IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,272,296
Granted Patent B2
US 8,272,296 · App. 12/741,948 · Granted Sep 25, 2012

Screw fastener

Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,272,296
App. No.
12/741,948
Granted
Sep 25, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A screw fastener with simple configuration is provided, which automatically moves a rotary tool such as a nut runner to fastening positions to fasten screws, and the automation is achieved at low thrust. A screw fastener includes: X, Y, and Z-axis linear motion robots that move a nut runner along the directions of X, Y, and Z-axes, respectively, the axes being orthogonal to one another; a reaction force supporting member that supports a main body of the nut runner in a movable manner along each of the directions of the X, Y, and Z-axes and restricts the rotation of the main body around the rotary shaft; and positioning means that positions a body, and thus the screw fastener with simple configuration can automatically move the nut runner to positions to fasten screws, and achieves the automation at low thrust.

Claims (12)

1. A screw fastener, comprising:

a rotary tool that has a rotary shaft and a main body in which to fasten a screw to a workpiece;

a linear motion robot unit that is composed of an X-axis linear motion robot, a Y-axis linear motion robot, and a Z-axis linear motion robot, the X-axis linear motion robot, the Y-axis linear motion robot, and the Z-axis linear motion robot being connected with one another and moving the rotary tool along directions of the X, Y and Z-axes, respectively, where the X, Y, and Z-axes each orthogonally cross;

a supporting member that supports the main body of the rotary tool in a movable manner along each of the directions of the X, Y, and Z-axes and restricts rotation of the main body of the rotary tool around the rotary shaft so as to restrict the rotation of the main body around the rotary shaft;

a reaction force supporting member that is composed of a parallel link that is disposed on a plane approximately orthogonal to the rotary shaft of the rotary tool and connects the main body of the rotary tool with the supporting member;

a positioning device that positions the workpiece; and

a floating table that is coupled to the linear motion robot unit and the positioning device and movable along a plane approximately orthogonal to the rotary shaft of the rotary tool.

2. The screw fastener according to claim 1 , wherein

the linear motion robot unit is removably coupled to the rotary tool.

3. The screw fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary tool, the X-axis linear motion robot, the Y-axis linear motion robot, the Z-axis linear motion robot, the reaction force supporting member, and the positioning device are provided to a fastening carriage that runs in synchronization with the workpiece.

4. The screw fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the linear motion robot unit is removably coupled to a lower end of a rod that is coupled to the main body of the rotary tool and extends in the axial direction of the rotary shaft, and the parallel link that is movable along a plane approximately orthogonal to the rotary shaft is fixed to a guide member that slidably supports the rod in the axial direction of the rotary shaft.

5. The screw fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning device is composed of a plurality of engagement pin units that automatically advance/retract engagement pins in the axial direction of the rotary shaft of the rotary tool to engage the engagement pins with a workpiece or a member around the workpiece.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2010
From: TOHYAMA, SHINJI; TOMIDA, KOJI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 024354/0150 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2007-291997 · Nov 9, 2007 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100242690A1 · Sep 30, 2010