Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – With work-holder for assembly
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-28
2001-05-29
Hail, III, Joseph J. (Department: 3723)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
With work-holder for assembly
C029S281500, C269S047000, C269S900000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237207
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention refers to an auxiliary assembly element for machine parts which have to be connected with the machine with the aid of additional mounting devices, consisting of an auxiliary element which may be attached to and easily removed from the machine part, and which may be removed after the assembly is completed. This invention concerns particularly an auxiliary assembly for housing sealing covers with integrated radial shaft sealing ring and through holes for mounting screws, particularly for crank shafts, cam shafts, and gear housings of combustion engines, consisting of a base element which extends essentially radially with at least one axially extending ring-shaped projection for the concentric accommodation of the housing sealing cover.
In order to mount machine parts it is required that the machine part to be mounted is moved to the machine in true position and is then connected with it. The connection of such machine parts often occurs by using mostly standardized mounting elements, such as rivets, screws, clamp pins, etc. While in the construction of large machinery, the assembly of machine parts takes place mostly manually, possibly with the help of special holding tools, where the mounting tools after assembly are moved into their mounting position individually and most of the time by hand, the mass production of machine housings, such as electric motors, combustion engines, control gears, etc., presents special requirements for the possibility of automatic mounting.
In the construction of motor vehicles in particular, the housing sealing covers, for instance, which have to be mounted with several screws on the motor or gear housing, are moved to the mounting location and also positioned there and screw connected, with automatic tools, such as industrial robots. This requires that the housing sealing covers may be removed from storage in position-oriented position and may be transported to the motor or gear housing, resp., while the mounting screws should also be transported in true position together with the housing sealing cover, if possible.
In DE-PS DE 42 17 131 a housing sealing cover for a crank shaft housing for combustion engines is described, in which the mounting screws are kept friction-locked in the screw through-holes of the housing sealing cover so that when the housing sealing cover is moved to be attached to the crank shaft housing the mounting screws are automatically also moved into the screw position. While the screws for the mounting of the housing sealing cover are directly available, the friction-locked connection of the screws in the bore holes of the housing sealing cover is problematic, however, as is the necessary positioning of the screws in the direction of the threaded holes of the machine housing during the mounting process. In addition, the housing sealing covers which are equipped with such screws cannot be stacked and are therefore not suitable for automatic pick-up by industrial robots.
Finally in housing sealing covers with a shaft extending through the cover in the assembly stage, which require additional sealing, the automatic mounting is made more difficult because the sealing lip of the radial shaft sealing ring integrated in the housing sealing cover must be radially expanded when the cover is moved onto the motor shaft.
In addition, an auxiliary assembly element is known from EP-PS 0 272 775 which is designed to make the mounting of a housing sealing cover with integrated radial shaft sealing ring easier. The auxiliary assembly element consists essentially of a base element of plastic materials which extends radially and with a radial cylindrical shell fastened on the inside to support the sealing lip of the radial shaft sealing ring, especially to push the housing cover with its sealing ring onto the end of the shaft. In addition, the auxiliary assembly element has a radial outer second axial ring-shaped cylinder projection, which encloses a corresponding recess of the housing sealing cover and thereby ensures a centric position of the sealing lip of the radial shaft sealing ring. The housing sealing cover is attached in assembled condition with the crank shaft housing of a combustion engine via several screws. The mounting screws have to be supplied separately after positioning and alignment of the housing sealing cover.
The invention is based on the task to simplify the assembly of machine parts which are connected via additional mounting devices with the machine housing, and primarily to permit fully automatic mounting by industrial robot. This includes safe transport and storage of such machine parts.
This task is accomplished in accordance with the invention by an auxiliary assembly element, which is equipped with supports for a position-oriented accommodation and arresting of the mounting devices. The use of an auxiliary assembly element does increase the production costs of the machine parts because an auxiliary assembly element must be made available and connected with the machine part. The possibility of multiple use of such auxiliary assembly elements, however, keeps these additional costs limited. The big technical and economic advantage is that the mounting devices for the machine part are held by the auxiliary mounting element in such a position that, after moving the machine part into the assembly position, the mounting devices are available in true position and may be moved into their functional mounting position.
Preferably the auxiliary assembly element consists of a plastic element which may be produced with a spray process simply and inexpensively in a form which is adjusted to the machine apart. Such an auxiliary assembly element has a low weight and may be used multiple times.
The auxiliary assembly preferably consists of a base element extending in the primary level of the machine part from which projections protrude which enclose the machine part and/or reach into the machine part, and which may be connected to and easily removed from the machine part. A plug-in connection is usually sufficient and easily managed.
In addition, it is suggested that supports in the form of through-holes are provided in the auxiliary assembly element for the mounting devices into which the mounting devices may be moved and positioned so that they may be inserted. This ensures that the mounting devices may be picked up during assembly by a common tool and may be moved through the auxiliary assembly element into the connection position with the machine housing.
In order to prevent the loss of a mounting device during transport and storage, it is suggested that the through-holes in the auxiliary assembly element are equipped with arresting aids so that the mounting devices may be accommodated and removed. In addition, it appears to be advantageous if the through-holes have additional guiding aids for the positioning during transport and storage as well as for the supply of the mounting devices into the machine part in true position during assembly.
In addition, it is suggested that the extension of the auxiliary assembly element corresponds approximately to the length of the mounting devices. This ensures that the mounting devices do not project from the auxiliary assembly element during transport and storage. This permits that the auxiliary assembly elements with the machine parts may be stacked. This is particularly significant when the auxiliary assembly element including machine part is picked up by an industrial robot.
In the known auxiliary assembly elements of plastic materials for housing sealing covers with integrated radial shaft sealing ring and through-holes for mounting screws, particularly for crank shaft, cam shaft, and gear housings of combustion engines, consisting of an essentially radially extending base element with at least one axially extending ring-shaped projection for concentric accommodation of the housing sealing cover, it is suggested that the auxiliary assembly element is equipped with supports to accommodate and position the mounting screws so that they are pos
CR Elastomere GmbH
Hail III Joseph J.
Shanley Daniel
Vedder Price Kaufman & Kammholz
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