Patent Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for setting fastening elements, wherein a master shaft rod can be moved via a master motion link into a forward set position in order to be able to set the fastening element also at inaccessible or vertical locations.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a U.S. National Phase Patent Application based on International Application No. PCT/EP2010/068059 filed Nov. 23, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention. 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a device for setting fastening elements. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art. 
         [0005]    One known device is disclosed in DE 10 2005 054 719 B3. The known device is provided with a set control link having a set control slot, and with a rivet ram connected to a set control pin which in turn engages in the set control slot. Also present is a feed shaft rod to which the set control link is non-rotatably mounted. The device is further equipped with a drive unit, by means of which the feed shaft rod can be driven to rotate in order to move the rivet ram between a retracted, pre-installation position and an extended, installation position. In this way, a fastening element embodied particularly as an expansion rivet can be set mechanically by, for example, pushing a rivet pin in between spring arms of an expansion rivet via the movement of the rivet ram. In this device, a rivet holding head connected to the feed rod protrudes relatively little beyond an end face of a receiving housing, thus resulting in an overall compact design. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a device for setting fastening elements, which is distinguished by the fact that, with a compact design, fastening elements can be set even at deep-lying or hard-to-access locations. 
         [0007]    By virtue of the fact that, in the device according to the invention, the feed shaft rod is movable, under the control of the feed control slot of the feed link and the control of the feed control pin, between a refracted, starting position and an advanced, setting position, fastening elements can be set even in recesses, for example, or in locations that are hard to access due to obstructing components. 
         [0008]    In one form thereof, the present invention provides a device for setting fastening elements, including a set control link having a set control slot, a rivet ram connected to a set control pin that engages in the set control slot, a feed shaft rod to which the set control link is non-rotatably mounted, and a drive unit by means of which the feed shaft rod can be driven to rotate in order to move the rivet ram between a retracted, pre-installation position and an advanced, installation position, characterized in that a feed link having a feed control slot is present, in that mounted to the feed shaft rod is a feed control pin that engages in the feed control slot, and in that the feed control slot is so configured that the feed shaft rod, upon rotating, moves between a retracted, starting position and an advanced, setting position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a partially cut-away perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective exploded view particularly of a feed shaft rod, a set control link and a feed link of the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a view of the feed link composed of two feed link shells in the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective sectional view of the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  with the feed shaft rod in a starting position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a sectional perspective view of the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  with the feed shaft rod in a breakout position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a sectional perspective view of the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  with the feed shaft rod in a setting position; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a sectional perspective view of the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  with the feed shaft rod in the setting position and a rivet ram in an advanced, installation position. 
       
    
    
       [0017]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention, in several forms, the embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise forms disclosed. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  shows, in a partially cut-away perspective view, an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention for setting fastening elements particularly in the form of expansion rivets  1  having a disk-shaped support disk  2 , spring arms  3  formed on one side of the support disk  2 , and a rivet pin  4  that can be shifted from a pre-installation position to a final installation position by being pushed through an opening in the support disk  2  and between the spring arms  3  to spread the latter. 
         [0019]    The device according to  FIG. 1  is configured as pistol-like and has a receiving housing  5  with a pistol-like grip  6 , at the free end of which is disposed a battery compartment  7  for connection to a battery, not shown in the representation of  FIG. 1 , for supplying electrical energy. Provided on the opposite side of the grip  6  from the battery compartment  7  is a trigger button  8  by means of which a drive unit  10  having an electric motor and a transmission can be actuated via a control electronics  9 . 
         [0020]    The device according to the invention as represented in  FIG. 1  is configured with a rivet holding head  11 , which operates to hold an expansion rivet  1  by the rivet pin  4  protruding in the pre-installation position beyond the support disk  2  on the side facing away from the spring arms  3 , and which is disposed at an end, directed away from the receiving housing  5 , of a head sleeve  12 , which by its end directed away from the rivet holding head  11  passes into the receiving housing  5  and surrounds a breakout link  13  of a link control. 
         [0021]    The breakout link  13 , in turn, is mounted non-rotatably to an end, directed toward the head sleeve  12 , of a feed shaft rod  14  rotatably mounted in a bearing part  15 . The end of feed shaft rod  14  directed away from breakout link  13  passes into a feed link  16  disposed non-rotatably relative to the receiving housing  5 . 
         [0022]    Also present is an elongate rivet ram  17 , which in the representation of  FIG. 1  extends into the feed link  16 , and runs from feed link  16  all the way through feed shaft rod  14  into the end of head sleeve  12  that carries rivet holding head  11 . 
         [0023]    Finally, it can also be seen from the representation of  FIG. 1  that the expansion rivets  1  are attached by their support disks  2  to two facing feed belts  18 , which can be conveyed to the rivet holding head  11  via a rail arrangement  19  disposed on the outside of the receiving housing  5 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  shows, in a perspective view, the head sleeve  12 , the breakout sleeve  13 , the feed shaft rod  14 , the bearing part  15  and the feed link  16  according to the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 . It can be seen from the representation of  FIG. 2  that disposed at the end of head sleeve  12  surrounding the breakout link  13  is a breakout control pin  20  adapted to engage in a breakout control slot  21  formed in the breakout link  13 . The breakout control slot  21  has a circumferentially extending front section  22  disposed directly at the end of breakout link  13  directed toward rivet holding head  11 , and an also circumferentially extending back section  23 , which is offset away from rivet holding head  11  with respect to front section  22 . Extending between front section  22  and back section  23  is an obliquely extending breakout slanted section  24 . 
         [0025]    It can also be seen from  FIG. 2  that the bearing part  15  surrounding feed shaft rod  14  houses a drive gear  25 , which is non-rotatably connected to feed shaft rod  14  and is coupled to the drive unit  10  (not visible in the representation of  FIG. 2 ), in order to drive the feed shaft rod  14  to rotate. Also attached to bearing part  15  are connecting rods  26 ,  27  provided for displaceable engagement with feed link shells  28 ,  29  that form the feed link  16 . 
         [0026]    At its opposite end from the breakout link  13 , feed shaft rod  14  comprises a feed bearing ring  30  and a set control link  31 , which are also non-rotatably connected to feed shaft rod  14 . The feed bearing ring  30  carries a feed control pin  32  that protrudes radially past the feed bearing ring  30 . Formed in set control link  31  is a set control slot  33 , provided in particular with a set section  34  extending in the axial direction, with a clamping section  35  extending from the end directed away from the breakout link  13  spirally away from said breakout link  13 , and with a holding section  36  extending substantially circumferentially from the end of the clamping section  35  directed away from set section  34  toward the end of set section  34  directed away from breakout link  13 . 
         [0027]    It can also be recognized from the representation of  FIG. 2  that the feed link shells  28 ,  29  forming the feed link  16  are configured with a feed control slot  37 , which is provided to engage with the feed control pin  32 . 
         [0028]    Disposed between the feed link shells  28 ,  29 , is a hollow-cylindrical bearing sleeve  38 , which carries a radially outwardly projecting slide block  39  and a radially inwardly extending set control pin  40  provided to engage with the set control slot  33 . Mounted centrally inside the bearing sleeve  38  is the rivet ram  17 . 
         [0029]    The rivet ram  17  is disposed centrally in bearing sleeve  38 , whose slide block  39  is slid in a slide groove  41  extending in the axial direction in a feed link half-shell  28 , to connect bearing sleeve  38  non-rotatably to feed link  16 . 
         [0030]    A setting compression spring  42  engages in the bearing sleeve  38  at its end directed away from the rivet ram  17 , and bears at one end against the rivet ram  17  and at the other end against a stop plate  43  that faces the bearing sleeve  38 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows the feed link shells  28 ,  29  forming the feed link  16 , in a view of the inner side that faces the feed control pin  32 . It is clearly evident from the representation of  FIG. 3  that the feed control slot  37  has a protrusion section  44  which in the intended arrangement faces the breakout link  13 , and a retraction section  45  opposite the protrusion section  44 , between which extend spirally extending, stepless, slanted feed sections  46 ,  47 . 
         [0032]    The manner of operation of the above-described exemplary device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the representations of  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 7 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  is a perspective sectional representation of the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the rivet ram  17  in a retracted, pre-installation position, in which the set control pin  40  is disposed in the holding section  36  of the set control slot  33  and the setting compression spring  42  is under maximum tension. The feed shaft rod  14  and thus also the head sleeve  12  mounted thereto are also in a retracted, starting position, in which the feed control pin  32  is disposed in the refraction section  45  of the feed control slot  37  and the slide block  38  is disposed in a slide rail  49  provided in a guide plate  48  and aligned with the slide slot  41 , on the side of feed link  16  facing away from feed bearing ring  30 . The rivet pin  4  of the expansion rivet  1  disposed at an exit face  50  of the device according to the invention passes through a slit dimensioned for this purpose and into the rivet holding head  11 , the support disk  2  still being connected to the feed belts  18 . 
         [0034]    Owing to the arrangement of the breakout control pin  20  in the retraction section  23  of the breakout control slot  21 , the head sleeve  12 , in order to permit unimpeded entry by the rivet pin  4 , is in a retracted, ready position in which the end face of the rivet holding head  11  facing the support disk  2  is spaced apart from the support disk  2 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  shows the arrangement of  FIG. 4  during a setting cycle, in a transitional position of feed shaft rod  14  in which it is rotated with respect to the arrangement of  FIG. 4 , and in which the breakout control pin  20  is now disposed in the front section  22  of the breakout control slot  21  and, by corresponding advancement of the head sleeve  12 , the expansion rivet  1  has been broken out of the feed belts  18  and the end of the rivet pin  4  directed away from the support disk  2  is surrounded by the rivet holding head  11 . The feed shaft rod  14  is in the same position as in the representation of  FIG. 4 , since the feed control pin  32  is still in the retraction section  45  of the feed control slot  37  and the set control pin  40  is still in the holding section  36  of the set control slot  33 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  shows the arrangement according to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  with the assembly comprised of head sleeve  12 , feed control rod  14  and bearing sleeve  38  in an advanced, setting position, in which the expansion rivet  1  is now a relatively large distance from the exit face  50 . This setting position, which permits very easy access even to deep-lying application sites or sites that would be difficult to access with a shorter projecting length of head sleeve  12  past exit face  50 , has been arrived at from the arrangement of  FIG. 5  by further rotation of the feed shaft rod  14 , brought about by the feed control pin  32  having moved from the retraction section  45  through a slanted feed section  46 ,  47  into the protrusion section  44 . The setting compression spring  42  remains under tension, since the set control pin  40  is still positioned in the holding section  36  of the set control slot  33 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  shows the arrangement of  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6  after a pressing of the trigger button  8  has caused the feed shaft rod  14 , with the rivet ram  17 , to rotate from the arrangement of  FIG. 6  to an advanced, installation position, the rivet pin  4  having been pushed in between the spring arms  3  of the now set expansion rivet  1 . In this installation position, the setting compression spring  42  is in a relatively relaxed arrangement, after moving the rivet ram  17  abruptly away from the stop plate  43  once the set control pin  40  has been guided into the set section  34  of the set control slot  33 . 
         [0038]    Proceeding from the arrangement of  FIG. 7 , after the trigger button  8  is released, as a result of further rotation of the feed shaft rod  14  there is a return to the starting position and pre-installation position depicted in  FIG. 4 , and the next expansion rivet  1  is introduced into the rivet holding head  11  until the arrangement of  FIG. 6  is reached again. 
         [0039]    While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1