EP1412135A1

EP1412135A1 - Method for controlling an intermittently operating screw tool

Info

Publication number: EP1412135A1
Application number: EP02760283A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paul-Heinz Wagner; Ulf Sittig
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-08-02
Filing date: 2002-07-27
Publication date: 2004-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2022-07-27
Also published as: DE10137896A1; ES2305281T3; WO2003013797A1; JP2004537432A; US20040177704A1; DE50212187D1; JP4119365B2; EP1412135B1; US7000486B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling an intermittent screw process. The inventive method is first carried out in a torque mode in which the torque is continuously measured. When a pre-torque (MF) is achieved, the method is carried out in an angle of rotation mode wherein the angle of rotation is measured. The angle of rotation (α) is incremented at each lift, based on the angle of rotation α = 0 (corresponding to the pre-torque (MF)). The torque (MHE) which is reached at the end of the lift is stored. At the following lift, the measurement of the angle (α) is only begun when the torque (MHE) at the end of the previous lift is reached again. The screw process is ended when a target angle (αZ) is reached.

Description

Method for controlling an intermittently working

screwing

The invention relates to a method for controlling a screwing tool, which performs intermittently rotating strokes and has a torque sensor and a rotation angle sensor.

It is known to use hydraulic power screwdrivers for tightening screws, which have a piston-cylinder unit which drives a ratchet lever back and forth. The ratchet lever drives a ring element which is coupled to the screw to be turned via a key nut. The screw is tightened by the rotating strokes of the ratchet lever in one direction, while the return stroke of the ratchet lever is empty.

In the case of screws that are tightened with power screwdrivers, a predetermined pretension must often be strictly observed so that the screw on the one hand the associated bolt in the finely tensioned, but on the other hand not spanning the bolt. To achieve a defined tension, it is not sufficient to measure the hydraulic pressure in a hydraulic power wrench and to stop the screwing process when the hydraulic pressure reaches a limit value. When tightening screws, unexpected obstacles can appear, such as hooking or canting, which are caused by imperfections in the thread or by rust. The screwing resistance is a suitable measure for achieving defined screwing conditions.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a method for controlling a screwing tool with which a high degree of accuracy and reproducibility of the screwing process is achieved, so that the screwing processes carried out with this method offer the security of the correct tightening of the screw.

This object is achieved according to the invention with the features specified in claim 1. Then the screw connection is carried out with the following steps:

- Performing rotating strokes while measuring the torque in a torque mode,

when a predetermined joining torque is reached: execution of a rotation angle mode by counting the rotation angle up to the end of the current stroke and storage of the values of the rotation angle and torque reached at the end of the stroke,

for each subsequent stroke: the increment of the angle of rotation continues when the torque reaches a value that corresponds to the torque at the end of the previous stroke corresponds and storage of the values of angle of rotation and torque reached at the end of the stroke,

End the screwing process when the counted rotation angle reaches a target angle.

In the method according to the invention, a torque mode is first carried out in which the screw is tightened to a joining torque. The previously defined joining torque is dimensioned in such a way that the parts to be connected have a certain hold, so that the screw connection is already generally secured when the joining torque is reached. When the joining torque is reached, the system switches to the angle of rotation mode, in which a certain predetermined angle of rotation, which is referred to as the target angle, is swept over. The rotation angle is covered by incrementing the rotation angle, which is supplied by a rotation angle sensor.

Several strokes of the screwing tool are required to reach the target angle. Torque and angle of rotation are increased with each stroke and the torque returns to zero during the subsequent return stroke. In the subsequent stroke, the torque increases very quickly. According to the invention, the rotation angle is only counted on when the same torque was reached in a subsequent stroke at which the previous stroke was ended. This torque at the end of a stroke is stored in a memory, as is the angle of rotation accumulated up to this point.

The method according to the invention enables reliable control of the screwing process. It is assumed that the joining torque is reproducible in torque mode and with high accuracy can be determined. From the moment the joining torque is reached, the system switches to the angle of rotation mode, in which an angle measurement is carried out until the target angle is reached. The screwing process is therefore only terminated as a function of the angle of rotation that was swept after reaching the joining torque.

According to a preferred development of the invention, it is provided that the angle of rotation mode is only started when the joining torque is reached from the movement. If the joining torque is reached, for example, at the end of a stroke while the turning process has come to a complete or almost standstill, there are no defined frictional relationships on the screw connection. It can also happen that the torque rises above the value of the joining torque due to temporary hooking or blocking, so that a random state would be assumed for the start of the angle of rotation mode. In order to avoid this, the achievement of the joining moment is only assumed if the screwing process takes place in a linear area, namely at a certain distance from the end of the stroke.

In a preferred variant of the method according to the invention, in the event that after the joining torque has been reached during a stroke, the counting-up remains below a predetermined limit value, the reaching of the joining moment is not utilized and the utilization is shifted to the next stroke. This condition corresponds to the case that the joining torque is reached at the end of a stroke. In this case, the torque mode is retained and a new stroke is carried out in the torque mode after the next return stroke, in which the joining torque is then reached again. This second achievement of the joining moment is evaluated in order to form the zero point of the angle count. The method according to the invention also enables the differential quotient of the dependency between torque and angle of rotation to be determined and evaluated.

In a special embodiment of the method, this differential quotient is determined and stored before the joining torque is reached. On the basis of the respectively measured torque and the stored differential quotient, it is predetermined whether the joining torque is reached at the end of the stroke. The torque indicates the actual state and the differential quotient enables extrapolation, so that it can be predetermined whether the joining torque is reached at the end of the stroke. If this is the case, the stroke is ended before the stroke end is reached, so that the achievement of the joining moment is postponed to the next stroke.

The differential quotient of the dependency between torque and angle of rotation can also be used for the control of the angle of rotation mode, the screwing operation being discarded if a deviation outside the tolerance range from the stored value is found while the angle of rotation is being counted up. In this way, anomalies can be identified, for example the blocking of a screw or a screw resistance that is far too high. Such a condition occurs when the screwing tool is attached to a screw that is already tightened. Even screws that are too easy to move after reaching the joining torque can be identified and discarded.

A narrower special tolerance range is expediently defined in an angular range before the target angle is reached. This ensures that the target angle is approached only with a differential quotient that is close to the stored predetermined differential quotient. It prevents the target angle from being reached with a jerk. If the differential quotient is outside the special tolerance range, the screwing process is rejected.

Within the scope of the invention it is also possible to measure the time duration of the individual strokes and to reject the screwing process if the time duration is too long. This excludes screw connections where there are irregularities.

In the following an embodiment of the invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

Show it:

1 is a schematic representation of a hydraulic power wrench with torque sensor and angle of rotation sensor,

2 shows a schematic section along the line II / II of FIG. 1,

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the torque over the angle of rotation during a screwing and

Fig. 4 shows the determination of the differential quotient of the linear branch of a stroke.

1 and 2, a hydraulic power wrench is shown. This' has a drive part 10 and a functional part 11. The drive part contains a hydraulic cylinder in which a piston 12 is slidably guided. The The piston 12 is driven hydraulically in the feed direction (according to FIG. 1 to the left) and in the retraction direction (to the right). A pivotable connection device 13 has a pressure connection and a return connection.

The functional part 11 has a housing 14 in which a ratchet lever 15 moves. The ratchet lever 15 is connected to the piston 12 via a piston rod 16. A shaft 17 is rotatably mounted in a transverse bore in the housing 14. The shaft 17 has in the interior of the housing 14 a circumferential toothing 18, in which a toothing (not shown) of the ratchet lever 15 engages. With each stroke of the piston 12, the shaft 17 is rotated about its axis by a certain angular amount. This is followed by the return stroke of the ratchet lever 15, in which the shaft 17 is not taken along.

The shaft 17 has at one end a driving device in the form of a plug-in recess 21 of hexagonal cross section. In a cavity 22 of the shaft 17 there is a torsion sensor 23 in the form of the measuring strips that are glued to the peripheral wall. The region of the shaft 17 which carries the torsion sensor 23 forms the measuring section 25.

A data transmission element 28 is provided at the rear end of the shaft 17. A cable channel 29 extends from the torsion sensor 23 to the data transmission element 28. The data transmission element 28 is, for example, a slip ring arrangement which connects an external cable 30 to the torsion sensor 23, which is rotatable with the shaft 17. Alternatively, the transmission can also take place wirelessly. The cable 30 leads to a cable connection 31 (FIG. 1) which is provided on the housing 14 and to which a control device can be connected. The hydraulic power wrench is also equipped with a rotation angle measuring device 33. This has a code disk 34, which is fastened to the shaft 17, and an angle sensor 35, which reacts to the lines of the code disk 34 and thereby generates rotation angle pulses. The angle sensor 35 consists of a fork light barrier into which the code disk protrudes radially from the shaft 17. A cable 38 leads from the angle sensor 25 to the cable connection 31, so that both the torsion sensor 23 and the angle sensor 35 are electrically accessible at the cable connection 31.

The signals from the torque sensor 23 and the angle of rotation sensor 33 are fed to a control unit (not shown) which in turn controls a valve which can interrupt the pressure supply in the hose connections 13. Incidentally, the operation of the power wrench is controlled in such a way that the two hydraulic connections of the power wrench are alternately connected to a pressure line and a return line, the ^' reversing being carried out either mechanically by actuating a reversing valve when the piston 12 hits the relevant stop and there is no further movement, or by automatic reversing.

3 shows the dependency between the torque M _D and the angle of rotation α for a specific screwing case. At the first stroke of the power wrench there is first a non-linear increase 50 in the torque with respect to the angle of rotation and then, when the screw connection is engaged, a linear increase 51 in which the screw bolt is stretched. During the return stroke of the power wrench, the torque M _D drops to zero in the region 52, after which the second stroke then follows. Until a previously determined joining torque M _F is reached, the screwing is carried out in the torque mode D _M , that is, by measuring the torque. When the torque has reached the value of the joining torque M _F , the mode changes to the rotation angle mode DWM. When the joining torque is reached, the angle of rotation α = 0 is defined, so that the subsequent incrementing of the angle of rotation is in each case related to the angle of rotation at which the joining moment M _{F was} reached.

The joining moment M _F is run through in motion, ie the mode is changed from DMM to DWM without the stroke being interrupted. At the end of the stroke in question, the torque reaches the value M _HF i _f, which relates to the stroke end 1 after the joining torque has been reached. On the next return stroke the torque goes back to 0 and on the third stroke there is first a non-linear increase 53 until the torque M _{HEI is reached} and then a linear region 54 follows, in which the screw is further tightened. At the end of each stroke, the value of the torque at the end of the stroke M _HEI _HE2 and _{HE3 is} saved, as well as the associated angle of rotation OC _HEIΛ ^α HE2 / O.HE3- If the torque on the next stroke has reached the same value as the torque end of the previous stroke, the further counting of the angle of rotation α begins. The angle α _HE i _r that was stored at the end of the second stroke also forms the initial angle O. _A2 at which the counting continues in the linear region 54 during the third stroke. At the end of the 3rd stroke the final value _{HE2 is} saved and at the 4th stroke the angle continues to be counted with the value α _H A3 _r which is equal to α _H E2. The screwing process is ended when a target angle α _{z has been} reached, which is fixed, for example, at 90 ° (after the joining torque M _{F has been reached} ). Then the power wrench is switched off. The screw is now tightened in a defined manner, the desired tension of the screw bolt being reached.

The condition for the detection of the angle of rotation is that the angle of rotation is only counted up when the torque measured at the same time has at least the height of the joining moment M _F. This ensures that the angle of rotation is generally only recorded from the moment of joining.

Another condition is that the rotation angle is only counted up when the rotation angle was counted up during the previous stroke and the associated torque was recorded. The accumulated angle of rotation is only added up if a torque that was saved at the end of the last stroke minus a tolerance range, e.g. 5%. However, the counting continues only when the final torque of the last stroke is reached. This ensures that the angle of rotation is only added up when the nut is turning and not when it is standing still.

The same also applies to reaching the joining moment M _F. The reaching of the joining moment should only be determined when the linear part of the clamping line is traversed, in the middle between the end points. If the joining torque is reached in the upper end of the linear range, the achievement of the joining torque is redetermined. The transition from the torque mode DMM to the rotation angle mode DWM must take place from the rotary movement, ie not at the end of a stroke. This is necessary in order to determine the zero point α = 0 with sufficient reproducibility. If, after reaching the joining torque, only a small angular range is traversed, which is below a limit value of, for example, 2 °, the recognition of the joining torque is rejected and shifted to the next stroke. Such an operating mode is possible both with manual control of the power wrench and with automatic control.

With automatic control, the following criterion is additionally or alternatively possible:

Even before the joining torque is reached, the differential quotient of the relationship between torque and angle of rotation is determined, i.e. the slope of the straight line. On the basis of the respectively measured torque and the differential quotient, it is predetermined whether the joining torque is reached at the end of the stroke. If it is recognized that the joining torque is reached at the end of the stroke, the stroke is ended prematurely by the automatic system and a new stroke is initiated, in which the joining moment is then reached in the linear range.

4 shows the determination of the differential quotient Q in the linear region of the curve M _D over α. The differential quotient, ie the slope, is calculated

M _D2 - M _D ι Q =

Herein, M _D ι means the torque that is measured at a certain angle of rotation αi after the joining torque has been reached, and the torque M _D2 is the torque that is measured at a higher angle of rotation α ₂ . The differential quotient Q can also be used for other tests, for example to check whether a screw has already been tightened. In this case, the power wrench works at very high torque without further rotation. As a result, the differential quotient is outside a tolerance range. The screwing process is then stopped.

The differential quotient can also be evaluated immediately before the target value is reached. Here a special tolerance range is defined for the differential quotient and the target value is only considered to have been reached if the differential quotient was previously determined in the special tolerance range. In this way it is avoided that the target angle is reached by a sudden jerk.

Another possibility is to measure the duration of the individual strokes, the screwing process being rejected if the duration is too long. For example, it is possible to measure numerous durations of the individual strokes in several tightening operations for a specific screwdriving event and then to define an average stroke duration that is saved. In the same way also for the differential quotient Q, a typical value of many ^', telt previously averaged values measured or determined in other ways.

Claims

Method for controlling a screwing tool that performs intermittently rotating strokes and has a torque sensor (23) and a rotation angle sensor (33), with the steps

Carrying out strokes while measuring the torque (M _D ) in a torque mode (DMM),

when a specified joining torque (M _F ) is reached: transition to an angle of rotation mode (DWM), in which the angle of rotation (α) is counted up to the end of the current stroke, and storage of the values of angle of rotation ( _HF ι) and torque reached at the end of the stroke ( M _H EI) t

With each subsequent stroke: Continuation of the incrementing of the angle of rotation (α) when the torque (M _D ) reaches a value that corresponds to the torque (M _HE ) at the end of the previous stroke, and storage of the values of Angle of rotation (O-HE) and torque (M _HF ) t

End the screwing process when the counted angle of rotation reaches a target angle (α _z ).

A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle of rotation mode (DWM) is only started when the joining moment (M _F ) is reached from the movement.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the event that after reaching the joining torque (M _F ) during a stroke the counting up remains below a predetermined limit value, the achievement of the joining torque (M _F ) is not utilized and the utilization to the next hub.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the differential quotient (Q) of the dependency between torque (M _D ) and angle of rotation (α) is determined and stored before reaching the joining torque (M _F ) and that using the measured torque and the differential quotient (Q) is predetermined whether the joining torque M _{F is reached} at the end of the stroke.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the differential quotient (Q) of the dependency between torque (M _D ) and angle of rotation (α) is determined and stored and that the screwing process is rejected if during the counting up of the angle of rotation (α) a deviation of the differential quotient (Q) from the stored value lying outside a tolerance range is determined.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that a narrower special tolerance range is defined in an angular range before reaching the target angle α _z, the screwing process is discarded when exceeded.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the duration of the individual strokes is measured and the screwing process is rejected if the time is too long.