JP5656217B2 - Tank drilling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tank drilling device for forming holes for attaching various parts such as gauges and sensors to a tank, particularly a vehicle fuel tank.

When forming holes for mounting various parts such as gauges and sensors in tanks, especially fuel tanks for vehicles, cut at the end of the drilling operation to prevent the cut pieces from falling into the tank and becoming dirty. Although it is necessary to make a hole so that the piece is taken out of the tank, the removal efficiency lowers the production efficiency of the tank.

As a tank drilling device capable of taking out a cut piece at the end of the cutting operation, for example, a tank drilling device shown in Patent Document 1 is known. The tank drilling device attaches a cutter blade to a drill unit that opens holes for mounting various parts at predetermined locations of a tank, with a predetermined distance from the spindle as a center of rotation, and at the lower part of the spindle, a spindle A piston that moves up and down along the axis of the piston, a piston rod fixed to the lower portion of the piston, and a plurality of arms that are pivoted downward and equidistantly to surround the piston rod. A protrusion is provided on the inner side in the vicinity of the attachment portion, and a lower end portion of the arm is provided on the outer side to form a claw. Further, a cam groove is provided in the piston rod so that the protrusion of the arm is connected to the cam. An expansion mechanism is provided that engages with the groove and the protrusion of the arm is pushed up or down by the vertical movement of the piston so that the lower end of the arm is contracted or expanded. A cutter that inserts and expands an expansion mechanism portion into a lower hole opened at a predetermined position of the shaft, expands the expansion mechanism portion, supports the lower surface portion of the lower hole, and rotates integrally with the spindle. The blade is brought into contact with the surface of the tank to open a hole having a predetermined diameter, and the cutting piece cut out by the cutter blade is held by the expansion mechanism.

In the expansion mechanism of the tank drilling device described above, a cylinder composed of a piston and a piston rod is provided as a member for expanding or reducing the diameter of the arm that supports the lower surface of the through hole, and is loosely fitted to the spindle. It is configured to operate by supplying compressed air from the formed air pipe.

However, in the above punching device, the structure of the expansion mechanism portion becomes complicated and large, so that the hole can be formed only in a tank in which a through hole having a certain size is formed. That is, in order to form a small-diameter hole in the tank, the through-hole also has a small diameter depending on the hole to be formed, but the enlarged expansion mechanism portion cannot be inserted into the small-diameter through-hole, and thus is desired. The size of the hole could not be formed.

In addition, the air pipe of the expansion mechanism portion needs to be configured to be loosely fitted to the spindle and not to rotate when the spindle rotates. For this reason, the expansion mechanism portion of the punching device provides rotational resistance by inserting the arm into the through hole of the tank and penetrating the arm and expanding the arm to support the lower surface portion of the through hole. Even if the spindle is rotated in this state and the drilling operation is executed, the air pipe is not rotated.

For this reason, prior to forming the hole in the tank, an operation for inserting the expansion mechanism portion with respect to the through hole and an operation for operating the expansion mechanism portion to expand the arm and supporting the lower surface portion are performed. It was necessary, and it took time for drilling work, and work efficiency was bad.

Further, the arm supports the lower surface of the pilot hole when the hole is opened by the rotating cutter blade to prevent the cut piece from falling into the tank. The strength is weakened. If cutting is continued in this state, there is a problem that the cutter blade acts irregularly on the outer periphery of the cut piece and the hole cannot be formed with high accuracy and the cutter blade is easily broken.

Japanese Patent No. 3618693

The problem to be solved is that the expansion mechanism part of the conventional drilling device requires an operating member such as a cylinder for expanding the arm diameter, so that the expansion mechanism part becomes complicated and large. It is difficult to form a small-diameter hole. Further, when the hole is formed by the rotating cutter blade, it is necessary to prevent the expansion mechanism portion from rotating with respect to the spindle of the drill unit. It must be supported by the part, and it takes time to form the hole, and the working efficiency is poor. Furthermore, the outer peripheral portion of the cut piece becomes thin and the strength is weakened, and the cutter blade acts irregularly on the outer periphery of the cut piece, so that the hole cannot be formed with high accuracy and the cutter blade is easily broken.

According to the present invention, a tank drill is formed by rotating a cutting blade provided at a required distance in the direction orthogonal to the axis from the axis of a spindle to be rotated to form a hole in a tank component mounting portion. In the apparatus, the base end portion of the spindle is pivotally supported with respect to the shaft end portion of the spindle, a shaft body provided with a cam surface at the tip end portion, and a predetermined stroke in the axial direction with respect to the shaft body. It has a small-diameter shaft part with an outer diameter that can be inserted into a through-hole that is pre-drilled in the component mounting part, and a large-diameter part with an outer diameter that contacts the periphery of the through-hole. A holder in which at least two accommodation gaps having an axial length extending over the large diameter portion and the small diameter shaft portion are formed, and the holder is moved toward the base end side with respect to the shaft body. A tension elastic member for energizing the holder And at least two holding arms each having a holding portion that is pivotally supported and slidably contactable with the cam surface and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body and engageable with the lower surface of the periphery of the through hole, and the shaft body And an engagement member for detachably holding a holder that is moved downward in the axial direction against the elastic force of the tensile elastic member in a position where each holding arm abuts the cam surface. Features.

The present invention can hold the cut piece by gradually increasing the diameter of the support arm as the cutting progresses without providing an operating member such as a cylinder, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the size. it can. Further, along with the formation of the hole by the rotating cutting blade, the peripheral edge of the through hole can be supported by the support arm to hold the cut piece, and the working efficiency can be improved by shortening the time for forming the hole. Furthermore, even if the outer peripheral part of the cutting piece becomes thin, the cutter blade stably acts on the outer periphery of the cutting piece to form the hole with high accuracy and prevent breakage of the cutter blade. It can be formed stably.

It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the components attachment part of the tank in which a hole is formed with a tank drilling apparatus. It is a whole perspective view of a tank drilling device. It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view of a tank drilling apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which inserted the holder of the tank drilling apparatus in the through-hole. It is explanatory drawing which shows the holding state of the recess lower surface by the tank drilling apparatus before a cutting | disconnection start. It is explanatory drawing which shows the holding | maintenance state of the recess lower surface in the cutting | disconnection final stage. It is explanatory drawing which shows the holding | maintenance state of the cut piece at the time of completion | finish of a cutting | disconnection. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which removes a cutting piece from a tank drilling apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which inserted the holder of the tank drilling apparatus which concerns on Example 2 in the through-hole. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which inserted the holder of the tank drilling apparatus which concerns on Example 3 in the through-hole. It is explanatory drawing which shows the support state of the through-hole lower surface by the holding part of the tank drilling apparatus which concerns on Example 3. FIG.

The present invention pulls the holder against the shaft body when the small diameter shaft portion is inserted into the through hole and the large diameter portion is pressed against the upper surface of the periphery of the through hole to disengage the holder from the shaft body. The best embodiment is that the holding portion can be held by pressing the engaging portion engaged with the lower surface of the peripheral edge of the through hole by sliding the holding arm in the diameter increasing direction by moving upward by the elastic force of the elastic member. And

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing examples.
First, the vehicle fuel tank 5 as a tank in which holes are formed by the tank drilling device 1 according to the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle fuel tank 5 is formed by laminating a plurality of different synthetic resin sheets. It is made of synthetic resin that is bonded or laminated, and on its upper surface, a number of parts mounting portions 3 that are attached to the vehicle fuel tank 5 and that correspond to various parts such as gauges, various sensors, and fuel pumps are integrated. It is formed.

The component mounting portion 3 is formed as a cylindrical portion 3c having a required outer diameter and height, a male screw 3a being turned on the outer peripheral surface, and an upper surface being closed by an upper surface plate 3b. A recess 3e is formed in the central portion of the upper surface plate 3b at a required depth, and a through hole 3d having an inner diameter into which a small-diameter shaft portion 25a of a holder 25 described later can be inserted is formed in the central portion. The opening 7 as a hole is formed by cutting the top plate 3b along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 3c.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tank punching device 1 for forming the opening 7 in the upper surface plate 3b is, for example, an arm of an industrial robot that is controlled to move in at least a three-dimensional direction (both not shown). An opening 7 is automatically formed in the component mounting portion 3 by being attached to the tip portion and controlling the movement of the arm.

A spindle 9 is rotatably supported on a main body (not shown) of the tank drilling device 1, and a rotary shaft of an electric motor 11 provided on the main body is drivingly connected to the spindle 9. The spindle 9 is rotated at a required number of rotations by driving the electric motor 11.

A rotating body 13 is fixed to the spindle 9, and the rotating body 13 is provided with a blade attachment arm 15 that extends in the radial direction with the spindle 9 as a rotation center. A cutting blade 17 having a cutting edge that extends downward in the drawing and coincides with the axis of the spindle 9 is attached to the tip of the blade mounting arm 15.

A balancer member 13a is attached to the rotating body 13 on the side opposite to the blade mounting arm 15 and is adjusted so that the weight on the side opposite to the blade mounting arm 15 side coincides with the spindle 9 as a center.

A shaft portion 19 a of an idle rotating body 19 having an axis coinciding with the spindle 9 is pivotally supported via a bearing 21 at the center of the rotating body 13. As the bearing 21, an angular bearing that receives loads in both the thrust direction and the radial direction is suitable.

A base end portion of a shaft body 23 extending in the axial direction with a required axial length is fixed to the lower portion of the idle rotating body 19, and a distal end portion (lower end side in the drawing) of the shaft body 23 is attached to the distal end. A cam surface 23a having a gradually decreasing diameter is formed. Further, a long hole 23b extending in the axial direction is formed in the axial direction intermediate portion of the shaft body 23. The long hole 23b is set to an axial length corresponding to the amount of movement of the holder 25 described later relative to the shaft body 23 in the axial direction. Further, three engaging recesses 23c are formed at equal intervals around the axis on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body 23 corresponding to the lower portion of the long hole 23b.

The shaft body 23 is inserted and supported so as to slide in the axial direction with respect to the shaft hole 25 c of the holder 25. The holder 25 is inserted into the recess 3e and formed integrally with an outer diameter large diameter portion 25b capable of contacting the bottom surface and a lower portion of the large diameter portion 25b, and can be inserted into the through hole 3d. The small-diameter shaft portion 25a. The large-diameter portion 25b has both ends of a shaft of a support shaft 27 that has an axis in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the shaft body 23 and is inserted into the long hole 23b and supported so as to be movable in the axial direction. Is done. The holder 25 is formed with three housing gaps 25d extending in the axial direction at equal intervals around the axis, and having an axial length extending from the lower portion of the large diameter portion 25b to the lower portion of the small diameter shaft portion 25a. The

The large diameter portion 25b of the holder 25 is formed with three attachment holes 25e extending in the direction orthogonal to the axis at equal intervals around the axis, and the engagement recesses 23c are formed in the attachment holes 25e. An engagement member 29 such as a ball or a shaft pin that is engaged with is attached while being urged radially inward by an elastic force of an engagement elastic member 31 such as a compression spring.

Further, a tension elastic member 33 such as a tension spring having one end fixed to the base end and the other end fixed to the holder 25 is mounted on the shaft body 23, and the elastic force of the tension elastic member 33 is attached. The holder 25 is urged so as to move upward along the axis.

A holding arm 35 as a holding member is supported in each housing gap 25d of the holder 25 so as to be swingable about a shaft 25f provided at the lower portion of the large diameter portion 25b. A claw portion 35a that engages with the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through hole 3d is provided at the distal end portion (lower portion in the drawing) of each holding arm 33. Further, each holding arm 35 is positioned in the accommodating gap 25d because the claw portions 35a approach each other by the elastic force of a compression elastic member 37 such as a compression spring mounted in a spring mounting hole 25g formed in the large diameter portion 25b. Perforated in the direction of diameter reduction.

Next, the operation of forming the opening 7 by the tank drilling device 1 configured as described above will be described.
First, the initial state of the tank drilling device 1 will be described. The holder 25 is pulled with respect to the shaft body 23 and moved downward against the elastic force of the elastic member 33, and the elastic force of the engaging elastic member 31 is moved. Thus, the distal end portion of the engaging member 29 biased by is held in the moving state engaged with the engaging recess 23c. At this time, each holding arm 35 is urged by the elastic force of the compression elastic member 37 so as to swing in the diameter reducing direction in contact with the cam surface 23a of the shaft body 23, and the claw portion 35a is positioned in the accommodation gap 25d. . (See Figure 3)

Next, in order to form the opening 7 in the upper surface plate 3b of the component mounting portion 3 by the tank punching device 1 described above, the tank drilling device 1 is controlled by moving the arm of the work robot and the small diameter shaft portion of the holder 25. 25a is inserted into the through hole 3d of the recess 3e so that the lower end protrudes into the vehicle fuel tank 5 and is moved to a position where the lower surface of the large diameter portion 25b contacts the bottom surface of the recess 3e. At this time, the cutting edge of the cutting blade 17 is separated from the upper surface of the upper surface plate 3b with a predetermined interval. (See Figure 4)

  Next, when the tank drilling device 1 is further moved downward with respect to the vehicle fuel tank 5 in the above state, the large-diameter portion 25b comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recess 3e and the movement of the holder 25 is restricted. Therefore, the engagement member 29 is moved in the radial direction against the elastic force of the engagement elastic member 31, and the engagement with the engagement recess 23c is released. As a result, the shaft body 23 can be moved downward with respect to the holder 25, and the holder 25 is moved upward with the elastic force of the tensile elastic member 33.

As the shaft body 23 is moved with respect to the holder 25, the holding arm 35 is slidably contacted from the cam surface 23a to the outer peripheral surface, so that the claw portion 35a is moved outwardly from the accommodation gap 25d against the elastic force of the compression elastic member 37. It protrudes to the diameter expansion position side located in the recess 3e lower surface of the through-hole 3d periphery. Since the holder 25 is urged upward by the elastic force of the tension elastic member 33 as described above, the claw portion 35a is pressed against the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through-hole 3d and cut away. 3f can be held. (See Figure 5)

In this state, while the tank drilling device 1 is moved further downward along the axis with a required stroke, the cutting blade 17 that rotates around the spindle 9 is pressed against the upper surface plate 3b and driven by the drive of the electric motor 11. At this time, the holding arm 35 is kept in a state of swinging in the diameter-expanding direction by the shaft body 23 that moves downward with respect to the holder 25 and is urged upward by the tensile elastic member 33. The holding state of the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through hole 3d by the claw portion 35a is maintained.
When the upper plate 3b is cut by the cutting blade 17, the holding state is maintained because the shaft body 23 is restricted from rotating and rotating integrally with the rotating spindle 9.

At the final stage of the cutting, the outer peripheral portion of the cut piece 3f to be cut is thinned, the connection strength is weakened, and the holding state of the cut piece 3f becomes unstable and is easily violated. In this example, the cutting piece 3f is held by pressing the claw portion 35a engaged with the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through-hole 3d by the elastic force of the elastic member 33, so that the ramping caused by cutting is suppressed. can do. Thus, the cutting blade 17 can always be operated in a stable state with respect to the outer periphery of the cut piece 3f to be separated, and the inner peripheral surface of the opening 7 can be cut and formed with high accuracy, thereby reducing generation of cutting waste. And breakage of the cutting blade 17 can be suppressed. (See Figure 6)

When the opening 7 is formed in the upper surface plate 3b by the cutting action, the cut piece 3f separated from the upper surface plate 3b is urged upward by the tensile force of the elastic member 33. The claw portion 35a engaged with the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through-hole 3d is extracted upward from the opening 7 as shown in the drawing. At this time, since the holding arm 35 is kept in a sliding state in the diameter increasing direction by sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body 23, the cut piece 3f by the claw portion 35a engaged with the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through hole 3d. Is maintained. (See Figure 7)

After the opening 7 is formed in the component mounting portion 3 by the above-described action, the arm of the work robot is controlled to move away the tank drilling device 1 from the component mounting portion 3 and move to the discharge position of the cut piece 3f. Then, it is moved so that the arm portion 41a of the planar substantially U-shaped removal jig 41 comes into contact with the upper surface of the holder 25 that has moved upward along the axis of the shaft body 23.

In this state, the tank punching device 1 is moved with respect to the removal jig 41 so that the arm portion 41 a is in pressure contact with the upper surface of the holder 25, and the holder 25 is pulled against the shaft body 23 to elastic force of the elastic member 33. The tip of the engaging member 29 urged by the elastic force of the engaging elastic member 31 is engaged with the engaging recess 23c. By this movement, the holding arm 35 urged by the elastic force of the compression elastic member 37 is slidably contacted from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body 23 to the cam surface 23a, so that the claw portion 35a is moved into the accommodation gap 25d. And the holding of the cut piece 3f is released. (See Figure 8)

In this embodiment, the holder 35 is moved upward in the axial direction by the elastic force of the tension elastic member 33 in a state where the claw portion 35a of the holding arm 35 swinging in the diameter increasing direction is engaged with the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through hole 3d. Since the opening 7 is formed by cutting the upper surface plate 3b with the rotating cutting blade 17 in the holding state in which it is biased and pressed, when the outer peripheral portion of the cutting piece 3f becomes thinner as the cutting progresses, In addition, it is possible to stably hold the cut pieces 3f to be separated and suppress the rampage.

As a result, the cutting blade 17 can be operated in a stable state and cut with respect to the cut piece 3f to be separated, and the inner peripheral surface of the opening 7 is cut and formed with high accuracy, and the generation of cutting waste is reduced. Breakage of the cutting blade 17 can be suppressed.
Further, after the end of the cutting, the holder 25 is biased upward by the elastic force of the tension elastic member 33, so that the cut piece 3f is forcibly separated from the opening 7 into the vehicle fuel tank 5. It can prevent falling.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the small-diameter shaft portion 25a of the holder 25 in the tank drilling device 1 is inserted through the through-hole 3d of the recess 3e to penetrate the large-diameter portion on the bottom surface of the recess 3e. The holding arm 35 is oscillated against the elastic force of the compression elastic member 37 by the movement of the shaft body 23 with respect to the holder 25 by bringing the lower surface of 25b into contact, and the claw portion 35a is recessed in the periphery of the through hole 3d. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, in the second embodiment, the second engaging recess 23d is moved upward from the engaging recess 23c with respect to the shaft 23, as shown in FIG. When the holding arm 35 is rocked to the enlarged diameter side, the engagement member 29 released from engagement with the engagement recess 23c is engaged with the second engagement recess 23d. The holder 25 biased by the tension elastic member 33 is To regulate the to movement and configured to maintain the claw portion 35a to the non-contact state with respect to the recess 3e lower surface of the through hole 3d periphery.

In the second embodiment, the engagement member 29 is engaged with the second engagement recess 23d after the cutting blade 17 is pressed against the upper surface plate 3b and the cutting is started as the shaft body 23 moves below the axis. When is released, the holder 25 urged by the tensile elastic member 33 is moved upward in the axial direction, and the claw portion 35a is brought into contact with and supported by the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through hole 3d.

As shown in FIG. 10, the third embodiment has a cutting blade so that the blade tip comes into contact with the upper surface plate 3b when the small diameter shaft portion 25a of the holder 25 is inserted through the through hole 3d of the recess 3e. The length of 17 or the mounting position of the cutting blade 17 with respect to the blade mounting arm 15 is set. When the cutting edge of the cutting blade 17 comes into contact with the upper surface plate 3b, the engagement state of the engagement member 29 with respect to the engagement recess 23c is maintained, and the movement of the holder 25 with respect to the upper axis is restricted. At the same time, the swinging state of the holding arm 35 relative to the reduced diameter side is maintained.

In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, when the engagement state of the engagement member 29 with respect to the engagement recess 23c is released as the cutting progresses due to the pressure contact of the cutting blade 17 with the upper surface plate 3b, As the shaft body 23 moves with respect to the holder 25, the holding arm 35 is slid toward the diameter expansion side against the elastic force of the compression elastic member 37, and the holder 25 is urged by the tension elastic member 33 against the shaft body 23. The claw portion 35a is brought into pressure contact with the lower surface of the recess 3e at the periphery of the through hole 3d.

In the above description, the holding arms 35 are moved in the diameter-reducing direction where the respective claw portions 35a approach each other and are located in the accommodation gap 25d by the elastic force of the respective compression elastic members 37 mounted in the respective spring mounting holes 25g. In the present invention, the compression elastic member 37 is not an essential matter of the present invention. When the small diameter shaft portion 25a of the holder 25 enters the through hole 3d of the recess 3e in a vertical state, What is necessary is just to set the peristaltic center of each holding arm 35 so that the said nail | claw part 35a permeates in the diameter reducing direction located in the accommodation gap | interval 25d.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tank drilling apparatus 3 Component attachment part 3a Male screw 3b Top plate 3c Cylindrical part 3d Through-hole 3e Recess 3f Cutting piece 5 Fuel tank 7 for vehicles as a tank 9 Spindle 11 Electric motor 13 Rotating body 13a Balancer member 15 Cutlery Mounting arm 17 Cutting blade 19 Free rotating body 19a Shaft portion 21 Bearing 23 Shaft body 23a Cam surface 23b Long hole 23c Engaging recess 23d Second engaging recess 25 Holder 25a Small diameter shaft portion 25b Large diameter portion 25c Shaft hole 25d Housing gap 25e Mounting hole 25f Shaft 25g Spring mounting hole 27 Support shaft 29 Engaging member 31 Engaging elastic member 33 Pulling elastic member 35 Holding arm 35a Claw part 37 as holding part Compression elastic member 41 Removal jig 41a Arm part

Claims (4)

In a tank drilling device in which a cutting blade provided at a required distance in the direction perpendicular to the axis from the axis of the rotationally driven spindle is rotated around the spindle to form a hole in the component mounting portion of the tank.
A shaft body whose base end portion is pivotably supported with respect to the shaft end portion of the spindle, and a cam surface is provided at the distal end portion;
An outer diameter that is fitted to the shaft body so as to be movable in a predetermined stroke in the axial direction, and is in contact with a small-diameter shaft portion having an outer diameter that can be inserted into a through-hole previously drilled in the component mounting portion and the periphery of the through-hole. A holder having a large diameter portion, communicating with a shaft hole into which the shaft body is inserted, and having at least two accommodating gaps formed of an axial length extending over the large diameter portion and the small diameter shaft portion ;
A tension elastic member that urges the holder to move the holder toward the base end side;
At least two holding portions that are pivotally supported in the accommodation gaps of the holder and slidably contacted with the cam surface and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body and engageable with the lower surface of the periphery of the through hole. Holding arm,
An engaging member that holds the holder that is moved downward in the axial direction against the elastic force of the elastic member that is pulled against the shaft body so as to be detachable at a position where each holding arm abuts the cam surface;
Tank drilling device equipped with. 2. The tank punching device according to claim 1, wherein each holding arm is provided with a compression elastic member that constantly urges the engaging portion to move in the diameter-reducing direction located in the accommodation gap. The tank holder according to claim 1, wherein a shaft end of a support shaft that slides in a long hole formed in the shaft body is fixed to the holder, and the holder is supported to be movable in the axial direction with respect to the shaft body. apparatus. In claim 1,
The holder is provided with an engagement member mounted in an attachment hole formed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the axis, and an engagement elastic member for urging the engagement member radially inward. When the holder is pulled against the body and moved toward the tip of the shaft against the elastic force of the elastic member, the holder is moved by engaging the engaging member with the engaged portion provided on the shaft. Tank drilling device that can maintain the state.

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