Clinch Nut Feeder Alignment Mechanism for Robot End Effector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clinch nut feeding systems for robot end effectors in vehicle body sheet metal assembly lack efficient and precise mechanisms for aligning and delivering clinch nuts to ensure secure attachment, leading to potential misalignment and reduced assembly efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A clinch nut feeder with a dispensing head featuring a pair of clamp members with a resilient bias, a first feed actuator for lateral movement, and a second feed actuator for vertical delivery, combined with an alignment mount allowing horizontal movement, ensures precise alignment and delivery of clinch nuts to the robot end effector, facilitating secure attachment to vehicle body sheet metal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a simple feeding mechanism is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision of clinch nut delivery is insufficient leading to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The feeding mechanism is divided into separate functional modules: a dispensing head for precise positioning, clamp members for securement, and feed actuators for controlled movement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system precision without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment mount incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities that permit horizontal movement of the dispensing head in perpendicular directions. This dynamic positioning system ensures precise alignment of the robot end effector tool with the delivery member opening while adapting to variations in the assembly process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed positioning system is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to alignment variations is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment mount provides dynamic adjustment capability by permitting horizontal movement of the dispensing head in two perpendicular directions. This allows the system to adapt to alignment variations and ensure precise positioning of the clinch nut delivery relative to the robot end effector tool.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates self-aligning features through the resilient bias mechanism that automatically adjusts to maintain proper positioning. The resilient bias provides continuous contact force between clamp members, enabling automatic compensation for minor misalignments without requiring complex external adjustment mechanisms.
3Productivity
If manual feeding operation is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the productivity of clinch nut attachment is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The manual feeding operation is replaced with automated feed actuators that control the movement of clamp members and delivery of clinch nuts. This mechanical substitution enables rapid, repeatable feeding cycles synchronized with the robot end effector, significantly increasing attachment productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The feeding system is designed to operate continuously in synchronization with the robot end effector's clinching cycles. The resilient bias maintains constant contact between clamp members, and the feed actuators provide continuous readiness for the next clinch nut delivery, eliminating idle time and maximizing productivity.
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
The solution enables efficient, precise, and secure feeding and attachment of clinch nuts to vehicle body sheet metal components, improving assembly efficiency by ensuring accurate alignment and delivery, thereby enhancing the attachment process.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient bias resiliently biases one of the pair of clamp members toward the other
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle body clinch nut feeder (22) includes a dispensing head (54) having an inlet passage (60) through which oriented clinch nuts (26) are fed single file. The leading clinch nut is moved laterally to between clamping portions (64a, 66a) of a pair of clamp members (64, 66) of a clamp (62) where a second feed actuator (80) subsequently moves the clamped clinch nut downwardly to an opening (78) in a delivery member (76) where a robot end effector (32) receives the clinch nut in preparation for a clinching operation. An alignment mount (58) supports the dispensing head (54) on a support (56) for a horizontal movement in perpendicular horizontal directions to insure alignment of the robot end effector (32) with the clinch nut (26) to be received.