Transport system for transporting fastening elements

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport system for transporting fastening elements, the transport system comprising: a flow system for guiding a gas flow, wherein the flow system forms a circuit for the gas flow, a flow device configured to generate the gas flow in the flow system, wherein the flow device forms part of the circuit, a supply device configured to supply at least one fastening element into the flow system at a first point of the circuit downstream of the flow device, and a removal device configured to remove the fastening element from the flow system at a second point of the circuit downstream of the first point.

Description

[0001] Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE

[0002] Transport system for transporting fasteners

[0003] The present invention relates to a transport system for transporting fastening elements, in particular a transport system with a recirculation of a gas stream.

[0004] Technical background

[0005] Industrial applications require the joining of elements, such as joining sheet metal in automotive manufacturing. This joining process can involve, for example, flow drill fastening (FDF) or self-piercing riveting (SPR). The joining process typically requires transporting fasteners from one location to another, such as from a reservoir to the point of use or joining device. These fasteners can also be referred to as fixings. Fixings can include, for example, screws or rivets.

[0006] Conventional solutions for transporting fasteners typically require the use of industrial and / or centralized air supply systems. These have the disadvantage of high air consumption and therefore high energy consumption, and require high installation costs.

[0007] Summary of the invention

[0008] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved transport system for transporting fasteners. In particular, it is an object to provide a transport system that does not require the use of an industrial air supply system and / or that can be operated independently of one.

[0009] It is an object of the invention to provide a transport system for transporting fasteners without or with reduced gas loss. It is also an object of the invention to provide a transport system for transporting fasteners with reduced energy consumption.

[0010] The object of the invention is to provide a transport system for transporting fasteners that can be flexibly deployed and / or assembled. Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE

[0011] These and other problems arising for the person skilled in the art from the present disclosure are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0012] The present invention is based on the basic idea of ​​providing a transport system with a circulation for a gas or air flow and transporting the fastening elements by means of the gas or air flow.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a transport system for transporting fasteners is specified, comprising: a flow system for guiding a gas flow, wherein the flow system forms a circuit for the gas flow; a flow device arranged for generating the gas flow in the flow system, wherein the flow device forms part of the circuit; a feed device arranged to feed at least one fastener into the flow system at a first point of the circuit downstream of the flow device; and a withdrawal device arranged to withdraw the fastener from the flow system at a second point of the circuit downstream of the first point.

[0014] The specified transport system is designed to move the fastener within the flow system from the first point of the circuit to the second point of the circuit using the gas flow. The second point of the circuit can be located near the fastener's point of use. The first point of the circuit can be located near a reservoir for fasteners. In other words, the transport system connects the reservoir to the fastening point.

[0015] The specified transport system thus transports the fastening element along a section of the circuit. Furthermore, the specified transport system is designed to circulate the gas flow, thereby reusing the gas present in the flow system to transport further fastening elements. The circulated gas flow is therefore annular or closed. The specified transport system thus enables a substantially closed circuit for the gas flow.

[0016] Transport may involve blowing and / or pressing the fastening element using the gas flow.

[0017] The fastener can be a screw, a rivet, or a nail. The gas can be air. Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE

[0018] The flow system can comprise one or more gas channels. The gas channel(s), together with the flow device, can form the circuit. The flow device can have an outlet, which may be connected to the first point via a first gas channel. The flow device can have an inlet, which may be connected to the second point via a third gas channel. The first and second points of the circuit can be connected to each other via a second gas channel. The gas channel(s) can be designed as a pipe or a hose.

[0019] "Downstream" refers to the gas flow and means that a second element is located downstream of a first element in terms of the gas flow direction. The gas flow passes through the first element first and then the second element. The section of the circuit between the second point and the inlet of the flow device can be called the return section. The third gas channel can be called the return channel. The section of the circuit between the outlet of the flow device and the second point can be called the main section. The first and second gas channels together can be called the main channel. The first point of the circuit is downstream of the flow device. This can mean that the first point is located downstream of the outlet of the flow device. The flow device can be located downstream of the second point of the circuit.This could mean that the inlet of the flow device is located downstream of the second point.

[0020] The flow device can be configured to create a pressure differential between the inlet and the outlet, and / or it can be configured to create a pressure differential between the first point of the circuit and the second point of the circuit. The flow device can be configured to generate the gas flow from the first point to the second point. The flow device can generate a continuous gas flow. The flow device can be configured to expel gas from the outlet. The flow device can be configured to draw gas in through the inlet.

[0021] The transport system can be a closed (gas-tight) system, particularly at all times. This means that the flow system can never be fluidly connected to the environment of the transport system. The feed device can be configured to feed the fastener into the flow system in an airtight manner. This means that the feed device never connects the flow system to the environment of the transport system in a fluidly communicating way, either during or before feeding the fastener. The extraction device can be configured to extract the fastener from the flow system in an airtight manner. This means that the extraction device never connects the flow system to the environment of the transport system in a fluidly communicating way, either during or before removing the fastener.

[0022] The transport system may have a feed channel for supplying the fastening element into the flow system, which is connected to the first point of the flow system's circuit and / or which opens into the circuit and / or the flow system at the first point. The transport system may have a discharge channel for removing the fastening element from the flow system, which is connected to the second point of the flow system's circuit and / or which branches off from the circuit and / or the flow system at the second point.

[0023] The feeding device may have an inlet for introducing the fastener into the feeding device and the transport system, and an outlet for discharging the fastener from the feeding device, which is connected to the feed channel. The feeding device may be configured to transport the fastener between the inlet and the outlet in a chamber. During transport of the fastener in the chamber, the chamber may be gas-tight, at least temporarily, with respect to both the inlet and the outlet.

[0024] The feed device can be configured to subsequently introduce the fastener into the feed channel via the outlet by connecting the chamber to the outlet. The fastener can be fed into the flow system, for example, by gravity. The fastener can fall from the chamber, through the outlet and the feed channel, into the flow system. The feed channel can be designed such that the fastener falls from the outlet of the feed device through the feed channel to the first point of the circuit. Alternatively or additionally, the fastener can be fed into the flow system by means of the Venturi effect. The Venturi effect can create a pressure drop upstream of the fastener and a pressure increase downstream of it.

[0025] The dispensing device may have an inlet for introducing the fastener into the device, which is connected to the dispensing channel, and an outlet for dispensing the fastener from the device and the transport system. The dispensing device may be configured to transport the fastener between the inlet and the outlet in a chamber. During transport of the fastener in the chamber, the chamber may be gas-tight, at least temporarily, with respect to both the inlet and the outlet. Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE

[0026] The extraction channel can branch off essentially tangentially from the flow system, in particular a gas channel of the flow system, at the second point and / or can branch off parallel and / or coaxially with the gas flow from the flow system. The extraction channel can be designed as an extension, in particular a straight extension, of the gas channel of the flow system in the direction of the gas flow at the second point of the circuit. The extraction channel can be designed such that the fastening element falls from the second point to the inlet of the extraction device. The fastening element can be removed from the outlet of the extraction device and reused.

[0027] The extraction device can be configured to detect the passage of the fastener through the extraction device's inlet and / or the insertion of the fastener into the extraction device. The extraction device can incorporate a suitable sensor for this detection.

[0028] The feed device can be configured to detect the passage of the fastener through the feed device's inlet and / or the insertion of the fastener into the feed device. The extraction device can incorporate a corresponding sensor for detection purposes.

[0029] The feeding device can contain a rotating element and a wall surrounding the rotating element. The rotating element, together with the wall, can form at least one chamber. The rotating element can rotate to transport the fastener between the inlet and outlet. The chamber thus formed serves as a singulation chamber for the fed fasteners. This means the chamber's size and dimensions are adapted to the dimensions of the fasteners and can only accommodate one fastener at a time. The same applies to the dispensing device.

[0030] The feed device and / or the removal device can be designed as a lock for the fastening element and / or can implement the principle of a lock.

[0031] The flow device comprises or is formed from one of the following: a pump, a vane pump, a fan, a blower, a centrifugal blower, an axial duct blower, an axial fan.

[0032] The transport system can be configured to transport exactly one fastener at a time. Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE

[0033] The specified transport system offers the following technical advantages: No industrial air supply is required. The transport system has virtually no air loss. The gas flow can be generated locally and only in the quantity necessary to transport the fastener. The entire transport system can be operated with low voltage. The flow device only needs to operate for as long as it takes to transport or move the fastener from one point to the other. Therefore, the flow device can only be in operation when needed, i.e., when a fastener needs to be transported.

[0034] The transport system can be adapted in terms of length, i.e., the distance between the first and second points, particularly because the performance of the flow device can be adjusted and / or set. The gas channel(s) can have any shape, as the orientation of the mounting element is irrelevant. Furthermore, it may be sufficient to provide only one or two sensors (in the extraction device and / or at the supply device). This allows for a reduction in the number of sensors used compared to conventional transport systems.

[0035] Brief description of the characters

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the figures, which show:

[0037] Fig. 1 shows a transport system for transporting fastening elements in a schematic view according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Fig. 2A-2C Elements of the transport system in schematic views according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Detailed description

[0040] Unless otherwise noted, the same reference symbols are used for identical and equivalent elements in the following text. Redundant descriptions of recurring features are avoided. The various embodiments and features of the figures described below are expressly combinable and should not be understood as complete embodiments.

[0041] Fig. 1 shows a transport system for transporting fasteners in a schematic view according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Figs. 2A-2C Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE show elements of the transport system in schematic views according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 2A shows a feed device. Fig. 2B shows a flow device. Fig. 2C shows a discharge device. The figures are described together below.

[0042] The transport system 100 is designed to transport at least one fastening element 101.

[0043] The transport system 100 comprises a flow system 102 for guiding a gas flow 104. The flow system 102 forms a circuit 106 for the gas flow 104. The transport system 100 further comprises a flow device 108 configured for generating the gas flow 104 in the flow system 102 or in the circuit 106, the flow device 108 itself forming part of the circuit 106. That is, the flow system 102 and the flow device 108 together form the circuit 106. The flow device 108 is, for example, designed as a blower or a pump. The flow device 108 comprises an inlet 110 for the gas or gas flow 104 and an outlet 112 for the gas or gas flow 104. The flow system 102 comprises several gas channels. A first gas channel 114 connects the outlet 112 of the flow device 108 with a first point 120 of the circuit 106.A second gas channel 116 connects the first point 120 with a second point 122 of the circuit 106, and a third gas channel 118 connects the second point 120 with the inlet 110 of the flow device 108. The first gas channel 114 and the second gas channel 116 together form a main section of the circuit 106, and the third gas channel 118 forms a return section of the circuit 106. The first point 120 is located downstream of the flow device 108, and the second point 122 is located downstream of the first point 120.

[0044] Furthermore, the transport system 100 comprises a feed device 124, configured to feed the fastening element 101 into the flow system 102 at the first point 120 of the circuit 106. The transport system 100 also comprises a removal device 126, configured to remove the fastening element 101 from the flow system 102 at the second point 122 of the circuit 106. The transport system 100 is configured to transport the fastening element 102 in the flow system 102 from the first point 120 of the circuit 106 to the second point 122 of the circuit by means of the gas flow 104.

[0045] Furthermore, the transport system 100 can incorporate one or more flow straighteners 128 to convert the potentially turbulent gas flow into a laminar gas flow. One flow straightener 128 can be arranged in the first gas channel 114. Another flow straightener 128 can be arranged in the third gas channel 118. Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE

[0046] The transport system 100 comprises a feed channel 125, which connects an outlet 130 of the feed device 124 to the flow system 102 at the first point 120 of the circuit 106. The transport system 100 also comprises a discharge channel 127, which connects the flow system 102 at the second point 122 of the circuit 106 to an inlet of the discharge device 126.

[0047] The feed device 124 comprises an inlet 130 for introducing the fastening element into the feed device 124, for example from a reservoir, and an outlet 132 for discharging the fastening element from the feed device 124 and introducing the fastening element into the feed channel 125. The feed device 124 is configured to transport the fastening element from the inlet 130 to the outlet 132 by means of a chamber 134. For this purpose, the feed device 124 may include a rotary device 136. The feed device 124 is configured to ensure that the outlet 132, and thus the flow system 102, is always airtight relative to the inlet 130, particularly during the transport of the fastening element in the chamber 134. This means that, at least temporarily, the chamber 134 is airtight relative to both the inlet 130 and the outlet 132.

[0048] The dispensing device 126 comprises an inlet 140 for introducing the fastening element into the dispensing device 126 from the dispensing channel 127 and an outlet 142 for discharging the fastening element from the dispensing device 126, for example, for further use at a site. The dispensing device 126 is configured to transport the fastening element from the inlet 140 to the outlet 142 by means of a chamber 144. For this purpose, the dispensing device 126 may include a rotary device 146. The dispensing device 126 is configured to ensure that the inlet 140, and thus the flow system 102, is always airtight relative to the outlet 142, particularly during the transport of the fastening element in the chamber 144. This means that, at least temporarily, the chamber 144 is airtight relative to both the inlet 140 and the outlet 142.

[0049] Fig. 2B shows a flow device 108 designed as a rotary vane pump. A variable 12V DC motor, for example, can be used to drive the rotary vane pump.

Claims

Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE Claims 1. Transport system (100) for transporting fasteners (101), the transport system (100) comprising: a flow system (102) for guiding a gas flow (104), wherein the flow system (102) forms a circuit (106) for the gas flow (104), a flow device (108) configured for generating the gas flow (104) in the flow system (102), wherein the flow device (108) forms part of the circuit (106), a feed device (124) configured to feed at least one fastener (101) into the flow system (102) at a first point (120) of the circuit (106) downstream to the flow device (108), and a discharge device (126) configured to remove the fastener (101) from the flow system (102) at a second point (122) of the circuit (106) downstream. to the first point (120), whereby the transport system (100) is set up,to transport the fastening element (101) in the flow system (102) from the first point (120) of the circuit (106) to the second point (122) of the circuit (106) by means of the gas flow (104).

2. Transport system according to claim 1, wherein the feed device (124) is configured to feed the fastening element (101) into the flow system (102) in an airtight manner, and / or wherein the removal device (126) is configured to remove the fastening element (101) from the flow system (102) in an airtight manner.

3. Transport system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport system further comprises a feed channel (125) for feeding the fastening element (101) into the flow system (102), which is connected to the first point (120) of the circuit of the flow system and / or which opens into the circuit at the first point (120), and / or wherein the transport system further comprises a discharge channel (127) for removing the fastening element (101) from the flow system (102), which is connected to the second point of the circuit of the flow system (102), and / or which branches off from the circuit at the second point.

4. Transport system according to claim 3, wherein the feed device (124) has an inlet for inserting the fastening element (101) into the feed device (124), and an outlet for dispensing the fastening element (101) from the feed device (124), which is connected to the feed channel (125), and the feed device (124) is configured to Atlas Copco IAS GmbH, Case: 12N2024PA1072DE to transport the fastening element (101) between the inlet and the outlet in a chamber, and / or wherein the extraction device (126) has an inlet for introducing the fastening element (101) into the extraction device, which is connected to the extraction channel (127), and an outlet for dispensing the fastening element (101) from the extraction device (126), and the extraction device is configured to transport the fastening element (101) between the inlet and the outlet in a chamber.

5. Transport system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the flow device (108) comprises or is formed from at least one of the following: a pump, a fan, a rotary vane pump, a ventilator, a blower, a centrifugal blower, an axial duct fan, an axial fan.

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