PALLET CLAMPING DEVICE

Abstract: A manual operation type pallet-clamping device comprises a base block (ll) to be secured to a work table (l) of a machine tool. A work pallet (2) for holding a work piece is positioned relative to the base block (ll) by a positioning unit (l5), and the work pallet (2) is clamped to the base block (ll) by a clamping unit (l4). A manual operation lever (l7) is arranged to move between predetermined first and second positions, and an operating unit having an operation shaft (22) is arranged to simultaneously operate the positioning unit and the clamping unit in accordance with the movement of the manual operation lever (l7) between the first and second positions.

Description: The present invention relates to a pallet-clamping device used for a machine tool such as a machining center. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pallet-clamping device for manually carrying out the operations of positioning and clamping a work pallet to a work table of a machine tool. In a machine tool provided with a work table, such as a machining center, a pallet-clamping device for positioning and fixing a work pallet to the work table has been recently used together with a pallet-changing device for changing a work pallet on the pallet-clamping device. An ordinary pallet-clamping device comprises a base block secured to a work table of a machining center or the like, a positioning unit for positioning a work pallet relative to the base block, and a clamping unit for clamping the work pallet to the base block, and these positioning and clamping units are automatically operated by an actuator driven by a drive source such as a hydraulic pressure, pneumatic pressure, or electric power. In this automatic pallet-clamping device, a work pallet delivered onto the pallet-clamping device can be automatically positioned and fixed, and therefore, this automatic pallet-clamping device can carry out a very efficient exchange of work pallets between the pallet-changing device and the machining center or the like. This type of pallet-clamping device, however, is expensive, and is disadvantageous in that careful maintenance is necessary. When the pallet-clamping device is attached to the already existing machining center or the like, complicated wiring work must be carried out and thus the cost is increased. Moreover, since a hydraulic pressure-generating device, a pneumatic pressure-generating device or the like must be provided, it is often difficult to later install such a device in a relatively small-sized factory. DE-C-882 828 describing the closest prior art discloses a pallet-clamping device which comprises a base block secured to a work table of a maching tool; a positioning unit for positioning a work pallet relative to said base block, said positioning unit including at least one positioning pin movable between an engaging position where said positioning pin is engaged with a hole formed in said work pallet and a disengaging position where said positioning pin is disengaged from the hole of said work pallet; a clamping unit for clamping said work pallet to said base block, said clamping unit including a clamp plate movable between a clamping position where said clamp plate clamps said work pallet to said base block and an unclamping position where said clamp plate permits said work pallet to cove freely; an operating unit for simultaneously operating said positioning unit and said clamping unit, said operating unit including an operation shaft rotatably supported by said base block, a first connecting mechanism for operationally connecting said operation shaft with said positioning pin so as to cause the movement of said positioning pin between said engaging and disengaging positions by a rotational movement of said operation shaft, and a second connecting mechanism for operationally connecting said operation shaft with said clamp plate so as to cause the movement of said clamp plate between said clamping and unclamping positions by the rotational movement of said operation shaft; and a manual operation lever connected at one end of said operation shaft so that said operation shaft is manually rotated between a first position where said positioning pin and said clamp plate are located at said engaging position and said clamping position, respectively, and a second position where said positioning pin and said clamp plate are located at said disengaging position and said unclamping position, respectively. In the device of DE-C-882 828 the work pallet is subjected to a bending stress when used for clamping because whilst the clamping force acts on the centre of the work pallet, the clamping locations are at the four corners. Accordingly the present invention is characterised in that the clamp plate is provided with two rows of rollers arranged along sides thereof in a direction in which the work pallet is supplied, so that the work pallet is movably supported by the rollers; the work pallet is provided with two ribs which are located between the upper surface of the base block and the lower faces of the sides of the clamp plate, respectively; and that ribs are clamped against the upper surface of said base block by the lower faces of the sides of said clamp plate when said clamp plate is at said clamping position, but the ribs are movable in a space between the upper surfaces of said base block and the lower faces of the sides of said clamp plate when said clamp plate is at the unclamping position. In the present invention the tendency in the device of DE-C-882 828 for the work pallet to be subjected to a bending stress is overcome by the provision of the ribs which are clamped against the upper surface of the base block by means of the sides of the clamp plate. This ensures that the upper face of the work pallet is kept absolutely level to enable a precise working of a work piece. A further problem occurs when the work pallet is manually delivered onto the pallet clamping device. Thus, if the delivery force is too strong, the work pallet tends to rebound and the subsequent clamping or positioning operation often becomes difficult. GB-A-933 352 shows a latch unit for preventing rebound of a work pallet comprising a latch unit including a movable hook actuated by a stationary stop. That is actuation is automatic when the work pallet (referred to as a carriage) reaches a predetermined station. In an embodiment of the invention the clamping device further comprises a latch unit for preventing a rebound of said work pallet when said work pallet is supplied onto said clamp plate, said latch unit including a movable hook supported by said base block and movable between a latching position where said movable hook is engaged with said work pallet so as to prevent the rebound of said work pallet and an unlatching position where said movable hook is disengaged from said work pallet. In this embodiment the movable hook is manually actuated by means of the same operating lever which rotates the operation shaft to clamp the work pallet to the base block. Thus the hook is disengaged from the work pallet at the same time and by the same action as the clamping unit is released by the operating lever. In the manual type pallet-clamping device of the present invention, since an actuator requiring a drive source such as in hydraulic pressure, a pneumatic pressure or electric power is not necessary so that the structure can be simple and the pallet-clamping device can be easily attached later to an existing machine tool such as a machining center. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description with reference to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings; wherein Figure 1 is a view showing the section along the line I-I in Figure 2 showing one embodiment of the pallet-clamping device according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a partially cut-out plane view showing one embodiment of the pallet-clamping device according to the present invention. Figure 3 is a view showing the section along the line III-III in Fig. 2. Figure 4 is a view showing the section taken along the line IV-IV in Fig. 2. Figures 1 through 4 show one embodiment of the pallet-clamping device according to the present invention. Referring to Fig.s 1 through 4, the manual type pallet-clamping device has a base block 11 secured to a work table 1 of a work tool such as a machining center. The base block 11 is secured to a desired position on the work table 1 by a stopper 12 and a clamping bolt 13. The pallet-clamping device comprises a clamping unit 14 for clamping a work pallet 2 to the base block 11, a positioning unit 15 for positioning the work pallet 2 relative to the base block 11, a latch unit 16 for preventing a rebound of the work pallet 2, and a manual operation lever 17. The clamping unit 14 includes a clamp plate 18 slidably mounted on the base block 11. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a pair of guide poles 19 extending downward are secured to the clamp plate 18, and the guide poles 19 are slidably fitted in a pair of guide holes 20 formed in the base block 11, respectively. As shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of rollers 21 are arranged on the clamp plate 18 in two rows along the direction in which the work pallet 2 is supplied. As seen from Fig. 1, the top faces of the rollers 21 are located above the top face of the clamp plate 18, and the bottom faces of the rollers 21 are located above the lower face of the clamp plate 18. As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of legs 3 and 4 are arranged on the lower face of the work pallet 2. The legs 3 and 4 extend downward below the work pallet 2 and along the direction in which the work pallet 2 is supplied. Ribs 3a and 4a extending inward are formed on the lower ends of the legs 3 and 4. The clamp plate 18 can move in the vertical direction relative to the base block 11. When the clamp plate 18 moves upward, the clamping unit 14 is in the unclamping state. In this state, the rollers 21 abut against the lower face of the supplied work pallet 2 to support the work pallet 2. Furthermore, in this state, the lower face of the clamp plate 18 is separate from and is located above the ribs 3a and 4a of the work pallet 2, and the lower faces of the ribs 3a and 4a are separate from the upper face of the base block 11 and located above the base block 11. Accordingly, the supplied work pallet 2 is smoothly guided by the rollers 21. On the other hand, when the clamp plate 18 moves downward, the clamping unit 14 is in the clamping state, and the ribs 3a and 4a of the work pallet 2 are clamped by the lower face of the clamp plate 18 and the upper face of the base block 11. In this state, the rollers 21 are separate from the lower face of the work pallet 2. An operation shaft 22 extending in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the work pallet 2 is supplied is rotatably supported on the base block 11, and a manual operation lever 17 is fixed to one end of the operation shaft 22. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, at substantially the center of the pallet-clamping device, an eccentric cam 23 is secured to the operation shaft 22, and a link lever 24 fitted with the eccentric cam 23 is pivoted on the clamp plate 18 by a pivoting pin 25. When the operation shaft 22 is rotated by the manual operation lever 17, the clamp plate 18 is displaced in the vertical direction together with the link lever 24 by the action of the eccentric cam 23, whereby the above-mentioned unclamping state and clamping state are alternatively reached. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the positioning unit 15 has a pair of positioning pins 26, and these positioning pins 26 are slidably fitted in a pair of boss portions 27 formed on the base block 11, respectively, and the boss portions 27 are freely fitted in a pair of holes 28 formed in the clamp plate 18, respectively. A pair of positioning holes 2a, into which the positioning pins 26 can fit, respectively, are formed in the work pallet 2, and by engagement of the pins 26 with the holes 2a, the work pallet 2 is positioned relative to the base block 11. As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of cams 29 are arranged on the operation shaft 22 to move the positioning pins 26 in the vertical direction. Figure 4 shows in detail an engagement structure of one of the cams 29 with the operating shaft 22 and with the corresponding positioning pin 26. Referring to Fig. 4, the cam 29 has a claw 30 to be engaged with a notch 26a of the positioning pin 26. The cam 29 is rotatably fitted to the operation shaft 29. A slit 29a extending in the circumferential direction is formed in the cam 29, and a pin 31 to be located within the slit 29a is mounted on the operation shaft 22. In the state shown in Fig. 4, the positioning pin 26 is fitted in the positioning hole 2a of the work pallet 2, and the manual operation lever 17 is located at the position indicated by A in Fig. 4. At this time, the clamping unit 14 is in the clamping state. If the manual operation lever 17 is turned counterclockwise in the drawings, the operation shaft 22 is rotated counterclockwise together with the manual operation lever 17 and the pin 31 is moved within the slit 29a. The cam 29 is kept stationary and, hence, the positioning pin 26 is also kept stationary, at the position indicated in the drawings. When the manual operation lever 17 is turned further, the cam 29 receives the action of the pin 31 and is rotated counterclockwise to push down the positioning pin 26. When the manual operation lever 17 is located at the position indicated by B in the drawings, the clamping unit 14 is in the unclamping state, and the positioning pin 26 is separate from the positioning hole 2a of the work pallet 2. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the latch unit 16 has a movable hook 32, and this movable hook 32 is rotatably supported through a pivoting pin 34 on a bracket 33 mounted on the base block 11. The movable hook 32 has a stopper 35, and this stopper 35 can abut against a stationary hook 5 mounted on the end of the work pallet 2. The position of the movable hook 32 can be changed between a latching position for engagement with the stationary hook 5 of the work pallet 2 (position C in Fig. 3) and an unlatching position for separation from the stationary hook 5 (position D in Fig. 3). Two dents 32a and 32b are formed on the side face of the movable hook 32. A ball (not shown in the drawings) that can be engaged with the dent 32a or 32b is held on the bracket 33 and urged toward the side face of the movable hook 32 by a spring, so that the movable hook 32 is held at the latching position C or the unlatching position D by engagement of the ball with the dent 32a or 32b of the movable hook 32. When the movable hook 32 is located at the unlatching position D, if the stationary hook 5 of the work pallet 2 supplied onto the pallet-clamping device pushes the stopper 35 of the movable hook 32, the movable hook 32 is turned around the pivoting pin 34 and is changed to the latching position D, whereby a return of the work pallet 2, that is, a rebound of the work pallet 2, can be prevented. As shown in Fig. 3, a push rod 36 is slidably mounted on the base block 11 in the longitudinal direction so that the push rod 36 can abut against the movable hook 32. An operation cam 37 that can abut against the push rod 36 is mounted on the operation shaft 22. When the manual operation lever 17 is located at the unclamping position B (see Fig. 4), the operation cam 37 is located at the position E shown in Fig. 3. If the manual operation lever 17 is shifted from the unclamping position B to the clamping position A, the operation cam 37 is moved from the position E to the position F. During this movement, the movable hook 32 located at the latching position C is pressed through the push rod 36 and the position of the movable hook 32 is changed from the latching position C to the unlatching position D. In the pallet-clamping device having the above-mentioned structure, if the work pallet 2 is supplied from a pallet-changing device (not shown) onto the pallet-clamping device and the stationary hook 5 pushes the stopper 35 of the movable hook 32, the movable hook 32 becomes engaged with the stationary hook 5 to prevent rebound of the work pallet 2. If the manual operation lever 17 is then shifted to the clamping position A from the unclamping position B, the positioning pins 26 are fitted in the positioning holes 2a of the work pallet 2 to locate the work pallet 2 at a predetermined position. Simultaneously, by the action of the eccentric cam 23, the clamp plate 18 is caused to press the work pallet 2 onto the base block 11 and clamp the work pallet 2, and by the action of the operation cam 37 and push rod 36, the movable hook 32 is returned to the unlatching position D from the latching position C. When the processing of a work piece on the work pallet 2 is completed, the manual operation lever 17 is shifted to the unclamping position B from the clamping position A, whereby the clamping unit 14 is changed from the clamping state to the unclamping state and the positioning pins 26 of the positioning unit 15 are separated from the positioning holes 2a of the work pallet 2. Since the movable hook 32 of the latch unit 16 has been separated from the stationary hook 5 of the work pallet 2 at this point, after the manual operation lever 17 is shifted to the unclamping position B, the work pallet 2 can be immediately taken out from the pallet-clamping device. The present invention is by no means limited to the above-mentioned embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but various modifications and changes can be made to the structural elements within the scope of the present invention set forth in the appended claims. Especially, various changes can be made to the means for transmitting the operating power of the manual operation lever to the positioning unit, clamping unit, and latch unit. Furthermore, an operating portion for separating the movable hook of the latch unit from the stationary hook of the work pallet may be arranged independently from the manual operation lever.

Claims: A pallet-clamping device comprising: a base block (11) secured to a work table (1) of a machine tool; a positioning unit (15) for positioning a work pallet (2) relative to said base block (11), said positioning unit (15) including at least one positioning pin (26) movable between an engaging position where said positioning pin (26) is engaged with a hole (2a) formed in said work pallet (2) and a disengaging position where said positioning pin (26) is disengaged from the hole (2a) of said work pallet (2); a clamping unit (14) for clamping said work pallet (2) to said base block (11), said clamping unit (14) including a clamp plate (18) movable between a clamping position where said clamp plate (18) clamps said work pallet (2) to said base block (11) and an unclamping position where said clamp plate (18) permits said work pallet (2) to move freely; an operating unit for simultaneously operating said positioning unit (15) and said clamping unit (14), said operating unit including an operation shaft (22) rotatably supported by said base block (11), a first connecting mechanism (29,30,26a) for operationally connecting said operation shaft (22) with said positioning pin (26) so as to cause the movement of said positioning pin (26) between said engaging and disengaging positions by a rotational movement of said operation shaft (22), and a second connecting mechanism (23,24,25) for operationally connecting said operation shaft (22) with said clamp plate (18) so as to cause the movement of said clamp plate (18) between said clamping and unclamping positions by the rotational movement of said operation shaft (22); and a manual operation lever (17) connected at one end of said operation shaft so that said operation shaft (22) is manually rotated between a first position where said positioning pin (26) and said clamp plate (18) are located at said engaging position and said clamping position, respectively, and a second position where said positioning pin (26) and said clamp plate (18) are located at said disengaging position and said unclamping position, respectively, characterized in that: said clamp plate (18) is provided with two rows of rollers (21) arranged along sides thereof in a direction in which said work pallet (2) is supplied, so that said work pallet (2) is movably supported by said rollers (21); said work pallet (2) is provided with two ribs (3a,4a) which are located between the upper surface of said base block (11) and the lower faces of the sides of said clamp plate (18), respectively; and that said ribs (3a,4a) are clamped against the upper surface of said base block (11) by the lower faces of the sides of said clamp plate (18) when said clamp plate (2) is at said clamping position, but the ribs (3a,4a) are movable in a space between the upper surfaces of said base block (11) and the lower faces of the sides of said clamp plate (18) when said clamp plate (18) is at said unclamping position. A pallet clamping device as claimed in Claim 1 further comprising a latch unit (16) for preventing a rebound of said work pallet (2) when said work pallet (2) is supplied onto said clamp plate (18), said latch unit (16) including a movable hook (32) supported by said base block (11) and movable between a latching position where said movable hook (32) is engaged with said work pallet (2) so as to prevent the rebound of said work pallet (2) and an unlatching position where said movable hook is disengaged from said work pallet. A pallet clamping device as claimed in Claim 2 wherein said work pallet (2) is abutted against said movable hook (32) when placed on said clamp plate (18) so that said movable hook (32) is moved from said unlatching to said latching position; and wherein said operating unit includes a second connecting mechanism (36,37) for operationally connecting said operation shaft (22) with said movable hook (32) so that said movable hook is moved from said latching position to said unlatching position when said manual operation lever (17) is manually rotated from said first position to said second position. A pallet-clamping device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said second connecting mechanism includes a cam (37) fixedly mounted on said operation shaft (22), and a push rod (36) movably disposed between said cam (37) and said movable hook (32), said cam (37) and said push rod (36) being arranged so that a pushing force is exerted upon said movable hook (32) to move it from said latching position to said unlatching position when operation lever (17) is manually rotated from said first position to said second position.

Inventors: SATAKE, EISHIN
Applicants: TSUDAKOMA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B23Q1
IPC codes: B23Q7, B23Q16, B23Q1