ROBOT TOOL

• US 20110182708A1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr. Ing. H.C.F. Porsche Ag
• Original Assignee: Dr. Ing. H.C.F. Porsche Ag
• Inventors: Baudisch, Matthias, Zietemann, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 8,850,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/737
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/006 Holding or positioning the article in front of the applying tool
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/007 Picking-up and placing mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/02 for connecting objects by press fit or for detaching same B23P19/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0019 End effectors other than grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0616 with vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53078 with means to fasten by frictional fitting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53396 by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53478 with magazine supply

Abstract

A robot tool for setting plugs (18) in industrial production has a robot attachment region (2) for attaching the robot tool (1) to an industrial robot. To further simplify or automate the setting of plugs in industrial production, in particular of motor vehicles, the robot tool (1) has a pushrod (42) that can be moved back and forth and with which a plug (18) can be picked up and advanced.

Claims

1. A robot tool for setting plugs in industrial production, the robot tool comprising:

a robot attachment region for attaching the robot tool to an industrial robot; and

a pushrod (42) that can be moved back and forth and with which a plug can be picked up and advanced.

2. The robot tool of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum feed integrated in the pushrod, a vacuum being applied selectively at a free end of the pushrod to hold a plug on the free end of the pushrod.

3. The robot tool of claim 2, further comprising an advancing cylinder, the pushrod being slidably engaged in the advancing cylinder for selective extension and retraction from and into the advancing cylinder.

4. The robot tool of claim 3, wherein the advancing cylinder is attached pivotably to a pivoting holder of a pivoting unit so that the pushrod can be pivoted between a plug picking-up position and a plug mounting position.

5. The robot tool of claim 4, wherein the pivoting holder is pivotable approximately 180 degrees between the plug picking-up position and the plug mounting position.

6. The robot tool of claim 4, further comprising a plug magazine fastened to the industrial robot, a first end of the plug magazine being at the plug picking-up position, the pivoting unit selectively positioning the free end of the pushrod substantially in alignment with the first end of the plug magazine and at the plug picking-up position.

7. The robot tool of claim 6, wherein the plug magazine is a turret magazine with a plurality of plug supplies for supplying different types of plugs that can be individually picked up with the pushrod, according to requirements.

8. The robot tool of claim 6, wherein the plug magazine is a tubular magazine for storing multiple plugs that can be picked up sequentially by the pushrod.

9. The robot tool of claim 8, further comprising at least one locking cylinder arranged in a removal region of the tubular magazine, the locking cylinder having a locking element that can be moved back and forth to enable the pushrod to remove individual plugs from the tubular magazine.

10. The robot tool of claim 8, wherein the pivoting unit has a pivoting axis arranged midway between and transversely to a longitudinal axis of the tubular magazine and an advancing movement axis of the pushrod when the pivoting holder is at the plug mounting position.

11. A robot tool for setting plugs in a body of a vehicle, the robot tool comprising:

a robot attachment region for attaching the robot tool to an industrial robot;

at least one tubular magazine attached to the robot attachment region for storing a stack of the plugs along an axis;

a pivoting arm mounted on the robot attachment region and pivotable about a pivot axis spaced from and substantially orthogonal to the axis of the stack of the plugs;

a pushrod cylinder mounted to an end of the pivoting arm spaced from the pivoting axis and a pushrod mounted in the pushrod cylinder for movement along an axis of the pushrod cylinder that is spaced from and substantially orthogonal to the pivot axis of the pivoting arm, a vacuum feed integrated in the pushrod for applying a vacuum at a free end of the pushrod to hold a plug on the free end of the pushrod, the axes of the stack of the plugs and the pushrod cylinder being substantially equidistant from the pivoting axis of the pivoting arm so that pivoting of the pivoting arm about the pivoting axis can move the free end of the pushrod between a plug picking-up position where the free end of the pushrod can pick up a top plug in the stack and a plug mounting position where the free end of the pushrod is positioned to mount the plug in the vehicle.

12. The robot tool of claim 11, wherein the pivoting arm is pivotable approximately 180 degrees between the plug picking-up position and the plug mounting position.

13. The robot tool of claim 11, further comprising at least one locking cylinder arranged in a removal region of the tubular magazine, the locking cylinder having a locking element that can be moved back and forth to selectively enable the pushrod to remove a top plug from the tubular magazine.

14. A method for sealing a cavity of a motor vehicle, comprising:

inserting wax through a hole in the motor vehicle and into the cavity;

providing a robot tool with at least one supply of plugs dimensioned to seal the hole and with a pushrod having a free end;

moving the free end of the pushrod relative to remaining parts of the robot tool and into a plug picking-up position in proximity to the supply of plugs;

applying a vacuum to the free end of the pushrod for picking up one of the plugs from the supply of plugs;

moving the pushrod away from the supply of plugs and into a plug mounting position;

moving the robot tool into a position for inserting the plug into the hole;

terminating the vacuum;

moving the free end of the pushrod away from the plug while leaving the plug in the hole.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the steps of moving the free end of the pushrod relative to remaining parts of the robot tool and moving the pushrod away from the supply of plugs comprise pivoting the pushrod about an axis.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of moving the free end of the pushrod away from the plug comprises moving the pushrod linearly in a cylinder.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of moving the free end of the pushrod relative to remaining parts of the robot tool and into the plug picking-up position in proximity to the supply of plugs comprises pivoting the cylinder about a pivot axis and moving the pushrod linearly out of the cylinder.