JP2003220527A - Attaching/detaching device for screw - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an attaching/detaching device for a screw in which attaching/detaching of the screw can be executed within a short time and automatically. <P>SOLUTION: The attaching/detaching device for the screw, which is provided with a rotor 20 which is supported movably along in the insertion direction of the screw 5 to a working object and in the pulling-out direction opposite to the insertion direction and rotates in forward and reverse two directions so as to screw to or separate from the working object 6 by being engaged with the screw 5, an air cylinder 31 to move the rotor 20 in the insertion direction of the screw 5 and press it to the screw 5 or to move it in the pulling-out direction of the screw 5, and a first control part 70 to drive the air cylinder 31 so as to change pressing force of the rotor 20 to the screw 5, and at the same time, to drive the rotor 20 so as to screw or separate the screw 5 to/from the working object 6, is adopted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a screw attaching / detaching device for screwing a screw on an arbitrary member and removing the screwed screw.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When servicing an aircraft body, the work of attaching and detaching screws is frequently performed. For example, it is a work of removing a screw that fixes a member forming a wing surface to a support member inside the wing, or screwing the removed screw back to the original position. Conventionally, such screw attachment / detachment work is manually performed by a worker using a dedicated tool (for example, a crank handle, an air ball, etc.).

[0003]

However, when it comes to large airplanes and airplanes for special purposes, the number of screws screwed onto the wing surface becomes very large, and it is enormous to attempt all of these by hand. Work time is required. These problems arise not only when servicing airplanes but also when assembling and servicing everything.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a screw attaching / detaching device capable of automatically attaching / detaching a screw in a short time.

[0005]

As means for solving the above problems, a screw attaching / detaching device having the following configuration is adopted. That is, the screw attachment / detachment device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a screw attachment / detachment device for screwing a screw to an arbitrary member or removing the screwed screw from the arbitrary member. Forward / reverse 2 is movably supported along the inserting direction of the screw and the withdrawing direction opposite to the inserting direction, and engages with the screw to screw or unscrew the screw to or from the arbitrary member. Rotating means for rotating in the direction, first moving means for moving the rotating means in the inserting direction to press the screw or in the extracting direction, and the rotating means for the screw And a first control means for driving the rotating means so as to screw or unscrew the screw to or from the arbitrary member. To do.

A screw attaching / detaching device according to a second aspect is the screw attaching / detaching device according to the first aspect, wherein the first control means engages the rotating means with the screw screwed to the arbitrary member. And rotate the rotating means in the detaching direction while pressing the rotating means against the screw with a predetermined strength, and when the screw is loosened,
It is characterized in that the pressing force of the rotating means is made weaker than the predetermined strength, and then the screw is further rotated in the detaching direction.

A screw attaching / detaching device according to a third aspect is the screw attaching / detaching device according to the second aspect, wherein the first control means moves the rotating means in the inserting direction and abuts on the screw. It is characterized in that the rotating means is rotated in the screw-in direction and the rotating means is rotated in the disengaging direction when the rotating means and the screw are engaged with each other.

A screw attaching / detaching device according to a fourth aspect is the screw attaching / detaching device according to the first aspect, wherein the first control means engages the rotating means with the screw arranged on the arbitrary member. When the screw is almost screwed in, the pressing force of the rotating means is adjusted before the final tightening. It is characterized in that the screw is further rotated in the screw-in direction after being made stronger than a predetermined strength.

A screw attaching / detaching device according to a fifth aspect is the screw attaching / detaching device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
Second moving means for moving the rotating means in one direction orthogonal to the inserting direction, and third moving means for moving the rotating means in the other direction orthogonal to both the inserting direction and the one direction. Means, a photographing means for photographing the screw arranged or screwed on the arbitrary member, and driving the second and third moving means based on image information photographed by the photographing means, It is characterized by comprising a second control means for moving the rotating means in the one direction or the other direction to align the rotating means with the screw.

In the work of attaching and detaching the screw, not only the screw is rotated in the inserting direction and the removing direction, but also the force for pressing the screw in the inserting direction must be strengthened or weakened depending on the situation. In the present invention, the first moving means is driven to increase or decrease the pressing force of the rotating means against the screw, while the rotating means is driven to rotate the screw. By letting
Screws can be attached and detached automatically in a short time, instead of manually.

Further, in the present invention, an arbitrary member is photographed, the position of the screw to be screwed in or removed is specified on the basis of the imaged image information, and the screw is placed directly above the specified screw. In order to do so, the second and third moving means are driven to automatically move the rotating means in one direction or the other direction, and further in both directions. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the portion of the series of operations in which human intervention is performed and to perform the screw attachment / detachment in a shorter time and more automatically.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of a screw attaching / detaching device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the screw attaching / detaching device according to the present embodiment includes a work table 2 fixed to a base 1 and a work table 2 directly above the work table 2 fixed to the base 1 via columns 3. The device main body 4 disposed in the main body is mainly configured.

The work table 2 has a grip 10 for gripping a work object (arbitrary member) 6 to which a screw 5 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) is attached and detached, and the grip 10 is moved in the horizontal X-axis direction. And an X-axis feed mechanism 11 that can be fixed at any position, and a Y-axis feed mechanism 12 that can move the grip 10 in the Y-axis direction that is horizontal and orthogonal to the X-axis direction and can be fixed at any position. ing. For the work target 6, the screw 5 is inserted in the X-axis and Y-direction.
It is fixed to the gripper 10 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to any of the axes.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main body 4 of the apparatus is
A rotor (rotating means) 20 is provided which engages with a negative thread groove (not shown) of the screw 5 and rotates in two forward and reverse directions so as to be screwed into or removed from the work target 6. Rotor 20
Is a structure in which a disc 20a rotatably supported is formed into a screw groove, and a screw 5 is inserted into a work object 6 into a drive motor 21 provided in the apparatus body 4 and rotating in two forward and backward directions. Direction and the extraction direction opposite to the insertion direction, that is, the connection direction is provided via a connection portion 22 arranged in the Z-axis direction.

The connecting portion 22 has a telescopic structure composed of a cylindrical cylinder 23 and a rod 24 slidably inserted inside the cylinder 23, and the end portion on the cylinder 23 side which is the upper end is formed. Connected to the drive motor 21,
A latch portion 25 to which the rotor 20 is detachably attached is provided at the end portion on the rod 24 side which is the lower end. The cross-sectional shape inside the cylinder 23 is rectangular, and the cross-section of the rod 24 inserted into the cylinder 23 is also rectangular, and both are engaged with each other. The rod 24 freely expands and contracts with respect to the cylinder 23 in the Z-axis direction. However, the rotation around the axis is restricted, and the rotation of the drive motor 21 is transmitted to the rotor 20 without loss.

The rotor 20 attached to the lower end (latch portion 25) of the connecting portion 22 is movably supported in the Z-axis direction by two guide mechanisms 26 provided in the apparatus body 4. The guide mechanism 26 includes a sleeve 27 fixed to the apparatus body 4 in the Z-axis direction and a sleeve 27.
And a guide rod 28 that is slidable in the Z-axis direction. The lower end of the guide rod 28 is the rod 2
4 is fixed via a plate 29a to a bearing part 29 that rotatably supports the latch part 25 around the Z-axis while following the expansion and contraction of the plate 4, and the upper end of the guide rod 28 is fixed to the plate 30. Then, the connecting portion 2
The rotor 20 attached to the lower end of 2 moves up and down in the Z-axis direction accordingly.

The device body 4 is provided with an air cylinder (first moving means) 31 for moving the rotor 20 in the Z-axis direction. The air cylinder 31 has a piston rod 32.
Is fixed to the apparatus main body 4 so as to move in and out in the Z-axis direction, and the tip of the piston rod 32 is fixed to the plate 30. When the air cylinder 31 is driven to cause the piston rod 32 to project, the rotor 20 moves in the Z direction. When the piston rod 32 is retracted by moving upward in the axial direction, the rotor 20 moves in the Z direction.
It is designed to move axially downward.

An air supply system configured to drive the air cylinder 31 is shown in FIGS. In each figure, reference numeral 40 is a supply source of pressurized air, 41 is a manual on-off valve, 42 is a filter, 43 is a flow path switching valve (2 ports) for switching low pressure / high pressure, 44 is a relief valve, 45 is a pressure gauge, 46 is a pressure switch, 47 is a pressure regulator, 4
8 is a low-pressure passage switching valve (3 ports), 49 is a high-pressure passage switching valve (2 ports), 50 is a low-pressure relief valve,
51 is a relief valve for high pressure, 52 is a shuttle valve, 53 is a pressure switch for low pressure, 54 is a pressure switch for high pressure,
55 and 56 are one-way throttle valves, and 57 is a silencer.

As shown in FIG. 8, the pressurizing regulator 47 is slidable inside a large-diameter cylinder portion 58 and a housing 60 in which two cylinder portions 58, 59 having different cross-sectional areas communicate with each other. It is composed of a large piston 61 movably arranged, a small piston 62 slidably arranged inside a small-diameter cylinder portion 59, and a piston rod 63 connecting the large piston 61 and the small piston 62. A pipe 64 for supplying pressurized air from the supply source 40 is connected to the cylinder portion 58, and a pipe 65 for supplying pressurized air to the air cylinder 31 is connected to the cylinder portion 59. The area of the pressure receiving surface 62a of the small piston 62 is 1/2 of the area of the pressure receiving surface 61a of the large piston 61, and when air having a certain pressure is supplied to the cylinder portion 59, The pressure of the air existing in the cylinder is twice as high as the pressure of the air supplied to the cylinder portion 58.

The apparatus body 4 is provided with a drive motor 21 and a first control section (first control means) 70 for controlling the drive of the flow path switching valves 43, 48, 49. The first controller 70 controls the drive motor 2 according to a predetermined sequence.
1 and the flow path switching valves 43, 48, 49 are driven to remove the screw 5 screwed to the work target 6, and the screw 5 is screwed into a screw hole formed in the work target 6 in advance. And work to do.

Here, a) when moving the rotor 20 downward, b) when pressing the rotor 20 against the screw 5 with a certain force, and c) when pressing the rotor 20 against the screw 5 with a double force. ,
d) How to operate the air supply system will be described for each of the cases where the rotor 20 is moved upward. First, when the operations a) and b) are performed, the flow path switching valves 43, 48, 49 are switched by the first controller 70 as shown in FIG. When each flow path switching valve is switched, the pressurized air of pressure P flows without passing through the pressurization regulator 47, and is supplied to the air cylinder 31 via the relief valve 50, the shuttle valve 52, and the one-way throttle valve 55. The pressurized air supplied to the air cylinder 31 is transferred to the piston rod 32.
The pressure P is applied in the direction of pushing down.

The piston rod 32 receiving the pressure P moves the rotor 20 downward. After engaging the screw 5,
The rotor 2 is operated by applying a force F downward in the Z-axis direction (insertion direction).
Press 0 against screw 5. On the other hand, the air pushed out from the air cylinder 31 by moving the piston rod 32 downward is discharged from the silencer 57 via the one-way throttle valve 56.

When performing the operation c), the flow path switching valve 43,
48 and 49 are switched by the first control unit 70 as shown in FIG. When each flow path switching valve is switched, the pressurized air having the pressure P passes through the pressurization regulator 47, so that the air supplied to the air cylinder 31 is applied to the pressure P ′ which is twice the pressure P. The air cylinder 3 is pressurized and passes through the relief valve 51, the shuttle valve 52, and the one-way throttle valve 55.
1 is supplied. The pressurized air supplied to the air cylinder 31 has a pressure P ′ in the direction of pushing down the piston rod 32.
To act.

The piston rod 32, which receives the pressure P ',
A force F ′ having twice the force F is applied downward in the Z-axis direction to press the rotor 20 against the screw 5. On the other hand, the air pushed out from the air cylinder 31 by moving the piston rod 32 downward passes through the one-way throttle valve 56 and the silencer 57.
Emitted from.

When performing the operation of d), the flow path switching valve 43,
48 and 49 are switched by the first control unit 70 as shown in FIG. When each flow path switching valve is switched, pressurized air of pressure P flows without passing through the pressure regulator 47,
It is supplied to the air cylinder 31 via the one-way throttle valve 55. The pressurized air supplied to the air cylinder 31 exerts a pressure P in a direction of pushing up the piston rod 32.

The piston rod 32 receiving the pressure P moves the rotor 20 upward. On the other hand, piston rod 3
The air pushed out from the air cylinder 31 by moving 2 upward is the one-way throttle valve 55, the shuttle valve 52,
It is discharged from the silencer 57 via the relief valve 50.

In order to perform the work of removing the screw 5 screwed to the work object 6 by using the screw attaching / detaching device configured as described above, first, the work object 6 is placed on the work table 2. The screw 5 is gripped by the grip 10 and the X-axis feed mechanism 11 and the Y-axis feed mechanism 12 are operated to arrange and fix the screw 5 directly below the rotor 20. At this time, the direction in which the screw 5 is removed is set to the rotor 2
Note that the direction of movement of 0, that is, the Z-axis direction is matched.

When the position of the screw 5 is determined and then the first control unit 70 is instructed to remove the screw 5, first,
The rotor 20 moves downward in accordance with the operation a). When the tip of the rotor 20 (disc 20a) comes into contact with the head of the screw 5, the rotor 20 rotates in the screw-in direction of the screw 5 while pressing the screw 5 with the force F according to the operation of b) above. To do. When the rotor 20 is rotated in the screw-in direction, the disc 20a engages with the thread groove of the screw 5 while rotating at most 1/2 turn. When the rotor 20 and the screw 5 are engaged, excessive tightening torque acts on the rotor 20 because the screw 5 is in the tightened state and cannot be tightened further. When this excessive tightening torque is detected, it is determined that the rotor 20 and the screw 5 are engaged, and the rotation of the rotor 20 in the screwing direction is stopped.

Subsequently, the rotor 20 rotates in the detaching direction of the screw 5 while pressing the screw 5 with the force F '(twice the strength of the force F) according to the operation of c). By rotating the rotor 20 in the detaching direction while pressing the screw 5 in the inserting direction with a stronger force F ′, the rotor 20 does not come off from the screw 5 and a large initial stage is generated when the screw 5 is detached. Overcome the torque and loosen the screw 5. When the rotation of the rotor 20 in the disengagement direction is detected, it is determined that the initial torque has disappeared and the screw 5 has loosened, and the pressing force of the rotor 20 weakens to the force F according to the above operation b). Even if the pressing force of the rotor 20 is weakened by the force F, the rotation of the rotor 20 in the disengagement direction continues, and the screw 5 gradually disengages.

When the screw 5 is gradually released, the rotor 20 is pushed up accordingly. When the rotor 20 rises to a predetermined height (determined by the previously recognized length of the screw 5), it is determined that the screw 5 has completely detached from the screw hole, and the rotor 20 moves in the detaching direction. Stops rotating. Finally, according to the operation of d) above, the rotor 20
Moves up to complete the work. A worker collects the screw 5 removed from the screw hole.

In order to perform the work of screwing the screw 5 into the screw hole previously formed in the work object 6 by using the above-described screw attaching / detaching device, first, the work object 6 is gripped on the work table 2. 10, and the X-axis feed mechanism 11 and the Y-axis feed mechanism 12 are operated to arrange and fix the screw holes directly below the rotor 20. At this time, note that the inserting direction of the screw 5 is made to coincide with the moving direction of the rotor 20, that is, the Z-axis direction.

When the screw 5 is inserted into the screw hole whose position is determined to stand upright, and then the first controller 70 is instructed to screw the screw 5, first, the rotor 20 follows the operation of a). Moves downward. Tip of rotor 20 (disc 20
When a) contacts the head of the screw 5, the rotor 20 presses the screw 5 with the force F according to the operation of b), and
Rotate in the screwing direction of. When the rotor 20 is rotated in the screw-in direction, the disc 20 a engages with the thread groove of the screw 5 during 1/2 rotation. Even if the rotor 20 and the screw 5 are engaged with each other, if the pressing force of the rotor 20 is continuously maintained at the force F and the rotor 20 is rotated in the screwing direction, the screw 5 is gradually screwed into the screw hole. . When the screw 5 is almost screwed into the screw hole, the tightening torque rapidly increases. When this increase in tightening torque is detected, it is determined that the screw 5 is almost screwed in, and the rotor 2
The pressing force of 0 increases to the force F'according to the operation of the above c). Even if the pressing force of the rotor 20 is increased by the force F ′, the rotor 20
The screw 5 continues to rotate in the screwing direction, and the screw 5 overcomes the tightening torque and is tightened.

When the screw 5 is tightened to the end, further tightening cannot be performed, so that excessive tightening torque is generated in the rotor 20. When this excessive tightening torque is detected, it is determined that the screw 5 is tightened to the end, and the rotation of the rotor 20 in the screwing direction is stopped. Finally, the rotor 20 moves upward in accordance with the operation of d), and the work is completed.

By removing and screwing in the screw 5 as described above, it is possible to automatically attach and detach the screw within a short time. The work of attaching and detaching the screw 5 is
In addition to simply rotating the screw 5 in the inserting direction and the removing direction, the force for pressing the screw 5 in the inserting direction must be strengthened or weakened depending on the situation. However, according to the screw attaching / detaching device, the pressure of the air supplied to the air cylinder 31 is adjusted,
By increasing or decreasing the pressing force of the rotor 20, the screw 5 can be automatically attached / detached in place of manual operation.

By the way, in the present embodiment, a structure corresponding to the screw 5 having a negative screw groove is adopted for the rotor 20, but the shape of the engaging portion of the screw is a plus or minus shape, or a wrench. Needless to say, any shape such as the shape according to can be adopted.

Next, the second of the screw attaching / detaching device according to the present invention.
The embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the components already described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the screw attaching / detaching device according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
An X-axis actuator (second moving means) 80 for moving in the axial direction, a Y-axis actuator (third moving means) 81 for moving the rotor 20 together with the apparatus main body in the Y-axis direction,
A camera (imaging means) 82 for photographing the screw 5 arranged or screwed on the work object 6, and an X-axis actuator 80 and a Y-axis actuator 81 are driven based on image information photographed by the camera 82, A second control unit (second control means) 90 that moves the rotor 20 in the horizontal direction and adjusts the position of the screw 5 directly below the rotor 20 is configured.

In the screw attachment / detachment device constructed as described above, the work object 6 is not precisely positioned on the attachment / detachment device, but the screw 5 is inserted or removed in the moving direction of the stator 20, that is, Fix it roughly, paying attention only to match it in the Z-axis direction. When the second control unit 90 is instructed to either remove or screw the screw 5, the camera 82 photographs the work target 6, and the screw 5 is photographed based on the photographed image information. In the case of removing the screw, the position of the screw 5 fastened to the work target 6 is specified. When the position of the screw 5 is specified, the X-axis actuator 80 and the Y-axis actuator 81 are driven, and the rotor 20 moves right above the screw 5. After that, the screw 5 can be screwed in or disengaged by performing the same work as in the first embodiment.

Further, if the position of the screw 5 to be the next work is specified one after another on the basis of the photographed image information and the screw-in or screw-out work is performed for each screw, a large number of screws The attachment / detachment can be automatically performed in a short time.

In the present embodiment, the work object 6 is fixed to the screw attaching / detaching device, but if the work object 6 is large, the screw attaching / detaching device is arranged on the work object 6. You may do it by doing.

[0040]

As described above, according to the screw attaching / detaching device of the present invention, the screw is rotated by the rotating means while increasing or weakening the pressing force of the rotating means against the screw. In a short time, instead of manually attaching and detaching
And it can be done automatically.

Further, the position of the screw to be screwed in or removed is specified on the basis of the image information, and the rotating means is automatically moved so as to be arranged directly above the specified screw. It is possible to further reduce the portion of the work in which human intervention is required and to perform the screw attachment / detachment in a shorter time and more automatically.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a screw attaching / detaching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is likewise a plan view showing a screw attaching / detaching device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a device main body which constitutes a screw attaching / detaching device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus main body viewed from a direction different from FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air supply system that drives an air cylinder provided in the apparatus body.

FIG. 6 is likewise a schematic configuration diagram of an air supply system for driving an air cylinder.

FIG. 7 is also a schematic configuration diagram of an air supply system that drives an air cylinder.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure regulator included in the air supply system.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a basic configuration of a screw attaching / detaching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 work table 4 Device body 5 screws 6 Work object (arbitrary member) 20 Rotor (rotating means) 21 Drive motor 22 Connection 31 air cylinder (first moving means) 47 Pressure regulator 70 First Control Unit (First Control Unit) 80 X-axis actuator (second moving means) 81 Y-axis actuator (third moving means) 82 Camera (shooting means) 90 Second control unit (second control means)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A screw attaching / detaching device for screwing a screw to an arbitrary member or removing the screwed screw, the inserting direction of the screw to the arbitrary member, and the inserting direction. Rotatably supported along a pull-out direction opposite to each other and rotating in two forward and reverse directions by engaging with the screw and screwing the screw into or out of the arbitrary member. Is moved in the insertion direction to press the screw, or is moved in the extraction direction, and the first moving means for changing the pressing force of the rotating means with respect to the screw. A screw attaching / detaching device comprising: a first control unit that drives the moving unit and drives the rotating unit to screw or unscrew the screw to or from the arbitrary member. 2. The first control means engages the screw screwed to the arbitrary member with the rotating means, and pushes the rotating means against the screw with a predetermined strength to remove the screw. 2. When the screw is loosened, the pressing force of the rotating means is weakened below the predetermined strength, and then the screw is further rotated in the detaching direction.
Device for attaching and detaching the described screws. 3. The first control means moves the rotating means in the inserting direction and rotates the rotating means in a screw-in direction while being in contact with the screw, thereby engaging the rotating means and the screw. 3. The screw attaching / detaching device according to claim 2, wherein, when they are combined, the rotating means is rotated in the detaching direction. 4. The first control means engages the rotating means with the screw arranged on the arbitrary member, and inserts the rotating means into the screw while pressing the screw with a predetermined strength. When the screw is almost screwed in, the pressing force of the rotating means is made stronger than the predetermined strength before the final tightening, and then the screw is further rotated in the screwing direction. The screw attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, wherein 5. A second moving means for moving the rotating means in one direction orthogonal to the inserting direction, and a moving means for moving the rotating means in another direction orthogonal to both the inserting direction and the one direction. Third moving means for moving, a photographing means for photographing the screw arranged or screwed on the arbitrary member, and the second and third moving means based on the image information photographed by the photographing means. 6. A second control means for driving the means to move the rotating means in the one direction or the other direction to align the rotating means with the screw. The screw attaching / detaching device according to any one of the above.