Automated drill and rivet machine
First Claim
1. An automated drill and rivet machine for riveting a work piece at sequential work sites on the work piece, said machine comprising:
- a carriage disposed proximate to the work piece for movement relative thereto;
a drill movably mounted on said carriage;
a masher movably mounted on said carriage proximate to said drill;
a first sensor disposed on said carriage so that when said carriage is proximate to a first work site, said first sensor detects a second work site;
a drive in communication with said carriage for moving said carriage with respect to the work piece;
a control system in operative communication with said carriage, said drill, said masher, said drive, and said first sensor, said control system having a processor operable in a first mode and a second mode, wherein in said first mode said processor drives said drill at said first work site to drill one or more holes in the work piece, wherein in said second mode said processor drives said masher at said first work site to secure rivets in said one or more holes, and wherein, in either of said first mode or said second mode following operation of said drill or said masher, respectively, said control system moves said carriage to said second work site responsively to said first sensor.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated drill and rivet machine is provided for riveting a work piece. The machine is moveable with respect to the work piece, and sensors locate sequential rivet sites along the work piece. A control system directs the movement and operation of the machine at sequential rivet sites for drilling and mashing. A method for automatically fastening components is provided including the steps of indexing an automated drill and rivet machine at a first work site and placing the machine in a first mode in which the machine to repeatedly performs the steps of drilling, storing the work site location, sensing a next work site, and moving the machine to the next work site. The operator then inserts a fastener at the previous drilling work sites and places the machine in a second mode in which the machine repeatedly performs the steps of returning to a previous work site and mashing the rivets at the previous work site.
26 Citations
38 Claims
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1. An automated drill and rivet machine for riveting a work piece at sequential work sites on the work piece, said machine comprising:
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a carriage disposed proximate to the work piece for movement relative thereto;
a drill movably mounted on said carriage;
a masher movably mounted on said carriage proximate to said drill;
a first sensor disposed on said carriage so that when said carriage is proximate to a first work site, said first sensor detects a second work site;
a drive in communication with said carriage for moving said carriage with respect to the work piece;
a control system in operative communication with said carriage, said drill, said masher, said drive, and said first sensor, said control system having a processor operable in a first mode and a second mode, wherein in said first mode said processor drives said drill at said first work site to drill one or more holes in the work piece, wherein in said second mode said processor drives said masher at said first work site to secure rivets in said one or more holes, and wherein, in either of said first mode or said second mode following operation of said drill or said masher, respectively, said control system moves said carriage to said second work site responsively to said first sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An automated drill and rivet machine for attaching a first subassembly to a second subassembly at sequential positions on the first and second subassemblies, where at least one of the subassemblies includes a predetermined structural feature, said machine comprising:
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a carriage movable with respect to said first and second subassemblies sequentially to said sequential positions;
a drill operably mounted to said carriage;
a rivet masher operably mounted to said carriage proximate to said drill;
a sensor operably mounted to said carriage so that, at a first position, said sensor detects said feature at a next sequential position and outputs a measurement signal responsively thereto; and
a control system, including a processor, in operative communication with said sensor, said carriage, said drill, and said rivet masher, wherein said control system receives said measurement signal from said sensor, wherein said processor is configured to determine a relative position between said first position and said next sequential position, and wherein said control system is configured to move said carriage to said next sequential position responsively to said relative position determined by said processor and to operate said drill and said rivet masher at said next sequential position. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An automated drill and rivet machine for riveting a work piece, said machine comprising:
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a carriage for movement relative to the work piece;
a drill mounted on said carriage so that said drill is vertically and laterally movable with respect to said carriage;
a masher mounted on said carriage so that said masher is vertically and laterally movable with respect to said carriage;
a sensor operably mounted to said carriage so that at a first position a next position is detectable by said sensor;
a drive in communication with said carriage for moving said carriage relative to the work piece; and
a control system having a processor in operative communication with said carriage, said drill, said masher, said sensor, and said drive, said processor having a first mode, wherein in said first mode said processor repeatedly performs the steps of operating said drill at said first position, storing said first position as a previous position, receiving said next position from said sensor, and driving said drill on said carriage to said next position. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for automatically fastening components, comprising at least the following steps:
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providing a machine on a carriage movable relative to the components, wherein said machine includes a drill, a masher, a sensor, and a processor;
indexing said machine to a first work site;
placing said machine in a first mode in which said machine repeatedly performs the steps of drilling at said first work site, storing said first work site as a previous work site, sensing a next work site, and moving said drill on said carriage to said next work site;
inserting a fastener at said previous work site;
placing said machine in a second mode in which said machine repeatedly performs the steps of moving said masher on said carriage to said previous work site and mashing at said previous work site.
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Specification