at least the two lower holes in the used state, at least the two positioning pins have a first outer diameter part which can be inserted to the lower holes in the used state, and a second outer diameter part which is connected to the first outer diameter part on the base end side rather than the first outer diameter part, and can be inserted to the guide hole parts in the used state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tapping screw tightening jig and a tightening method using the tapping screw tightening jig. [Background technology]

[0002] Tapping screws are known as fasteners for fastening a workpiece into a pilot hole that has not been internally threaded. When fastening using tapping screws, a guide jig, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, is used as a guide part to prevent the tapping screw from being inserted obliquely. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-38828 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, aligning the guide parts and pilot holes as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is difficult, which can lead to variations in fastening depending on the worker. Furthermore, when fastening multiple pilot holes, the guide parts must be aligned for each pilot hole, which can increase the work time. Therefore, there is a need for a tapping screw fastening jig that can easily align the guide parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a tapping screw fastening jig for fastening a workpiece with a tapping screw to a mating member having at least three pilot holes without internal threads. The tapping screw fastening jig includes a guide component and a positioning component, wherein the guide component has a first base member having guide holes through which the tapping screws can be inserted, at positions corresponding to the pilot holes in a usage state in which the tapping screw fastening jig is used, and the positioning component has a second base member and at least two positioning pins provided on the second base member, the at least two positioning pins being provided at positions corresponding to at least two of the pilot holes in the usage state, and each of the at least two positioning pins has a first outer diameter portion insertable into the pilot holes in the usage state and a second outer diameter portion connected to the first outer diameter portion at a position proximal to the first outer diameter portion and insertable into the guide hole in the usage state. According to this form of tapping screw fastening jig, the guide part has a first base member provided with guide holes through which the tapping screws can be inserted at positions corresponding to the pilot holes in use, so that by inserting the tapping screws into the guide holes and fastening them, it is possible to prevent the tapping screws from being fastened at an angle. Also, the positioning part has at least two positioning pins, each of which has a first outer diameter portion that can be inserted into the pilot holes in use and a second outer diameter portion that can be inserted into the guide holes, so that by inserting the positioning pins into the guide holes and the pilot holes, it is possible to easily position the guide part relative to the mating material and the fastened device. (2) In the tapping screw fastening jig of the above form, the second base member may further have a floating mechanism corresponding to a second reference pin, which is one of the at least two positioning pins excluding the first reference pin, which is one of the positioning pins, and the floating mechanism may support the second reference pin so that it can swing radially relative to the second base member. This type of tapping screw fastening jig has a floating mechanism corresponding to the second reference, and the floating mechanism supports the second reference pin so that it can swing radially.Therefore, compared to a configuration without a floating mechanism, the second reference pin can be easily inserted into the guide hole portion, and the positioning of the guide part can be easily performed. (3) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a fastening method using a tapping screw fastening jig. This fastening method includes a preparation step of preparing the tapping screw fastening jig according to any one of the above aspects, the mating material, the fastened device, and the tapping screw, an arrangement step of arranging the mating material, the fastened device, and the guide component so that the prepared hole of the mating material, the insertion hole of the fastened device, and the guide hole portion of the guide component are positioned corresponding to each other, and a positioning step of inserting the at least two positioning pins of the positioning component into the corresponding guide hole portions and the prepared hole to position the guide component. a first fastening step of inserting the tapping screw into the guide hole portion and the pilot hole into which the at least two positioning pins have not been inserted and fastening the fastened device to the mating material; a first removal step of removing the guide component; a second fastening step of inserting the tapping screw into the guide hole portion and the pilot hole into which the at least two positioning pins had been inserted in the positioning step and fastening the fastened device to the mating material; and a second removal step of removing the positioning component. According to this form of fastening method, the guide parts are positioned using positioning parts in the positioning process, so that the guide parts can be positioned more easily than in a configuration in which the guide parts are positioned without using positioning parts, for example, by visual inspection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a guide component according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a positioning component according to an embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a tapping screw is inserted into the guide component. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a first reference pin in use. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a second reference pin in use. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the steps of a fastening method using the tapping screw fastening jig in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mating member and a fastened member before being fastened by a tapping screw. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining an arrangement step. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a positioning step. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a second fastening step. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mating member to which a fastened device is fastened. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A. Implementation: A1. Configuration of tapping screw fastening jig: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a guide component 100 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a positioning component 200 according to one embodiment. The tapping screw fastening jig of this embodiment is a jig for fastening a workpiece to a mating member having at least three unthreaded pilot holes while threading the pilot holes. The tapping screw fastening jig is composed of the guide component 100 shown in FIG. 1 and the positioning component 200 shown in FIG. 2. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the other figures, respectively.

[0009] A2. Configuration of guide part 100: As shown in FIG. 1 , the guide component 100 includes a first base member 110 and four buffer members 120. The guide component 100 is a component for preventing a tapping screw from being inserted obliquely into a prepared hole. The first base member 110 has a rectangular frame-like external shape in a plan view. The first base member 110 is manufactured by processing, for example, a resin material or a metal such as iron. The first base member 110 is provided with a guide hole H1. The guide hole H1 is a through-hole along the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) through which a tapping screw can be inserted. The guide hole H1 is provided at a position corresponding to the prepared hole of a mating material when the tapping screw fastening jig is in use. Details of the use state will be described later.

[0010] The buffer member 120 is a rectangular parallelepiped member and is made of, for example, a resin material. The buffer member 120 is provided on one surface (the surface in the -Z direction) of the first base member 110 at a position corresponding to the guide hole portion H1. The buffer member 120 prevents the first base member 110 and the fastened tool from being damaged due to direct contact between them. The buffer member 120 has a through hole that communicates with the guide hole portion H1. The diameter of the guide hole portion H1 and the diameter of the through hole are approximately equal, and the centers of the guide hole portion H1 and the through hole are approximately aligned. The diameters of the guide hole portion H1 and the through hole are set so that the angle of the inserted tapping screw TS is within 9 degrees. The reason for this will be described later.

[0011] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a tapping screw TS is inserted into the guide component 100. FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the guide component 100 taken along the III-III cross section line in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 also shows a mating member M, a fastened component F, and a tapping screw TS, which were not shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the mating member M, the fastened component F, and the guide component 100 are stacked in this order, and then the tapping screw TS is inserted into the guide component 100. When fastening the component F to a mating member M having a pilot hole PH that is not internally threaded, if the tapping screw TS is inserted at an angle while being fastened, the component F and the mating member M may not be properly fastened together. More specifically, if the tapping screw TS is inserted at an angle while being fastened, the component F and the mating member M may not be able to be tightly attached to each other, and the component F and the mating member M may not be able to be fixed together. Furthermore, since it is difficult to remove the female thread from the mating material M that has been machined with an oblique female thread and to regenerate the pilot hole PH, the mating material M that has been fastened at an angle may be disposed of as a defective product. However, by using a guide part 100 as shown in Figure 3, it is possible to prevent the tapping screw TS from being inserted obliquely into the pilot hole PH, and the fastened workpiece F and the mating material M can be properly fastened. It is also possible to reduce the number of defective products that have been machined with an oblique female thread.

[0012] The inventors have also found that if the angle between the axis of the tapping screw TS and the axis of the prepared hole PH is within 9 degrees, the mating material M and the workpiece F can be properly fastened together. For this reason, the diameters of the guide hole H1 and the through hole H2 in this embodiment are set so that when the tapping screw TS is inserted into the guide hole H1 and the through hole H2 as shown in Fig. 3 and before the tapping screw TS is fastened, the angle of the axis of the tapping screw TS with respect to the angle of the axis of the prepared hole PH is within 9 degrees. To achieve such an angle between the axis of the tapping screw TS and the axis of the prepared hole PH, the diameters of the guide hole H1 and the through hole H2 are set in consideration of the length and maximum diameter of the tapping screw TS.

[0013] A3. Configuration of positioning component 200: 2, the positioning component 200 includes a second base member 210, a first reference pin P10, and a second reference pin P20. The positioning component 200 is a component for aligning the positions of the guide hole portion H1 and the through hole H2 in the guide component 100 with the position of the pilot hole PH in the mating material M.

[0014] The second base member 210 has an elongated rectangular plate-like appearance and is manufactured by processing metal such as iron. The second base member 210 is provided with a handle 230 and multiple lightening holes 220. The handle 230 is provided across the longitudinal center of one surface (the surface in the +Z direction) of the second base member 210, allowing an operator to easily carry the positioning component 200 by grasping the handle 230. The multiple lightening holes 220 are through holes provided along the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) of the second base member 210, thereby reducing the weight of the positioning component 200. A first reference pin P10 and a second reference pin P20 are provided at both ends of the second base member 210 as positioning pins. The first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 are provided at positions corresponding to the pilot holes PH of the mating material M when the tapping screw fastening jig is in use. The first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 are provided so as to protrude from the surface (the surface in the -Z direction) opposite to the surface on which the handle 230 is provided of the second base member 210. The second base member 210 also has a floating mechanism FM corresponding to the second reference pin P20. Details of the floating mechanism FM will be described later.

[0015] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the first reference pin P10 in use. FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the positioning component 200 taken along the IV-IV cross section line in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 also shows the mating member M, the fastened device F, and the guide component 100, which are not shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the first reference pin P10 is inserted into the guide hole portion H1, the through hole H2, and the pilot hole PH to align the guide component 100. The first reference pin P10 includes a first outer diameter portion P11, a second outer diameter portion P12, and a base portion P13. The first outer diameter portion P11 is located at the most distal end of the first reference pin P10 and can be inserted into the pilot hole PH. The diameter of the first outer diameter portion P11 is smaller than the diameter of the pilot hole PH. The diameter of the first outer diameter portion P11 is, for example, 0.5 mm to 1 mm smaller than the diameter of the pilot hole PH. The second outer diameter portion P12 is connected to the first outer diameter portion P11 on the base end side (+Z direction side) and can be inserted into the guide hole portion H1 and the through hole H2. The diameter of the second outer diameter portion P12 is smaller than the diameters of the guide hole portion H1 and the through hole H2. The diameter of the second outer diameter portion P12 is, for example, 0.5 mm to 1 mm smaller than the diameters of the guide hole portion H1 and the through hole H2. The base portion P13 is connected to the base end side (+Z direction side) of the second outer diameter portion P12 and is located at the base end side of the first reference pin P10. The base portion P13 is embedded in and held by the second base member 210.

[0016] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the second reference pin P20 in use. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the positioning component 200 taken along the VV cross section line in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 also shows the mating member M, the fastened device F, and the guide component 100, which were not shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the second reference pin P20, like the first reference pin P10 shown in FIG. 4, is inserted into the guide hole H1, the through hole H2, and the pilot hole PH to align the guide component 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the second reference pin P20 includes a first outer diameter portion P21, a second outer diameter portion P22, and a base portion P23. The second reference pin P20 differs from the first reference pin P10 in that it is supported on the second base member 210 via a floating mechanism FM. The first outer diameter portion P21, the second outer diameter portion P22, and the base portion P23 of the second reference pin P20 are similar to the first outer diameter portion P11, the second outer diameter portion P12, and the base portion P13 of the first reference pin P10, respectively, and therefore detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0017] The floating mechanism FM supports the second reference pin P20 so that it can swing in its radial direction. The floating mechanism FM is a cylindrical member and is provided to cover the base P23. The floating mechanism FM includes multiple springs AB. Each of the multiple springs AB is arranged around the base P23 and biases the base P23 toward its center. With this structure, the second reference pin P20 can swing in the radial direction of the second reference pin P20 relative to the second base member 210. Note that in FIG. 5, the cross section of each spring AB is schematically represented by an ellipse. The swing distance of the second reference pin P20 due to the floating mechanism FM is, for example, 1 mm in the radial direction of the second reference pin P20. Without the floating mechanism FM, there is almost no space (gap) when inserting the second reference pin P20 into the guide hole H1, which may make it difficult to insert the second reference pin P20 due to manufacturing errors (tolerances). By providing a floating mechanism FM like the positioning component 200 of this embodiment, and by allowing the second reference pin P20 to swing radially, the second reference pin P20 can be easily inserted into the guide hole portion H1, the through hole H2, and the pilot hole PH, compared to a configuration that does not have the floating mechanism FM, and the guide component 100 can be easily aligned.

[0018] A4. Fastening method using a tapping screw fastening jig: Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the steps of a fastening method using the tapping screw fastening jig in the first embodiment. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a mating material M and a fastened workpiece F before being fastened with a tapping screw TS. This fastening method is carried out, for example, when a tapping screw TS is inserted into an insertion hole H3 and the prepared hole PH of a mating material M having a prepared hole PH that has not been internally threaded as shown in Fig. 7, and a workpiece F is fastened while a female thread is being threaded into the prepared hole PH.

[0019] As shown in Figure 6, in the preparation process (process P105), a guide part 100 as shown in Figure 1, a positioning part 200 as shown in Figure 2, a mating material M as shown in Figure 7, a fastened part F, and a tapping screw TS are prepared.

[0020] 8 is a perspective view illustrating the arrangement step. As shown in FIG. 6, in the arrangement step (step P110), the mating member M, the fastened member F, and the guide component 100 prepared in the preparation step (step P105) are arranged. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the mating member M, the fastened member F, and the guide component 100 are arranged in this order, overlapping each other, so that the pilot hole PH of the mating member M, the insertion hole H3 of the fastened member F, and the guide hole portion H1 of the guide component 100 roughly correspond to each other. Furthermore, the guide component 100 is arranged so that the buffer member 120 contacts the fastened member F. Because the guide component 100 will be positioned in the positioning step (step P115) described later, it is not necessarily necessary to position the guide component precisely in this step.

[0021] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the positioning step. As shown in FIG. 6, in the positioning step (step P115), the guide component 100 arranged in the placement step (step P110) is positioned. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the worker U pushes the positioning component 200 in the direction of the arrow to insert the first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 into the corresponding guide hole H1, through hole H2, and pilot hole PH. In this embodiment, the first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 are provided to correspond to two diagonally opposite guide hole H1 among the multiple guide hole H1. The first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 may also be provided to correspond to adjacent guide hole H1. By inserting the first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 in this manner, the guide component 100 is positioned. As shown in FIG. 9, the state in which the first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 of the positioning component 200 are inserted into the corresponding guide hole portions H1 of the guide component 100 is referred to as the “use state” of the tapping screw fastening jig in this disclosure.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 6, in the first fastening step (step P120), the mating member M and the workpiece F are fastened together using the guide component 100 positioned in the positioning step (step P115). More specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, a tapping screw TS is inserted into the guide hole H1 into which the first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20 are not inserted, and the workpiece F is fastened to the mating member M. Fastening is performed using any tool, such as an electric screwdriver.

[0023] 6, in the first removing step (step P125), the positioning component 200 is removed after the first fastening step (step P120). At this time, it is preferable that the positioning component 200 is removed so that the position of the guide component 100 is not shifted as much as possible.

[0024] Fig. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the second fastening step. As shown in Fig. 6, in the second fastening step (step P130), the mating member M and the fastened member F are fastened using the guide part 100 after the positioning part 200 has been removed in the first removing step (step P125). More specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, a tapping screw TS is inserted into the guide hole H1 and the pilot hole PH into which the positioning pins (first reference pin P10 and second reference pin P20) were inserted in the positioning step (step P115), and fastening is performed. It can also be said that the tapping screw TS is inserted into the guide hole H1 into which the tapping screw TS was not inserted and fastened in the first fastening step (step P120), and fastening is performed.

[0025] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the mating member M to which the fastened member F is fastened. As shown in Fig. 6, in the second removal step (step P135), the guide component 100 is removed after the second fastening step (step P130). As shown in Fig. 11, the fastening method using the tapping screw fastening jig is completed by removing the guide component 100.

[0026] According to the embodiment of the tapping screw fastening jig described above, the guide part 100 has, in an in-use state, the first base member 110 having guide holes H1 through which the tapping screws TS can be inserted, at positions corresponding to the pilot holes PH. Therefore, by inserting the tapping screws TS into the guide holes H1 and fastening them, it is possible to prevent the tapping screws TS from being fastened at an angle. Furthermore, the positioning part 200 has at least two positioning pins, each of which has a first outer diameter portion P11, P21 that can be inserted into the pilot holes PH in an in-use state and a second outer diameter portion P12, P22 that can be inserted into the guide holes H1. Therefore, by inserting the positioning pins into the guide holes H1 and the pilot holes PH, it is possible to easily position the guide part 100 relative to the mating material M and the fastened fixture F.

[0027] In addition, the second base member 210 has a floating mechanism FM corresponding to the second reference pin P20, and the floating mechanism FM supports the second reference pin P20 so that it can swing radially.Therefore, compared to a configuration that does not have a floating mechanism FM, the second reference pin P20 can be easily inserted into the guide hole portion H1, and the positioning of the guide part 100 can be easily performed.

[0028] Furthermore, since the guide component 100 includes the buffer member 120, the guide component 100 and the fastened tool F are less likely to be damaged by rubbing against each other compared to a configuration that does not include the buffer member 120.

[0029] B. Other Embodiments: (B1) In the above embodiment, the number of pilot holes PH, guide hole portions H1, and through holes H2 may be any number equal to or greater than three.

[0030] (B2) In the above embodiment, the positioning component 200 includes two positioning pins, the first reference pin P10 and the second reference pin P20. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The positioning component 200 may include any number of positioning pins, two or more, that correspond to the pilot holes PH of the mating member M when in use. The total number of positioning pins is two or more and is one less than the total number of pilot holes PH of the mating member M to be fastened. This is because, in the first fastening step (step P120) described above, tapping screws TS are inserted and fastened into the guide hole portions H1 and pilot holes PH into which no positioning pins are inserted. Furthermore, when the positioning component 200 includes any number of positioning pins, three or more, one positioning pin corresponds to the first reference pin P10. That is, one positioning pin is a positioning pin that is not supported by the floating mechanism FM. In addition, the other positioning pins, excluding the one positioning pin, correspond to the second reference pin P20. That is, the other positioning pins, excluding the one positioning pin, are positioning pins supported by the floating mechanism FM.

[0031] (B3) In the above embodiment, the outer shape of the guide component 100 was a rectangular frame in plan view, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The outer shape of the guide component 100 may be any shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon, in plan view. Also, in the above embodiment, the outer shape of the positioning component 200 was an elongated rectangular plate, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The outer shape of the positioning component 200 may be any shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon.

[0032] (B4) In the above embodiment, the guide component 100 includes the buffer member 120, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The guide component 100 may not include the buffer member 120.

[0033] (B5) In the above embodiment, guide component 100 includes floating mechanism FM, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Guide component 100 may be configured without floating mechanism FM, i.e., the positioning pin may be a first reference pin only.

[0034] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 100...guide part, 110...first base member, 120...cushion member, 200...positioning part, 210...second base member, 220...lightening part, 230...handle, F...fastened tool, FM...floating mechanism, H1...guide hole, H2...through hole, H3...insertion hole, M...mating member, P10...first reference pin, P11, P21...first outer diameter part, P12, P22...second outer diameter part, P13, P23...base, P20...second reference pin, PH...prepared hole, U...worker

Claims

1. A tapping screw fastening jig for fastening a fastened member with a tapping screw to a mating member having at least three pilot holes that are not internally threaded, A guide component and a positioning component are provided, the guide component has a first base member provided with guide hole portions through which the tapping screws can be inserted, at positions corresponding to the pilot holes when the tapping screw fastening jig is in use, The positioning component is A second base member; At least two positioning pins are provided on the second base member, the at least two positioning pins being provided at positions corresponding to at least two of the pilot holes in the usage state; and Each of the at least two positioning pins has a first outer diameter portion that can be inserted into the pilot hole in the usage state, and a second outer diameter portion that is connected to the first outer diameter portion on a base end side of the first outer diameter portion and can be inserted into the guide hole in the usage state. Tapping screw fastening jig.

2. The tapping screw fastening jig according to claim 1, the second base member further includes a floating mechanism corresponding to a second reference pin, which is the other of the at least two positioning pins, excluding the first reference pin, which is one of the positioning pins; the floating mechanism supports the second reference pin so as to be swingable in a radial direction of the second reference pin relative to the second base member; Tapping screw fastening jig.

3. A fastening method using a tapping screw fastening jig, a preparation step of preparing the tapping screw fastening jig according to claim 1 or 2, the mating member, the fastened member, and the tapping screw; an arrangement process of arranging the mating material, the fastened tool, and the guide component so that the positions of the pilot hole of the mating material, the insertion hole of the fastened tool, and the guide hole portion of the guide component correspond to each other; a positioning step of inserting the at least two positioning pins of the positioning component into the corresponding guide hole portions and the pilot holes to position the guide component; a first fastening step of inserting the tapping screw into the guide hole portion and the pilot hole into which the at least two positioning pins are not inserted, and fastening the fastened device to the mating member; a first removal step of removing the guide component; a second fastening step of inserting the tapping screw into the guide hole portion and the pilot hole into which the at least two positioning pins were inserted in the positioning step, and fastening the fastened device to the mating member; a second removal step of removing the positioning component; A fastening method using a tapping screw fastening jig, comprising:

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