The present invention relates to a self-piercing rivet setting machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a self-piercing rivet setting machine for connecting two or more sheet members (or a sheet member and a component) by using a self-piercing rivet in a sheet-metal assembling work such as automobile assembling (particularly, an aluminum body assembly operation).
One example of a self-piercing rivet setting machine is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-505087.
While not shown in the aforementioned publication, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-90575 shows one example of a self-piercing rivet setting machine in
As described above, the self-piercing rivet setting machine essentially comprises the C-shaped frame including the upper horizontal arm, the vertical arm and the lower horizontal arm. In order to resist high riveting load or force, the C-shaped frame is typically formed in an integral structure. Thus, upon no-operation of the setting machine, there is a certain but not so great distance between the punch disposed at one end of the C-shaped frame (the end of the upper horizontal arm) and the die disposed at the other end of the C-shaped frame (the end of the lower horizontal arm) depending upon the size of the C-shaped frame. When the workpieces are simple flat plates, they are relatively easy to locate them between the punch and the die. However, when the workpiece partially includes a standing wall extending therefrom at a right angle, there is sometime the case that the workpiece cannot be positioned between the punch and the die. In that case, it is require to replace the C-shaped frame with a lager C-shaped frame so as to increase the distance between the punch and the die. However, the overall size of the setting machine is increased due to the larger C-shaped frame having rigidity for resisting the high riveting load. Further, the driving means has a specific stroke for moving the punch of the setting machine. Thus, it is impractically necessary to replace with larger driving means designed for the larger C-shaped frame. As a result, a portion of the workpieces might not be connected, due to the shape of the workpieces. Further, the punch driving means includes a spindle fixedly connected with the receiver unit to which the punch was attached. This also constrains a settable region of workpieces to be connected.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a self-piercing rivet setting machine capable of handling even a particular workpiece which has a standing wall requiring an widened distance between a punch and a die, without any need for providing a larger C-shaped frame.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a self-piercing rivet setting machine comprising a C-shaped frame, a punch disposed at one end of the C-shaped frame, and a die disposed at the other end of the C-shaped frame. The punch is attached to the edge of a receiver unit for receiving a self-piercing rivet fed from a feeding device, so as to hold the self-piercing rivet. The punch is adapted to be pressed against the die by punch-driving means. A plurality of workpieces are placed between the die and the punch with the self-piercing rivet held thereby to be connected with each other by driving the self-piercing rivet in the workpieces to cause the self-piercing rivet to pierce the workpieces. Further, the receiver unit includes a hollow shaft having one end connected with a feeding tube extending from the feeding device. The hollow shaft is supported by support means provided on one end of the C-shaped frame. The receiver unit further includes a receiver head having an edge to which the punch is attached. The receiver head is adapted to receive the self-piercing rivet fed from the other end of the hollow shaft and allow the received self-piercing rivet to be held by the punch one by one. Furthermore, the hollow shaft is supported to the support means of the C-shaped frame slidably in the axial direction and rotatably in the circumferential direction of the hollow shaft, and the receiver head is connected to the hollow shaft so as to be selectively moved to either a first position where the punch is faced with the die or a second position where the punch is spaced apart from the die in both the axial and circumferential directions to provide enlarged distance between the die and the punch, according to the sliding and rotating of the hollow shaft.
According to the above machine, during the riveting operation, the operation is carried out at the first position where the punch is faced with the die. In case that workpieces have a standing wall requiring an extended distance between the punch and the die, during non-riveting operation, the receiver head is moved to the second position to provide the enlarged distance between the die and the punch, and therefore, the workpieces can be placed between the die and the punch. Then, the receiver head is moved to the first position to carry out the riveting operation. Thus, even if workpieces have a standing wall, the workpieces can be positioned between the die and the punch to carry out the riveting operation without using any larger C-shaped frame.
In the above self-piercing rivet setting machine, the support means may be a support tube formed as a part of the C-shaped frame. The support tube supports the outer peripheral surface of the hollow shaft of the receiver unit to allow the hollow shaft to be slid in the axial direction and rotated in the circumferential direction thereof. The punch driving means may include a spindle having an axis in parallel with the axis of the support tube of the C-shaped frame. The other end of the hollow shaft and a receiving port of the receiver head may be coupled with each other through a rigid and hollow coupling tube. The hollow shaft may have a continuous biasing force acting thereon in a direction allowing the punch coupled with the receiver head to be moved away from the die. The biasing force also allows the punch to be pressed onto the edge of the punch driving means. Further, the punch driving means may be formed with a tapered guide protruding from the edge thereof, and the receiver head holding the punch may be formed with a tapered guide hole having a shape in conformity with that of the tapered guide. This allows the axis of the punch to be readily aligned with the axis of the spindle.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described.
The punch 9 is attached to the edge of a receiver unit 14 for receiving the self-piercing rivet fed from a feeding device (not shown) through a flexible feeding tube 13, so as to hold the self-piercing rivet. The receiver unit 14 is adapted to allow the self-piercing rivet automatically fed from the feeding device to be held by the punch 9 one by one with an adequate posture and timing. Differently from the conventional receiver unit, the receiver unit 14 of the present invention is adapted to be selectively moved to either a first position where the punch 9 held by the receiver unit is faced with the die 10 or a second position where the punch is spaced apart from the die to provide a certain enlarged distance between the die and the punch. In the self-piercing rivet setting machine 1 according to the present invention, a plurality of workpieces, for example, two workpieces are placed on the die 10 and then the punch with the self-piercing rivet held thereby is pressed downward onto the workpieces by operating the punch-driving unit 11, the leg of the self-piercing rivet is driven in the workpieces to cause the rivet to pierce both of them resulting in connection of the workpieces each other.
In the present invention, the receiver unit 14 includes a rigid hollow shaft 17 having one end coupled with the feeding tube 13 extending from the feeding device. The hollow shaft 17 is supported by a support tube 15 as support means provided at one end of the upper horizontal arm 5 of the C-shaped frame 3. The receiver unit 14 further includes a receiver head 18 having an edge to which the punch 9 is attached. The receiver head 18 is adapted to receive the self-piercing rivet fed from the other end (the lower end) of the hollow shaft 17 and allow the received self-piercing rivet to be held by the punch 9 one by one. Furthermore, the receiver unit 14 includes a hollow coupling tube 19 coupled between an outlet of the hollow shaft 17 and an inlet of a receiver head 18. Thus, the self-piercing rivet fed from the feeding tube 13 to the hollow shaft 17 is further fed to the receiver head 18 through the hollow coupling tube 19. The coupling tube 19 is formed in a hollow tubular body having rigidity. All of the hollow coupling tube 19, the hollow shaft 17 and the receiver head 18 are formed in rigid bodies and coupled integrally to define the receiver unit 14 having a fixed shape such as a J-shape as shown in the figures. In this receiver unit 14, the self-piercing rivet fed from the feeding tube 13 is fed to the receiver head 18 through each hollow portion in the hollow shaft 17 and the coupling tube 19. Then, the receiver head 18 allows the self-piercing rivet to be held by the punch 9 timely.
The hollow shaft 17 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the support tube 15 is formed at the end of the upper horizontal arm 5 of the C-shaped frame 3. The support tube 15 has a hollow cylindrical shape to surround and support the outer peripheral surface of the hollow shaft 17. The inner diameter of the support tube 15 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the hollow shaft 18. Thus, the hollow shaft 17 is supported by the support tube 15 slidably in the axial direction of the hollow shaft 17 and rotatably in the circumferential direction (or about the axis) of the hollow shaft 17. The support tube 15 is formed in the C-shaped frame 3 to arrange its axis in parallel with the axis of the spindle of the punch-driving unit 11. This allows the hollow shaft 17 to be moved vertically in parallel with the spindle of the punch-driving unit 11. Consequently, the coupling tube 19 integrally coupled with the hollow shaft 17, the receiver head 18 and the punch 9 attached to the edge of the receiver head 18 can also be moved vertically in parallel with the axial direction of the spindle. Each of the upper and lower ends of the hollow shaft 17 is provided with a larger-diameter portion or a detachable larger-diameter ring 21 to prevent the hollow shaft 17 from coming off from the support tube 15.
The hollow shaft 17 has a continuous biasing force acting thereon in a direction to (the upward direction in
The edge of the guide 22 at the edge of the punch-driving unit 11 is provided with a tapered guide bush 23 protruding downward as shown in
As shown in
The operation for changing from the first position of
In this second position, a wider space can be assured between the punch 9 and the die 10. Thus, even if workpieces have a standing wall, the workpieces can be positioned between the punch 9 and the die 10 to carry out the riveting operation without using any larger C-shaped frame. Whereas the distance between the die and the punch has been about 150 mm in the conventional setting machine, an actual test proved that the setting machine according to the present invention could provide a reliable distance of 200 mm or more. When workpieces have a standing wall, the receiver head 18 holding the punch 9 is swung to the second position of
While the operations of moving the receiver head and the punch from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first one may be manual operations, automatic operation means utilizing a power source such as an electric motor or pneumatic piston-cylinder may be used.
As described above, according to the present invention, while the die is located to face with the punch during the riveting operation, the die can be space apart from the punch to provide the enlarged distance between the die and the punch during the non-riveting operation. Thus, even if workpieces have a standing wall, the workpieces can be positioned between the die and the punch without using any larger C-shaped frame to carry out the riveting operation with keeping the standing wall alongside. This eliminates undesirable restrictions in regions to be connected. Further, in the receiver unit, the hollow shaft coupled with the feeding tube is integrally connected with the receiver head holding the punch to allow them to be separated from the punch-driving unit altogether. Thus, the self-piercing rivet can be fed to the receiver unit and held by the punch 9 when the receiver head is located not only at the first position but also at the second position.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2001-117912 | Apr 2001 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of copending international patent application PCT/US02/10964 filed on Apr. 9, 2002 and designating the U.S., and claims priority of Japanese patent application 2001-117912, filed Apr. 17, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040111878 A1 | Jun 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US02/10964 | Apr 2002 | US |
Child | 10680987 | US |