Fastener delivery tool

Abstract: A component installation tool of the type having a rearward stroke to accommodate delivery of a component to the front of the tool and a forward stroke to engage, deliver and install the component at a workpiece, the tool including a housing (12), a reciprocating mechanism contained therein, a feeder (22) support mounted on the housing, a reciprocal magazine (28) mounted on the feeder support for reciprocation between a component receiving position adjacent the tool (12-20) and a position for delivering a component in front of the mechanism; and delivery means (26) for delivering a component to a chamber (34) in the magazine when the magazine is in the component receiving position and the mechanism is in the forward stroke.

Description: This invention relates to a component installation tool of the type having a rearward stroke to accommodate delivery of a component to the front of the tool and a forward stroke to engage, deliver and install the component at a workpiece, which tool comprises a housing, a reciprocating mechanism contained therein, and a feeder support mounted on the housing, The installation of fasteners such as blind-riveting assemblies and weld studs, or other fasteners which have cylindrical shanks with radially projecting flanges, must be presented to the workpiece by means, e.g. of a nosepiece, which closely embraces the shank. It is often also desirable that such means surrounds the shank completely, or as completely as possible, especially if the means, as is the case with a nosepiece in blind riveting, is going to apply pressure to the flange of the fastener. Various feeding mechanisms for riveting tools have been proposed which are subject to problems of cost, complexity and reliability, and size. The system described in U.S. patent No. 4,662,206 overcomes several of these problems, but even this system is larger than desirable. Also, it is subject to the need to stop the setting operation while a new rivet is delivered from a remote supply to the nosepiece of the tool. US-A-4604889 discloses a portable blind fastener installation tool which has an installation section actuable for setting the blind fastener and a fastener loading section for automatically front loading the fastener into the installation section. There is also shown a piston-valve section for reciprocating the installation section away from and back to its fastener setting position after a fastener has been set. US-A-4662206 shows a fastener-installing tool which has a housing having a collet which holds a fastener and moves back and forth between a forward fastener-installing position and a rear, loading position. A curved feed tube is pivoted on the housing to swing about its centre of curvature into a fastener-delivering system. It is among the objects of this invention to provide a feeding mechanism for a fastener-installing tool which is smaller in size and more reliable than previous designs. It is another object to provide an efficient feeding mechanism which permits faster tool operation than previous designs. It is a further object to provide a fastener feeder which can be adapted to a variety of fastener shapes such as blind rivets, studs or nuts as well as various plastic clips. The present invention provides a component installation tool of the type having a rearward stroke to accommodate delivery of a component to the front of the tool and a forward stroke to engage, deliver and install the component at a workpiece, which tool comprises a housing, a reciprocating mechanism contained therein, and a feeder support mounted on the housing, characterised in that the tool comprises a reciprocal magazine rotatably mounted on the feeder support for reciprocation between a component receiving position adjacent the tool and a position for delivering a component in front of the mechanism the magazine having a plurality of receiving chambers, each chamber being shaped to receive a fastener and having an opening along the circumference to permit radial removal of the fastener therefrom; and delivery means for delivering a component to a chamber in the magazine when the magazine is in the component receiving position and the mechanism is in the forward stroke. The present invention further provides a feeder for providing a supply of fasteners to a reciprocating fastener installation tool which engages a fastener, delivers the fastener to a workpiece and installs the fastener thereon, characterised in that the feeder comprises; a feeder support disposed at the front of the installation tool; a magazine rotatably mounted on the support, the magazine having a plurality of receiving chambers, each chamber being shaped to receive a fastener and having an opening along the circumference to permit radial removal of the fastener therefrom; a fastener delivery tube positioned to deliver fasteners to sequential one of the chambers as the magazine is rotated; and means for reciprocating the magazine into the path of the reciprocating tool when the tool is in a rearward portion of its cycle; the mounting means and the reciprocating means permitting the magazine to be rotatably moved out of the tool path during the forward movement of the tool cycle. In a preferred embodiment of a feeder according to the invention, the chambers are disposed around the magazine at an angular separation corresponding to the angular rotation of the magazine produced by the tool movement. The reciprocating means preferably comprises a pivot arm rotatably mounted on the feeder support and supporting the axis of the magazine. The chamber is preferably shaped to receive the fastener from the tube in the orientation required for the fastener to be engaged by the installation tool. The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a simplified view, partially cut away, of a front end portion of an exemplary embodiment of a tool in accordance with the invention showing the presenting means in its fastener-setting position, and the feeder in its first position; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the presenting means in its fastener-receiving position and the feeder in its second position and Figure 3 is a similar view showing the presenting means being moved to its setting position and the feeder being moved to its first position. While this invention will be described with particular reference to a rivet setting tool, the feeder described is equally applicable to stud welding equipment where it may be used to deliver studs to the front end of a stud welding gun which then applies and welds these studs to a workpiece. The advantages of this invention are also particularly suited to the stud welding operation. Figure 1 illustrates a rivet presentation and setting apparatus of a type particularly designed for setting a double headed rivet which includes a rivet body 2, a head or flange 4 and a mandrel 6. The mandrel includes a first, setting head at the opposite end of the rivet body from the flange 4 for expanding the rivet body when the mandrel is pulled and a pulling head 10. The presentation and setting apparatus is described in particular detail in co-pending European Patent Application, publication No. 0737529. This apparatus includes a housing 12 which is connected to a tool body, not shown, which includes a suitable reciprocating hydraulic piston and appropriate controls therefor. Within the housing 12, a plurality of supporting segments 14 are provided for restraining the rivet flange 4 when the mandrel head 10 is pulled by pulling segments 16 which engage the reverse surface of the mandrel head 10 at the front end of a collet assembly 18. The collet assembly is suitably coupled at its rear end to the hydraulic piston, for example by threads 20. Means are also provided in the tool for removing the broken off mandrel through a hollow tube which runs through the centre of the collet assembly as is well known in this art. In the illustration of Figure 1, the presentation and setting apparatus is in its forward-most position with a rivet gripped in the pulling jaws and ready to be presented to and set in a workpiece, also not shown. Figure 1 also illustrates a feeder 22 in particular accord with the present invention. The feeder is positioned within an extension 24 of housing 12 which also contains the delivery end 26 of a supply tube through which rivets are delivered from a remote source. The feeder 22 comprises a rotary magazine 28 which is mounted for rotation on an axis 30 at the end of a pivot arm 32 which is mounted at a rearward location in the housing extension 24. The magazine 28 comprises a plurality of chambers 34, three being illustrated in the preferred embodiment although two or more may be used if desired. Each chamber comprises an open-topped socket 36 for receiving the rivet body 2 and mandrel head 8 and a semicircular seat 38 for receiving flange 4. In accord with a particular feature of the present invention, a significant increase in the efficiency and speed of operation of the tool is achieved by virtue of the fact that the chamber 34 is positioned in alignment with the end of the delivery tube 26 during the time that the presentation and setting apparatus presents and sets the rivet 2 in a workpiece. Thus, by the time a setting operation is complete and the broken mandrel is being withdrawn, the next rivet is available in the magazine 28 and is available for delivery at the front of the rivet tool as soon as the collet assembly and support segments are sufficiently retracted. Figure 2 shows the mechanism of Figure 1 except that the collet assembly and support segments have been retracted fully into the tool, clearing the interior of the housing 12. The pivot arm 32 has been operated to move the magazine 28 through a slot 40 in the side of housing 12 which carries a new rivet 2' into a loading position immediately in front of the support segments 14. As the motion of the hydraulic piston of the tool reverses, the collet assembly and support segments are now driven forward and the support segments pass over the mandrel head 10' until they engage the rivet flange 4'. At this point, as described in the above-identified co-pending application, the collet assembly 18 moves forward relative to the support segments until the pulling segments 16 open, receive and engage the head 10'. As the collet assembly 18 continues to move forward, the coupling member 20 engages the rear end of the support segments 14 which in turn apply pressure through the rivet flange 4' on the seat 38 of chamber 34. As illustrated by FIGURE 3, the magazine now begins to rotate on its axis and pivot arm 32 begins to pivot, lowering the magazine out of the path of the support jaws. Since the rivet is held by its head 10' and mandrel 6', the rivet will remain aligned with the support segments and pulling segments as the magazine 28 pivots and rotates out from under it. Figure 3 shows a further stage of this operation. In this view, the magazine has been pivoted nearly out of the housing 12 and the rivet is being carried forward through the housing 12 by the support and pulling segments. Continued motion returns the apparatus to the position illustrated in Figure 1 where the rivet is ready for presentation and setting in a workpiece. At the same time, the magazine has been rotated to present another chamber 34 for receipt of the next rivet from the supply tube. While this invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it will be clearly understood that reasonable variations are meant to be included within the scope of the appended claims. For example, control of the pivot arm 32 may be exerted automatically by means of a spring so that it moves into the housing 12 as soon as the support segments 14 move out of the way or a positive hydraulic control may be incorporated into the tool operating mechanism. In another variation, the rotary magazine may have its axis mounted in a slot oriented perpendicularly to the axis of movement of the collet assembly so that, as the magazine rotates in delivering a rivet, the axial moves vertically down the slot, carrying the magazine out of the housing. When the support segments 14 again move out of the way, a spring or control device returns the magazine into the housing carrying the next rivet in the next chamber.

Claims: A component installation tool of the type having a rearward stroke to accommodate delivery of a component (2) to the front of the tool and a forward stroke to engage, deliver and install the component at a workpiece, which tool comprises a housing (12), a reciprocating mechanism contained therein, and a feeder support mounted on the housing, characterised in that the tool comprises a reciprocal magazine rotatably mounted on the feeder support for reciprocation between a component receiving position adjacent the tool and a position for delivering a component in front of the mechanism the magazine (28) having a plurality of receiving chambers (34), each chamber being shaped to receive a fastener and having an opening along the circumference to permit radial removal of the fastener therefrom; and delivery means for delivering a component to a chamber in the magazine (28) when the magazine is in the component receiving position and the mechanism is in the forward stroke. A feeder (22) for providing a supply of fasteners to a reciprocating fastener installation tool which engages a fastener, delivers the fastener to a workpiece and installs the fastener thereon, characterised in that the feeder comprises; a feeder (22) support disposed at the front of the installation tool; a magazine (28) rotatably mounted on the support, the magazine having a plurality of receiving chambers (34), each chamber being shaped to receive a fastener and having an opening along the circumference to permit radial removal of the fastener therefrom; a fastener delivery tube positioned to deliver fasteners to sequential one of the chambers (34) as the magazine is rotated; and means (32) for reciprocating the magazine into the path of the reciprocating tool when the tool is in a rearward portion of its cycle; the mounting means and the reciprocating means (32) permitting the magazine to be rotatably moved out of the tool path during the forward movement of the tool cycle. A feeder as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the chambers (34) are disposed around the magazine (38) at an angular separation corresponding to the angular rotation of the magazine produced by the tool movement. A feeder as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the reciprocating means (32) comprises a pivot arm (32) rotatably mounted on the feeder (12) support and supporting the axis of the magazine (38). A feeder as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the chamber (34) is shaped to receive the fastener from the tube in the orientation required for the fastener to be engaged by the installation tool.

Inventors: KNETSCH HARALD, ROESSLER ANDREAS, TESSARSCH NORBERT, KNETSCH, HARALD, ROESSLER, ANDREAS, TESSARSCH, NORBERT
Applicants: EMHART INC, EMHART INC.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B21J15
IPC codes: B21J15, B25C1