Claims
- 1. Riveting apparatus for operation on a workpiece having opposite sides and supported on a surface with said sides disposed substantially perpendicular to said supporting surface, said riveting apparatus comprising:
- (a) a frame having a pair of spaced apart sides adapted to move along said supporting surface and extending along said workpiece in a manner such that said frame sides are in straddling relation to said workpiece;
- (b) first and second carriage means movably mounted on respective sides of said frame;
- (c) first and second positioning means carried by said first and second carriage means, respectively;
- (d) riveting tools on first and second head means on said first and second positioning means, respectively, said tools being movable toward and away from said workpiece;
- (e) means on said frame co-operating with means on said supporting surface for moving said frame in a first direction along said supporting surface and along said workpiece;
- (f) means on said first and second carriage means co-operating with means on respective sides of said frame for moving said first and second carriage means in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first direction and toward and away from said supporting surface;
- (g) means for moving said frame in a third direction transverse to said first direction and toward and away from said workpiece;
- (h) means on said first and second head means co-operating with means on said first and second positioning means for moving said first and second head means independently about axes substantially parallel to said first direction and to said supporting surface; and
- (i) means on said first and second positioning means co-operating with means on said first and second carriage means for moving said first and second positioning means and with them said first and second head means independently about axes substantially perpendicular to said first direction and to said supporting surface.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means on said supporting surface comprises track means and said means for moving said frame in said first direction comprises drive means co-operating between said track means and said frame.
- 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for moving said first and second carriage means comprises a driven ball screw and nut assembly for each of said carriage means.
- 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said frame comprises at least one column on each of said sides and said columns are joined at the top thereof to provide a tied column structure, and wherein said frame further comprises a base and said columns are supported at the lower ends thereof on said base in a manner allowing movement of said tied column structure in said third direction.
- 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said means for moving said frame in said third direction comprises drive means carried by said base and operatively connected to at least one of said columns.
- 6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for moving said first and second head means about axes substantially parallel to said first direction comprises co-operating arcuate rack and pinion drive means on each of said first and second head means and said first and second positioning means.
- 7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for moving said first and second positioning means about axes substantially perpendicular to said first direction comprises a trunnion assembly connected to each of said positioning means and a ball screw and nut assembly operatively associated with said trunnion assembly and driven by motor means carried by the corresponding one of said carriages.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part, of application Ser. No. 745,253, filed June 14, 1985, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
3534896 |
Speller et al. |
Oct 1970 |
|
3557442 |
Speller |
Jan 1971 |
|
4575289 |
Fischer et al. |
Mar 1986 |
|
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0495183 |
Jan 1950 |
BEX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
745253 |
Jun 1985 |
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