Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2003-04-22
Vidovich, Gregory (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S468000, C029S559000, C269S020000, C269S021000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06550127
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a device for holding a part, which has a retainer member received in a receptacle member. The retainer member is provided for applying and holding the part and has a convexly spherical surface section and a surface section for the application of the part to be held, while the receptacle member provides a rotatable seating for the retainer member and comprises a concavely spherical surface forming al sliding seating surface for the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member.
A device of this type is disclosed in German 196 02 636. The problem of plane-parallel alignment and adjustment of the two parts respectively comprising a planar surface section can be solved with such a device. This problem particularly occurs when the parts are to be permanently connected to one another after the adjustment, for example with laser welding, soldering or gluing.
For laser welding given the device disclosed by the German document, a laser beam serving this purpose can be supplied to the weld location for attachment of the part to be held unimpeded by the receptacle, the retainer member and the surface section as a result of a recess fashioned in the retainer member and the receptacle member.
When the surface sections of the parts to be connected to one another that face toward one another are aligned plane-parallel, a wedge-shaped gap, for example between these surface sections, leads to a warping when a weld or a solder hardens or when an adhesive cures. This warping generally modifies the relative position of the parts connected to one another in an unfavorable way.
An automatic, plane-parallel alignment is achieved with a device of this type in that one part is held on a rotatably seated retainer member of the device while the other part is firmly held outside the device.
For automatic alignment of the parts, the planar surface section of the part held on the retainer member and the planar surface section of the part firmly held outside the device are placed into contact with one another under a slight pressure.
Given proper dimensioning of the device, the two parts are aligned such that their planar surface sections facing toward one another are aligned plane-parallel relative to one another.
According to the above-mentioned German document, it is necessary for this purpose that the tilting or alignment moment generated by the pressing power is greater than the frictional moment of the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member on the concavely spherical surface section of the receptacle member of the device forming the glide surface. With a given geometry of the device, the automatic alignment can only occur up to a maximum coefficient of friction and, thus, frictional moment as well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the object of offering a device for holding a part for an automatic alignment of this part that produces an automatic alignment largely independently of the dimensioning and/or geometry of the device, even given slight pressing power.
According to the solution of the present invention, the inventive device comprises the features of an improvement in a device having a retainer member received in a receptacle member with the retainer member having a convexly spherical surface section and a surface section for applying the part to be held and the receptacle member providing a rotatable bearing for the retainer member, said rotatable bearing being a concavely spherical surface forming a glide seat surface for the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member. The improvement comprises a glide means for arrangement between the concavely spherical surface section of the receptacle member and the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member of the device, which accepts this section, the glide means being in the form of a glide layer.
As a result of the glide layer arranged between the concavely spherical surface section of the receptacle member and the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member accepted in this section, the coefficient of friction between these two sections can be advantageously kept so slight that the dimensions and geometry of the device no longer have any influence on the pressing power or pressure needed for the alignment, and this pressing power can be extremely low.
A preferred and advantageous development of the inventive device comprises a means for at least temporarily producing the glide layer composed of the glide means between the concavely spherical surface section of the receptacle member and the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member accepted therein.
In this case, one can advantageously proceed so that the glide layer is produced during the alignment event in order to keep the friction between the retainer member and the receptacle member as low as possible. After self-alignment has occurred, the glide layer can be eliminated for a secure fixing of the alignment and, thus, this friction can be, in turn, increased.
This can be especially simply implemented when the glide means is a gas, for example air.
In this case, it is advantageous in view of a simple structure when the means for producing the glide layer of the gas comprises at least one inflow opening fashioned in one of the two spherical surface sections, preferably an inflow opening fashioned in the surface section of the receptacle member for allowing a gas to flow in under pressure into the interspace between the two spherical surface sections.
The means for producing the glide layer of the gas can thereby comprise an optionally actuatable means for producing a gas under pressure, preferably arranged outside the retainer member and the receptacle member. This means is connected to the inflow opening, preferably by a channel fashioned in the receptacle member and leading to the inflow opening and a pressure conduit, which connects the channel to the means.
An air bearing of the retainer member, which advantageously enables a practically friction-free and, thus, resistance-free turning of the retainer member in all directions around a center of a sphere of the convexly spherical surface section, is realized by the glide layer of the pressurized gas formed between the convexly spherical surface section of the retainer member and the concavely spherical surface section of the receptacle member.
A better fixing of the alignment following the alignment event can be advantageously achieved by means of a temporary producing of an under-pressure between the two spherical surface sections for mutually pressing these two surface sections against one another. The retainer member and the receptacle member can thereby be advantageously firmly fixed relative to one another so that a modification of the alignment of the retainer member and, thus, of the part held on this member is practically only possible with the application of a force.
The means for temporarily producing an under-pressure between the two spherical surface sections can be constructed similar to a means for generating the pressure when the means for generating the under-pressure comprises at least one extraction opening formed in one of these two surface sections, preferably, the section of the receptacle member for removal of the gas in the interspace between the two spherical surface sections.
Similar to the means for generating the pressure, it is also advantageous here when the means for generating the under-pressure between the two spherical surface sections comprises an optionally actuatable means for generating the under-pressure, preferably arranged outside the retainer member and the receptacle member. The means is connected to an extraction opening, preferably by a channel fashioned in the receptacle member and leading to the extraction opening and an under-pressure conduit that connects the channel to this under-pressure generating means.
Advantageously, recesses are formed in the retainer member and the receptacle member, and the recesses allow at least tw
Auracher Franz
Wittmann Julius
Infineon Technologies Aktiengesellschaft
Omgba Essama
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
Vidovich Gregory
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