Screw guide device and screw-fastening robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11260481-B2
Application number	US-201815945054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2018
Priority date	May 19, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A screw fastening process can be performed by reliably positioning a screw in a screw hole while suppressing a decrease in the degree of freedom of movement of a screw fastening device. Provided is a screw guide device that guides a screw to a screw hole. The screw is fastened by a screw fastening device to the screw hole formed in a workpiece to be fastened to be fastened. The screw guide device includes a guide device body provided at a support that supports the workpiece to be fastened, and also includes a guide member that is provided in the guide device body and that is openable and closable in a radial direction orthogonal to a central axis of a shaft section of the screw. The guide member forms a screw insert through which the shaft section is inserted when the guide member is in a closed state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A screw-fastening robot system comprising:
a screw guide device that guides a screw to a screw hole extending in a vertical direction;
a robot having an arm that is movable relative to a workpiece to be fastened, the screw hole being formed in the workpiece to be fastened; and
a support that is provided on a floor and that supports the workpiece to be fastened;
wherein the screw guide device comprises:
a guide member that is openable and closable, the guide member having a diameter into which a shaft section of the screw is insertable in a closed state and having a diameter into which a head of the screw is insertable in an opened state; and
a support member that is provided on the floor and that supports the guide member,
wherein the support member supports the guide member so that the guide member is positioned below the screw hole to allow the screw to be inserted into the screw hole from below through the guide member, and
wherein the support member is provided closer to the support than the robot.

2. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide member includes a plurality of guide bits provided in a circumferential direction around a central axis of the screw, each of the guide bits being moved in a horizontal direction, and
wherein the guide member is openable and closable by the plurality of guide bits being moved.

3. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the diameter of the guide member gradually decreases toward the screw hole.

4. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the diameter of the guide member at an end thereof close to the screw hole is smaller than or equal to an inner diameter of the screw hole in the closed state.

5. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an opening-closing actuator that opens and closes the guide member in a horizontal direction.

6. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a spring that is configured to bias the guide member in a closing direction.

7. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a radial-direction advancing-retracting actuator that causes the guide member to be moved in a horizontal direction.

8. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an elevating actuator that causes the guide member to be moved in the vertical direction.

9. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a screw fastening device that is attached to a distal end of the arm and that fastens the screw to the screw hole in the workpiece to be fastened from a lower side toward an upper side of the workpiece to be fastened; and
a control device that controls the robot, the screw fastening device, and the screw guide device.

10. The screw-fastening robot system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the workpiece to be fastened is a disk-shaped member that has an outer peripheral section provided with a plurality of screw holes arranged in the circumferential direction, and
the support supports the workpiece to be fastened in a rotatable manner about the center of the workpiece to be fastened.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Maeda Yoshihide

Classifications

• B23P19/065

  Arrangements for torque limiters or torque indicators in screw or nut setting machines (for hand tools B25B23/14) · CPC title

• B23P19/06 Primary

  Screw or nut setting or loosening machines · CPC title

• B23P19/001

  Article feeders for assembling machines (screws or nuts being carried by a disposable strip or disc B25B23/045) · CPC title

• B23P19/006

  Holding or positioning the article in front of the applying tool · CPC title

• B23P19/12

  Alignment of parts for insertion into bores · CPC title