WO2007119018A1

WO2007119018A1 - Appliance for fitting distortable clips.

Info

Publication number: WO2007119018A1
Application number: PCT/FR2007/051086
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian Marie Mathieu; Alain Maurice Dran
Original assignee: Sofragraf
Priority date: 2006-04-13
Filing date: 2007-04-06
Publication date: 2007-10-25
Also published as: FR2899830B1; FR2899830A1

Abstract

The appliance includes a fitting head (7), means for feeding the fitting head (7) with clips in the open state and mechanical means (1,2) for distorting a clip (8) placed in the head, suitable for putting said clip into its closed state. According to the invention, said appliance includes means (14,16,17,18) sensitive to the distortion of a clip (8) placed in the head (7) under the action of mechanical means (1,2) for delivering a signal indicating the fitting, or non-fitting, of the clip (8).

Description

Deformable stapler

The present invention relates to an apparatus for laying deformable staples from an open state to a closed state, comprising at least one laying head, means for feeding the laying head with such staples in the state open and mechanical means of deformation of a clip placed in the head, adapted to pass the staple in its closed state. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a device with reinforced operation control. Many devices of this type are known, commonly called staplers, designed for domestic or professional use. In this regard, the applicant manufactures and markets under the Getra brand referenced apparatus Saddle stapler Hog Ring CRT all versions in its catalogs, designed for professional use, automotive upholstery, bedding, in the building industry, etc.

As shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, this apparatus comprises a pair of jaws 1, 2 pivotally mounted about axes 3, 4 respectively, at one of their ends. Their other ends 5, 6 define a laying head 7 staples, type C for example, such as that shown in 8 in Figure 2 of the drawing. A pneumatic cylinder placed in a rear part 9 of the apparatus (partially shown in FIG. 1) makes it possible to actuate these jaws 1, 2 so that they come together by pinching the clip 8 between them. then deforms to move from its open state, shown in solid lines in Figure 2, to its closed state through a series of transient states of which one (8 ') is shown in broken lines in this figure. In its closed state, the staple establishes a mechanical connection between two parts to be assembled, such as two rods 10, 11 for example, as shown in FIG.

This apparatus is held manually by an operator by means of a handle 12. A trigger 13 allows the manual control of the jack which actuates the jaws 1, 2. Staple feed means (not shown) provide the transport of successive staples up to the laying head 7. These means are well known to those skilled in the art.

The correct positioning of the clip is normally checked by simple visual inspection. However, in certain circumstances, this control visual is impossible. This is the case, especially in automobile upholstery, when the operator must introduce the laying head between two upholstery elements of a seat, to fix a coating, fabric or leather for example, on these elements, by stapling on frames arranged under the elements. The operator then works blind, often at high rates. In the absence of a direct and immediate visual control of what is happening at the laying head, the operator can not detect a stapling defect resulting from a failure of feeding the jaws staples, the ejection of a staple from the laying head before closing, or a faulty closure of the staple, for example. It is only during a check after the stapling operations that the operator can see the defects and remedy after disassembly of the parts in question.

The present invention is specifically intended to provide means enabling the operator to be notified immediately of the occurrence of a stapling defect even if it is not detected or detectable by a simultaneous visual inspection at the stapling operation itself. It is then possible for the operator to immediately correct this defect by proceeding with the installation of a replacement staple.

This object of the invention is attained, as well as others which will appear on reading the description which follows, with a staple-laying apparatus of the type stated in the preamble of the present description, remarkable in that comprises means responsive to the deformation of a staple placed in the laying head, under the action of the mechanical means of deformation of this staple, to deliver a signal representative of the laying, or non-laying, of the clip.

As will be seen later in detail, these means sensitive to the deformation of the staple may be substituted for direct visual control, especially when it is not possible, to validate the stapling operation.

According to other optional features of the present invention:

the sensitive means comprise a probing member placed in abutment on a clip disposed in the laying head, to be sensitive to the deformation of the clip under the action of the mechanical means,

the feeler member is constituted by a movable stop disposed in the laying head so as to cooperate with the mechanical means to pass a clip placed in the head in its closed state, the mechanical means consist of a pair of jaws arranged in such a way as to grip the staple to conform to it in its closed state,

the sensitive means comprise a sensor responding to a displacement of the probing element by the emission of the signal representative of the laying / non-laying of the clip,

the apparatus comprises means for amplifying the movement of the feeler member, interposed between the latter and the sensor,

the amplification means consist of a lever,

the apparatus comprises means for counting the number of staples laid, controlled by the signal representative of the laying / non-fitting of the staples,

the sensor is an inductive sensor,

as a variant, the sensor is constituted by a pneumatic position detector,

the apparatus comprises means for temporarily blocking its operation following the detection of the non-insertion of a staple by the sensitive means,

- the apparatus being equipped with a jaw actuating air cylinder and pneumatic control means of this actuator, these locking means comprise a pneumatic connection between the sensor constituted by a pneumatic detector _^ position and said control means , to temporarily block the operation of the latter, following the detection of the non-installation of a staple,

the sensitive means comprise a threshold transmission member disposed in line with the feeler member so as to transmit the movement of the latter only when the force undergone by the latter exceeds a predetermined threshold,

- The transmission member is a spring pot.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the description which follows and on examining the appended drawing in which: FIG. 1 is a plan view, in partial section, of a first embodiment embodiment of the staple-laying apparatus according to the present invention, already partly described in the preamble of the present description,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the laying head of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and - Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of a second embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing to describe the structure and operation of a first embodiment of the incorporated means, according to the invention, to the apparatus described in the preamble of the present description, to achieve the purpose. stated above. In these figures, and in particular in FIG. 2, it appears that a conventional C-shaped clip 8 installed in the laying head 7 has a back 8a bearing on an abutment 14 hollowed out of a groove 15 in which the outer portion of FIG. this back is engaged. This groove 15 cooperates with analogous grooves conventionally formed in the jaws 1 and 2 of the apparatus, for guiding the clip during its closing under the forces applied by the jaws 1 and 2.

According to a feature of the present invention, this clip abutment 14 is mounted on the laying apparatus so as to be movable along the axis of symmetry.

X of the laying head 7 (see Figure 1). It extends along this axis and has an end 14a bearing on a spring pot 16, for a reason that will be given later.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the jaws 1, 2 come closer together to move a staple 8 from its initial open state (shown in solid lines) to its closed state, the bending of the back of the staple increases as shown in broken lines in FIG. 2. This increase in the bending, or curvature, of the back of the staple tends to push the abutment 14 in the direction of the arrow F, by charging more strongly its end 14a against the spring pot 16.

It appears that, according to the present invention, the movable abutment 14 behaves as a probing member, sensitive to the deformation undergone by the staple when it moves from its open state to its closed state. This provides a means for determining the condition of the staple other than by visual inspection, which is not always possible as discussed above.

The recoil r experienced by the abutment 14 (see FIG. 2) during closure of the staple is of relatively low amplitude. By way of illustrative and nonlimiting example only, it was possible to measure on an experimental apparatus a decline of a maximum value of 0.3 mm, under a force greater than 200 N transmitted by the staple to the abutment 14 during an actuation of the jaws 1, 2 of the apparatus leading to a successful closure of the staple. It is therefore a question of ensuring the realization of these conditions to conclude on the occurrence, or non-occurrence, of such a successful closure.

To do this, the apparatus according to the invention may advantageously comprise, as shown in FIG. 1, detection and amplification means (16, 17, 18) for the maximum retraction undergone by the stop 14 during a closing operation. staple. By way of illustrative and nonlimiting example only, these means comprise a spring pot 16, a lever 17 articulated on an axis 19 and an inductive sensor 18, or variable magnetic reluctance.

As shown in Figure 1, the spring pot 16 is traversed conventionally by an axis 20 loaded by a spring 21. As is well known, the load applied by this spring to this axis 20 establishes a threshold below which a load of opposite direction can cause a displacement of this axis 20 in the pot. One end of the axis 20 bears on the end 14a of the movable stop 14 while the other end of the axis bears on the end of an arm 17a of the lever 17. The end of the other arm 17b of this lever faces the inductive sensor and carries a piece 22 of ferromagnetic material defining, with the sensor 18, a gap whose width, and therefore the reluctance, varies when the lever tilts under the thrust of the stop 14 transmitted by the axis 20 of the spring pot. The length of the arm 17b of the lever 17 is much greater than that of the arm 17a. This results in an amplification of the variation of the width of the gap relative to the amplitude of the recoil of the abutment 14 when closing a clip. The sensor 18 thus delivers an electrical signal of sufficient amplitude to allow a reliable detection of the recoil of the stop 14 during closure of the clip.

Numerous commercial inductive sensors may be used to constitute the sensor 18. As an illustrative and non-limiting example, it will be possible to choose the inductive proximity sensor referenced XS1 N05 PA310 in the catalogs of the French company called TELEMECANIQUE.

The operation of the stapling apparatus according to the invention is then established as follows. The operator having pressed the trigger 13 to control the installation of a staple 8 placed in the laying head 7 of the apparatus, this action activates the jack which closes the jaws 1, 2 of the apparatus on this staple. If this closure causes the abutment 14 to be applied with sufficient force to overcome the force in the opposite direction applied by the suitably calibrated spring 21 of the pot 16, the latter transmits the recession undergone by the abutment 14 to the lever 17. who amplifies it and transmits it to his 18. The variation in the width of the air gap of the latter causes the formation of an electrical signal representative of a successful staple installation.

If, on the contrary, there is no staple in the laying head when the operator presses the trigger 13, or if closing the jaws of the device does not cause a recoil of the stop 14 of sufficient amplitude for this recoil to be transmitted by the spring pot 16 to the lever 17 and to the sensor 18, the gap width thereof does not undergo any variation and this results in an absence of production of the signal mentioned above. . This absence is significant of a non-installation, or a faulty installation, of the staple, requiring a corrective intervention on the part of the operator. This intervention may consist of a repair of the staple supply means of the laying head, or a release of a staple locked in the laying head, for example.

The output signals of the sensor 18 can be exploited in various ways. Thus they can be used to actuate visual or audible warning means of the operator. They can also be transmitted to the counting and display means 23 of the number of staples correctly placed or to a management automaton. They can still, in case of incident, serve to block the operation of the device until an intervention of the operator restores it in its proper functioning.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing to describe a second embodiment of the invention. In this figure, reference numerals, optionally assigned a "prime", identical to references used in Figures 1 and 2, designate elements or the same or similar bodies.

Thus this second embodiment differs essentially from the first by the use of a pneumatic detector in place of the inductive sensor installed in the first embodiment. This takes advantage of the fact that this device, like the previous one of the rest, requires a connection of the pneumatic jack which actuates the jaws of the device to a source of pressurized air, which source can thus also supply the pneumatic position detector. .

In the sectional view of FIG. 3, similar to that of FIG. 1, this jack is referenced 24. It operates in a known manner, not shown, the jaws 1 and 2. There is in this figure the movable stop 14, the spring pot 16 and the lever 17 of the previous embodiment. The inductive sensor 18 of this embodiment is replaced by a pneumatic position detector 18 'selected from the many commercially available detectors of this type. Thus we can choose, for example, that referenced 81 -290-501 in the catalogs of the French company called CROUZET.

The cylinder 24 is supplied with pressurized air through a distribution valve 25, the air arriving via a conduit 26. The valve 25 is traversed by a rod 27 movable between first and second positions which control an air inlet in the jack is on one side or the other, respectively, of the piston (not shown) of this cylinder. Thus, this valve conventionally ensures the opening or closing of the jaws 1, 2 of the stapling device according to the invention.

The valve stem 27 comes into the position ensuring the closure of the jaws 1, 2 by the cylinder under the control of a pressure exerted by the operator on a trigger 13 '. The depressed position of this trigger 13 'is detected by a sensor 28. Advantageously, this sensor may be constituted by a pneumatic position detector of the same type as the detector 18'. The sensor 28 is then supplied with pressurized air via a duct 29. When pressure is exerted on the trigger 13 ', this pressurized air reaches a sealed chamber 31 accommodating one end of the valve stem 27, by intermediate conduit 30 connecting the output of the detector 28 to this chamber. The rod is then pushed to the right (from the point of view of the figure) in the position that controls the closure of the jaws 1, 2 of the device. Conventionally, the return of the valve stem 27 to its original position is provided by a return spring. According to the present invention, it is proposed to ensure this return by an air pressure whose application is controlled by the detector 18 '. To do this, the output of the detector 18 ', supplied with pressurized air via a duct 32, is connected by a pneumatic connection constituted by a duct 33 to a sealed chamber 34 accommodating the end of the rod 27 opposite to that which is housed in the chamber 31. The application of air under pressure in this chamber 34 has the effect of returning the valve stem 27 to the left, from the point of view of the figure, in its original position. Advantageously, furthermore, this return is possible only on tilting of the detector 18 ', such as that caused by the correct fitting of a staple. In case of incident, therefore, this tilting does not occur and the valve stem remains locked in a position that prohibits a new actuation of the jaws 1, 2, and therefore any new attempt to install staple. Only after restoration of the proper functioning of the apparatus, and rearming of the detector 18 'by pressing a reset button (not shown) of this detector, staple installation can resume safely.

It now appears that the invention makes it possible to achieve the stated goals of allowing an operator of the staple-laying apparatus according to the invention to diagnose a possible malfunction of this apparatus in all circumstances, including when the head of pose of this apparatus operates in a hidden place to its sight. It can thus, advantageously, bring immediate remedy. Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, which have been given by way of example. Thus, in particular, sensors of types other than those mentioned above could equip the apparatus according to the invention, such as force sensors, photosensitive or capacitive position sensors, etc., associated or not with amplification means, as needed.

Similarly, the invention is not limited to the installation of C-staples and obviously extends to stapling devices of other types, Hog Ring or Omega, for example.

Also, the pneumatic cylinder used to actuate the jaws could be replaced by a motor member of another type, such as an electric motor for example.

Finally, the invention is not limited to a stapling device held manually by an operator. It is adaptable to a manufacturing robot, for example.

Claims

1. Apparatus for fitting deformable staples from an open state to a closed state, comprising at least one laying head (7), means for feeding said laying head (7) with such staples to the open state and mechanical means (1, 2) for deforming a clip (8) placed in said head, suitable for passing said clip into its closed state, characterized in that it comprises means (14, 16, 17, 18 or 18 ') responsive to the deformation of a clip (8) placed in said head (7), under the action of said mechanical means (1, 2), to deliver a signal representative of the laying, or the non-laying of said clip (8). 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said sensitive means comprise a feeler member (14) placed in abutment on a clip (8) disposed in said laying head (7), to be sensitive to the deformation of said staple (8) under the action of said mechanical means (1,

2).

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said feeler member (14) is constituted by a movable stop disposed in said laying head (7) so as to cooperate with said mechanical means (1, 2) to make passing a clip (8) placed in said head (7) in its closed state.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said means (1, 2) are constituted by a pair of jaws arranged to clamp said clip (8) to conform in its closed state.

5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sensitive means comprise a sensor (18; 18 ') responding to a displacement of said feeler member (14) by remission of said signal representative of the pose / no -posting said clip (8).

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises means for amplifying (17) the displacement of said feeler member (14), interposed between the latter and said sensor (18; 18 ').

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said amplification means (17) are constituted by a lever.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises counting means (23) of the number of staples laid, controlled by said signal representative of the installation / non-installation of said staples.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that said sensor is an inductive sensor (18).

10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that said sensor is constituted by a pneumatic position sensor (18 ').

11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for temporarily locking (18 ', 33, 34) its operation following the detection of the non-installation of a staple by said sensitive means (14,16,17,18 yes 8 ').

12. Apparatus according to all of claims 10 and 11, equipped with a pneumatic cylinder actuating said jaws (1, 2) and pneumatic control means (25) of said cylinder, characterized in that said locking means (18 ', 33, 34) comprise a pneumatic connection (33) between said pneumatic position sensor (18') and said control means (25), for temporarily blocking the operation thereof as a result of the detection of the non-installation of a staple.

13. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 12, characterized in that said sensitive means (14,16,17,18 or 18 ') comprise a threshold transmission member (16) disposed in line with said member probing (14) to transmit the movement of the latter only when the force undergone by it exceeds a predetermined threshold.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said transmission member (16) is a spring pot.

15. Use of the apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims for the installation of staples type C, HR or Omega.