Tool head, with wireless monitoring system, for performing industrial operations

A system for performing clinching operations, the system comprising:

• a multi-axis industrial robot including a base structure, an articulated robot wrist, and a chain of mutually articulated robot elements that connect said base structure to said robot wrist;
• at least one clinching head provided with a clinching tool, the clinching head further comprising:
• an assembly carrying at least one clinching roller, said roller-carrying assembly being mounted at the bottom end of an outer cylindrical body which is slidably mounted on an inner cylindrical body having a top end provided with a flange for connection to the wrist of the robot;
• two springs arranged within said inner and outer cylindrical bodies so as to react to relative sliding movements between said inner and outer cylindrical bodies in two opposite directions, respectively,
• at least one load sensor interposed between one of said springs and one of said inner or outer cylindrical bodies so as to detect a load applied on the at least one clinching roller carried by said roller-carrying assembly while the clinching head advances relative to a piece during a clinching operation;
• a control unit for controlling operation of said clinching head;
• a control module mounted on said clinching head, the control module further comprising:
• a data-acquisition unit connected to said at least one load sensor and adapted for acquiring data coming from said sensor;
• and
• a wireless transmission unit connected to said acquisition unit for receiving the aforesaid acquired data and adapted for transmitting said acquired data in a wireless mode to a wireless receiving unit remote from the clinching head;
• an electronic processing unit adapted to process data coming from said wireless receiving unit and from said control unit during an operating cycle of said robot in which said clinching head performs a clinching operation on a piece, the electronic processing unit being configured to process data received from the wireless receiving unit indicating the load detected by the at least one sensor while the clinching head advances relative to said piece during the clinching operation, said electronic processing unit being further adapted to associate said load data received from the wireless receiving unit to information received from the control unit during the clinching operation, so that a correlated information is obtained on the load on said at least one clinching roller of the clinching head during the clinching operation, as a function of a position of the clinching head during its movement relative to the piece;
• a device for storing electrical energy for electrical supply of said data acquisition unit, of said wireless transmission unit, and of said force sensor;
• and
• a wireless inductive charging device for charging said device for storing electrical energy, the charging device comprising:
• a first charging device carried by said clinching head connected to the robot wrist, the first charging device connected to said device for storing electrical energy;
• and
• a second charging device connected to a workstation remote from the clinching head and co-operating in a wireless mode with said first charging means.

A method for performing a material deforming clinching operation for use with a multi-axis industrial robot having a robot wrist, a clinching tool having an outer cylinder connected to the clinching tool and an inner cylinder removably connected to the robot wrist and coaxially positioned and axially movable with respect to the outer cylinder, the clinching tool further having a first and a second spring axially aligned and connected to the inner cylinder and a first load sensor in communication with one of the springs, the method comprising the steps of:

• moving the robot and connected clinching tool into contact with a piece through a control unit;
• compressing one of the first and second springs to apply a predetermined compressive force on the piece by the tool through the control unit;
• advancing the clinching tool along a predetermined path on the piece;
• continually measuring the applied compressive force by the first load sensor;
• generating applied compressive force data through a data acquisition unit (A) in a control module mounted to the clinching tool;
• wirelessly transmitting the measured compressive force data from a wireless transmission unit in the control module to a wireless receiving unit positioned remotely from the robot and connected clinching tool;
• correlating the measured compressive force data for each position of the clinching tool along the piece received from the wireless transmission unit with information received from the control unit;
• selectively positioning a first charging device connected to the clinching tool and robot wrist in positional proximity to a second charging device positioned remotely from the robot;
• and
• wirelessly charging a device for storing electrical energy connected to the clinching tool in electrical communication with the first charging device through induction between the first and the second charging devices.

A system for performing clinching operations, the system comprising:

• a multi-axis industrial robot including a base structure, an articulated robot wrist, and a chain of mutually articulated robot elements that connect said base structure to said robot wrist;
• at least one clinching head provided with a clinching tool, the clinching head further comprising:
• an assembly carrying at least one clinching roller, said roller-carrying assembly being mounted at the bottom end of an outer cylindrical body which is slidably mounted on an inner cylindrical body having a top end provided with a flange for connection to the wrist of the robot;
• two springs arranged within said inner and outer cylindrical bodies so as to react to relative sliding movements between said inner and outer cylindrical bodies in two opposite directions, respectively,
• at least one load sensor interposed between one of said springs and one of said inner or outer cylindrical bodies so as to detect a load applied on the at least one clinching roller carried by said roller-carrying assembly while the clinching head advances relative to a piece during a clinching operation;
• a control unit for controlling operation of said clinching head;
• a control module mounted on said clinching head, the control module further comprising:
• a data-acquisition unit connected to said at least one load sensor and adapted for acquiring data coming from said sensor;
• and
• a wireless transmission unit connected to said acquisition unit for receiving the aforesaid acquired data and adapted for transmitting said acquired data in a wireless mode to a wireless receiving unit remote from the clinching head;
• an electronic processing unit adapted to process data coming from said wireless receiving unit and from said control unit during an operating cycle of said robot in which said clinching head performs a clinching operation on a piece, the electronic processing unit being configured to process data received from the wireless receiving unit indicating the load detected by the at least one sensor while the clinching head advances relative to said piece during the clinching operation, said electronic processing unit being further adapted to associate said load data received from the wireless receiving unit to information received from the control unit during the clinching operation, so that a correlated information is obtained on the load on said at least one clinching roller of the clinching head during the clinching operation, as a function of a position of the clinching head during its movement relative to the piece;
• and
• a device for storing electrical energy for electrical supply of said data acquisition unit, of said wireless transmission unit, and of said force sensor.

A method for performing a material deforming clinching operation for use with a multi-axis industrial robot having a robot wrist, a clinching tool having an outer cylinder connected to the clinching tool and an inner cylinder removably connected to the robot wrist and coaxially positioned and axially movable with respect to the outer cylinder, the clinching tool further having a first and a second spring axially aligned and connected to the inner cylinder and a first load sensor in communication with one of the springs, the method comprising the steps of:

• moving the robot and connected clinching tool into contact with a piece through a control unit;
• compressing one of the first and second springs to apply a predetermined compressive force on the piece by the tool through the control unit;
• advancing the clinching tool along a predetermined path on the piece;
• continually measuring the applied compressive force by the first load sensor;
• generating applied compressive force data through a data acquisition unit (A) in a control module mounted to the clinching tool;
• wirelessly transmitting the measured compressive force data from a wireless transmission unit in the control module to a wireless receiving unit positioned remotely from the robot and connected clinching tool;
• correlating the measured compressive force data for each position of the clinching tool along the piece received from the wireless transmission unit with information received from the control unit.