Door seal drilling and pinning

Abstract

Improved drilling and pinning machines and methods for processing elongate flexible e.g. rubber strips of seal material for forming seals about openings. The machines and methods form precisely positioned holes in the rubber strip, and insert pins in the holes. Opposing ends of the pins are ultimately received in cooperating holes in the opening, mounting the seal strip to the opening. Machines and methods of the invention temporarily fix a strip or portion of the seal material to a rigid component of the machine. While the seal material is fixedly held, first and second holes are formed in general alignment with the length of the strip, or a subsequent hole is formed wherein location of the subsequent hole is based on location of a previously-formed hole. The formed holes and/or inserted pins are automatically inspected. The inspection information is forwarded to, and used by, the machine controller.

1 . A flexible seal processing machine, for processing an elongate strip of flexible seal material, having a length, said flexible seal processing machine comprising: 
 (a) a frame;    (b) a work station, comprising a guide bed supported on said frame and having a first elongate dimension for receiving and holding thereon an elongate strip of flexible seal material having a length aligned with the first elongate dimension;    (c) clamp apparatus, comprising an elongate clamping member, for clamping the elongate strip of flexible seal material to said guide bed;    (d) an electronic computer controller controlling operation of said flexible seal processing machine;    (e) hole forming apparatus and hole pinning apparatus disposed along said guide bed for forming holes in such strip of flexible seal material, and for inserting pins into such holes; and    (f) a sensor sensing holes in such flexible seal material and sending such sensed information to said electronic computer controller.    
   
   
       2 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 1 , further comprising translation structure translating at least one of said guide bed and, in combination, said hole forming apparatus and said hole pinning apparatus along the length of such elongate strip of flexible seal material at said guide bed.  
   
   
       3 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 2 , said hole forming apparatus and said hole pinning apparatus being mounted on a common support thereby to define a hole forming and pinning apparatus, said translation structure comprising a track mounting said hole forming and pinning apparatus to said frame adjacent said guide bed, for movement of said hole forming and pinning apparatus along a path of travel extending in a direction corresponding to the length of such flexible seal material at said guide bed.  
   
   
       4 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 3 , further comprising feed apparatus for feeding such flexible seal material to said guide bed.  
   
   
       5 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 3 , said electronic computer controller being programmed with instructions instructing movement of said hole forming and pinning apparatus back and forth along said track between a hole forming section of said work station and a pinning section of said work station.  
   
   
       6 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 3 , including a detector detecting location of said hole forming and pinning apparatus along said guide bed, and sending such detect information to said electronic computer controller, programming in said electronic computer controller comprising data representing a desired sequence of distances between holes in such flexible seal material, and an algorithm effective to calculate a distance of movement of said forming and pinning apparatus along said guide bed, based on the information received from said detector, for subsequently forming a hole in such flexible seal material.  
   
   
       7 . (canceled)  
   
   
       8 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 1 , said sensor comprising a visual image camera.  
   
   
       9 . (canceled)  
   
   
       10 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 8 , said visual image camera having an image window, and comprising an array of pixels which generate a representation of material in the image window on a graduated gray scale.  
   
   
       11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 8 , further having an electronic computer controller being programmed to make an accept/reject decision based on programmed data.  
   
   
       13 - 14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 3 , said sensor also being mounted on the common support, such that said hole forming apparatus, said hole pinning apparatus, and said sensor traverse said work station together.  
   
   
       16 . A flexible seal processing machine, for processing a length of flexible seal material, said flexible seal processing machine comprising: 
 (a) a work station comprising a guide bed having a first elongate dimension for receiving and holding thereon the length of flexible seal material, aligned with the first elongate dimension;    (b) a clamp apparatus for clamping at least one lateral portion of the elongate strip of flexible seal material to said guide bed;    (c) a hole forming apparatus and a pinning apparatus positioned along said guide bed for forming holes in such strip of flexible seal material, the holes being aligned along the elongate dimension of such guide bed, and for inserting pins into such holes; and    (d) a translation structure translating at least one of said guide bed and said hole forming and pinning apparatus along the length of such elongate strip of flexible seal material.    
   
   
       17 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , said translation structure comprising a track mounting said forming and pinning apparatus in said machine, for movement of said forming and pinning apparatus along a path of travel extending in a direction corresponding to the length of such flexible seal material at said guide bed.  
   
   
       18 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , further comprising feed apparatus for feeding such flexible seal material to said guide bed.  
   
   
       19 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , said machine further comprising an electronic computer controller, programmed with instructions instructing movement of said forming and pinning apparatus back and forth along said track between a hole forming section of said work station and a pinning section of said work station.  
   
   
       20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 18 , said machine further comprising a sensor sensing formed holes, and an electronic computer controller, said feed apparatus intermittently feeding incremental lengths of such flexible seal material to said guide bed, said electronic computer controller receiving the sensed information regarding locations of holes already formed, and being effective to control incremental feed drive movement required to feed desired lengths of such flexible seal material fed to said work station, and distance of movement of said forming and pinning apparatus to a hole forming location, both based on the sensed information received from said sensor, such that average hole-to-hole distance is within 1.5 mm of respective target distances.  
   
   
       22 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 21 , said sensor comprising a camera recording images of holes formed in such strip of flexible seal material, and pins inserted into such holes.  
   
   
       23 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , said machine further comprising an electronic computer controller, and a camera recording images of holes formed in such strip of flexible seal material, and/or recording images of pins inserted into such holes, said electronic computer controller receiving the sensed information from said camera and processing the sensed information in digital format.  
   
   
       24 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 22 , said camera having an image window, and comprising an array of pixels which generate a representation of material in the image window on a graduated gray scale.  
   
   
       25 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 24 , said machine further comprising an electronic computer controller, one of said camera and said electronic computer controller being programmed with reference image data representing a hole meeting first predetermined specifications, and being further programmed to compare a visual image of a hole captured by said camera against such reference image.  
   
   
       26 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 25 , said electronic computer controller being programmed to make an accept/reject decision based on such comparison.  
   
   
       27 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 24 , said machine further comprising an electronic computer controller, one of said camera and said electronic computer controller being programmed with reference image data representing a pin meeting second predetermined specifications, and being further programmed to compare a visual image of a pin captured by said camera against such reference image.  
   
   
       28 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 27 , said electronic computer controller being programmed to make an accept/reject decision based on such comparison.  
   
   
       29 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , said translation structure being adapted to translate said guide bed along the length of such elongate strip of flexible seal material.  
   
   
       30 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , said translation structure being adapted to translate said hole forming and pinning apparatus along the length of such elongate strip of flexible seal material.  
   
   
       31 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 16 , said translation structure being adapted to translate both said guide bed and said hole forming and pinning apparatus along the length of such elongate strip of flexible seal material.  
   
   
       32 . A flexible seal processing machine as in  claim 22 , said hole forming apparatus and said hole pinning apparatus being mounted on a common support thereby to define a hole forming and pinning apparatus, said camera also being mounted on the common support, such that said hole forming apparatus, said hole pinning apparatus, and said camera traverse said work station together.  
   
   
       33 - 58 . (canceled)  
   
   
       59 . A method of fabricating flexible seals from a strip of flexible seal material, having a length, in a flexible seal processing machine, the method comprising: 
 (a) placing a lengths of the flexible seal material upon a work station;    (b) positionally fixing the length of the flexible seal material at the work station;    (c) providing a hole forming apparatus and a pinning apparatus;    (d) forming holes for mounting pins in the flexible seal material; and    (e) inserting pins in the formed holes of the flexible seal material.    
   
   
       60 . (canceled)  
   
   
       61 . A method as in  claim 59 , further comprising forming the holes and inserting the pins using the hole forming and pinning apparatus, including moving the hole forming and pinning apparatus back and forth between a hole forming section of the work station and a pinning sections of the work station, forming holes at the hole forming section and inserting pins at the pinning section.  
   
   
       62 - 68 . (canceled)  
   
   
       69 . A method as in  claim 61  comprising moving the hole forming and pinning apparatus along a path of travel of the flexible seal material in a direction corresponding to the length of the flexible seal material at the guide bed.  
   
   
       70 . (canceled)  
   
   
       71 . A method as in  claim 59 , including detecting location of the hole forming and pinning apparatus, and sending such detect information to an electronic computer controller, calculating a desired distance of movement of the forming and pinning apparatus, based on the information received from the detector, subsequently moving the forming and pinning apparatus to the subsequent location, and forming a hole in the flexible seal material at the subsequent location.  
   
   
       72 . A method as in claim  68 , including intermittently feeding incremental lengths of the flexible seal material along the work station.  
   
   
       73 . (canceled)  
   
   
       74 . A method as in  claim 59 , further comprising using a camera to record images of pins inserted into holes in the flexible seal material, and making machine-determined accept/reject decisions based on the images recorded.  
   
   
       75 . A method as in  claim 74 , one of the camera and an electronic computer controller being programmed with reference image data representing a pin meeting first predetermined specifications, the respective one of the camera and the electronic computer controller comparing a visual image of a pin captured by the camera against such reference image, and using such comparison as basis for making the accept/reject decision.  
   
   
       76 - 93 . (canceled)