Patent Publication Number: US-6698740-B1

Title: Power-actuated vise jaw

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to clamping equipment, and in particular to a power-actuated vise jaw, which cycles rapidly between open/retracted and closed/extended positions for workpiece loading and unloading. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     The prior art includes a wide variety of equipment and tools designed for clamping, gripping and securing various types of workpieces. For example, vises are available in various sizes and configurations for securing respective workpieces during manufacturing, fabricating, cutting, finishing, assembly and other operations requiring stability and secure positioning. A common prior art vise configuration includes fixed and movable jaws for engaging the workpiece and a threaded shaft mechanism for reciprocating the jaws when turned. Turning can be accomplished manually with a handle, or with a drive motor. 
     Certain types of manufacturing and fabrication operations involve repetitive steps whereby identical or similar parts are produced. For example, mass production manufacturing techniques typically utilize quantities of standardized components in the assembly of finished goods. The objectives of mass production manufacturing are generally to achieve efficiency, economy, consistency and quality through the effective application of modern manufacturing equipment and techniques. For example, “must-have” and “just-in-time” manufacturing management strategies are currently popular because of their potential for streamlining production by reducing labor costs and controlling inventory and equipment capital costs more efficiently. Manufacturers in general are under pressure to operate more efficiently by making more efficient use of labor, raw materials and tooling. In the current “global economy”, manufacturers are continually urged to operate more efficiently by doing “more with less”. 
     In machining, fabrication and assembly, commercial vises are in widespread use. Generally speaking, the applicable design objectives include secure clamping with a cost-effective device, fast unload/load cycling, operator safety and comfort, and efficient space utilization to accommodate assembly lines crowded with equipment and materials. Prior art vises, which operate manually with hand cranks, tend to be relatively inefficient in operation because operators must manually tighten and loosen the jaws on each individual workpiece for each load/unload cycle. Moreover, operators tend to become fatigued and can incur repetitive motion injuries. Such conditions tend to increase labor costs and reduce quality and consistency in mass production. 
     Power-driven vises have also been devised, but tend to be relatively complicated, expensive and/or inefficient from a cost point of view. Moreover, it may be difficult for a manufacturer to justify replacing equipment, such as production line vises, which operate satisfactorily, even if they are somewhat inefficient. Therefore, a retrofit solution, which retains the original equipment in place and adds a new component for greater efficiency and improved operation, has considerable appeal to many manufacturers, machine shops and other establishments which utilize vises in their operations. 
     Air compressors are commonly installed in manufacturing facilities. They provide the compressed air necessary for powering many tools and pieces of equipment. Therefore, driving a power-actuated vise jaw with compressed air is desirable because it would enable existing compressors and air distribution systems to be effectively utilized in many manufacturing facilities. 
     Heretofore there has not been available a power-actuated vise jaw with the advantages and features of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In the practice of the present invention, a power-actuated jaw is provided for a vise. The actuated jaw includes a housing adapted for mounting on the movable jaw of the existing vise after the original movable jaw contact member is removed. A force transfer mechanism is located generally within the housing and includes a sliding force transfer subassembly and a pivoting force transfer subassembly, which cumulatively transfer a longitudinal force from a linear actuator mounted on the housing to a transverse force, and finally to a longitudinal force advancing a movable contact member into engagement with a workpiece. The linear actuator can comprise a pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit mounted on the housing. The actuated jaw provides relatively fast load/unload cycles for workpieces. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an upper, front, right side perspective view of a vise with the power-actuated jaw embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 1 a  is an upper, front, right side perspective view of a prior art vise, showing the movable jaw contact member thereof in dashed lines being removed. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the vise with the actuated jaw, including a pressurized fluid (compressed air) source and a three-way valve for actuating the jaw. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the vise, particularly showing the actuated jaw in an open/retracted position. 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the vise, particularly showing the actuated jaw in an open/retracted position. 
     FIG. 5 is a vertical, cross-sectional view of the vise, taken generally along line  5 — 5  in FIG.  3  and showing the actuated jaw in an open/retracted position. 
     FIG. 6 is a vertical, cross-sectional view of the vise, taken generally along line  6 — 6  in FIG.  4  and showing the actuated jaw in a closed/extended position. 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a lower housing plate. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a housing mounting plate. 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a slide bar. 
     FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a push bar. 
     FIG. 11 a  is a rear elevational view of a workpiece contact member of the actuated jaw, which replaces the original movable jaw contact member. 
     FIG. 11 b  is a top plan view of the workpiece contact member. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     I. Introduction and Environment 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
     Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as oriented in FIG.  1 . The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the embodiment being described and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of a similar import. 
     Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference numeral  2  generally designates an actuated jaw embodying the present invention. Without limitation on the generality of useful applications of the actuated jaw  2 , it is shown retrofit on an existing vise  4  with original fixed and moveable jaws  6  and  8 , which include original jaw contact members  6   a ,  8   a . The original vise can comprise, for example, a type made by Kurt Manufacturing Company of Minneapolis, Minn. 55421. However, other manufacturers&#39; vises can also be retrofit with the actuated jaw  2  of the present invention. Moreover, a number of manufacturers produce vises which are similar to those made by Kurt Manufacturing Company and interchange parts therewith. The actuated jaw  2  of the present invention, therefore, can be configured for retrofit applications on a number of different vises with little or no modification. 
     The original movable jaw contact member  8   a  of the vise  4  is secured to the movable jaw  8  by a pair of mounting bolts  10  which, when removed, permit removal of the original movable jaw contact member  8   a  (FIG. 1 a ). The vise  4  includes a pair of rails  12  along which the movable jaw  8  is adapted for sliding towards and away from the fixed jaw  6 . Movement of the movable jaw  8  is controlled by a threaded rod  14  mounting a hand crank  16 . The fixed jaw  6  can be repositioned on the rails  12 , but generally remains stationary in a clamping operation. 
     The actuated jaw  2  generally comprises a housing  18 , a force transfer mechanism  20  and a linear actuator  22 . 
     II. Housing  18   
     The housing  18  includes first/upper and second/lower housing plates  24 ,  26 , which are positioned in generally parallel, spaced relation and form a housing receiver  28  therebetween, which generally contains the transfer mechanism  20 . The housing  18  includes a proximate/front end  32  positioned generally against the vise movable jaw  8 , a distal/back end  34 , and first and second sides  36 ,  38 . A housing extension  40  projects generally outwardly and forwardly from the proximate end  32  at the second side  38  and terminates at an extension end flange  42 , which amounts the linear actuator  22 . 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an inside face  30  of the lower housing plate  26 . The inside face of the upper housing plate  24  is similar. A slide bar channel  44  is open at the lower plate inside face  30  and extends in generally parallel relation to the housing ends  32 ,  34 . The channel  44  terminates at a roller receiver  46  located in proximity to the housing first side  36 . The plate inside face  30  is grooved for chip guards at  48  (first side chip guard  48   a ),  50  (distal end/second side chip guard  50   a ) and  52  (extension inner side chip guard  52   a ). 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a mounting plate  54  is located between the housing plates  24 ,  26 , and extends generally between the housing first side  36  and the extension  40  adjacent to the housing proximate end  32 . The mounting plate  54  receives a pair of Allen bolts  56 , which have the same bolt pattern as the mounting bolts  10  which secured the removed movable jaw plate  8   a . The bolts  56  are threaded into the existing receivers in the vise movable jaw  8 . 
     III. Force Transfer Mechanism  20   
     The force transfer mechanism  20  generally comprises a sliding force transfer subassembly  58  and a pivoting force transfer subassembly  60 . The sliding force subassembly  58  includes a pair of slide bars  62  (FIG.  9 ), each having first and second ends  62   a ,  62   b . The slide bars  62  are positioned in parallel, spaced relation within the housing receiver  28  and are longitudinally, slidably received in the slide bar channels  44  respectively. Multiple (e.g., four are shown) guide pins  64  are received at their ends in respective guide pin receivers  66  formed in the slide bars  62  (FIGS.  5  and  6 ). The pins  64  extend between the slide bars  62  across the housing receiver  28 . 
     The sliding force transfer subassembly also includes a pair of push bars  68 , each having proximate and distal edges  70 ,  72  (corresponding to the housing proximate and distal ends  32 ,  34  respectively) and first and second ends  74 ,  76  (FIG.  10 ). Multiple (e.g., four are shown) guide slots  78  are formed in the push bars  68  and extend generally diagonally across same. The push bars  68  are notched at  80  to receive the heads of the mounting bolts  56  and include recesses  82  at their respective first sides  74 . With the sliding force transfer subassembly  58  assembled, the push bars  68  are located inboard from the slide bars  62  with the guide pins  64  slidably received in respective guide slots  78 . Multiple first side roller bearings  84  are captured in the roller receivers  46  of the housing plates  24 ,  26 . The first side roller bearings  84  engage the push bars  68  within the recesses  82  thereof. A second side roller bearing  86  is captured in the housing plates  24 ,  26  adjacent to the housing distal end  34  in engagement with the push bar second sides  76 . The roller bearings  84 ,  86  facilitate extending and retracting the push bars  68 . 
     A jaw contact member  77  (FIGS. 1 a  and  1   b ) is mounted on the push bars  68  by recessed mounting screws  77   a . A guard  79  is mounted on the jaw contact member  77  and extends forwardly therefrom in protective, covering relation over a gap formed by extending the push bars  68 . 
     The pivoting force transfer subassembly  60  converts a linear fore-and-aft force from the linear actuator  22  to a transverse force applied to the slide bars  62 . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (movement arrows are shown in FIG.  4 ), a pivot arm  88  is pivotally mounted on the second/right side of the mounting plate  54  by a pivot pin  90 . The pivot arm  88  includes a proximate end  92  connected to an actuator linkage  94 , which in turn is connected to the linear actuator  22 . A crank distal end  96  is connected to slide linkage  98 , which in turn is connected to the slide bars  62  at their second/right ends  62   b.    
     IV. Linear Actuator  22   
     The linear actuator  22  can comprise any suitable device for applying a linear (i.e., fore-and-aft) force to the pivoting subassembly  60 . For example, a suitable pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit  102  is available from the Parker Hannifin Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio 44112. The piston-and-cylinder unit  102  mounts on the housing extension end flange  42  and is double-acting for powering both extension and retraction strokes. A pair of air supply lines  104  conveys compressed air to the respective ends of the piston-andcylinder unit  102  from a source  106  through a three-way valve  108 . The three-way valve  108  can comprise any suitable valve, and can be operated by a foot pedal, hand lever, electric switch connected to a solenoid-operated valve, programmable controller, etc. 
     Various other force application means can be utilized in place of the pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit  102 , such as a single-acting pneumatic cylinder with a spring return. Other examples include hydraulic and electric (e.g., solenoid) devices, which are well-known and commercially available. Still further, electric, pneumatic or hydraulic motors driving screw-threaded rods can be used. Moreover, a manual force application mechanism can be employed whereby an operator would move a lever or some other mechanism to push the slide bars  62  transversely. Still further, an actuator can be located at one side of the housing  18  and connected directly to the slide bars  62 , thus eliminating the pivoting subassembly linkage  60 . Further still, multiple actuated jaws could be ganged and actuated by a common linear actuator. 
     V. Installation and Operation 
     Installation of the actuated jaw  2  generally involves removing the existing movable jaw contact member  8 a by removing the mounting bolts  10 . The actuated jaw  2  is installed with its jaw contact member  77  removed, thereby providing access to the housing receiver  28 . The Allen bolts  56  are preferably already in place in the mounting plate  54  and align with the existing bolt pattern on the existing vise movable jaw  8 . The Allen bolts  56  can be tightened with a suitable Allen wrench socket inserted in the housing receiver  28 . The jaw contact member  77  can be installed with the screws  77   a , which extend through same and into the push bars  68 . The guard  79  is also installed and generally covers gaps formed at the top and the first/left side as the actuated jaw  2 . 
     The actuated jaw  2  can be utilized in conjunction with the vise crank  16  for fine/final and rough/initial positioning respectively. For example, repetitive machining generally involves relatively short, repetitive movements of the vise jaws to load and unload workpieces W. During initial setup, an operator typically advances the movable jaw  8  to within a half-inch or so of its final, closed position on the workpiece W, using the crank  16 . 
     With the actuated jaw  2  in its open/retracted position (FIGS.  3  and  5 ), the workpiece W is placed and the operator opens the valve  108 , extending the piston-and cylinder unit  102 , which advances the actuator linkage  94  and rotates the pivot arm  88  counterclockwise. The pivot arm  88  pushes the slide bars  62  to the left via the slide linkage  98 . It will be appreciated that the components of the pivoting assembly  60  are suitably pivotally interconnected to allow relative rotation therebetween, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The pivoting assembly  60  generally functions to convert a linear force in a first direction (fore-and-aft), imparted by the linear actuator  22 , to a transverse (side-to-side) force in a second direction. 
     The sliding subassembly  58  converts the transverse, second direction force from the pivoting subassembly  60  to a fore-and-aft first direction force which opens and closes the actuated jaw  2 . Thus, the cumulative action of the sliding and pivoting subassemblies  58 ,  60  is transferring the first direction force from the linear actuator  22  to another, parallel first direction force at the contact member  77 , with the subassemblies  58 ,  60  providing suitable leverage and mechanical advantage based on their geometries and ranges of movement. 
     Sliding the slide bars  62  to the left pushes the-guide pins  64  through the guide slots  78 , thereby pushing the push bars  68  rearwardly towards the fixed jaw  6  and closing a jaw opening  110  to capture the workpiece W. After the production operation on the workpiece W is performed, the operator again toggles the three-way valve  108  whereby the linear actuator  22  retracts, retracting the jaw contact member  77  through a reverse procedure from that described above. 
     It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.