Patent Abstract:
A system is provided for removing build-up on drills. The system includes a sensing component that automatically senses the size of a drill, a first component that automatically grips the sensed drill and positioning the gripped drill to a first position, and a disc that includes a plurality of bushings of different sizes. The system also includes a second component that automatically rotates the disc according to the sensed size of the drill, and a third component that automatically forces the disc over a stationary drill.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to drills and, more specifically, to drill build-up removing.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Various sizes and types of drills are widely used in many industrial environments, such as in aircraft manufacturing, to create holes of various sizes. Such usage frequently results in drills of various sizes being collected in a common receptacle for resharpening, build-up removing, or refurbishing after the drills have become dull, coated with build-up, and the like during use.  
           [0003]    In the past, regardless of whether the drills are conventional or quick change, “spent” drills are sorted and the buildup is removed prior to re-sharpened. Removing of build-up and sorting the large number of drills is a time consuming and, thus, costly endeavor. As a result, attempts have been made to automate at least the sorting portion of this procedure. In this regard, one currently known machine automatically separates drills of one diameter from a mixture of drills of various diameters using various means, such as a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) or laser analysis. However, there does not exist an effective and efficiently automatic build-up removing of large amounts of various-sized drills.  
           [0004]    Therefore, there exists a need to quickly and effectively remove build-up on drills of various sizes.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention provides a system for removing build-up on drills. The system automatically removes stainless steel build-up, inline with the sorting of the drills.  
           [0006]    An embodiment of the system includes a sensing component that automatically senses the size of a drill, a first component that automatically grips the sensed drill and positions the gripped drill to a first position, and a disc that includes a plurality of bushings of different sizes. The bushings are suitably close to tolerance—approximately 0.0002″ difference between the diameter of the drill and the bushing. The system also includes a second component that automatically rotates the disc according to the sensed size of the drill, and a third component that automatically forces the gripped drill through one of the bushings of the disc.  
           [0007]    According to an aspect of the invention, the system further includes a controller that automatically controls the first, second, and third component based on the sensed size of the drill.  
           [0008]    One or more of the bushings in the disc are floating bushings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    The preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a build-up removing system formed in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIGS. 2, 3,  4 A and  4 B are perspective views of portions of the build-up removing system; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of a multi-bushing disc of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 illustrates an automated drill build-up removing system  20  that automatically performs build-up removal on various size drills. An embodiment of the system  20  includes a processor  30  coupled to a drill diameter sensor  32 , a drill gripper  34 , a drill lifting thruster motor  36 , a bushing disc servomotor  38 , and a bushing disc thruster  40 . The bushing disc servomotor  38  and the bushing disc thruster  40  are connected to a bushing disc  58 .  
         [0014]    The drill diameter sensor  32  is suitably a laser beam scanner that scans each drill in a radial direction, thereby producing a signal indicative of the diameter of the drill. At a time as determined by the processor  30 , the gripper  34  is instructed to grab the most recently scanned drill. The lifting thruster motor  36  is instructed by the processor  30  to lift the gripped drill to a certain position relative to the disc  58 . The processor  30  instructs the bushing disc servomotor  38  to rotate the disc  58  to align a bushing for receiving gripped drill based on the sensed diameter signal. Once the disc  58  is properly aligned, the bushing disc thruster  40  is instructed by the processor  30  to push the gripped drill through the bushing on the disc  58 .  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a non-limiting example of the system  20  shown in FIG. 1. The system  20  includes a track  70  (FIG. 3) that suitably receives drills one-at-a-time. The track  70  is supported by a track support that is suitably at a predefined angle to allow drills to slide down the track  70  from a loading location. The lifting thruster motor  36  slidably receives lifting shafts  72   a  and  72   b  using linear bearings. The lifting shafts  72   a  and  72   b  are suitably attached to the gripper  34 . The lifting thruster motor  36  is mounted to a mounting bracket  80  that is suitably attached to the track support. Before a drill to be processed is grabbed by the gripper  34 , the lifting thruster motor  36  moves the gripper  34  into a position blocking movement of the drill on the track  70 . Action of the gripper  34  and the lifting thruster motor  36  are described in more detail below in FIGS. 3, 4A, and  4 B.  
         [0016]    The track  70  receives a drill at a first end  70   a  (shown in FIG. 3) of the track  70 . The sensor  32  (not shown in FIG. 2) is positioned at some location near the receiving end (not shown) of the track  70 . The mounting bracket  80  is attached to the track support to allow the gripper  34  to be positioned at an approximate midpoint  70   b  of the track  70 .  
         [0017]    The bushing disc servomotor  38  includes a rotatable shaft (not shown) that is mounted to a center point of the circular bushing disc  58  for rotating the disc  58  to a desired position. A bracket  90  attaches the bushing disc servomotor  38  to the bushing disc thruster  40 . The bushing disc thruster  40  is securely mounted at a first end  40   a  to a support structure  92 . A second end of thruster  40 , opposite the first end  40   a,  slidably receives one or more shafts  94 . The one or more shafts  94  are securely attached to a mounting bracket  98  that is suitably attached to the track  70 . The mounting bracket  92  is suitably attached to the track support.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 3, 4A, and  4 B illustrate the action of gripping a drill and positioning it for insertion through a bushing of the bushing disc  58 . As shown in FIG. 3, the lifting thruster motor  36  moves the gripper  34  to a first position relative to the track  70 . In the first position, the gripper  34  stops an incoming drill and then grips the stopped drill (not shown).  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate two slidable gripping portions  100   a  and  100   b  of the gripper  34 . The slidable gripping portions  100   a  and  100   b  include interlocking teeth  106  that securely holds a drill  104  in a proper position when the components  100   a  and  100   b  are closed on a chuck end of the stopped drill. The interlocking teeth  106  allow for secure gripping of various-sized drills. The lifting thruster motor  36  lifts the gripped drill to a predefined position relative to the disc  58 . The bushing disc  58  includes various sized bushings mounted in the disc  58  at a predefined radial distance from the center of the bushing disc  58 . The lifting thruster motor  36  raises the gripper  34  to position the drill at the same radial distance from the center of the bushing disc  58  as the bushing that is to receive the drill. The lifting thruster motor  36  suitably lifts the drill to a 9 o&#39;clock position of the disc  58 . While the drill is being lifted, the servomotor  38  suitably rotates the bushing disc  58  in order to line up the bushing that corresponds to the drill to the same radial position (9 o&#39;clock) on the disc  58  as the gripped drill. Once the bushing disc  58  is properly rotated, as is shown in FIG. 4B, the bushing disc thruster  40  pushes the bushing disc  58  towards the gripped drill. As the drill passes through the bushing on the disc  58 , burrs or inconsistency of the drill are scraped or removed by the bushing.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 illustrates a non-limiting example of a bushing  110  mounted within the bushing disc  58 . Each bushing  110  is mounted within a cavity  112 . The cavity  112  is sized to allow longitudinal, lateral, and angular motion of the bushing  110 , thereby creating a floating bushing. The cavity  112  includes a first opening  114  at a first side of the disc  58  that receives a gripped drill and a second opening  118  on a side opposite the first side of the disc  58 . The diameter of the cavity  112  at the receiving side is sized to receive an O-ring  116  that has a larger diameter than the bushing  110 . Adjacent to the first opening  114 , the diameter of the cavity  112  is reduced to suitably something slightly larger than the bushing  110 . The diameter of the second opening  118  is less than the diameter of the bushing  110  but greater than the diameter of the opening within the bushing  110 . Mounted within the cavity  112  around the second opening  118  adjacent to the bushing  110  is an O-ring support structure  120 . The O-ring support structure  120  supports a second O-ring  122 . The bushing  110  floats within the cavity  112  and is supported in position within the cavity  112  by the O-ring  116  and the O-ring  122 .  
         [0021]    A mounting plate  130  mounts to the disc  58  over the first opening  114  in order to keep the bushing  110  within the cavity  112 . The mounting plate  130  includes an opening wider than the bushings cavity. The opening of the mounting plate  130  is beveled in order to direct drills that are misaligned into more proper alignment with the bushing  110 . Also, the receiving end of each bushing is slightly beveled in order to further direct the end of a drill through the opening of the bushing  110 .  
         [0022]    The gripper  34 , lifting thruster motor  36 , and the bushing disc thruster  40  are suitably pneumatically powered. The bushing disc servomotor  38  is suitably an electric motor. Alternate drive motors can be used.  
         [0023]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8