MAGAZINE ASSEMBLY FOR JOINING ELEMENTS AND METHOD FOR CONVEYING JOINING ELEMENTS WITHIN A MAGAZINE ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A magazine assembly for temporarily receiving joining elements has a housing defining a longitudinal axis, within which a plurality of joining elements can be accommodated axially in sequence, and a conveyor, which is configured for conveying joining elements from a first axial end of the housing to an opposite second axial end of the housing. A plurality of housing nests is formed within the housing, which are arranged in sequence along the longitudinal axis and which are each configured for receiving a joining element, wherein the conveyor is configured for conveying a single joining element or several joining elements in cycles from an infeed housing nest at the first axial end of the housing to a dispensing housing nest at the opposite second axial end of the housing.

Claims

1. A magazine assembly (30) for temporarily receiving joining elements (22) with a flange section (64), the magazine assembly comprising: a housing (32) defining a longitudinal axis (34), within which a plurality of joining elements (22) can be accommodated axially in sequence; a conveyor (54), which is configured for conveying joining elements (22) from a first axial end (36) of the housing (32) to an opposite second axial end (38) of the housing; a plurality of housing nests (46) is formed within the housing (32), which are arranged in sequence along the longitudinal axis (34) and which are each configured for receiving the joining element (22); and wherein the conveyor (54) is configured for conveying a single joining element (22) or several joining elements (22) in cycles from an infeed housing nest (48) at the first axial end (36) of the housing (32) to a dispensing housing nest (50) at the opposite second axial end (38) of the housing (32).

2. The magazine assembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing nests (46) are configured such that joining elements (22) are spaced apart from one another in axially adjacent housing nests (46).

3. The magazine assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the conveyor (54) includes a plurality of conveyor nests (74), which are arranged in sequence along the longitudinal axis (34), which are each configured for receiving the joining element (22), and which are jointly displaceable in a longitudinal direction between a first axial position (AP1) and a second axial position (AP2); the conveyor nests (74), in the first axial position (AP1), are axially aligned with a first group of housing nests (46); and the conveyor nests (74), in the second axial position (AP2), are axially aligned with a second group of housing nests (46), which is offset from the first group (46) by an axial housing nest length (H).

4. The magazine assembly according to claim 3, wherein the housing nests (46) or the plurality of conveyor nests (74) each have a number of nest segments (80; 76) distributed around the periphery of the housing (32).

5. The magazine assembly according to claim 4, wherein the nest segment (80) of the housing nest (46) and the nest segment (76) of the conveyor nest (74) are identical parts.

6. The magazine assembly according to claim 4, wherein the nest segments (76) of the conveyor nests (74) are axially coupled and jointly displaceable between the first axial position (AP1) and the second axial position (AP2) by means of a conveyor drive (66).

7. The magazine assembly according to claim 3, wherein the housing nests (46) or the plurality of conveyor nests (74) are each configured such that the joining element (22) is held therein in a tilt-proof manner.

8. The magazine assembly according to claim 3, wherein the housing nests (46) or the plurality of conveyor nests (74) each have one of a locking mechanism (84; 92) that engages in a radially elastic manner on the joining element's flange section (64), or a support mechanism (86; 94) that engages on an upper side of the flange section (64).

9. The magazine assembly according to claim 3, and further including a conveyor drive (66) configured for moving the plurality of conveyor nests (74) relative to the plurality of housing nests (46).

10. The magazine assembly according to claim 9, wherein a travel distance (H) between the first axial position (AP1) and the second axial position (AP2) is greater than an axial length (L) of the joining element (22).

11. The magazine assembly according to claim 3, wherein the housing nests (46) or the plurality of conveyor nests (74) each have a plurality of radial locking tabs (84; 92), which are distributed around the periphery and which extend axially.

12. The magazine assembly according to claim 12, wherein the housing nests (46) or the plurality of conveyor nests (74) each have a plurality of support bars (86; 94), which are distributed around the periphery and which extend axially.

13. The magazine assembly according to claim 12, wherein the radial locking tabs (84; 92) are slotted in a longitudinal direction, and wherein the support bars (86; 94) are each arranged in a longitudinal slot of a radial locking tab (84; 92).

14. The magazine assembly according to claim 13, wherein at least some of the radial locking tabs (84; 92) of the housing nests (46) or of the conveyor nests (74) have radially inward-protruding retaining lugs (98) on an axial end.

15. The magazine assembly according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing housing nest (50) is hooked up to a compressed air connection (56).

16. A method for conveying joining elements (22) within a magazine assembly (30), according to claim 1, wherein the joining elements (22) are accommodated within housing nests (46), which are arranged axially in sequence, of a housing (32) of the magazine assembly (30) such that they are axially spaced apart from one another, wherein the joining elements (22) are conveyed synchronously and in cycles while maintaining their axial separation distance from a first axial end (36) of the housing (32) toward an opposite second axial end (38) of the housing (32).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0069] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are depicted in the drawings and will be explained in more detail in the following description. Shown are:

[0070] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a joining head, with a first embodiment of a magazine assembly according to the invention attached thereto.

[0071] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a magazine assembly according to the invention.

[0072] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the magazine assembly of FIG. 2.

[0073] FIG. 4 is a view from above of the magazine assembly of FIG. 2.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a view of the magazine assembly comparable to that of FIG. 2 without a tube-like housing, wherein some nest segments have been omitted in order to show the interior of the magazine assembly.

[0075] FIG. 6 is a detailed view VI of FIG. 5.

[0076] FIG. 7 is a magnified longitudinal sectional view through the magazine assembly of FIG. 2.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a perspective depiction of a nest segment for housing nests and for conveyor nests.

[0078] FIG. 9 is a depiction of a lower end of the magazine assembly of FIG. 2, with the end piece of the housing removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0079] A joining device is depicted schematically and designated in general by 10 in FIG. 1.

[0080] The joining device 10 has a joining head 12, which is attached to a schematically indicated robot arm 14. The joining head 12 is connected to a power supply 16 by means of flexible cables. A carriage 18 is mounted for axial displacement on the joining head 12. A holding mechanism 20 for holding a joining element 22 is formed on the carriage 18. The joining device 10 is used to join a joining element 22 held in the holding mechanism 20 to a component 24 such as a vehicle body panel, for example. The joining takes place along a joining axis 26, which is aligned parallel to a displacement direction of the carriage 18 and coaxial to a longitudinal axis of the joining element 22.

[0081] The joining element 22, which is held in the holding mechanism 20, is preferably joined to the component 24 by means of joining process such as a stud welding process or a stud gluing (or bonding) process. The joining element 22 preferably has a flange section with a larger diameter and a shank section with a smaller diameter.

[0082] A magazine assembly 30 is attached to the joining head 12. The magazine assembly 30 has an elongate housing 32, which defines a longitudinal axis 34. The housing 32 has a first axial end 36 and a second axial end 38. The first axial end 36 is connected to an infeed mechanism 40. The infeed mechanism 40 is preferably a stationary mechanism, to which the joining head 12 is driven by means of the robot in order to fill the magazine assembly 30 at the infeed mechanism 40 with a plurality of joining elements 22. However, it is in general also conceivable to connect the first axial end 36 of the housing 32 to a supply hose 42, as schematically indicated in FIG. 1.

[0083] The second axial end 38 of the housing 32 is connected to a transfer mechanism 44, which is configured to transfer one joining element 22 in each case from the magazine assembly 30 into the holding mechanism 20.

[0084] A plurality of housing nests 46, in each of which a joining element 22 is accommodated, are formed in the magazine assembly 30. The housing nests are arranged in sequence along the longitudinal axis 34. The housing nests 46 are configured such that joining elements 22 in adjacent housing nests 46 are spaced apart from one another. The housing nests 46 are furthermore configured such that the joining elements 22 are always held therein in a position-stable manner, i.e., tilt-proof manner.

[0085] The housing nests 46 include an infeed housing nest 48, which is adjacent to the first axial end 36, and also a dispensing housing nest 50. The dispensing housing nest 50 is associated with the second axial end 38. A joining element 22, which is received in the dispensing housing nest 50, can be transferred by means of a transfer step into the transfer mechanism 44, in order to hold this joining element 22 in the holding mechanism 20 for a subsequent joining process.

[0086] The magazine assembly 30 is configured such that joining elements contained in the housing nests 46 are cyclically conveyed in a conveying direction 52 from the infeed housing nest 48 to the dispensing housing nest 50. Provision is made of a conveyor 54 suitable for this purpose.

[0087] The dispensing housing nest 50 is equipped with a compressed air connection 56 in the present case. A compressed air hose 58, by means of which compressed air is supplied for transferring a joining element 22 contained in the dispensing housing nest 50 toward the holding mechanism 20, can be connected via the compressed air connection 56.

[0088] During operation, the magazine assembly 30 is filled with joining elements by means of an infeed mechanism 40. A robot can then drive the joining head 12 from one joining position to the next, where a respective joining element is then joined onto each joining position. After each of such joining processes, the magazine assembly 30 is actuated in such a way that the joining elements contained therein are conveyed by one cycle or rather one housing nest further in the conveying direction 52 so that another joining element 22 enters the dispensing housing nest 50 in order to be loaded into the holding mechanism 20 for a subsequent joining process. When the magazine assembly 30 is almost or completely empty, the joining head 12 can be returned to a stationary infeed mechanism 40, where the magazine assembly 30 is refilled. As an alternative, this can also be effected via a supply hose 42 during the ongoing operation. However, the use of a supply hose is less preferable because the purpose of providing the magazine assembly 30 on the joining head 12 is to achieve independence from a supply hose 42.

[0089] However, the magazine assembly 30 also has the advantage that joining elements 22 supplied in the dispensing housing nest 50 near the holding mechanism 20 are each supplied in a position-stable manner, thus preventing jamming or the like from occurring during the transfer to the holding mechanism 20. This is particularly true when joining elements that have a large flange section diameter to shank diameter ratio are being joined.

[0090] A preferred embodiment of a magazine assembly 30 for a joining device 10 is shown in FIGS. 2 through 9.

[0091] In terms of design and function, the magazine assembly 30 of FIGS. 2 through 9 generally corresponds to the magazine assembly 30 of FIG. 1. The same elements are therefore designated with the same reference signs. Essentially only the differences will be explained in the following.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 2, the joining elements 22 each have, for example, a joining element shank 62 with a relatively small diameter and a joining element flange 64 with a relatively larger diameter.

[0093] It can furthermore be discerned in FIG. 2 that the magazine assembly 30 has a conveyor 54, which includes a conveyor drive 66. The conveyor drive 66 can be configured as, for example, a pneumatic cylinder, the longitudinal axis of which is arranged in parallel offset to the longitudinal axis 34 of the housing 32.

[0094] A drive shaft 68, which can be offset parallel to the longitudinal axis 34 by means of the conveyor drive 66, is connected to a drive lever 70, which extends in a radial direction from the drive shaft 68 in a direction over the first axial end 36 of the housing 32.

[0095] In FIG. 1 it is furthermore indicated that the housing 32 has, on the second axial end 38, a housing end piece 51 on which the compressed air connection 56 is formed.

[0096] In addition to the plurality of housing nests 46, the magazine assembly 30 has a plurality of conveyor nests 74, which can be moved by means of the conveyor drive 66 in an axial direction relative to the plurality of housing nests 46.

[0097] In this process, the conveyor nests 74 can be moved in a longitudinal direction between a first axial position AP1 and a second axial position AP2. A travel distance H of the conveyor drive 66 is defined by the axial positions AP1, AP2. The travel distance H is less than a length L of a joining element 22.

[0098] To execute a conveyor cycle, the conveyor nests 74 are shifted in an axial direction into the axial position AP1. In this state, for example, a joining element 22 can be transferred into the infeed housing nest 48. The plurality of conveyor nests 74 is then shifted in the conveying direction 52 toward the second axial position AP2. All joining elements contained in the magazine assembly 30, which are received in respective housing nests 46, are transferred into an housing nest 46 situated adjacently downstream in the conveying direction 52. For example, a joining element that was arranged in a housing nest adjacently upstream of the dispensing housing nest 50 can now be conveyed into the dispensing housing nest 50, from where the joining element can then be transferred to (i.e., loaded into) the holding mechanism.

[0099] As indicated in FIG. 2 and in the other figures, each conveyor nest 74 has a plurality of conveyor nest segments 76, which each include a conveyor nest segment base 78. The conveyor nest segments 76 each span 60 in a peripheral direction and are each spaced apart from one another by 60, as is evident from FIG. 4 in particular. From FIG. 4 and FIG. 3 it is also evident that each housing nest 46 is formed by a plurality of housing nest segments 80, which each have a housing nest segment base 82.

[0100] The housing nest segment bases 82 each extends over 60 and are each spaced apart from one another by 60 (FIG. 4). Conveyor nest segment bases 78 are thus arranged between the housing nest segment bases 82 in each case. The housing nest segment bases 82 and the conveyor nest segment bases 78 jointly form a 360 ring shape within the hollow cylindrical housing 32.

[0101] The housing nest segments 80 each have a radial locking tab 84 (in particular see FIGS. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8). The radial locking tabs 84 each extend, starting from an inner periphery of the housing nest segment base 82, in an axial direction into the interior space of an axially downstream adjacent housing nest 46. The radial locking tabs 84 are each equipped with a longitudinal slot. In each case a support bar 86 is connected to a housing nest segment base 82 and is essentially arranged within the longitudinal slot but extends in a radial direction further inward, as can be discerned in particular in FIG. 8 and FIG. 7.

[0102] It can be ascertained in particular from FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 that a joining element 22 is held in a housing nest by the radial locking tabs 84 of the housing nest segments 80 pressing essentially radially outward against the joining element flange 64. The support bars 86 of this housing nest 46 furthermore rest on the upper side of the joining element flange 64. The position of the joining element 22 is thus stabilized, and this element is held in the respective housing nest in a tilt-proof manner.

[0103] As can be discerned in particular in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, the housing nest segment bases 82 of axially adjacent housing nests contact one another axially. The housing nest segment bases 82 lying axially over one another are furthermore each bolted to one another by housing segment screw connections 90 and are consequently integrally accommodated within the housing 32.

[0104] In an analogous manner, conveyor nest segment bases 78 lying axially over one another of the conveyor nests 74 are screwed (bolted) to one another in an axial direction, namely by means of respective conveyor segment screw connections 88, as can be ascertained in particular in FIGS. 2, 3, 4.

[0105] The conveyor segment screw connections 88 enable all of the conveyor nests to be moved in a longitudinal direction relative to the housing nests 46.

[0106] As can be ascertained in particular from FIGS. 7 and 8, each conveyor nest segment 76 also includes a radial locking tab 92 that extends in an axial direction from the respective conveyor nest segment base 78. The radial locking tabs 92 of the conveyor nest segments 76 likewise each have a longitudinal slot, within which is arranged a support bar 94 which, at its free end, extends further radially inward than the radial locking tab 92.

[0107] In the present case, the conveyor nest segments 76 and the housing nest segments 80 are actually configured as identical parts so that the magazine assembly 30 can be economically manufactured.

[0108] In FIG. 9 it can furthermore be discerned that the dispensing housing nest 50 likewise has a plurality of housing nest segment bases 82, from which radial locking tabs 84 and support bars 86 extend in each case. On their free ends, the radial locking tabs 84 do not have any radially inward-projecting retaining lugs such as those provided for the other nest segments (see FIG. 8).

[0109] In all nest segments, a joining element is further stabilized in terms of its position by the fact that such retaining lugs 98 interlockingly engage from below on the joining element flange 64 (also see FIG. 7). During the axial movement of the conveyor nests 74, the joining element flanges 64 are pressed out of the radial locking tabs in an axial direction, namely by means of the respective support bars.

[0110] In the case of the dispensing housing nest 50, a joining element is also radially clamped on an outer periphery of the joining element flange 64 by means of the radial locking tabs 84. However, this clamping is considerably easier to overcome in an axial direction, for example by a compressed air blast that is applied via the compressed air connection 56 to the housing end piece 51 that is not depicted in FIG. 9 for the sake of clarity.

[0111] If a joining element is inserted in the infeed housing nest 48 during operation according to FIG. 5, starting from FIG. 5 the next conveying step takes place in the conveying direction 52, during which the conveyor nests 74 are moved in the conveying direction by the axial travel distance H into the second axial position AP2 (see FIG. 2).

[0112] In this process, the support bars 94 of the conveyor nests 74 press the joining element out of the infeed housing nest 48 into the axially adjacent housing nest 46.sub.1 (see FIG. 3). The conveying element is then held in an axial direction by the support bars 86 of the housing nest 46.sub.1. In a subsequent conveying step, the conveyor nests 74 are again moved against the conveying direction 52 toward the axial position AP1. In this process, the joining element held in the housing nest 46.sub.1 is held axially by means of the support bars 86. Another joining element can then be transferred into the infeed housing nest 48.

[0113] In a subsequent conveying step, the joining element held in the infeed housing nest 48 and the joining element held in the underlying housing nest 46.sub.1 are then moved in the conveying direction 52 into the next downstream housing nests 46 in each case.

[0114] In this process, the joining elements are moved, by means of the support bars 94 of the conveyor nests involved, out of the infeed housing nest 48 and the underlying housing nest 46.sub.1 into the housing nest 46.sub.1 or rather the underlying housing nest 46.sub.2. All further conveying steps likewise take place in cycles and can be used for receiving further conveyor elements. However, it is also possible to cycle only one conveying element through the magazine assembly 30.

[0115] Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.