Patent Publication Number: US-2022226911-A1

Title: Rim drilling and milling machine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a rim drilling and milling machine, and more particularly to a rim drilling and milling machine that can firmly and stably clamp a wheel rim. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With reference to  FIGS. 8 and 8A , a conventional rim drilling and milling machine, such as a rim drilling and milling machine disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 10,610,989 B1, substantially has a base 91, a column 92, a turret 93, a saddle 94, a table 95, and a fixture unit 96. The column 92 is fixed on the base 91 and protrudes upwardly from the base 91. The turret 93 is vertically and slidably connected with the column 92. The saddle 94 is horizontally, linearly and slidably connected with the base 91. The table 95 is horizontally, linearly and slidably connected with the saddle 94 and has a sliding direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the saddle 94. The fixture unit 96 is fixed on the table 95 and has multiple radially arranged and slidable clamping seats 961 for clamping a wheel rim. 
     However, the conventional rim drilling and milling machine has the following shortcomings: 
     1. A distance L2 defined from a top of the fixture unit 96 to a bottom of the base 91 is around 1333 millimeters. When a wheel rim is clamped by the fixture unit 96, a distance L1 defined from a top of the wheel rim to the bottom of the base 91 is around 1650 millimeters. Consequently, the wheel rim is located too high from the ground, and it is difficult for a user to see a processing area of the wheel rim while operating the conventional rim drilling and milling machine. Therefore, it is inconvenient to operate the conventional rim drilling and milling machine. 
     2. A bottom of each one of the clamping seats 961 is an inclined surface 962. While the clamping seats 961 are sliding inwardly, the wheel rim can slide relative to the clamping seats 961 along the inclined surfaces 962 of the clamping seats 961 to abut against the claws 963 of the clamping seats 961. However, when drilling or processing the wheel rim by the conventional rim drilling and milling machine, the wheel rim is vibrated easily because the bottom of the wheel rim is held on the inclined surfaces 962 of the clamping seats 961. Consequently, the fixture unit 96 cannot firmly and stably clamp the wheel rim, which reduces the machining quality. 
     To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide a rim drilling and milling machine to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main objective of the invention is to provide a rim drilling and milling machine that can firmly and stably clamp a wheel rim, and the wheel rim can be clamped at a position for a user to easily see a processing area of the wheel rim. 
     The rim drilling and milling machine has a bottom base, a column, a turret, a saddle, a table, and a clamping unit. The column is fixed on the bottom base and protrudes upwardly from a top of the bottom base. The turret is connected with the column and is vertically and linearly slidable. The saddle is connected with the bottom base and is horizontally and linearly slidable. The table is horizontally, linearly and slidably connected with the saddle, and a sliding direction of the table is perpendicular to a sliding direction of the saddle. The clamping unit is fixed on a top of the table and has a clamping base and multiple clamping members. The clamping base is mounted on the table and has a center. The clamping members are arranged around the center of the clamping base at angular intervals, and are radially and slidably connected with the clamping base. Each one of the clamping members has at least one jaw. 
     Each one of the at least one jaw has a jaw body, a clamping groove recessed in a side of the jaw body facing the center of the clamping base, and an abutting protrusion. The jaw body of each one of the at least one jaw is formed on a top of the clamping member and protrudes upwardly. The clamping groove of each one of the at least one jaw has a top surface spaced from a top surface of the jaw body, a bottom surface spaced from the top surface of the clamping groove, and a side surface extending from an edge of the top surface of the clamping groove away from the center of the clamping base to an edge of the bottom surface of the clamping groove away from the center of the clamping base. 
     The abutting protrusion is formed between the top surface of the jaw body and the top surface of the clamping groove and extends from the side surface of the clamping groove toward the center of the clamping base. A distance defined from the bottom surface of the clamping groove of each of the at least one jaw of each one of the clamping members of the clamping unit to a bottom surface of the bottom base ranges from 850 millimeters to 1000 millimeters. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a rim drilling and milling machine in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 1 , wherein the bottom base, the column, the turret, and a saddle are omitted; 
         FIG. 4A  is a further enlarged perspective view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged front view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 1 , wherein the bottom base, the column, the turret, and a saddle are omitted; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged operational side view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 1  showing the clamp seats clamping a wheel rim, wherein the bottom base, the column, the turret, and a saddle are omitted; 
         FIG. 7  is an operational side view of the rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an operational side view of a conventional rim drilling and milling machine; and 
         FIG. 8A  is an enlarged view of the conventional rim drilling and milling machine in  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a rim drilling and milling machine in accordance with the present invention has a first axis X, a second axis Y, a third axis Z, a bottom base  10 , a column  20 , a turret  30 , a saddle  40 , a table  50 , and a clamping unit  60 . The first axis X, the second axis Y, and the third axis Z are perpendicular to one another, and the third axis Z is vertical and perpendicular to the horizontal plane. 
     The column  20  is fixed on the bottom base  10  and protrudes upwardly from the top of the bottom base  10 . The turret  30  is connected with the column  20  and is vertically and linearly slidable. A vertical rail unit  21  extending along the third axis Z is mounted between the column  20  and the turret  30  to drive the turret  30  to vertically slide relative to the column  20 . 
     The saddle  40  is connected with the bottom base  10  and is horizontally and linearly slidable along the first axis X. A first rail unit  15  is mounted between the bottom base  10  and the saddle  40  to drive the saddle  40  to slide relative to the bottom base  10  along the first axis X. The first rail unit  15  may be a lead screw device. 
     The table  50  is horizontally, linearly and slidably connected with the saddle  40  along the second axis Y and has a sliding direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the saddle  40 . A second rail unit  45  is mounted between the table  50  and the saddle  40  to drive the table  50  to slide relative to the saddle  40  along the second axis Y. The second rail unit  45  may be a lead screw device. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3, 4, 4A, and 5 , the clamping unit  60  is fixed on the table  50  and has a clamping base  61  and multiple clamping members  63 . The clamping base  61  is fixed on the table  50  and has a center  611 . The clamping base  61  is a cylinder and is fixed on a top of the table  50  by multiple bolts. The clamping members  63  are arranged around the center  611  of the clamping base  61  at angular intervals and are radially and slidably connected with the clamping base  61 . 
     In the embodiment, the clamping unit  60  has three clamping members  63  arranged around the center  611  of the clamping base  61  at equiangular intervals. Each one of the clamping members  63  is connected with the clamping base  61  by a sliding seat  615 . Each one of the sliding seats  615  is radially and slidably mounted in the clamping base  61  and drives a corresponding one of the clamping members  63  to radially slide relative to the clamping base  61 . The sliding seats  615  are connected with each other by a linkage unit such that the sliding seats  615  can be driven to radially slide relative to each other at the same time by the linkage unit. The linkage unit may be conventional, and the detailed description thereof is omitted. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4, 4A, and 5 , each one of the clamping members  63  has at least one jaw  64 . Each of the at least one jaw  64  has a jaw body  641 , a clamping groove  642 , and an abutting protrusion  646 . The jaw body  641  is formed on a top of the clamping member  63  and protrudes upwardly. The clamping groove  642  is recessed in a side of the jaw body  641  facing the center  611  of the clamping base  61  and extends away from the center  611  of the clamping base  61 . The clamping groove  642  has a top surface  643 , a bottom surface  644 , and a side surface  645 . The top surface  643  of the clamping groove  642  is spaced from a top surface of the jaw body  641 . The bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  is spaced from the top surface  643  of the clamping groove  642 . The bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  is a horizontal plane surface. The side surface  645  of the clamping groove  642  extends from an edge of the top surface  643  of the clamping groove  642  away from the center  611  of the clamping base  61  to an edge of the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  away from the center  611  of the clamping base  61 . 
     The clamping groove  642  further has a chamfer  647  extending obliquely and downwardly from an edge of the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  near the center  611  of the clamping base  61 . The abutting protrusion  646  is formed between the top surface of the jaw body  641  and the top surface  643  of the clamping groove  642  and extends from the side surface  645  of the clamping groove  642  toward the center  611  of the clamping base  61 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , a distance D1/D2 defined from the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  to a bottom surface of the bottom base  10  ranges from 850 millimeters to 1000 millimeters. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4, 4A, 5, and 6 , preferably, each one of the clamping members  63  has multiple jaws  64  arranged longitudinally at spaced intervals. The top surface of the jaw body  641  of one of two adjacent said jaws  64  of each one of the clamping members  63  near the center  611  of the clamping base  61  is lower than the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  of the other one of the two adjacent jaws  64  of each of the clamping members  63  away from the center  611  of the clamping base  61 . When a wheel rim  70  is clamped by the jaws  64  of the clamping members  63  arranged away from the center  611  of the clamping base  61 , the wheel rim  70  may not contact the jaws  64  of the clamping members  63  arranged near the center  611  of the clamping base  61 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the distance D1, D2 defined from the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  of each jaw  64  of each one of the clamping members  63  to the bottom surface of the bottom base  10  ranges from 850 millimeters to 1000 millimeters. The distance D1 defined from the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  of one of the jaws  64  away from the center  611  of the clamping base  61  of each one of the clamping members  63  to the bottom surface of the bottom base  10  is larger than the distance D2 defined from the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  of another one of the jaws  64  near the center  611  of the clamping base  61  of each one of the clamping members  63  to the bottom surface of the bottom base  10 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , because each jaw  64  has a clamping groove  642  and an abutting protrusion  646 , when the wheel rim  70  is clamped by the clamping unit  60 , a bottom flange  71  of the wheel rim  70  is mounted in the clamping grooves  642  of the jaws  64  of the clamping members  63 , and an external annular surface of the wheel rim  70  is abutted by the abutting protrusions  646  of the jaws  64  of the clamping members  63 . Thus, the wheel rim  70  can be firmly and stably clamped by the clamping unit  60 . In addition, because the bottom surfaces  644  of the clamping grooves  642  of the jaws  64  are horizontal plane surfaces, the bottom flange  71  of the wheel rim  70  can be stably held on the bottom surfaces  644  of the clamping grooves  642  to reduce the vibration of the wheel rim  70  during drilling or processing the wheel rim  70 . Accordingly, the processing quality can be enhanced. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 7 , the distance D1/D2 defined from the bottom surface  644  of the clamping groove  642  of each of the jaws  64  of each of the clamping members  63  to the bottom surface of the bottom base  10  ranges from 850 millimeters to 1000 millimeters. For example, if the distance D1 is 955 millimeters and a width of the wheel rim  70  is 317 millimeters, when the wheel rim  70  is clamped by the clamping unit  60 , a distance D3 defined from the top of the wheel rim  70  to the bottom surface of the bottom base  10  will be 1272 millimeters. 
     Therefore, the wheel rim  70  will not be located too high from the ground and will be located at a proper height for a user to easily see a processing area of the wheel rim  70 . The user can easily operate the rim drilling and milling machine of the present invention to drill or process the wheel rim  70 . With such arrangement, the rim drilling and milling machine in accordance with the present invention can firmly and stably clamp a wheel rim  70 . Vibration of the wheel rim  70  during drilling and processing can be reduced. The user can easily see the processing area of the wheel rim  70 . The operating convenience and the processing quality of the rim drilling and milling machine can be enhanced.