Compact Joining System Head for Tight Space Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joining systems with robot-assisted bolt welding have limitations in precision and accessibility due to the axial extent of the welding head and the need for a carriage for precise linear motion, which restricts their use in difficult-to-reach locations and increases the risk of damage to bolts and tongs.
Innovation Solution
A joining system head with a control means separate from the holding and drive means, allowing for a compact tool with a transfer station for element feeding, enabling precise positioning and welding without a loading pin, and allowing the tool to be mounted on a rotatable carrier for increased flexibility and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a carriage is used for precise linear motion of the welding head, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity and the risk of damage to bolts and tongs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the carriage from the system entirely. Instead of using a carriage for precise linear motion, the invention uses a robot arm with a rotary carrier to position the joining tool. This extraction of the carriage eliminates the associated complexity and damage risks while maintaining positioning precision through the robot's control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical carriage system with a robot-controlled system. The robot arm, equipped with a rotary carrier, provides the necessary positioning without requiring a separate carriage mechanism. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity and eliminates the damage risks associated with traditional carriage-based systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the welding head has a large axial extent to accommodate all components, then functionality is improved, but accessibility to tight spaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the welding head into separate functional components: the joining tool, the rotary carrier, and the control means. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables the system to access tight spaces by positioning only the necessary components in the work area, reducing the effective axial extent while maintaining full functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a rotary carrier that provides rotational movement, adding a new dimension to the positioning capability. This allows the joining tool to be oriented and positioned in tight spaces from multiple angles, effectively reducing the axial extent requirement while maintaining accessibility and functionality.
3Ease of operation
If a loading pin is used to propel elements through the tongs, then element feeding is simplified, but the risk of damage to elements and tongs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the loading pin from the system. Instead of using a loading pin to propel elements through the tongs, the invention uses a robot-controlled mechanism that positions and releases elements without direct mechanical contact from behind. This extraction eliminates the damage risks associated with the loading pin while maintaining ease of element feeding through precise robotic control.
4Measurement precision
If the control means is integrated into the welding head, then control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the control means from the joining tool, placing it in a stationary feeder unit. This segmentation allows the control system to be optimized for precision without adding complexity to the movable joining tool. The robot arm serves as the interface between the control system and the joining tool, maintaining control precision while reducing device complexity at the tool level.
Data Source
AI summary
A joining method head is proposed for fixation to a movable frame, in particular to a robot, having a holding means for an element to be joined to a part, a joining drive means to move the holding means along a joining direction for joining, and a feeding means for feeding elements to the joining method head. Here a control means to control the joining drive means is arranged at the joining method head spatially distanced from the holding means and the joining drive means, so that the holding means and the joining drive means form a joining tool of small dimensions, and means are provided to pass on the elements fed to a transfer station of the feeding means in each instance to the holding means from in front.