JP2003311556A - Bolt fastening device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bolt fastening device, which can fasten bolts at the same time using a combination socket selected according to the type of a car fed through a mixed flow type manufacturing line. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of combination sockets 33, 36, 39, which have an interval of 'a' and/or an offset dimension corresponding to those of the fastening portion of the respective car types, are rotatably disposed on the corners of a rotatable socket jig 31, such that a shock absorber 10 and a knuckle 20, which are two members among a plurality of parts to be fastened by bolts, can be fastened by means of bolts and nuts. The combination sockets 33, 36, 39 are composed of two individual sockets (34, 35), (37, 38), (40, 41), respectively. The individual sockets (34, 35) or (37, 38) or (40, 41) of the pair selected by turning the socket jig 31 by a required angle according to the types of the two members fed through the manufacturing line are rotated at the same time by means of a nut runner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bolt tightening device, for example, a bolt tightening device suitable for simultaneously tightening an automobile shock absorber and a knuckle with a plurality of bolts and nuts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a suspension for an automobile, as shown in FIG. 5, a shock absorber 10 and a knuckle 20 are fastened by a plurality of bolts 3, 4 and nuts 5, 6. The shock absorber 10 has a shaft 11 to which a spring 12 is attached, and a knuckle bracket 14 having a pair of flanges 13 and 13 at a lower portion thereof. The pair of flanges 13 and 13 has the plurality of bolts 3 and 4, respectively.
It has holes 15 and 16 for inserting. On the other hand, knuckle 20
Has a steering knuckle 21 and a hub 22,
The steering knuckle 21 has holes 23 and 24 through which the plurality of bolts 3 and 4 are inserted.

When the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 are assembled, the steering knuckle 21 of the knuckle 20 is inserted between the pair of flanges 13 and 13 of the shock absorber 10 to form the pair of flanges 13 and 1.
3 holes 15 and 16 and steering knuckle 21 hole 2
3 and 24 are aligned with each other, the bolt 3 is inserted into the holes 15 and 23 and tightened with the nut 5, and the holes 16 and 24
The bolt 4 is inserted through the nut and the nut 6 is tightened.

When tightening the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 with a plurality of bolts 3, 4 and nuts 5, 6, a single nut runner (not shown) is used. Since the bolt tightening time becomes long, it is advantageous to simultaneously tighten the two bolts 3 and 4 and the nuts 5 and 6.

[0005]

However, if the two bolts 3, 4 and the nuts 5, 6 are to be tightened at the same time, there are the following problems. As shown in FIG. 6, bolts 3 and 4 (nuts 5 and 6) that are tightening portions of the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20.
The space dimension, that is, the space dimension a between the centers of the holes 15 and 16 (23, 24) and the offset dimension b differ depending on the vehicle model. The two-face width w (see FIG. 7) of the bolts 3 and 4 for fastening the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 differs depending on the vehicle model. The tightening torque of the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 differs depending on the vehicle model. The shapes of the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 differ depending on the vehicle model. For the above reasons, conventionally, a dedicated production line has been constructed for each vehicle type such as A vehicle type, B vehicle type, C vehicle type, etc., and a dedicated bolt tightening device has been installed for each production line. It was

However, in the system in which a dedicated production line is constructed for each vehicle type and a dedicated bolt tightening device is installed, as the number of vehicle types increases, the production line increases and the floor area of the factory building increases. In addition, there is a problem in that the cost becomes high, the equipment cost also rises, and a large amount of energy is wasted.

Therefore, there is a demand for adopting a mixed flow system in which various vehicle types are made to flow in one production line, and also for adopting a general-purpose bolt tightening device which can cope with each vehicle type. However, due to the above-mentioned reasons (1), it was not easy to deal with.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a bolt tightening device capable of simultaneously tightening two members selected from such plural kinds of two members with a plurality of bolts and nuts.

[0009]

A bolt tightening device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a bolt for simultaneously tightening two members selected from a plurality of kinds of two members with a plurality of bolts and nuts. A tightening device that is rotatably mounted around a rotary shaft by rotatably mounting a plurality of assembled sockets according to the arrangement relationship of a plurality of bolts and nuts for tightening two kinds of members. The socket includes a jig and a plurality of nut runners arranged on the side opposite to the two members of the socket jig to be tightened, and the socket according to the arrangement relationship of the plurality of bolts and nuts for tightening the two members. It is characterized in that a jig is rotated to select and use a suitable set socket from a plurality of set sockets.

According to the above bolt tightening device, a plurality of assembled sockets are rotatably mounted through a single socket jig corresponding to a plurality of vehicle types, and the socket jig is attached to the rotary shaft. Since it is configured to be rotatable around the center, the socket jig can be rotated according to the vehicle type of the two members flowing through the mixed-flow manufacturing line to selectively use the desired assembled socket, Since multiple types of vehicles can be mixed in one production line, the number of production lines can be reduced, the floor area of the factory building can be reduced, and construction costs can be reduced as well as equipment costs. You can do it, and it will be advantageous in terms of energy. Moreover, since a plurality of bolts and nuts can be simultaneously tightened by a plurality of socket runners, the tightening time can be shortened and the productivity can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the bolt tightening device is characterized in that the socket jig is provided with the plurality of assembled sockets at equiangular positions on the periphery thereof.

According to the above-described bolt tightening device, since the socket jig can be selectively used by rotating the socket jig by a predetermined angle, the rotation control mechanism of the socket jig is simple. In addition, the cost can be reduced, and the failure rate can be reduced.

In a bolt tightening device according to a third aspect of the present invention, the socket jig has a polygonal shape, and the plurality of assembled sockets are provided at respective apex corner positions thereof. To do.

According to the above bolt tightening device, the rotation angle of the socket jig can be confirmed visually or by an image pickup device using a CCD camera or the like, and when an abnormality occurs in the rotation angle, the abnormality occurrence is immediately detected. In addition, the loss caused by the abnormality can be reduced, and the normal state can be restored in a short time.

A bolt tightening device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is provided with a variable mechanism for varying the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension between the plurality of nut runners according to the selected socket assembly. It is characterized by that.

According to the above-described bolt tightening device, since the variable mechanism for varying the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension between the plurality of nut runners is provided according to the selected socket assembly, the spacing between the selected sockets is provided. Dimensions and /
Alternatively, the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension between the nut runners can be changed according to the offset dimension, and the selected set socket can be directly simultaneously rotated by the plurality of nut runners to tighten the bolt and the nut. In addition, the variable mechanism for varying the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension between the plurality of nut runners can automatically vary the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension in accordance with the rotation angle of the socket jig, for example. Is desirable.

In the bolt tightening device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of nut runners are fixedly arranged at predetermined positions, and the individual sockets on the position fixed side are directly driven to rotate by the nut runner on one side, and the position variable side is provided. The individual socket is configured to be rotationally driven by the nut runner on the other side via the set gear.

According to the above bolt tightening device, since a variable mechanism having a complicated structure for varying the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension between the plurality of nut runners is not required,
The structure of the drive mechanism of the nut runner is simplified.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A bolt tightening device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
Shows a front view of a schematic structure of two members to be bolted and a bolt tightening device, and 10 is a shock absorber which is one member of the two members to be bolted, and a spring 12 is attached to a shaft 11 as in FIG. Mounted, having a knuckle bracket 14 having a pair of flanges 13, 13 below,
The pair of flanges 13, 13 have holes 15, 16 for inserting the bolts 3, 4. 20 is a knuckle which is the other member of the two members to be tightened with bolts.
The steering knuckle 21 has a steering knuckle 21 and a hub 22.
Of the bolts 3, 4 with the spacing dimension a and the offset dimension b that match the holes 15, 16 for inserting the bolts 3, 4 of
Has holes 23 and 34 for insertion.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a bolt tightening device, which has a rotating shaft 32 at the center of a rectangular socket jig 31, is configured to be rotatable about the axis of the rotating shaft 32, and has three apexes. In addition, a plurality of group sockets 33, 36, 39 for A vehicle type, B vehicle type, and C vehicle type are provided. Each set of sockets 33, 36, 39 has an individual socket 3 that is inserted through holes 42, 42 provided in the socket jig 31, respectively.
4, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41 are rotatably provided. On the remaining one top, an individual socket for the D model may be arranged, or the holes 42, 42 may be left empty,
It may be possible to support a newly developed vehicle type.

Each individual socket 34, 35, 37, 38,
As shown by the individual sockets 34 and 35 in FIG. 2, 40 and 41 have bolt head-shaped end portions 34 that are rotatably driven by a nut runner, which will be described later, at their one end portions.
a, 35a, and the other end has socket-shaped ends 34b, 35b for driving the bolts 3, 4 in rotation.

Two nut runners 51 and 52 are arranged on the side opposite to the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 which are the two members to be tightened of the socket jig 30. These nut runners 51 and 52 are provided with the individual sockets 3 at the tips of the rotary shafts 53 and 54, respectively.
It has sockets 55 and 56 that engage with the bolt head-shaped end portions 34a and 35a of 4, 35. The nut runners 51, 52 are mounted on a horizontally movable base (not shown) and can be moved toward or away from the socket jig 31. Further, the interval dimension L and / or the offset dimension between the nut runners 51 and 52 is variably configured by a variable mechanism (not shown) according to the selected set socket 33, 36 or 39 of the socket jig 31. .

Next, the operation of the bolt tightening device 30 will be described. For example, when the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 for the vehicle type A flow into the mixed flow type production line, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the three sets of sockets 33, 36, 39 of the socket jig 31 are assembled. From among the above, the set socket 33 for the vehicle type A is selected. And
The spacing dimension a1 of the selected assembly socket 33 and / or
Alternatively, the spacing mechanism L and / or the offset dimension of the nut runners 51 and 52 is changed by the variable mechanism in accordance with the offset dimension b1, and the nut runners 51 and 52 approach the socket jig 31 by the forward movement of the drive mechanism of the stand (not shown). Then, the sockets 55 and 56 provided at the tip end portions of the respective rotary shafts 53 and 54 are fitted to the bolt head-shaped end portions 34a and 35a of the individual sockets 34 and 35. At this time, when the rotary shafts 53 and 54 are slowly rotated by a predetermined angle, the sockets 55 and 56 and the bolt head-shaped end portions 34a and 35a of the individual sockets 34 and 35 are fitted smoothly.

When the stand (not shown) is moved toward the socket jig 31 while maintaining this fitted state, the individual sockets 34, 35 move toward the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20, and the individual sockets 34, 35 move. The socket-shaped ends 34b, 35b of the sockets 34, 35 are fitted to the bolts 3, 4. At this time, the nuts 5 and 6 screwed to the tips of the bolts 3 and 4 are prevented from rotating by an appropriate means.

In this fitted state, the nut runners 51, 52
When the rotary shafts 53 and 54 of the above are rotationally driven, the bolts 3 and 4 to which the nuts 5 and 6 are screwed and fixed are rotated, and
4 and the nuts 5 and 6 are screwed together, the heads of the bolts 3 and 4 come into contact with the flange 13, and the bolts 3 and 4 are further rotated slightly, so that the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20. But bolts 3, 4 and nuts 5, 6
Is tightened with a predetermined tightening torque.

When the predetermined tightening torque is reached, the rotational drive of the rotary shafts 53, 54 of the nut runners 51, 52 is stopped. Then, when the table (not shown) to which the nut runners 51 and 52 are attached is moved backward in the direction away from the socket jig 31, the socket-shaped end portions 34 of the individual sockets 34 and 35 are moved.
The heads of the bolts 3 and 4 come off from b and 35b. In this way, the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 of the vehicle A can be tightened at the same time by the two bolts 3, 4 and the nuts 5, 6.

When the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 for vehicle type B flow into the mixed flow type production line,
Rotate the socket jig 31 90 degrees counterclockwise to
Select the set socket 36 for the vehicle type, and set the interval dimension L and / or the offset dimension of the pair of nut runners 51, 52 to the interval dimension a2 of the individual sockets 37, 38 for the B vehicle type.
And / or the variable mechanism is changed according to the offset dimension b2, and the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 for the B vehicle type are simultaneously tightened by the bolts 3, 4 and the nuts 5, 6 in the same manner as described above.

When the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 for the C vehicle type flow into the production line, the socket jig 31 is further rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees,
Select the combination socket 39 for C vehicle model, and set the interval dimension L and / or the offset dimension of the pair of nut runners 51, 52 to the interval dimension a of the individual sockets 40, 41 for C vehicle model.
3 and / or an offset dimension b3 by a variable mechanism, and in the same manner as described above, the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 for the C vehicle type are attached to the bolts 3, 4
And nuts 5 and 6 at the same time.

As described above, the socket jig 31 is moved clockwise or counterclockwise according to the shock absorbers 10 and the knuckles 20 for the A vehicle type, the B vehicle type, and the C vehicle type flowing in the mixed flow type production line. The shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20 by rotating the two bolts 3 and 4 at the same time by rotating the nut runners 51 and 52 at the same time by rotating the bolts 3 and 4 by a predetermined angle. Can be attached.

When there are three or four types of vehicles to be mixed, if the socket jig 31 is formed into a quadrangular shape as shown in FIG.
It is convenient that the desired set of sockets can be selected by rotating it by an angle or an integer multiple of that angle, and the rotation angle of the socket jig 31 can be adjusted by the naked eye or an image pickup device such as a CCD camera due to its shape. Because it is easy to check,
There is an advantage that it is easy to determine the operating state of the socket jig 31. Of course, when there are five or more mixed members, the socket jig may have a polygonal shape of pentagon or more. Further, in some cases, it may be circular.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a bolt tightening device 60 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This bolt tightening device 6
In No. 0, a quadrangular socket jig 61 is rotatably constituted by a rotary shaft 62, holes 3 63 at the top of the 3rd to 4th tops have an assembly socket 64 for an A vehicle model, and an assembly socket 67 for a B vehicle model. , C vehicle model sockets 70 are rotatably mounted therethrough.

Each of the set sockets 64, 67 and 70 has position-fixed side individual sockets 65, 68 and 71 directly driven by the nut runner 81 and position-variable side individual sockets 66, 69 and 72. ing. Intervals a1 and a of the individual sockets 65, 68 and 71 on the fixed position side and the individual sockets 66, 69 and 72 on the variable position side
2, a3 and / or offset dimensions b1, b2, b
3 (not shown) is set according to each vehicle type.

Individual sockets 65, 68, 7 on the fixed position side
1, as represented by the individual socket 65 in FIG.
It has a bolt head end 65a at one end and a socket end 65b engageable with the head of the bolt 3 at the other end.

On the other hand, the individual socket 6 on the position variable side
4, 69 and 72 each have a driven gear 66a at one end and a socket-like end 66b engageable with the bolt 4 at the other end, as represented by the individual socket 66 in FIG. A rotary shaft 74 is attached to the socket jig 61 via a bearing 73. One end of the rotary shaft 74 has a bolt head-shaped end 74a and the other end has a stopper. 74b, and a drive gear 74c is fixed to the middle portion. Further, the driven gear 66a and the drive gear 74 are
between the driven gear 66 and the driving force of the driving gear 74c.
A set gear 75 that transmits to a is interposed. In addition,
In FIG. 4, the rotating shaft of the set gear 75 is not shown and only the central axis is shown for simplification of the drawing.

The above-mentioned structure on the variable position side has the same structure as the individual sockets 69, 72 on the variable position side. Alternatively, when the offset dimension is different from the spacing dimension and / or the offset dimension between the nut runners 81 and 82, the individual sockets 68 and 71 on the position fixing side and the individual sockets 6 on the position varying side are described.
Although the distances a2 and a3 and / or the offset distances from 9, 72 are different, they have substantially the same configuration.

The nut runners 81 and 82 are fixed to a base (not shown), but unlike the bolt tightening device 30 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the interval dimension L and the offset dimension are constant. is there. At the tip of the rotary shaft 83 of the fixed-side nut runner 81, bolt head-shaped ends 65a, 68 of the fixed-side individual sockets 65, 68, 71 are provided.
A socket 85 that engages with a and 71a is provided.
A socket 86 that engages with the bolt head-shaped end portion 74a of the rotary shaft 74 is provided at the tip of the rotary shaft 84 of the position variable side nut runner 82.

Therefore, when the rotary shafts 83 and 84 of the nut runners 81 and 82 are rotationally driven, the selected set socket 64 (65, 66) or 67 (68, 69) or 7 is selected.
0 (71, 72) is rotationally driven. Here, the individual sockets 65, 68, 71 on the fixed position side are shown in FIGS.
Similarly to the individual sockets of the above, they are fitted in the sockets 85 of the nut runner 81 and driven directly. On the other hand, the individual sockets 66, 69, 72 on the variable position side are rotationally driven by the drive gear 74c fixed to the rotary shaft 74 which is fitted into the socket 86 of the nut runner 82 and is rotationally driven.
By the rotation operation of 4c, the driven gear 66a is rotationally driven via the set gear 75, so that the driven gear 66a is rotationally driven.

Next, the operation of the bolt tightening device 60 will be described. For example, when the shock absorber 10 and the knuckle 20, which are two members that have flowed through the mixed flow type production line, are for the A vehicle type, the socket jig 61 is rotationally driven by a predetermined angle to set the assembled socket 64 for the A vehicle type. select. As described above, the gap dimension and / or the offset dimension of the nut runners 81 and 82 are fixed, but the gap dimension a1 and / or the offset dimension b1 between the position fixed side individual socket 65 and the position variable side individual socket 66 are , A vehicle type is set to fit.

When the nut runner 81 rotationally drives the position-fixed side individual socket 65 and the nut runner 82 rotationally drives the bolt head end 74a of the rotary shaft 74, the rotary shaft 74 rotates to drive the drive gear 74c.
Rotates, the driven gear 66a is rotationally driven via the set gear 75, and the individual socket 66 on the position variable side is rotationally driven.

Here, the set gear 75 rotates in the reverse direction with respect to the forward rotation of the drive gear 74c, and the driven gear 66a is rotated.
Rotates in the forward direction. Therefore, by setting the gear ratio between the drive gear 74c and the driven gear 66a to 1, the individual socket 66 on the position variable side is set to the same rotation direction and the same number of rotations as the individual socket 65 on the position fixed side. Can be done. Thereby, the operation similar to that of the socket jig 31 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be apparently performed.

According to the above bolt tightening device 60, the structure of the socket jig 61 is slightly complicated, but the nut runners 81 and 82 can be fixed. In order to make the space dimension L and / or the offset dimension between the nut runners 81 and 82 variable, not only a complicated and large variable mechanism is required, but also relatively large energy is required to drive the variable mechanism. However, as mentioned above, the nut runner 8
When 1,82 is fixed, the variable mechanism is unnecessary,
Energy for changing is also unnecessary.

Although the above embodiments have been described with respect to specific configuration examples, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shock absorber having the spiral spring was described as one member of the two members to be tightened by the bolt, but it can be similarly applied to a strut type shock absorber using a fluid, and is used for an automobile. It can also be applied to bolt tightening for applications other than bolt tightening of shock absorbers and knuckles.

[0043]

As described above, the present invention is a bolt tightening device for simultaneously tightening two members selected from a plurality of kinds of two members with a plurality of bolts and nuts. Tighten members with a socket jig that is rotatably mounted around a rotating shaft by rotatably mounting a plurality of assembled sockets according to the arrangement relationship of multiple bolts and nuts. Power supply and a plurality of nut runners arranged on the opposite side, and the socket jig is rotated in accordance with the arrangement relationship of a plurality of bolts and nuts for tightening the two members. Since it is characterized by selecting and using a suitable set of sockets from the inside, it is possible to mix two members of multiple car models in one manufacturing line, depending on the two members of the car model flowing through the manufacturing line. Socket repair The by a predetermined angle, it can be used to select a compatible set of sockets on the vehicle type. Further, since a plurality of bolts and nuts can be tightened at the same time, the tightening time is shortened and the productivity is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a bolt tightening device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view of an essential part of the bolt tightening device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a bolt tightening device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of the bolt tightening device of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a shock absorber and a knuckle as an example of two members to be bolted.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of a bolt tightening portion for explaining one problem to be solved by the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a bolt head for explaining another problem to be solved by the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

3,4 Bolt 5,6 Nut 10 Shock absorber (one member) 20 Knuckle (other member) 30,60 Bolt tightening device 31,61 Socket jig 32,62 Rotating shaft 33,36,39 Assembly socket 34,35 , 37, 38, 40, 41 Individual sockets 34a, 35a Bolt head end portions 34b, 35b Socket end portions 51, 52 Nut runners 64, 67, 70 with variable spacing and / or offset dimensions Sockets 65, 68 , 71 Position fixed side individual socket 65a Bolt head end 65b Socket shaped end 66, 69, 72 Position variable side individual socket 66a Driven gear 66b Socket shaped end 73 Bearing 74 Rotation shaft 74a Bolt head end Portion 74b socket-shaped end portion 74c drive gear 75 set gears 81, 82 spacing dimension and / or offset Nut runners a, a1, a2, and a3 with fixed dimensions. Space dimension b Offset dimension w Bolt or nut width across flats

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A bolt tightening device for simultaneously tightening two members selected from a plurality of kinds of two members with a plurality of bolts and nuts, the plurality of bolts tightening two kinds of members. A socket jig that is rotatably mounted through a plurality of assembled sockets according to the arrangement of the nuts and is rotatable about a rotation axis.
The socket jig is provided with a plurality of nut runners arranged on the opposite side of the two members to be tightened, and the socket jig is rotated according to the arrangement relationship of the plurality of bolts and nuts for tightening the two members. A bolt tightening device characterized by selecting and using a matching socket from a plurality of sockets. 2. The bolt tightening device according to claim 1, wherein the socket jig is provided with the plurality of sets of sockets at equiangular positions on a peripheral portion thereof. 3. The socket jig has a polygonal shape,
The bolt tightening device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of sets of sockets are provided at positions of respective apexes. 4. The variable mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a variable mechanism that varies a space size and / or an offset size between the plurality of nut runners in accordance with the selected set socket. The described bolt tightening device. 5. The plurality of nut runners are fixedly arranged at predetermined positions, the position fixing side individual sockets are directly driven to rotate by one side nut runner, and the position changing side individual sockets are set by the other side nut runner via a set gear. The bolt tightening device according to claim 1, wherein the bolt tightening device is configured to be rotationally driven.