Claims
- 1. An installation apparatus installing self-attaching stud fasteners in a panel, said installation apparatus including an installation head having a plunger reciprocable in a plunger passage to install said fasteners in a panel supported opposite said plunger passage and a transfer means transferring fasteners from a source of fasteners to said installation head, said stud fasteners each including an elongated shank portion and a tubular riveting wall portion generally coaxially aligned with said shank portion having an internal diameter greater than the diameter of said shank portion, said transfer means including a flexible tube communicating with said source of fasteners and said tube including a stack of fasteners each having said elongated shank portion received in the adjacent fastener tubular wall portion, and said stack of fasteners being flexible for receipt through said flexible tube.
- 2. The installation apparatus as defined in claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus includes a pneumatic transfer means communicating with said flexible tube injecting gas under pressure into said tube and transferring said stud fasteners through said tube.
- 3. An installation apparatus for installing self-attaching elements in a panel, each self-attaching element including an annular barrel portion at one end and a generally coaxially extending portion including a free opposite end, said installation apparatus including a base member and a relatively movable spaced nose member, said nose member including a first passage receiving said self-attaching elements and communicating with a transverse plunger passage, a plunger having a free end movable with said base member and telescopically receivable through said plunger passage for driving one of said self-attaching elements therethrough into a panel located opposite said plunger passage, said plunger passage terminating in a conical exit passage, said conical exit passage comprising expandable radially inwardly biased members defining a generally continuous conical internal surface coaxially aligned with said plunger including a major diameter adjacent said plunger greater than the maximum diameter of said self-attaching elements and a minor diameter adjacent the outlet of said conical passage smaller than said maximum element diameter, said conical passage receiving said barrel portion end of said self-attaching elements from said first passage and said conical surface centering and supporting said self-attaching elements for installation in a panel by said plunger, said plunger having a bore in said free end configured to receive and align said free end of said self-attaching elements in said plunger passage, and upon receipt of a self-attaching element in said plunger conical exit passage said nose member movable relative to said plunger passage to first receive said self-attaching element free end in said plunger bore assuring accurate orientation and alignment of a self-attaching element ready for installation, and actuating means actuating said apparatus to relatively move said plunger through said plunger passage and said oriented self-attaching element through said plunger passage conical exit passage installing said self-attaching element in a panel.
- 4. The installation apparatus as defined in claim 3, characterized in that said first passage defines an obtuse angle with said plunger passage wherein said self-attaching elements drop into said plunger passage from said first passage and said apparatus includes a transfer means transferring said self-attaching elements one at a time through said first passage into said conical exit passage and into aligning engagement with said conical surface with said self-attaching elements generally oriented for installation and said annular barrel portion received and oriented in said conical surface.
- 5. The installation apparatus as defined in claim 3, characterized in that said conical exit passage is composed of at least two spring biased members, each spring biased member having mating concave conical surface segments defining in combination said internal conical surface and said plunger adapted to drive said oriented self-attaching elements against said conical surfaces, spreading said spring biased members and installing said self-attaching element in a panel located opposite said plunger passage.
- 6. The installation apparatus as defined in claim 3, characterized in that said base member is attached to a movable platten of a press and said base and nose members operably interconnected by a piston means, said piston means adapted to move said nose member relative to said base member to receive said self-attaching element free end in said plunger bore and said actuating means then operating said press to close the space between said members and drive said plunger through said plunger passage to install a self-attaching element in a panel located opposite said plunger passage.
- 7. The installation apparatus as defined in claim 3, characterized in that said apparatus includes a sensing means extending through said plunger bore to engage said self-attaching element free end and sense the location of a self-attaching element properly oriented in said conical surface, said sensing means operably connected to said actuating means to relatively move said plunger through said plunger passage when a self-attaching element is properly oriented in said conical surface as determined by said sensing means.
- 8. An installation apparatus for installing self-attaching elements in a panel, each of said self-attaching elements including a body portion, an annular barrel portion at one end and a coaxially aligned stud portion adjacent the opposite end having a free end, said installation apparatus including a plunger passage and a plunger having a free end telescopically movable through said plunger passage for driving one of said self-attaching elements therethrough into a panel located opposite said plunger passage, said plunger passage terminating in a generally conical exit passage, said conical exit passage comprising expandable radially inwardly biased members defining a generally continuous conical internal surface coaxially aligned with said plunger including a major diameter adjacent said plunger greater than the maximum diameter of said self-attaching elements and a minor diameter adjacent the outlet of said conical passage less than said maximum element diameter, said conical passage receiving said barrel portion end of said self-attaching elements and said conical surface centering and supporting said self-attaching elements for installation in a panel by said plunger, said plunger having a bore in said free end configured to receive said free end of said self-attaching element stud portion, and upon receipt of a self-attaching element in said conical passage, said plunger movable relative to said conical passage to receive said self-attaching element stud portion free end in said plunger bore assuring accurate orientation of a self-attaching element ready for installation, and actuating means then actuating said apparatus to relatively move said plunger through said plunger passage and said oriented self-attaching element through said conical passage installing said oriented self-attaching element in a panel.
- 9. The installation apparatus as defined in claim 8, characterized in that said installation apparatus includes a sensing means located in said plunger bore for engaging said element free end and operably connected to said actuating means, said sensing means sensing the location of a self-attaching element in said plunger bore and initiating said actuating means to move said plunger means through said plunger passage to install said self-attaching element only when a self-attaching element is properly oriented in said conical surface.
- 10. The installation apparatus defined in claim 8 characterized in that said conical passage is composed of at least two spring biased members, each spring biased member having mating concave generally conical surfaces defining in combination said conical surface and normally supporting one of said self-attaching elements and said plunger adapted to drive said oriented self-attaching element annular barrel portion against said conical surfaces, spreading said spring biased members and installing said fastener in a panel located opposite said plunger passage.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional application of my U.S. application Ser. No. 773,387, filed Sept. 6, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,560, which application was a divisional application of Ser. No. 563,833, filed Dec. 21, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,838, which application was continuation-in-part application of my copending applications Ser. No. 485,099, filed Mar. 28, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,073, and Ser. No. 504,074, filed June 14, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,701 which copending applications were, respectively, divisional and continuation applications of Ser. No. 229,274, filed Jan. 28, 1981, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Divisions (3)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
773387 |
Sep 1985 |
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Parent |
563833 |
Dec 1983 |
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Parent |
229274 |
Jan 1981 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
229274 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
485099 |
Mar 1983 |
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