Blind Rivet Nut Tool With Dual-Motor Threading and Setting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing powered blind rivet nut-setting tools lack an efficient method to both thread and permanently set blind rivet nuts on workpieces, often requiring manual intervention and lacking a seamless integration of motorized mechanisms for precise control and deformation.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing two motors and a cam mechanism to rotate and translate the output shaft, with a limit switch and trigger system for automatic operation, enabling the blind rivet nut to be threaded and plastically deformed onto the workpiece, and subsequently set with controlled motor actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual intervention is used to thread and set blind rivet nuts, then operational flexibility is maintained, but productivity and precision are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two independent motor systems: a first motor dedicated to rotation operations and a second motor dedicated to translation operations. This segmentation allows each motor to be optimized for its specific function, improving overall productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The output shaft serves multiple functions: it acts as both a rotational element (driven by the first motor) and a translational element (driven by the second motor). This multi-functionality enables the single output shaft to perform both threading and setting operations, improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If a single motor is used for both rotation and translation, then device complexity is reduced, but control precision and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into two independent motor controllers, each dedicated to controlling one motor. This segmentation provides precise control over rotation and translation operations independently, enabling accurate control precision while keeping each control module relatively simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a limit switch that detects the position of the output shaft and provides feedback to control the motors. This feedback mechanism enables precise control by automatically stopping or reversing motor operations at predetermined positions, improving measurement precision without requiring complex control algorithms.
3Productivity
If automated motorized mechanisms are implemented, then productivity and precision are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system is segmented into distinct functional modules: the first motor module for rotation, the second motor module for translation, and the cam mechanism module for deformation. This segmentation allows each module to be independently optimized and maintained, improving productivity while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam mechanism automatically performs the deformation function when the output shaft is translated by the second motor. The geometric shape of the cam profile inherently provides the necessary deformation force and motion pattern, eliminating the need for additional actuators or complex control systems, thus improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
4Manufacturing precision
If manual deformation control is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but manufacturing precision and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cam mechanism is designed with a specific geometric profile that inherently provides the precise deformation motion required. When the second motor translates the output shaft, the cam profile automatically converts this linear motion into the precise rotational and deformation motion needed, ensuring manufacturing precision without requiring additional sensors or complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam mechanism transforms the motion parameters from simple linear translation (provided by the second motor) into complex rotational and deformation motions. By carefully designing the cam profile geometry, the system achieves precise deformation control through parameter transformation rather than through complex active control mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, automatic, and precise threading and setting of blind rivet nuts, ensuring reliable permanent attachment to the workpiece with reduced manual effort and improved precision.
Implementation Method 1
The step of translating the carrier from the first carrier position to the second carrier position includes the second motor rotating a cam member with a pin arranged in a lobe of the carrier
Implementation Method 2
rotating the output shaft relative to the blind rivet nut causing plastic deformation of the blind rivet nut, and activating a second motor to translate the output shaft along the longitudinal axis in the rearward direction, causing further plastic deformation of the blind rivet nut and permanently setting the blind rivet nut on the workpiece
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprising threading a blind rivet nut onto an output shaft of the tool, pressing the blind rivet nut against a workpiece, thereby applying an external force to the output shaft to move the output shaft in a rearward direction along a longitudinal axis from a first position to a second position, activating a first motor to rotate the output shaft about the longitudinal axis in response to the output shaft reaching the second position, thereby further threading the blind rivet nut onto the output shaft, and activating a second motor to translate the output shaft along the longitudinal axis in the rearward direction, thereby setting the blind rivet nut on the workpiece.