阅读说明：本技术 拧紧装置、驱动扭矩生成装置、拧紧系统及扭矩控制方法 (Tightening device, drive torque generation device, tightening system, and torque control method ) 是由 托马斯·兰霍斯特 布鲁诺·伯格曼 阿希姆·卢布林 于 2019-07-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种拧紧装置,用于将扭矩施加和/或传递到螺丝配合件并且用于与驱动扭矩生成装置相互作用,包括：平坦输出装置(6),具有能够以可拆卸方式连接到所述螺丝配合件的输出和驱动器,驱动扭矩能够被手动地或机械地施加到所述驱动器；输出齿轮(8),能够由所述平坦输出装置(6)驱动；机械接口(46),用于选择性地直接或间接连接到所述驱动扭矩生成装置以便初始化所述扭矩；补偿单元(30),被配置为存储和处理补偿数据,所述补偿数据包括特定于所述输出齿轮的扭矩曲线和/或特定于所述输出齿轮的效率曲线,用于用实际输出扭矩的值对其计算,以便生成补偿的输出扭矩的值；以及数据接口(36),被配置为将补偿数据传输到驱动扭矩生成装置。(The present invention relates to a tightening device for applying and/or transferring torque to a screw fitting and for interacting with a driving torque generating device, comprising: a flat output device (6) having an output detachably connectable to the screw fitting and a driver to which a driving torque can be applied manually or mechanically; an output gear (8) drivable by the flat output device (6); a mechanical interface (46) for selective direct or indirect connection to the drive torque generating device for initializing the torque; a compensation unit (30) configured to store and process compensation data comprising a torque curve specific to the output gear and/or an efficiency curve specific to the output gear for calculation thereof with a value of an actual output torque in order to generate a value of a compensated output torque; and a data interface (36) configured to transmit the compensation data to the drive torque generating device.)

1. A tightening device for a screw-on tool,

for applying and/or transferring torque to a screw fitting and for interacting with a driving torque generating device, the tightening device comprising: a gear biasing head arrangement (6), the gear biasing head arrangement (6) having a driver to which an output and a driving torque that can be detachably connected to the screw fitting can be manually or mechanically applied;

an output gear (8), said output gear (8) being drivable by said gear biasing head arrangement (6);

a mechanical interface (46), said mechanical interface (46) for selectively connecting, directly or indirectly, to said drive torque generating device for inducing said torque;

a compensation unit (30), the compensation unit (30) being configured to store and process compensation data, the compensation data comprising a torque curve specific to the output gear and/or an efficiency curve specific to the output gear, for offsetting a value of an actual output torque with the data so as to generate a value of a compensated output torque; and

a data interface (36), the data interface (36) configured to transmit compensation data to a drive torque generating device.

2. The tightening device according to claim 1, comprising at least one torque detection device for detecting the value of the actual output torque.

3. A drive torque generating device for a vehicle, comprising a drive torque generating element,

for generating torque and for interacting with a tightening device, the drive torque generating device comprising:

a drive motor (26);

a mechanical interface (46), the mechanical interface (46) being configured for selectively connecting directly or indirectly to the tightening device (2) in order to introduce the torque;

torque detection means for detecting a value of an actual output torque; and

a compensation unit (30), the compensation unit (30) being configured to store and process compensation data comprising a torque curve specific to the output gear and/or an efficiency curve specific to the output gear for offsetting the value of actual output torque with the data in order to generate a value of compensated output torque.

4. The drive torque generating device according to claim 3, comprising a data interface (38) configured for transmitting compensation data.

5. The tightening device according to claim 1 or 2 or the drive torque generating device according to claim 3 or 4, comprising a tightening device identification device.

6. The tightening device according to claim 1 or 2 or the drive torque generating device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, comprising angle determining means (40) for determining a position angle of the output gear (8).

7. A tightening system comprising at least:

a tightening device (2), the tightening device (2) comprising:

a gear biasing head arrangement (6), the gear biasing head arrangement (6) having a driver to which an output and a drive torque that can be detachably connected to the screw fitting can be manually or mechanically applied;

an output gear (8), said output gear (8) being drivable by said gear biasing head arrangement (6);

a mechanical interface (46) for connecting the two components,

the mechanical interface (46) is for selective direct or indirect connection to the drive torque generating device for inducing the torque; and

a driving torque generating device for generating a driving torque,

the drive torque generating means is connected to the gear biasing head means (6) at one side of the driver and comprises:

a drive motor (26);

a mechanical interface (46), the mechanical interface (46) for selectively connecting directly or indirectly to the tightening device (2) for introducing the torque;

torque detection means for detecting a value of an actual output torque; and

a compensation unit (30), the compensation unit (30) being configured to store and process compensation data comprising a torque curve specific to the output gear and/or an efficiency curve specific to the output gear for offsetting the value of the actual output torque with the data in order to generate a value of compensated output torque.

8. The tightening system according to claim 7, comprising:

at least one data interface (36, 38), the at least one data interface (36, 38) being configured to transmit compensation data.

9. The tightening system according to claim 7 or 8, comprising: an angle determining device (40) for determining the position angle of the output gear (8).

10. A method for controlling a drive motor of a tightening system, preferably according to claim 7,

the method comprises at least the following steps:

-storing a torque curve specific to the output gear and/or an efficiency curve specific to the output gear in a compensation unit (30);

-detecting the value of said actual output torque output by the drive motor (26) by means of a torque detection device;

-counteracting said value of said actual output torque with at least one compensation file in order to generate a value of compensated output torque; and

-outputting the value of compensated output torque to a control unit (24) of the drive motor by means of the compensation unit (30).

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein said counteracting comprises comparing and/or subtracting and/or adding of compensation files and said values of said actual output torque, preferably only for at least one partial support phase, and/or wherein said counteracting comprises smoothing said values of said actual output torque, preferably only for at least one partial support phase.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising the steps of:

-determining the position angle of the output gear (8) by means of an angle determination device (40); and

-using the position angle for generating the value of the compensated output torque by the compensation unit (30).

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising the step of:

-defining a disconnect torque value, the drive motor (26) being disconnected when the value of the compensated output torque of the drive motor (26) reaches the defined disconnect torque value; and

-defining a target speed of rotation of the drive motor (26) which can be dynamically adjusted in this way as high as possible until the disconnect torque value is reached.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising the step of:

-operating the tightening system with speed control.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, further comprising the step of:

-combining several partial support phases within a full rotation of the output gear (8) into a group of partial support phases; and

-offsetting the value of the actual output torque with at least one compensation file in order to generate a value of compensated output torque for at least the set of partial support phases.

16. Use of the tightening system according to claim 7 for performing the method according to claim 10.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tightening device for applying torque to a screw fitting. In addition, the present invention relates to a driving torque generating device for generating torque. Furthermore, the invention relates to a tightening system comprising at least a tightening device and a drive torque generating device. The invention also relates to a method for controlling a drive motor of a tightening system. In addition, the invention relates to the use of a tightening system for carrying out the method.

Background

From practice, in particular in industrial screwing technology, screwing devices are known which are known as so-called gear offset heads (gear offset heads) and are used in particular in screwing and assembly work, in which screw fittings (i.e. screws to which, for example, a torque is to be applied within the context of the present invention) are difficult to reach due to specific spatial installation conditions. The gear biasing heads are typically gear units that are housed in a flat housing and have a driver generally disposed at one end and an output disposed at an opposite end, and a screw fitting may preferably be removably attached at the output. The gears in the gear offset head housing are usually constituted by an assembly of gears which mesh with one another and thus enable torque transmission from the drive to the output, the assembly of gears enabling, for example, a 1:1 transmission between the drive and the output (the gears themselves are usually realized as gears with a corresponding external gear system); however, different variations and modifications of the generic and generic techniques described may be available and known, depending on the field of application.

On the output side, the gear offset head has an output gear which is supported by at least one adjacent gear and can mesh with the adjacent gear. The output gear is used to transfer torque to the screw fitting. In this regard, there is a distinction between a closed design gear biasing head, in which, for example, a screw fitting may be inserted into the output gear only in the axial direction, the output gear being provided with a hexagonal socket, and an open design gear biasing head, in which the screw fitting may additionally mesh with the output gear in a radial direction with respect to the rotational axis of the output gear.

The output gear of open design is not closed but has a recess at its circumference to enable radial accommodation of the screw fitting in a hexagonal socket. In order to provide sufficient support for the output gear in each phase of its rotation, the output gear is temporarily engaged with at least two adjacent gears or support gears, whereby the output gear is driven by at least one of the two support gears. During a full rotation of 360 °, the output gear thus passes through at least one full support phase, in which the output gear meshes with at least two further gears or support gears, and at least one partial support phase, in which the output gear meshes with fewer gears or support gears than in the full support phase. The output gear is usually meshed with two support gears in the full support stage and with one support gear in the partial support stage. In the partial support phase, the recess of the output gear thus faces the support gear, which is not engaged with the output gear at this time.

With a closed design, one adjacent gear is usually sufficient for support and torque transmission, whereby the output gear of the closed design only passes one full support phase during a full rotation of 360 °.

The tightening device described above is primarily used in combination with a drive torque generating device, which may be configured to generate torque and interact with the tightening device. For example, the drive torque generating device may be a hand tool or a wand (baton) or a wand angle screwdriver. Such drive torque generating devices are mostly used in the industrial field, and are used in particular in combination with tightening devices in order to achieve a satisfactory assembly under specific spatial installation conditions, which are difficult to reach with screw fittings.

The combination of the tightening device and the drive torque generating device can be generalized to a tightening system, wherein the two components can be combined with each other, independently of the specific manufacturer. For example, manufacturers of known tightening devices do not sell drive torque generating devices, and vice versa.

A tightening system having a drive torque generating device, and in particular a drive torque generating device comprising a drive motor and a controller or control unit for the drive motor, if required. The control unit determines, for example, whether the tool is operating under torque control or under (rotational) speed control. In the rotational speed control, for example, a rotational speed to be maintained is defined and a disconnection torque is determined. The controller then readjusts the torque output by the drive motor accordingly. However, such background ignores inaccuracies, dullness, and loss of efficiency of the driven tightening device. While the overall efficiency is known, the effect of the tightening device on the overall efficiency is unknown.

The meshing of at least one adjacent supporting gearwheel has the effect that: working errors, run-out, transmission errors (e.g. tooth flank damage), lubrication, surface finish and/or friction conditions between contacting tooth flanks have a negative effect on the efficiency of the tightening device and thus on the tightening system, irrespective of whether the tightening device is of open or closed design. The greater the impact, the greater the change in efficiency. The variation means that the efficiency curve shows a significant spike compared to the harmonic efficiency curve.

Additionally, due to the open gear biasing head design, the measurable slowness of the gear biasing head is caused by the different number of stages of meshing the support gears. This leads to strong fluctuations in the operating behavior of the motor driving the torque-generating device, since the motor attempts to compensate for the occurring dullness. When operating under speed control (speed defined, motor readjustment torque), the motor attempts to meet the speed demand, for example, by changing the output torque. The effect of this uneven and non-harmonic torque curve is that the tightening system is less efficient in the partial support phase than in the full support phase. In summary, poor efficiency results when the open gear offset head design is compared to the closed gear offset head design.

In addition, a strong torque variation during rotation of the output gear has the effect that, if a disconnection torque is defined, the output torque of the motor can pass the disconnection torque, whereby the motor can be disconnected. However, disconnection may be caused by the above-mentioned effects of the gear biasing head, which deteriorate efficiency, and are not caused by a tightened screw fitting as desired. It may therefore happen that, as a result of the early disconnection of the motor, the screw connection is not even tightened until the desired tightening torque is reached. In the worst case, the user assumes that the screw fitting is fastened in the desired manner, which may lead to damage and/or significant safety risks caused by the sudden detachment of the screw fitting.

The non-uniformity of the torque curve has the effect that individual outliers in the torque curve may exceed a defined disconnection limit, and therefore the drive motor is disconnected before the desired limit torque of the screw connection is reached. In other words, in a tightening device, in particular in an open gear biasing head, a short passage through the disconnection limit has the effect that the motor is disconnected, although it is unclear which tightening torque is actually transmitted to the screw counterpart, which results in a screw connection that is tightened in an undefined manner.

Thus, for each of the three aspects (tightening device, drive torque generating device and tightening system), there is a specific technical need for a solution to the common problem.

The problem with all three aspects (tightening device, drive torque generating device and tightening system) can be seen in the fact that the influence of deteriorating efficiency has a direct influence on the motor behavior and constant operating behavior, thereby preventing or making impossible a defined fastening of the screw fitting. In particular when using an open gear offset head, a brief passage of the disconnection torque caused by the output torque caused by the partial support phase can lead to an early disconnection of the motor and thus to a fastening in an undefined manner or an incomplete screw connection.

However, in particular in the industrial field, it is often necessary to establish high-quality screw connections for quality assurance reasons.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a tightening device, a drive torque generating device, a tightening system, a method and a use that ensure a high quality screw connection, in particular with regard to the design of the tightening device. Furthermore, the screw connection is to be realized in such a way that: it can be tightened until a defined limit torque is reached.

This object is achieved by a tightening device having the features of patent claim 1, a drive torque generating device having the features of patent claim 3, a tightening system having the features of patent claim 7, a method for controlling a drive motor having the features of patent claim 10 and a use having the features of patent claim 16.

The invention is based on the recognition that said effects of deteriorated efficiency and/or dullness with respect to a full 360 ° rotation of the output gear occur in a cyclic manner. Significant effects during the partial support phase occur especially in open design gear biasing heads. From this it has become clear what degree of efficiency is available at which angular position of the output gear and which effects have a degrading effect. In order to ensure a constant operating behavior and/or to avoid the disconnection of the drive motor by early reaching a defined limit value, such as a disconnection torque, a manipulation or compensation of the value of the actual output torque output by the drive motor is provided. For this purpose, compensation data are used, which may comprise, for example, a torque curve and/or an efficiency curve, which are shaped in a full 360 ° rotation of the output gear and/or in its passage through a full support phase or a partial support phase. Thereby, information about the torque behavior or the efficiency of the tightening device can be used.

For example, by making initial measurements of the tightening device on a suitable test bench, an output gear-specific compensation file or torque curve (or more precisely its value) can be achieved. If there is information about the time of the slowness and/or the angle of rotation, the value of the actual output torque can be manipulated or peaks in the detected actual output torque that potentially exceed the value of the output torque can be compensated for. Since the time and/or angle of rotation at which the dullness occurs is known, the torque peak caused by the output gear and/or portions thereof in the torque peak may be subtracted from the value of the actual output torque output by the drive motor.

For example, the output gear-specific torque profile may include data or values relating to a full 360 ° rotation of the output gear, or at least data or values relating to an angular range or partial support phase.

Thus, several advantages are obtained. First, the efficiency can be significantly improved. In addition, a comparison with at least one compensation file shows whether the torque peak is caused by the output gear or by the screw connection. If the value of the compensation torque exceeds a limit value, such as the disconnection torque, it is assumed that a tight screw connection is provided. This is because the present invention compensates only for the torque increase caused by the output gear; if the limit value is reached as a result of the screw connection, the motor can be switched off in a known manner.

This idea according to the invention is embodied in a tightening device according to claim 1, a drive torque generating device according to claim 3, a tightening system according to claim 7, and is achieved by a method according to claim 10 and a use according to claim 16.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a tightening device for applying and/or transferring torque to a screw fitting and for interacting with a driving torque generating device is proposed, the tightening device comprising: a gear biasing head arrangement having a driver to which an output and drive torque that may be removably connected to a screw fitting may be manually or mechanically applied; an output gear drivable by the gear biasing head arrangement; a mechanical interface for selective direct or indirect connection to a drive torque generating device for introducing torque; a compensation unit configured to store and process compensation data comprising an output gear specific torque profile and/or an output gear specific efficiency profile for offsetting a value of an actual output torque with the data to generate a value of a compensated output torque; and a data interface configured to transmit the compensation data to the drive torque generating device.

For example, the tightening device may have an open design. During full rotation, the output gear of this design passes through at least one fully supported phase, wherein the output gear is meshed with at least two other gears, and at least one partially supported phase, wherein the output gear is meshed with fewer gears than in the fully supported phase. However, the tightening device can also have a closed design. Furthermore, the tightening device may be an angle head. The angle head may be arranged between the drive torque generating means and the gear biasing head for transferring torque by means of the force deflecting gear. The invention may therefore be implemented in an angle head, wherein, for example, in an angle head, the gear offset head arrangement may also be referred to as a gear for transmitting torque or a bevel gear, and the output gear may be referred to as a gear that transmits torque from the angle head to the gear offset head.

The tightening device can be connected in a known manner to various suitable drive torque generating devices and has stored thereon at least one compensation file in order to provide the compensation file to the drive torque generating devices by means of a data interface. "cancellation" as used in accordance with the present invention does not directly refer to the use of basic arithmetic operations, but rather to computerized processing.

In a preferred embodiment of the tightening device according to the present invention, at least one torque detection means for detecting a value of the actual output torque is provided. Typically, tightening devices, and in particular gear biasing heads, do not include their own torque sensing devices. The torque detecting means of the tightening device may be a torque sensor. Since the tightening device is used in combination with the drive torque generating device in order to establish a screw connection and the drive torque generating device usually comprises its own torque detecting device, the torque detecting device can in principle be omitted in the tightening device. However, such torque detection means provide the option of detecting the torque in the tightening device itself, said data thereby providing accurate information about the actual torque available at the output gear or at least a clear indication thereof.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a driving torque generating device for generating a torque and for interacting with a tightening device, the driving torque generating device comprising: a drive motor; a mechanical interface for selectively connecting, directly or indirectly, to a tightening device for introducing torque; torque detection means for detecting a value of an actual output torque; and a compensation unit configured to store and process compensation data comprising an output gear specific torque profile and/or an output gear specific efficiency profile for offsetting the value of the actual output torque with said data in order to generate a value of compensated output torque.

The idea according to the invention can also be implemented in a drive torque generating device. By detecting the torque by means of the torque detection means, the position of the output gear can be detected at any time by means of a comparison with the compensation data. Thereby, the compensation according to the invention can be realized at least in part of the support phase. For example, the torque detection device may be a torque sensor or a motor encoder.

The drive torque generating device may be connected to various suitable tightening devices in a known manner, and compensation data of the connected tightening devices may be stored. The data interface is not absolutely necessary.

In a further preferred embodiment of the drive torque generating device according to the invention, a data interface is provided which is configured to transmit the compensation data. For example, data can thus be exchanged between the drive torque generating device and the tightening device connected thereto. For example, it is conceivable that a single drive torque generating device can according to the invention perform a compensation of the respective torques of different tightening devices which can be connected to the drive torque generating device in the manner according to the invention. Thereby, one driving torque generating device can be used for different tightening devices. For example, data may be transmitted in a wireless or wired manner.

Alternatively or additionally, a tightening device identification device may be provided. Such a device is a suitable instrument for uniquely identifying the tightening device connected to the drive torque generating device. For example, the identification can be made via manual input to the drive torque generating device or automatically when the tightening device is connected. Preferably, the tightening device can transmit its own identification information to the drive torque generating device by means of a data interface. Each identification information may be assigned a specific compensation file, which may be retrieved and applied when the identification information is detected. For example, the compensation unit can store a plurality of output gear-specific torque or efficiency curves in order to interact with corresponding different tightening devices in the manner according to the invention.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the tightening device or the drive torque generating device has an angle determining device for determining the position angle of the output gear. Such an angle determination device allows to accurately detect the position of the output gear or its position angle in, for example, a 360 ° system, thus allowing to determine the stage in which the output gear is located. In addition, in this case, the identification of the tightening device, in particular the transmission ratio thereof, can be advantageous. Furthermore, it is not necessary to first indicate a zero position (0 °) or an angular distance, as it can be determined.

Furthermore, a tightening system is proposed, which comprises at least: a tightening device comprising a gear biasing head arrangement having a drive to which an output and a drive torque that can be detachably connected to a screw fitting can be manually or mechanically applied, an output gear that can be driven by the gear biasing head arrangement, a mechanical interface for selective direct or indirect connection to the torque generating arrangement for introducing the torque, and a drive torque generating arrangement connected on the drive side to the gear biasing head arrangement and comprising a drive motor, a mechanical interface for selective direct or indirect connection to the tightening device for introducing the torque, a torque detecting arrangement for detecting a value of an actual output torque, and a compensation unit configured to store and process compensation data comprising an output gear-specific torque curve and/or an output gear-specific efficiency curve, for offsetting the value of the actual output torque with the data to generate a value of compensated output torque.

The tightening system may be designed as a hand-held tightening system, in which case the tightening system has a weight that preferably enables an operator to hold it with one hand. The tightening system is therefore legal in terms of weight. Alternatively, the tightening system may be implemented as a fixation system.

According to a preferred embodiment of the tightening system according to the invention, the tightening system comprises at least one data interface configured to transmit compensation data. By means of such a data interface, data can be transmitted between the tightening device and the drive torque generating device or between the tightening system and an external data storage. This is because maintenance work can be performed on the compensation data or adjustments can be made to the compensation data.

According to another preferred embodiment of the tightening system according to the present invention, the tightening system comprises an angle determining device for determining the position angle of the output gear.

According to the present invention, a method is proposed for controlling the drive motor of a tightening system, preferably according to claim 7, the method comprising at least the following steps:

-storing an output gear specific torque curve and/or an output gear specific efficiency curve in a compensation unit;

-detecting the value of the actual output torque output by the drive motor by means of a torque detection device;

-offsetting the value of the actual output torque with at least one compensation file in order to generate a value of the compensated output torque; and

-outputting the value of the compensated output torque to the control unit of the drive motor by the compensation unit.

Thus, the method realizes the idea of the present invention. The output gear-specific torque curve and the output gear-specific efficiency curve are compensation data. The method according to the invention has substantially the advantages mentioned above, to which reference is made here.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the counteracting comprises comparing and/or subtracting and/or adding values of the compensation file and the actual output torque, preferably only for at least one partial support phase, and/or smoothing values of the actual output torque, preferably only for at least one partial support phase. The torque increase caused by the tightening device can thus be handled in such a way that it is not considered to be present. For example, a control unit, which may be configured for controlling and/or regulating the process, receives the output value of the compensated output torque, processes it and processes it in a known manner according to the operating mode (speed control or torque control).

According to a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the method comprises the steps of:

-determining the position angle of the output gear by means of an angle determination device; and

-using the position angle for generating a value of compensated output torque by the compensation unit.

In such an embodiment, the position angle of the output gear may be used for more accurate compensation. In the open tightening device, for example, the angle may be used to determine in which rotational phases the output gear is in a fully supported phase or a partially supported phase. The position angle may be indicated in a 360 system. For an output gear supported by two support gears, a first partial support phase may generally be within a first angular range between about the 130 th position angle and the 170 th position angle, while a second support phase may be within a first angular range between about the 190 th position angle and the 230 th position angle. However, the angular range depends on the specific design of the support gear and its arrangement. At a zero position or 0 ° position angle of the output gear, the opening tightening device provides an attachment position, wherein the output gear can be attached to the screw fitting.

According to another preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the method comprises the steps of:

-defining a disconnect torque value, the drive motor being disconnected when the value of the compensated output torque of the drive motor reaches the defined disconnect torque value; and

defining a target speed of rotation of the drive motor, which can be dynamically adjusted in such a way as to be as high as possible until reaching the opening torque value.

During operation, the level of the target speed may be ideally selected in such a way that the target speed does not just exceed the disconnect torque value. Such an embodiment results in a fast tightening process.

It is also conceivable that the method according to the invention provides for operation of the tightening system in speed control. This mode of operation is particularly common in the industrial field and allows the invention to be advantageously used in said environment.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method provides the steps of:

-combining several partial support phases within a full rotation of the output gear into a group of partial support phases; and

-offsetting the value of the actual output torque with at least one compensation file to generate a value of compensated output torque for at least part of the set of support phases.

If the output gear passes several partial support phases during a full rotation of 360 °, several, preferably all of these partial support phases may be combined into a partial support phase group. The advantage is that the compensation has to be performed only once per rotation, i.e. once for the part of the set of partial support phases extending from the first partial support phase to the last partial support phase of the set.

For example, if there are two partial support phases (e.g., a first partial support phase within a first angular range between about the 130 th position angle and the 170 th position angle and a second partial support phase within a first angular range between about the 190 th position angle and the 230 th position angle), a group of partial support phases may be formed therefrom that extends from the 130 th position angle to the 230 th position angle. Thus, a single compensation will be performed for the angular range.

Furthermore, a use of the tightening system according to claim 7 for carrying out the method according to claim 10 is proposed. The use according to the invention has substantially the advantages mentioned above, to which reference is made here.

To avoid repetition, the disclosed features relating to the apparatus are also considered to relate to the method and are thus also claimable. In the same way, the disclosed features relating to the method are also considered to relate to the device and are thus also claimable.

All combinations of at least two of the features disclosed in the description, the claims and/or the drawings form part of the scope of the invention. Combinations of the features described are also considered to be claimable.

Drawings

Further advantages, features and details of the invention are apparent from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments and from the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a hand-held tightening system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of a gear offset head apparatus according to the present invention (with the housing removed);

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the components of a tightening system according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a protocol for a torque curve of an open gear offset head;

FIG. 5 illustrates a protocol for an efficiency curve of the open gear offset head according to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a protocol for closing a torque curve of a gear offset head;

FIG. 7 illustrates a protocol for an efficiency curve of the enclosed gear offset head according to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating compensation of a partial support phase of an open gear offset head; and

fig. 9 shows a diagram of the compensation of a partial support phase of an open gear offset head.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 (system view and, at the same time, context view of the present invention) shows a perspective view of a hand-held tightening system having a tightening device 2 for applying torque to a screw fitting (not shown), the tightening device 2 including a gear biasing head arrangement 6 housed in a housing 4 of an opening gear biasing head 32. The gear biasing head arrangement 6 is at one end (on the output side) configured to interact with and drive a fitting tightening tool realized as a slotted output gear 8. On the drive side, i.e. at the end of the gear biasing head arrangement 6 opposite the output, the gear biasing head arrangement 6 is connected via an angle head 10 with a pair of gears or bevel gears, if applicable, via a mechanical interface 46 to a manually actuatable drive torque generating arrangement, which is realized as a tightening tool 12.

The tightening tool 12 has a drive motor 26 (e.g., electric or pneumatic) and applies the output torque generated by it to the tightening device 2. The tightening device 2 and the tightening tool 12 each have a mechanical interface for selective direct or indirect connection to the other of the two mating pieces of the tightening system.

In a typical implementation for manual tightening actuation, such a tightening device 2 or gear biasing head device 6 is provided and is adapted to transmit a maximum torque of about 250 Nm.

The tightening device 2 is designed as an open gear offset head, characterized in that the output gear 8 has a recess 62 realized as a slot for radial accommodation of a screw fitting in a hexagonal socket. Alternatively, the tightening device shown in the figures may be designed as a closed gear biasing head. Both designs have the same effect as described above, which degrades efficiency, and the effect of both designs is eliminated by the present invention. In addition, the open design has an effect on the efficiency during the partial support phase, which effect can also be excluded according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a number of gear offset head arrangements 6 or gears of the tightening device 2 in a top view, with the housing 4 removed and the output gear 8 on the output side. The output torque output by the drive motor 26 is applied to the first and second idler gears 14, 16 and the first and second support gears 18, 20. The two support gears 18 and 20 correspondingly transmit torque to the output gear 8 by meshing.

The gears 8, 14, 16, 18 and 20 are mounted axially parallel to each other and are arranged in a linear fashion along the length of the housing 4 so as to be rotatable in the housing 4. The arrow indicates the fastening rotational direction 48 of the output gear 8.

During a full rotation of 360 °, the output gear 8 passes through two full support phases and two partial support phases. In the fully supported stage, the output gear 8 meshes with the two support gears 18 and 20. In the partial support phase, the output gear 8 meshes with only one of the two support gears 18, 20. In terms of angular position: 0 ° points to an attachment position in the longitudinal direction of the housing 4 and is referred to as a zero position, wherein the output gear 8 can be attached to the screw fitting, which means that the first full support phase starts at an angular position of 230 °, passes through an angular position of 0 ° and extends up to an angular position of 130 °. The first partial support phase starts at an angular position of 130 ° and extends all the way to an angular position of 170 °. The first partial support phase is followed by a narrow second full support phase between angular positions of 170 ° and 190 °. Finally, the output gear 8 passes through a second partial supporting phase between the angular positions of 190 ° and 230 °. Thereby, the full support phase and the partial support phase alternate.

During each of the two partial support phases, dullness occurs and results in efficiency degradation, as shown in fig. 5. Dullness may also occur during narrow fully supported phases.

Figure 3 provides an overview of the various devices and elements of the tightening system and adjacent systems according to the invention.

The tightening tool 12 includes an activation button 22 for operation of the tightening tool 12 by an operator. The energy supply and control unit 24 is activated by means of the activation button 22. When operating the tightening system in speed control, the speed is defined and the control unit 24 readjusts the torque output by the drive motor 26 by means of the signal output to the drive motor 26. To this end, the drive motor 26 may include, for example, a planetary gear (not shown). The drive motor 26 can transmit its position and/or its angle of rotation to the control unit 24 by means of signals. The drive motor 26 outputs an actual output torque, which is detected as a value by a torque sensor 28 serving as a torque detection means.

The control loop for controlling the drive motor of the tightening system begins at this point. In practice, the torque sensor 28 transmits the detected actual output torque or the value thereof output by the drive motor 26 to the compensation unit 30. The compensation unit 30 stores therein a torque curve specific to the output gear or an efficiency curve specific to the output gear. Wherein the compensation unit 30 is configured to compensate the value of the actual output torque with a torque curve specific to the output gear in order to generate a value of the compensated output torque. In other words, the dullness of the peak value in the value of the output torque that is caused by the output gear and reflected as the actual output is removed or compensated. The compensation unit 30 then transmits the value of the compensated output torque to the control unit 24. The control unit 24 is configured to compare the value of the compensated output torque with the disconnect torque, and when the value of the compensated output torque reaches the disconnect torque, the drive motor 26 is disconnected.

By disconnecting the drive motor 26 when the disconnection torque is reached, the invention shows and ensures that the tightening process has been carried out until the successful end, i.e. until a fixed or defined screw connection has been established. Early disconnection and the resulting increase in torque above the disconnection torque, as the case may be, due to the slowness of the tightening device 2 are now excluded.

In addition, the control unit 24 processes the value of the compensated output torque in the same known manner as the actual output torque value in the known control loop of the motor control.

The torque output by the drive motor 26 is output to the tightening device 2 via a mechanical interface. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the tightening device 2 comprises an angle head 10 and a gear biasing head 32 comprising a gear biasing head arrangement 6 and an output gear 8. Torque is finally transmitted from the output gear 8 to the screw fitting 50 so as to establish a fixed screw connection.

The drive torque generating device or tightening device 2 may include a tightening device identification device 34 that may transmit identification information such as design, gear offset head device 6, gear offset head 32, and/or transmission ratio to the tightening tool 12 in a wired or wireless manner. For this purpose, the data interface 36 can be used, for example, for transmitting compensation data. The tightening device 2 may also include a data interface 36 to receive compensation data from the tightening device 2 and/or to receive data from or transmit data to an external data source, for example. For example, the tightening device 2 may include an angle determining device 40 for determining the position angle of the output gear 8. Said measurement values of the angular position can be transmitted by means of, for example, one or both of the data interfaces 36 and 38. This transmission is indicated by an idealized data path 64 which transmits the measured values of the angular position from the angle head 10 and/or the angle determination device 40 to the control unit 24 for further processing.

An example of a measurement is shown within the system limits 42. To this end, the tightening device 2 is connected to the tightening tool 12 or the drive torque generating device combination and detects at least one full rotation of the output gear wheel 8, as indicated by block 52. In this regard, the emphasis is on the torque and efficiency of the transmission. For example, as shown in block 54, preferably more than 50 full rotation or tightening cycles may be recorded. Fig. 6 shows the resulting measurement signal of torque. The measurement signal is further processed in a manner not described in further detail in block 56 and, if necessary, digitized. The measurement signal is then transmitted to the compensation unit 30, for example via the interface 58 for data transmission, and stored there. However, the measurement signal can also be stored in a suitable memory of the tightening device 2.

Fig. 4 shows a measurement profile of an open gear offset head having an output gear 8 meshed with two support gears 18 and 20, as detected within a system limit 42. The combined view of fig. 4 and 5 shows the implementation on which the invention is based. Note that the dulling of the tightening device 2 occurs in a cyclic manner. The drive motor 26 attempts to compensate for this slowness in the speed control, for example by increasing the output torque of the output, as shown by the peaks in fig. 4. The result is the efficiency curve shown in fig. 5, and the efficiency curve drops significantly every 360 °. The efficiency drop coincides with the slowness, so it can be concluded that the change in value should have the effect that the drive motor 26 does not have to react to the slowness by increasing the output torque of the output, which ultimately results in an improved efficiency.

Fig. 6 shows a measurement profile for a closed gear offset head having an output gear meshed with only one support gear, as detected within system limits 42. Fig. 7 shows the efficiency curve directly resulting therefrom. This measurement curve shows a more stable process compared to the measurement curve of the open gear offset head shown in fig. 5. The average of the efficiency curves shows a sine wave 60 with a periodic behavior. In this case, the wave repeats with every 360 ° rotation of the output gear.

Fig. 8 and 9 show two options for compensation examples or drive motor control. Although the following description refers only to a gear biasing head, the principles mentioned may also be used to enclose a gear biasing head.

In fig. 8, the torque specified in newton meters is plotted against the rotation angle specified in degrees in a schematically simplified manner. The value of the disconnect torque is shown by the thick dashed line. The value of the output torque actually output is shown by the thin middle broken line. The values of the output gear-specific torque curve as compensation file are shown by thin dashed lines. The value of the compensated output torque is shown by the solid line.

It can be seen that the drive motor 26 attempts to compensate for the slowness between the angular positions of 130 ° and 170 ° of the output gear 8 by outputting an increased output torque (torque peak shown in fig. 6). The compensation unit 30 compensates the value of the actually output torque with the value of the output gear-specific torque at least in the part of the support phase between 130 ° and 170 °. By comparison with the torque value specific to the output gear, the compensation unit 30 detects the occurrence of a cyclic torque peak within said angular range (130 ° to 170 °), which is a clear indication of the torque peak caused by the output gear. The result of this cancellation is a value of compensated output torque, shown schematically. The output torque increases independently of the compensation according to the invention and reaches the disconnection torque at point 44. At point 44, the control unit 24 turns off the drive motor 26. At this time, a tight screw connection is adopted.

Fig. 9 is very similar to fig. 8, which is why the following description focuses only on the differences.

It can be seen that the output gear 8 has a first partial supporting phase between the rotation angles of 130 ° and 170 ° and a second partial supporting phase between the rotation angles of 190 ° and 230 °. The fully supported stage, which ranges in angle from 170 ° to 190 °, is located between the two partially supported stages. On either side of the two partial support phases is another full support phase, ranging from a rotation angle of 230 ° through a zero position of 0 ° up to a rotation angle of 130 °. In the partial support phase, the compensation of the two torque peaks can be carried out separately for each partial support phase. However, it is also conceivable to combine two partial support stages within a full rotation of the output gear 8 into a partial support stage group. This allows a single compensation of the entirety of the partial support stage groups to be achieved in the manner described above.

Reference numerals

2 tightening device

4 casing

6 gear offset head device

8 output gear

10 degree angle head

12 tightening tool

14 first idler gearwheel

16 second idler gearwheel

18 first support wheel

20 second support wheel

22 start button

24 control unit

26 drive motor

28 Torque sensor

30 comparison unit

32 gear offset head

34 screwing device recognition device

36 data interface

38 data interface

40-degree determining device

42 system limit

44 incision

46 mechanical interface

48 fastening the rotation direction

50 screw fitting piece

Block 52

54 Block

56 Block (block)

58 interface

60 sine wave

62 recess

64 data path