Screw tightening control system and screw tightening control method

• US 7,665,366 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Akita, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo; Lisa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirkland, III; Freddie
• Application Number:
  US12/199,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20080314206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/761
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/066 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/24 for determining value of torque or twisting moment for tightening a nut or other member which is similarly stressed

Abstract

The screw tightening control system includes plural screw tightening apparatuses, and a control apparatus that sets a synchronization point after completion of changing tightening torques of the plural screw tightening apparatuses in a current step, and starts changing of the tightening torques of the plural screw tightening apparatuses in a next step, step by step from the synchronization point. The control apparatus causes a timing to start the changing of the tightening torque of at least one of the plural screw tightening apparatuses from the synchronization point to differ from a timing to start the changing of the tightening torque of at least another one of the plural screw tightening apparatuses. The system controls the plural screw tightening apparatuses while synchronizing them so as to avoid the inconveniences in a conventional art by a simple method.

Claims

1. A screw tightening control system comprising:

a plurality of screw tightening apparatuses; and

a control apparatus configured to set a synchronization point after tightening torques of all of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses are changed to an equal tightening torque, and to change the tightening torques of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses, step by step from the synchronization point,

wherein the control apparatus starts changing the tightening torque of at least one of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses from the synchronization point at a timing different from that of starting changing the tightening torque of at least another one of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses from the synchronization point.

2. The screw tightening control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control apparatus causes the screw tightening apparatuses to generate tightening torques for screw seating operations of the respective screw tightening apparatuses at different timings.

3. The screw tightening control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control apparatus uses a timer in order to cause the timings to differ.

4. The screw tightening control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control apparatus controls a plurality of sets of the screw tightening apparatuses respectively including two or more screw tightening apparatuses each set of the screw tightening apparatuses can employ an equal timing and a timing can be set differently for each set of the screw tightening apparatuses.

5. The screw tightening control system according to claim 4,

wherein the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses are disposed so as to be sequentially adjacent to one another, and

wherein the respective sets include two or more screw tightening apparatuses which are not adjacent to one another.

6. The screw tightening control system according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses perform tightening operations for only one type of screws of right-handed screws and left-handed screws.

7. A screw tightening control method configured to change tightening torques of a plurality of screw tightening apparatuses step by step while synchronizing them, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a synchronization point for the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses after tightening torques of all of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses are changed to an equal tightening torque; and

starting changing the tightening torque of at least one of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses from the synchronization point at a timing different from that of starting changing the tightening torque of at least another one of the plurality of screw tightening apparatuses.