Methods and apparatuses for assembling washer members with fastener members

Claim 1

An apparatus for assembling washer members on axially extending shank portions of fastener members including a base, an assembly wheel rotatably mounted on said base about an axis of rotation, said assembly wheel having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a washer and a fastener therein in alignment with each other about an axis a distance R from the axis of rotation of said assembly wheel. means for rotating said assembly wheel about its axis of rotation, means for feeding the washers in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, means for feeding the fasteners in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, said pockets having at least one hook portion extending radially outwardly of the radius of rotation R on the upstream side of said pocket and downstream of the intersection of the radius of rotation R and the upstream side of said pocket, a stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in the pockets by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers and means for removing the fasteners and washers from said pockets of said wheel after the telescopic assembled relationship of the fasteners and washers is increased.

Claim 2

An apparatus for assembling washer members on axially extending shank portions of fastener members including a base, an assembly wheel rotatably mounted on said base about an axis of rotation, said assembly wheel having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a washer and a fastener therein in alignment with each other about an axis a distance R from the axis of rotation of said assembly wheel. means for rotating said assembly wheel about its axis of rotation, means for feeding the washers in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, means for feeding the fasteners in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, said pockets having at least one hook portion extending radially outwardly of the radius of rotation R on the upstream side of said pocket and downstream of the intersection of the radius of rotation R and the upstream side of said pocket, a stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in the pockets by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers and means for removing the fasteners and washers from said pockets of said wheel after the telescopic assembled relationship of the fasteners and washers is increased.

Claim 6

An apparatus for assembling washer members on axially extending shank portions of fastener members including a base, an assembly wheel having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a fastener and a washer therein in alignment with each other about an axis, said wheel rotatably mounted on said base, means for continuously rotating said wheel at a predetermined speed about an axis, means for feeding the washers in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, means for feeding the fasteners in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, a stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means extending adjacent to the fastener and washer alignment axis of said pockets for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path having a helix angle of less than 35° and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in said pockets by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers, said arcuate cam having an upper guide surface positioned adjacent said cam surface means a sufficient distance so that a portion of said one of the fasteners and the washers in the pockets is positioned between said upper guide surface and said arcuate cam surface means during assembly of the fasteners and washers, and means for removing the fasteners and washers from said pockets of said wheel after the telescopic assembled relationship of the fastener and washers is increased.

Claim 7

An apparatus for assembling washer members on axially extending shank portions of fastener members including a base, an assembly wheel having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a fastener and a washer therein in alignment with each other about an axis, said wheel rotatably mounted on said base, means for continuously rotating said wheel at a predetermined speed about an axis, means for feeding the washers in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, means for feeding the fasteners in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, a stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means extending adjacent to the fastener and washer alignment axis of said pockets for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path having a helix angle of less than 35° and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in said pockets by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers, said arcuate cam having an upper guide surface positioned adjacent said cam surface means a sufficient distance so that a portion of said one of the fasteners and the washers in the pockets is positioned between said upper guide surface and said arcuate cam surface means during assembly of the fasteners and washers, and means for removing the fasteners and washers from said pockets of said wheel after the telescopic assembled relationship of the fastener and washers is increased.

Claim 10

An apparatus for assembling washer members on axially extending shank portions of fastener members including a base, a first assembly wheel rotatably mounted on said base about an axis of rotation, said first assembly wheel having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a washer and a fastener therein in alignment with each other about an axis a distance R from the axis of rotation of said first assembly wheel, means for rotating said first assembly wheel about its axis of rotation at a predetermined speed, means for feeding the washers in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, means for feeding the fasteners in an oriented position into said pockets of said first assembly wheel, a first stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said first wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said first wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in the pockets of said first wheel by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers, a second assembly wheel rotatably mounted on said base about an axis of rotation and having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a washer and a fastener therein in alignment with each other about an axis a distance R' from the axis of rotation of said second assembly wheel, said second assembly wheel positioned on said base with the path of the alignment axis of the pockets thereon being tangentially adjacent to the path of the alignment axis of the pockets on said first assembly wheel, means for continuously rotating said second assembly wheel at a predetermined speed about an axis at which the peripheral speed of the pockets on said second assembly wheel is substantially the same as the peripheral speed of the pockets on said first assembly wheel, said second assembly wheel rotatable in the opposite direction of rotation as said first assembly wheel, means for transferring the fasteners from said pockets of said first assembly wheel to said pockets of said second assembly wheel, said pockets in said second assembly wheel are angularly positioned in advance of said pockets on said first assembly wheel to facilitate the transfer of the fasteners and washers from the pockets in said first wheel to the pockets in said second wheel, a second stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said second wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said second wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in the pockets of said second wheel by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers and means for removing the fasteners and washers from said pockets of said wheel after the telescopic assembled relationship of the fasteners and washers is increased.

Claim 11

An apparatus for assembling washer members on axially extending shank portions of fastener members including a base, a first assembly wheel rotatably mounted on said base about an axis of rotation, said first assembly wheel having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a washer and a fastener therein in alignment with each other about an axis a distance R from the axis of rotation of said first assembly wheel, means for rotating said first assembly wheel about its axis of rotation at a predetermined speed, means for feeding the washers in an oriented position into said pockets of said wheel, means for feeding the fasteners in an oriented position into said pockets of said first assembly wheel, a first stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said first wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said first wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in the pockets of said first wheel by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers, a second assembly wheel rotatably mounted on said base about an axis of rotation and having a plurality of pockets about the periphery thereof, each of said pockets adapted to receive a washer and a fastener therein in alignment with each other about an axis a distance R' from the axis of rotation of said second assembly wheel, said second assembly wheel positioned on said base with the path of the alignment axis of the pockets thereon being tangentially adjacent to the path of the alignment axis of the pockets on said first assembly wheel, means for continuously rotating said second assembly wheel at a predetermined speed about an axis at which the peripheral speed of the pockets on said second assembly wheel is substantially the same as the peripheral speed of the pockets on said first assembly wheel, said second assembly wheel rotatable in the opposite direction of rotation as said first assembly wheel, means for transferring the fasteners from said pockets of said first assembly wheel to said pockets of said second assembly wheel, said pockets in said second assembly wheel are angularly positioned in advance of said pockets on said first assembly wheel to facilitate the transfer of the fasteners and washers from the pockets in said first wheel to the pockets in said second wheel, a second stationary arcuate cam secured to said base and extending about a portion of the periphery of said second wheel after the washers and fasteners are received in said pockets of said second wheel, said arcuate cam having an arcuate cam surface means for moving a plurality of one of the fasteners and the washers along a helical path and thereby effecting simultaneous relative movement between the fasteners and washers in the pockets of said second wheel by increasing the telescopic assembled relationship between the shank portions of the fasteners and washers and means for removing the fasteners and washers from said pockets of said wheel after the telescopic assembled relationship of the fasteners and washers is increased.