Abstract:
The present invention relates to a rivet setting device comprising a rivet setting means and a drive which actuates the rivet setting means, as well as a magazine-strip pulling means which comprises a roll in operative communication with the drive. According to the invention, in order to be able to operate rivet setting devices of such a type also in a pneumatic and/or hydraulic manner, the drive comprises a pneumatic and/or hydraulic linear drive including a piston-cylinder means and a gearing is provided for translating a linear movement of the piston-cylinder means into a rotational movement of the roll at least temporarily.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a rivet setting device comprising a rivet setting means and a drive which actuates the rivet setting means, as well as a magazine-strip pulling means which comprises a roll in operative communication with the drive. 
     Such rivet setting devices are known from the prior art. These are battery-operated rivet setting devices for setting blind rivets. The rivet setting means performs a pulling movement and is connected via a gearing to the drive which is formed by an electric motor. The gearing converts the rotational movement of the electric motor into a linear movement of the rivet setting means. The blind rivets are arranged on the magazine strip and are supplied via a supply means to the rivet setting means. The magazine-strip pulling means is provided for winding up the magazine strip after the removal of the blind rivet and for driving the magazine strip so as to supply further blind rivets. To this end, the magazine-strip pulling means comprises a roll which winds up the empty magazine strip under tension. 
     So far, magazine-strip pulling means of such a type could not be used for pneumatically and/or hydraulically operated rivet setting devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a rivet setting device including a magazine-strip pulling means, which can also be operated pneumatically and/or hydraulically. 
     This object is achieved according to the invention in that the drive comprises a pneumatic and/or hydraulic linear drive including a piston-cylinder means and that a gearing is provided for translating a linear movement of the piston-cylinder unit into a rotational movement of the roll at least temporarily. 
     Such a solution is simple, and makes it possible to provide a magazine-strip pulling means compatible with conventional rivet supply means also in hydraulically and/or pneumatically operated rivet setting devices. 
     In an advantageous development of the invention, a freewheel may be provided so that the linear movement of the piston-cylinder means is transmitted to the roll in one direction only. The gearing can thereby be adapted in an easy manner to the requirements of the magazine-strip pulling means. Since the piston-cylinder means performs a reciprocating linear movement, only one motional direction of the piston-cylinder means can be used on account of said freewheel for driving the roll. This is of particular importance since the magazine strip can only be wound up in one rotational direction of the roll. 
     Moreover, it may be of advantage when the rivet setting device comprises a mouthpiece for receiving at least one rivet and the rivet setting means comprises a pulling means, with the pulling means being adapted to be moved by the piston-cylinder means from a position closer to the mouthpiece into a position further away from the mouthpiece for performing a rivet setting operation and the pulling means being returnable after the rivet setting operation, with the piston-cylinder means being only connected back to the roll during the return movement. It is thereby possible that the magazine strip is only wound up during the return stroke and not during the rivet setting operation. 
     Moreover, in an advantageous development, there may be provided a blocking means which inhibits a rotation of the roll at least during the rivet setting operation. In such a case, an unintended rotation of the roll during the rivet setting operation can also be prevented. 
     Moreover, it may be of advantage when the roll is designed as a winding roll for winding up a magazine strip. In such a case, the magazine strip is not only drivable by the roll, but can also be wound up at the same time and stored for re-use. 
     In an advantageous development of the invention, the gearing may comprise a rack gear including a rack which is provided on the piston-cylinder means and/or the pulling means and in which a gear which is connected to the roll is meshing at least indirectly. A particularly simple gearing can thereby be realized. 
     To achieve a particularly compact structure, the piston-cylinder means may be arranged between the rivet setting means and the gearing. 
     Moreover, the rivet setting device can be designed in a particularly compact manner if the piston-cylinder means comprises a continuous piston rod. Said piston rod can then be connected to the rivet setting means on the one hand and to the gearing on the other hand. 
     It may be of advantage when the piston rod is designed as a tube for passing torn-off rivet mandrels therethrough. In such a case, the rivet mandrels which have been torn off during the rivet setting operation can be discharged from the rivet setting means through the piston rod, which is designed as a tube, and out of the housing of the rivet setting device. 
     To this end, it may turn out to be of advantage when the piston rod terminates in a rivet-mandrel collecting container. This can also yield a more compact design of the rivet setting device. Moreover, stray rivet mandrels are avoided. 
     Moreover, it may turn out to be of advantage when the gearing is arranged between the rivet-mandrel collecting container and the piston-cylinder means. As a result, the rivet setting device can also be made more compact. 
     In an advantageous development of the invention, the piston of the piston-cylinder means may be movable in the pulling direction of the pulling means of the rivet setting means for performing a rivet setting operation, with the piston being movable from an initial position arranged closer to the mouthpiece into a position further away from the mouthpiece for performing the rivet setting operation. Such a design may also simplify the structure of the rivet setting device. 
     Moreover, it may also turn out to be of advantage when the piston-cylinder means is biased by a spring means into the initial position. A particularly simple drive can thereby be realized, with the piston of the piston-cylinder means being also returnable by the spring means. 
     It may also be of advantage when the spring means comprises at least one pressure spring which is arranged in the cylinder of the piston-cylinder means and is supported between an inner cylinder wall at the front side and the piston. A particularly compact and simple design of the rivet setting device can also be realized thereby. 
     A further simplification of the design of the rivet setting device can be achieved when the rack is made integral with the piston rod. The number of the necessary components can further be reduced thereby. 
     It may turn out to be of advantage when there is provided a second rack which is opposite to the first rack and arranged on the piston rod and preferably made integral therewith and in which a second guide gear which is rotatably supported within the housing is meshing. A precise support of the piston rod between the two gears can thereby be realized. 
     It may also turn out to be of advantage when the roll is supported by a roll shaft which projects into the housing and is rotatably supported within the housing and when the gear which is connected to the roll is connected to the roll shaft within the housing. A particularly simple gearing can thereby be constructed. 
     It may also turn out to be of advantage when the freewheel is arranged between the roll shaft and the roll and when the gear is connected to the roll shaft for rotation therewith. The gearing can thus be designed in a particularly compact manner, with the freewheel being possibly arranged outside the housing, whereby the housing can be made even more compact. 
     These and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the figures as fully explained in the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects and features of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated and become better understood by reference to the detailed description when considered in connection with the accompany drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the rivet setting device according to the invention; and 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the rivet setting device of FIG. 1 along line II—II in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the rivet setting device  1  according to the invention. The rivet setting device mainly consists of a housing  2 , a rivet setting means  3  including a pulling means  4 , a piston-cylinder means  5 , a gearing  6 , a rivet collecting container  7 , a handle  8  and an actuating means  9 . The above-mentioned components are either received in or attached to the housing  2 . There is additionally provided a rivet supply means (not shown in greater detail) comprising a magazine strip (also not shown in greater detail). Of the rivet supply means, there is only schematically shown in a dash-dotted line a drum which has wound thereonto a magazine strip filled with blind rivets. The supply means includes an illustrated magazine-strip pulling means  10 . 
     The rivet setting means  3  comprises a mouthpiece  11  which includes an opening  12  for inserting the rivet mandrel of a blind rivet. The rivet mandrel is inserted in the known manner. The mouthpiece  11  is substantially sleeve-shaped and supported in the housing  2  in an axially displaceable manner. The mouthpiece  11  is supported via a spring  13  relative to the housing  2  in axial direction. Moreover, there is provided a stop  14  on which the mouthpiece is supported relative to the housing in the illustration shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The pulling means  3  comprises three clamping jaws  15  which are displaceably received in a cone  16  of the pulling means  4 , the clamping jaws being biased relative to each other by a spring  17  in the known manner. The rivet mandrel comes into engagement with the clamping jaws  15  and is held by said jaws in the known manner by inserting a blind rivet into the mouthpiece  11  and by pressing the mouthpiece against the force of the spring  13 . 
     The pulling means  4  is an integral part of a piston rod  18  which is made tubular and comprises a passage  19  which terminates in the rivet collecting container  7 . The piston rod is displaceably supported in the housing  2  in axial direction and simultaneously forms part of the piston-cylinder means  5 . 
     Moreover, the piston-cylinder means  4  comprises a piston  20  which is made integral with a front section  18   a  of the piston rod  18  and is displaceably received in a cylinder  21 . The piston  20  comprises grooves  22  which have provided therein ring seals  23  which seal the piston  20  relative to the cylinder  21 . A spring means  24  is disposed concentric with the piston rod  18  and consists of two pressure springs that are concentrically arranged relative to each other and are supported in the piston  20  on the one hand and on an inner cylinder wall  25  inside the cylinder  21  on the other hand. The piston  20  is biased by the spring means  24  towards the mouthpiece  11 . An air inlet  26  terminates in the cylinder  21 . Air is supplied via an air supply channel  27  which is arranged in the handle, and air can pass through the air inlet  25  out of the air supply channel into the cylinder  21  and can thereby move away the piston  20  towards the mouthpiece  11  in the known manner. 
     At the side of the piston-cylinder means which faces away from the mouthpiece  11 , there is provided a rear section  18   b  of the piston rod  18  with two opposite rack sections  28  and  29  in which gears  30  and  31  are respectively meshing. The upper rack  28 , which is shown in FIG. 2, and the associates gear  30  form part of the gearing  6 . The gear  30  is connected to a roll shaft  32  for rotation therewith, the shaft being rotatably received at bearing locations  33  and  34  within the housing  2 . 
     The roll shaft  32  has supported thereon a freewheel  35  which, in turn, supports a roll  36 . A firm rotational connection between the roll shaft  32  and the roll  36  is only established by the freewheel in one rotational direction of the roll shaft  32 . The freewheel is here designed such that, upon a movement of the piston  20  away from the mouthpiece, no firm rotational connection is established between the roll shaft  32  and the roll  36  and, when the piston is moved towards the mouthpiece, the roll shaft  32  and the roll  36  are connected to each other for joint rotation. 
     The lower gear  31  is rotatably supported on a shaft  37  within the housing and serves as a support gear for the piston rod  18 . 
     Moreover, at the side of the gearing  6  which faces away from the mouthpiece  11 , there is provided a release flap  38  which comprises an end section  39  which is movable into an out of the passage  19 . The release flap  38  is pivotable about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the piston rod  18 . 
     FIG. 2 additionally shows a mounting  40  with a receiving mandrel  41 . The mounting  40  is firmly installed within the housing  2  by way of a screw connection  42  and a pin connection  43 . The receiving mandrel  41  serves to receive the drum (shown in broken line in FIG. 1) together with the magazine strip, the drum  44  being rotatably arranged on the receiving mandrel  41 . 
     The actuating means  9  consists of a switch  45  which is movably supported in the known manner within the handle  8  and biased by a spring  46 . When being pressed into the handle  8 , the switch  45  actuates a valve  47  which communicates with a source of compressed air via compressed air lines  48 , which are only shown sectionwise. The exact design of the valve  47  is known from the prior art. It is also known from the prior art how the compressed air passes from valve  47  into the air supply channel  27 . Compressed air is released by depressing switch  45  and thus by actuating the valve  47  and passes into the air supply channel  27  to flow from said channel into the piston-cylinder means. Moreover, a venting means (not shown) is provided to let the compressed air escape from the cylinder  21 . 
     The operation and function of the invention shall now be explained in more detail. 
     To put the rivet setting device into operation, drum  44  (not shown) is first mounted on the receiving mandrel  41  and the magazine strip which is mounted on the drum and includes rivets arranged thereon is disposed in the known manner within the supply means and the end of the magazine strip is connected to the roll  36 . At the beginning of the rivet setting operation, a blind rivet (not shown) is positioned within the mouthpiece  11 , the rivet mandrel thereof projecting in the known manner into the mouthpiece  11  through the opening  12 . When the rivet is applied to the component to be riveted, the mouthpiece is moved against the force of spring  13 , with the rivet mandrel passing in the known manner between the spring (17)-based clamping jaws  15  and being retained by the clamping jaws  15 . 
     When the operator now actuates the switch  45  in the known manner, compressed air will pass via the air inlet  26  into the cylinder  21 , whereby the cylinder  21  is moved away from the mouthpiece  11  together with the piston rod  18 . The pulling means  4  which is made integral with the piston rod  18  is also moved away from the mouthpiece, whereby the blind rivet is set and the rivet mandrel is torn off during the setting operation or after the completion of said operation, but while the piston is being moved away from the mouthpiece  11 . When the piston is in its position farthest away from the mouthpiece  11 , air is let out of the cylinder  21 , with the spring means  24  pressing the piston  20  back into its initial position. 
     While the piston  20  is being moved from its initial position into the position of the piston  20  farthest to the right side in FIG. 1 during the performance of the rivet setting operation, the roll  36  is decoupled by the freewheel  35  from the roll shaft  32 . Hence, there is no rotational movement of the roll  36  during the rivet setting operation. 
     During the return movement of the piston  20 , however, the roll  35  is connected to the roll shaft  32  for rotation therewith, so that the roll  36  is rotating during the return movement of the piston  20 . As a result, a pulling action is exerted on the magazine strip and the magazine strip is further conveyed until the next rivet mandrel is supplied to the mouthpiece  11 . The length of the rack section  28  and the number of teeth of the gear  30  must be dimensioned accordingly. Thus, the magazine-strip pulling means which is formed by the gearing  6  and the roll  36  with the freewheel  35  conveys the magazine strip in order to supply the blind rivet. 
     The torn-off rivet mandrels pass from the clamping jaws  15 , which release the rivet mandrel in the known manner after the completion of the rivet setting operation, into the passage  19  of the piston rod  19 , thereby passing into the rivet collecting container  7  in which the piston rod  18  terminates. The release flap  38  is also controlled in the known manner. 
     Thanks to the design of the gearing  6 , it is now possible to use a known magazine-strip supplying means in pneumatically or hydraulically operated rivet setting devices as well. A hydraulic rivet setting devices operates in the same way as a pneumatic one, with the hydraulic fluid being used instead of air. 
     With the present invention has been described in conjunction with several alternative embodiments, these embodiments are offered by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation. Those skilled in the art will be enabled by this disclosure to make various modifications and alterations to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, these modifications and alterations are deemed to lie within the spirit and scope of the present invention as specified by the appended claims.