EP0003714B1 - Device for screwing-on fixation means - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for screwing in fasteners with a laterally projecting feed pipe for the fasteners, an adjoining feed shaft, a screwing device which can be displaced in the feed shaft, and pivotable jaws arranged at the free end of the feed shaft for guiding the fasteners when they are attached, wherein the feed shaft is part of a slide which is displaceable relative to the screwing device in the axial direction of the same and the jaws are forcibly movable and fixable depending on the displacement movement of the slide or the screwing device.

Various devices for screwing in fasteners of the type mentioned at the outset have already become known, but as a rule they can only be used for certain screws. Especially when it comes to screwing in self-drilling screws, the first major difficulties arise with the known devices. Such screws come into question without or with sealing washers, these screws usually having an external drive, e.g. have a hexagon head. With such external drives, the guide for the screw is very difficult to accomplish. The collar of such a screw head has, for example, a diameter of 16 mm, the total length of the screw being barely larger in some cases.

In the case of commercially available devices, only manufacturing differences in the manufacture of the self-drilling screws have a significant impact, since, for. B. a different cross-cutting width causes running away on the surface to be drilled.

The known devices are often equipped with laterally opening, spring-loaded jaws, which are unsuitable, however, if work has to be carried out in narrow trapezoidal sheet metal valleys. The feeding of the screws into the feed shaft is also quite problematic in most known designs. An attachment is also known in which the screws have to be threaded or clamped between the jaws so that one can work upwards against the ceiling. In another known device, too, there are significant disadvantages in that for each filling operation the front section has to be bent, similar to a shotgun, in order to insert the screw. Then a swiveling back is again required, after which the screwing-in process can only begin.

In a further known device (GB-A-1 339 949) a laterally protruding feed pipe for the screws and a feed shaft connected to it are provided. A screwing device can be moved in the feed shaft itself. At the free end of the feed chute, jaws are provided which are pivoted over leaf springs and which are intended to guide the screws when they are attached. The jaws provided here can be pivoted in a plane transverse to a plane guided through the feed tube, so that it can be seen from this alone that the space requirement is relatively large. Since, in addition, in such an embodiment, the locking and releasing of the jaws must take place through a sleeve that largely surrounds them, there is a quite wide protruding front area of the screw device. This is particularly disadvantageous when screws are to be screwed in in relatively narrow troughs of corrugated sheets. It is then possible to accommodate a corresponding extension of the screwing device in the direction of the corrugation troughs, but a quite narrow configuration is absolutely necessary transversely to this, in order to be able to fasten corrugated plates with a small pitch.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a screwing device which can be made relatively narrow at least in one direction of expansion, and in addition the parts which effect the locking and releasing of the jaws require only a small amount of space.

According to the invention it is proposed that the jaws each have two arms engaging behind the slide on both sides and engage in _' these bearing pins provided on the slide, the pivoting plane of the jaws coinciding with the feed plane of the fastening means, and that on the slide a slide plate is slidably held between two end positions is and the free end of the slide plate carries a locking piece engaging between two arms of the jaws, the slide plate being displaceable relative to the slide depending on the position of the slide within the screwing device or a bearing flange.

By the measures according to the invention, the above object can be achieved in a flawless manner. The slide only has to be designed according to the required strength, in which case only the arms of the jaws protrude laterally from this slide. Since the blocking and the loosening of the jaws is carried out by a slide plate, which can therefore be correspondingly thin, an insignificant thickness is additionally applied to the slide, which, however, does not exceed the thickness of the other Baking provided arms goes out. It can therefore be ensured a very narrow construction of the carriage, which contributes to this measure that the pivoting plane of the jaws coincides with the feed plane of the fastening means. As a result, a corresponding expansion of the screwing device is required only in one direction.

The measures according to the invention also overcome the problem of locking and releasing the jaws in a structurally simple manner. It is a major advantage that there is a forced mechanical lock which is only released when the slide is in a certain position within the screwing device. It is therefore always guaranteed that the jaws can only open shortly before the end of the screwing-in process.

• Fig. 1 eine Seitenansicht der Vorrichtung;
• Fig. 2 eine Seitenansicht des abgenommenen Zuführrohres;
• Fig. 3 eine Ansicht des Zuführrohres von unten;
• Fig. 4 in Schrägsicht eine Möglichkeit der Vormagazinierung der Befestigungsmittel;
• Fig. 5 eine Seitenansicht eines Teiles der Vorrichtung, teilweise geschnitten und gegenüber der Fig. 1 vergrößert dargestellt;
• Fig. 6 eine Vorderansicht gemäß Fig. 5; die Fig. 7 und 8 den Mechanismus zum zwangsweisen Öffnen der Backen, wobei die beiden Endstellungen ersichtlich sind.

Further features according to the invention and special advantages are explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the drawings. Show it:

• Figure 1 is a side view of the device.
• Figure 2 is a side view of the removed feed tube.
• Figure 3 is a view of the feed tube from below.
• Fig. 4 in an oblique view a possibility of pre-storing the fasteners;
• Fig. 5 is a side view of part of the device, partly in section and shown enlarged compared to Fig. 1;
• FIG. 6 shows a front view according to FIG. 5; 7 and 8 the mechanism for the forced opening of the jaws, the two end positions being visible.

The device essentially consists of a drive device 1, which can be designed, for example, in the manner of a drilling machine, a feed and screw-in device 2 and a handling device 3. The feed and screw-in device essentially consists of the feed pipe 4, which is attached to it Subsequent feed chute 5 and the jaws 6 arranged at the free end of the feed chute 5. The feed chute 5 is part of a displaceable slide 7, a slide plate 8 being displaceably arranged on this slide 7 and having a locking piece 9 for forcibly opening and closing the jaws 6 . The carriage 7 is held displaceably in a bearing flange 10, a rail-like projection 11 being guided in a guide arrangement 12. The bearing flange 10 is in turn firmly connected to the drive device 1.

The function of the slide plate or the opening and closing of the jaws can best be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. The slide plate 8 is slidably held between two end positions, two elongated holes 13 being provided for this purpose, in which bolts 14 fastened on the carriage 7 engage. The slide plate 8 is thereby displaceable by the length of the elongated holes 13, the locking piece 9 being adjustable by this dimension, so that it moves from a locked position into an open position. In order to be able to fix the slider plate 8 in the end positions, a ball 15 or a corresponding spring-loaded against the slide plate 8 is in a recess of the slide 7. Bolts are provided, which each engage in the end position of the slide plate 8 in depressions on the slide-side surface thereof.

The slide plate 8 also has a laterally projecting arm 16 which engages in the range of motion of a bolt 17 arranged on the bearing flange 10. This additionally ensures that the slide plate 8 remains in its retracted blocking position or is retracted into it if the slide plate 8 should not yet be in this position due to any obstacle.

A second pin 18 is also connected to the bearing flange 10, but via a lever 19. The pin 18 is thereby movable in an approximately horizontal direction in the position shown. This has created a possibility that the slide plate 8 is only pushed into its lower position shortly before the end of the screwing-in process, so that the jaws 6 are only opened then.

A starting ramp 20 engages in the displacement area of the pin 18 or the lever 19, which ramp is provided with inclined running surfaces 21 and 22 and is fastened to the slide 7. In the area of this starting ramp 20, a notch 23 or another recess is provided on the slide plate 8, into which the pin 18 arranged on the pivotable lever 19 can snap. With a further feed movement, the slide plate 8 is then taken into the other end position. If there is a movement beyond this other end position, the pin 18 can in turn move out of the notch 23 by pivoting the lever 19. When returning to the rest position, the bolt is then pressed into the notch 23 by bumping against the run-up surface 22, so that the slide plate 8 is pulled back into its rest position.

The special arrangement of the swivel plane of the jaws 6 results in a narrow construction, so that use in relatively small corrugated plate valleys is possible. This is achieved if the pivoting plane of the jaws matches the feed plane of the fastening means. In the present embodiment, the jaws 6 are pivotably held on two bolts which are arranged at a distance from one another, the mounting being carried out on two arms 25 which surround the slide 7 and are approximately parallel to one another. 1, 7 and 8 clearly ent can be taken, the locking piece 9 engages at the free end of the slide plate 8 between the two arms 25 of the adjacent jaws 6. In the upper end position of the locking piece, that is to say in the closed position of the jaws 6, this locking piece lies above the bolts 24, so that opening of the jaws is impossible. In the lower position of the locking piece 9, this lies below the pivot pin 24, so that the jaws 6 can be opened freely without spring pressure being counteracted.

The width of the locking piece 9 is accordingly measured transversely to the direction of displacement thereof, the distance between the free ends of the arms 25 is adjusted. The construction is expediently chosen as shown in the drawings, in which the inner boundaries of the arms 25 run approximately parallel to one another when the jaws 6 are closed.

The locking piece 9 is thus displaced between two end positions by the slide plate 8, the jaws being mechanically locked in one end position and the jaws being freely movable in the other end position.

Instead of the pivotable lever 19, it would of course also be possible to provide an additional elongated hole in the slide plate 8, in which an actuating bolt then causes the required movement.

The full force is available to open the jaws when screwing in. The closing takes place with the spring force of a main spring 26, which is arranged between the slide 7 and the bearing flange 10. This closing takes place at a point in time at which the spring force is still relatively high, that is to say at the beginning of the return path. The slide plate 8 can, of course, be designed in various constuctive variants, for example also as a sheet metal part, wherein the area of the locking piece can be a bent sheet metal tab. The connecting piece between the slide plate 8 and the locking piece 9 can of course also be cranked outwards, so that the locking piece 9 is then directed against the carriage 7.

A keyhole-like opening 27 is provided in the feed shaft 5 for feeding the fastening means. The side boundaries of the lower, narrower slot 28, through which the screw shaft of the fastener can be inserted, converge inwards. The length of the narrower slot 28 can be chosen so that the fastening means in its drilling position with the pressed collar is in the area of this slot and no longer in the area of the wide opening. This inevitably prevents the fastener from breaking out.

The head of the fastening means is thereby exactly centered on the screw-in nut 46 and the shaft is brought into the axial direction by the locked jaws 6. This means that drilling can inevitably take place at the desired location.

In the feed chute 5, magnets 29 are also embedded in the wall, which preferably run in a strip-like manner parallel to the axis of rotation. Such an additional arrangement allows inserted fasteners to be held even when working overhead, i.e. when screwing onto a ceiling, until the fastener is gripped by the screwing device.

The feed pipe 4 is best seen in FIGS. 1 to 3. This feed tube 4 can be fastened to the front of the slide or in the region of the feed shaft 5, the feed shaft carrying a flange 30 which can be inserted in a form-fitting manner in a guide on the slide 7. This feed tube can therefore be inserted or removed as required. This feed tube 4 can be secured against unintentional loosening by means of a set screw or a locking ball. In itself, you can do without this fuse, because the feed tube is always printed from above when the screws are inserted. The flange 30 has at its area covering the narrower slot 28 of the feed opening in the feed shaft 5 an elevation 31 which engages in this slot, so that when the feed tube 4 is pushed on, a practically completely circumferential tube for the feed shaft 5 is formed in the area of the slot 28. This completely eliminates feed disruptions.

From Fig. 1 it can be seen that an extension piece 34 can be attached to a handle tube 33 provided for fastening a handle 32, so that the fastening means can already be inserted at the height of the handle 32. This is very advantageous, in particular when screwing onto roofs or flat coverings, since the operator of the device no longer has to bend over. In order to bridge the feed movement of the screw device, the intermediate piece 34 can be telescopically inserted into the handle tube 33. So that this intermediate piece 34 can be securely supported on the feed tube 4, it has a push-on ring 35 at its lower end, on the upper side of which a thread 36 is provided for screwing into the lower end 37 of the handle tube 33.

On another bearing flange 38 connected to the drive device 1, two pipe pieces 39 and 40 running parallel to one another are provided, one pipe piece 40 enclosing the handle tube 33 and the other, opposite pipe piece 39 being firmly connected to part of a telescopic rod 42. This telescopic rod 42 runs parallel to the direction of advance of the device and has a support foot 43 at its free end. To Supporting the return movement of the screw device, a compression spring is arranged within the telescopic rod 42. An approximately right-angled foot lever 44 can be attached to part 41 of the telescopic rod 42. This allows the force applied to the handle 32 to be screwed in by foot actuation. Since the foot of the telescopic tube 42 is arranged directly below the small foot lever, the resulting torque is kept as low as possible.

The locking device 45, which can be seen in FIG. 6, can be used to lock the device pushed into one another, ie when the slide 7 is in the inserted end position. The screw-in nut 46 then emerges through the fully open jaws and the device can then be used with normal screwdrivers, for example for removing an incorrectly placed screw.

An interchangeable stop plate 47, which is provided with a rubber insert 48, is provided on the end face of the carriage 7. Furthermore, an adjusting screw 49 is provided with a detent ball and a sliding block, which serves as an adjustable stop. In this way the setting depth can be divided. The stop plate 47 according to FIG. 1 has a midday opening into which the jaws are inserted. With such a plate, the basic unit can be attached at right angles to the work surface without difficulty. This large stop plate 47 can only be replaced by a small one according to FIGS. 5 and 6 if the space is limited, the trapezoidal sheet bead is too narrow or if one has to work in a corner.

4 shows an embodiment variant for a pre-magazine. There should be no washers. Fasteners and fasteners can be pre-stored with sealing washers. They are only oriented over the pressed disc under their head. The pressed slide is tolerated both in diameter and in thickness, so that the self-drilling screws of the usual length, including the sealing washers, can slide into the guide slot without tilting. The pre-magazine is connected on the one hand to a handle tube 33 and on the other hand to a pushing stage 52 which can be moved depending on the feed movement of the device. The pre-magazine can be attached to the handle tube 33 vertically or approximately 15 ° inclined in the screwing direction or also directly to the feed tube 4.

If the pre-magazine is attached to the handle tube 33, the lowest fastening means is released, so that it comes out of the guide groove 53. Due to the heavy weight, the screw shaft of the fastener tilts downwards. If the fastener dan is almost vertical, it can fall into the carriage 7 in the adjoining handle tube like a fastener fed directly by hand.

If the short pre-magazine is fastened directly to the slide by means of the push rod, the fastener falls with the horizontal axis or almost horizontal axis through the keyhole-like opening 27 into the tubular region of the feed shaft 5 and is then pushed through the jaws 6 through the jaws 6.

Fig. 4 shows only one possibility of the separation principle. The lowest fastening means is held by a pivot piece 54. A push rod 52 coupled to the movable slide 7 holds the pivot piece 54 in this position. If the device is pushed into one another, the push rod 52 moves back into its initial position. The pivot piece 54 is immediately adjusted by the spring 55 (similar to the escapement of a balance wheel). The bottom fastener falls, while the second is prevented from slipping. When the setting process is finished, the device returns to the starting position, the push rod 52 again comes against the swivel piece 54 shortly before reaching the end position and also places it in the starting position. Now the second fastener falls into the lowest position. Of course, further versions of this pre-magazine are conceivable.

It was stated at the outset that a drive device 1 is provided in the form of a drilling machine. The actuation switch of this drive device is usually arranged on the handle thereof. In a device according to the present invention, the switch for actuating the drive device could also be attached to the handle 32. The drive device itself was not shown in more detail in FIG. 1, since all possible design variants are of course conceivable here. The handle of such a drive device is generally mounted in such a way that the cable outlet is not an obstacle when walking however, the drive device is rotated back into the device axis, the handle is then rotated by 90 °.

Claims (8)

1. Apparatus for the screwing in of fastening means with a laterally projecting supply tube (4) for the fastening means, with a supply chute (5) adjoined thereto, with a screwing device (2) slidable in the supply chute and also pivotably supported jaws (6) arranged at the free end of the supply chute (5) and for guiding the fastening means when fitting the latter, in which case the supply chute (5) is part of a slide (7) guide slidably relative to the screwing device. (2) in the axial direction thereof, and the jaws (6) are constrained to be movable and lockable in accordance with the sliding movement of the slide and/or of the screwing device (2) characterised in that the jaws (6) have two arms (25) respectively engaging on both sides behind the carriage (7) and bearing pins (24) provided on the carriage (7) engage in these arms (25), the pivot plane of the jaws (6) corresponding with the feed plane of the fastening means, and in that on the slide (7) a sliding plate (8) is slidably supported between two end positions and the free end of the slide plate"(8) carries a locking part (9), the sliding plate (8) being slidable relative to the carriage (7) in accordance with the position of the carriage (7) inside the screwing device (2) or mounting flange (10).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the sliding plate (8) has slots (13) in which pins (14) secured to the' carriage (7) engage.

3. Apparatus according to claims 1 and 2, characterised in that a pin or a ball (15) spring- loaded against the slide plate (8) is provided on the carriage (7), which pin or which ball respectively in the end positions of the sliding plate (8) engages in recesses in the surface thereof on the carriage side.

4. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the sliding plate (8) has a laterally projecting arm (16) which engages in the movement range of a pin (17) arranged on the mounting flange (10).

5. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a pin (18) secured to the screwing device (2) or to the mounting flange (10) thereof can be brought into operative connection with the sliding plate (8) by way of a movement stage of the advanced motion.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterised in that the pin (18), which can be brought into operative connection with the sliding plate (8) is arranged on a pivotably mounted lever (19) in the movement region of which lever a run-up ramp (20) with inclined (viewed in the direction of displacement of the slide plate (8)) ramp surfaces (21, 22) is secured to the slide (7), in which case in the lateral boundary of the sliding plate (8) an indentation (23) or recess is provided for the insertion of the pin (18) arranged on the pivotable lever (19).

7. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the end positions of the displacement zone of the locking part (9) at the free end of the sliding plate (8) are adjustable to a closed position above the pivot pins for the jaws (6) and to an open position below the pivot pins (24) for the jaws (6).

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 and 7, characterised in that the width of the locking part (9) measured transversely to its direction of displacement corresponds to the distance apart of the free ends of the arms (25) lying above the pins (24), when the jaws (6) are closed.

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