Abstract:
A clamping device including a housing having a base portion slideably mounted to be positionable along the width of a carriage, the carriage being slideably mounted to be positionable along the length of a guide track. The housing includes a clamping jaw pivotally mounted therein and activatable by a hydraulic cylinder. The carriage is designed to interlock with the base portion of the housing and with the guide track upon activation of the hydraulic cylinder.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The subject invention relates generally to vehicles and more particularly an improved clamping device for vehicle repair systems, such as so-called “frame machines.” 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Vehicle repair apparatus sometimes known as frame machine are known in the prior art. Such devices have employed mechanical clamps which attach to the sides of vehicle frames, typically by bolting thereto. Such clamping mechanisms have proved relatively cumbersome in use and far less than universal in application. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention provides a hydraulically activated clamping device positionable along the length and width of the horizontal guide track or rail of a vehicle repair apparatus. A single hydraulic cylinder activates the clamp jaw and simultaneously causes the locking of clamping device in position with respect to the guide track. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The exact nature of this invention, as well as its objects and advantages, will become readily apparent upon reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hydraulic clamping mechanism according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an end view of a portion of the mechanism of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of a carriage component according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the carriage component of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of the carriage component of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6 is a side sectional view taken at  6 — 6  of FIG. 1 illustrating housing and clamping apparatus according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the clamp shoe according to the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 8 is a back view of the clamp shoe of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 9 is a top view of the clamp shoe of FIG. 8; and 
     FIG. 10 is a top view of a cylinder mounting plate according to the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Clamping apparatus according to the preferred embodiment is illustrated in FIG.  1 . The mechanism includes a carriage  11  mounted to move up and down along the length of a track  12 . A housing assembly  13  is positioned within the carriage  11  and includes a rectangular base plate  14  to which is welded an upright hollow channel member or tube  20  of square cross section. The housing assembly  13  pivotally mounts a clamp shoe  15  to pivot toward and away from a fixed plate  19 . The clamp shoe  15  and fixed plate  19  form jaws for grasping the pinch weld of a vehicle when the clamping apparatus is activated. Further illustrated in FIG. 1 is a hydraulic hose and coupling  21  which supplies fluid under pressure to a five ton hydraulic cylinder mounted within the housing assembly  13 . 
     The carriage  11  as further illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 5 and includes a central channel member  25  providing guides  26 ,  28  of u-shaped cross section at opposite ends thereof. These guides  26 ,  28  permit the base plate  14  of the housing assembly  13  to slide to any position along the width “W 1 ” of the carriage  11  when the hydraulic cylinder located within the housing assembly  13  is not activated. The base plate  14  is of a sufficient width W 2  that it cannot be pulled vertically out of its position located within guides  26 ,  28 ; in other words, if the base plate  14  moves up vertically it will abut and interlock with the upper horizontal edges  30 , 32  of the respective guide channels  26 ,  28 . Rectangular bars  31 ,  33  are welded on either side of the channel  25  so as to provide additional support to the channel guide structures  26 ,  28 . 
     The base surface  34  of the channel  25  has a rectangular central opening  36  therein which receives a rectangular plate or insert piece  21 . A series of holes drilled along opposite edges of the plate  21  are visible in FIG.  1 . These holes provided for the insertion of teeth (shown in phantom) on the underside of plate  21  which function to bite into the rails  41 ,  43 ,  45  of the track  12  when the hydraulic cylinder located within the housing assembly  13  is activated as described in further detail below. The plate  21  is therefore not attached in any fashion to the surrounding channel  25 , but rather simply loosely rests in the opening  36 . 
     An end-plate  23  is welded to the end of the channel  25 . As seen particularly in FIG. 2, a second end-plate  24  is welded to the opposite end of the channel  25 . Lips  37 ,  39  are welded at the respective lower ends of the end-plates  23 ,  24  and extend inwardly towards the two square rails  41 ,  45  a sufficient distance such that vertical movement of the carriage member  11  in direction of the arrow  101  will cause the lips  37 ,  39  to engage respective rods  38 ,  40 , which may be for example  7 / 8  inch square steel rods running the length of the track  12 . 
     Apparatus located within the interior of the housing assembly  13  is illustrated in FIG.  6 . As there shown, a hydraulic cylinder  55  is attached to a cylinder mounting plate  59 . As illustrated in FIG. 11, this mounting is achieved via bolts or other suitable fasteners inserted through respective holes  63  in the cylinder mounting plate  59 . Holes  62  are drilled along opposite edges of the cylinder mounting plate  59  such that teeth  61  may be inserted or otherwise attached on the underside  64  thereof. The cylinder mounting plate  59  is slideably mounted such that it may move up and down within the upright tube  20  of the housing assembly  13 . The extent of such movement may be, for example, one inch. 
     The piston of the hydraulic cylinder  55  is connected to activate a plate  57  so as to move plate  57  toward and away from contact with the base  67  of the clamping shoe  15 . A bolt  16  extends from one side face of the upright tube  20  through the opposite side face and limits the lower range of travel of the plate  57 . 
     The clamping shoe  15  is illustrated in further detail in FIGS. 7 through 9. The clamp shoe  15  includes the base member  67  and a vertical plate  75 . To each of these plates  67 ,  75  are welded parallel rear support plates  77 ,  79 . A horizontal row of teeth  72  is also provided on the front or gripping face of the vertical plate  75 . Similarly, a horizontal row of gripping teeth  74  is provided on the interior surface of the fixed rear plate  19 , which plate  19  is welded to the rear wall  51  of the upright tube  20 . The clamping plate  15  is further provided with a bore  76  for accommodating the bolt  17  about which the clamping plate  15  pivots. 
     In operation of the preferred embodiment, the carriage  11  is moved to an appropriate position along the length of the guide track  12 , and the housing assembly is moved into position such that the jaws formed by the clamp shoe  15  and the fixed plate  19  are open and disposed about the pinch weld of an automobile or other vehicle to be repaired. The hydraulic cylinder  55  is then activated, forcing the upper plate  57  upward thereby pivoting the clamping jaw  15  into a position where it tightly clamps the pinch weld. At the same time, the cylinder mounting plate  64  is forced downward against the insert piece  21 , which in turn forces the base plate  14  up into interlocking relation with the upper edges of  30 , 32  of the guide channels  26 ,  28  and forces the carriage lips  37 ,  39  up into contact with the rods  38 ,  40 . Simultaneously, the teeth  61  of the cylinder mounting plate  64  bite into the insert piece  21  whose teeth in turn bite into the underlying guide track member  41 ,  43 ,  45 . In this manner, the entire assembly is fixed in position as long as the hydraulic pressure is present. In particular, the housing assembly  13  is fixed in position such that it cannot move along the guide rails  26 ,  28 , while the carriage  11  is fixed to the guide track  11  such that it cannot move along the length thereof. 
     It may be noted that apparatus according to the invention may be configured without employing teeth such as  64  and  21 . However, such apparatus is likely to be less secure than that constructed according to the preferred embodiment. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.