Abstract:
The toggle lever clamp has a clamp housing coupled with a cylinder assembly. A piston assembly is movable within the cylinder assembly. A rod is coupled with the piston assembly. The rod extends into a cavity within the clamp housing. A toggle lever assembly is coupled at one end of the rod inside of the clamp housing. A sensor assembly is coupled with the clamp housing. The sensor assembly includes a pair of sensors or switches spaced from each other and positioned on a mounting plate. The mounting plate is slidably secured within the clamp housing. A sensor pickup is movably positioned on the rod so that the sensor pickup is multi-positionable on the rod to adjust the stroke of the toggle lever assembly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/678,215, filed on Aug. 1, 2012. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a toggle lever clamp and, a toggle lever clamp that includes a sensor assembly fastenerlessly held in place. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Various types of toggle lever clamps exist in the art. These toggle lever clamps generally include a sensor assembly that determines the position of the cylinder rod within the clamp housing to determine the position of the lever arm. Ordinarily, the sensor assemblies are secured in a slot in the housing via various types of fasteners such as screws, bolts, or the like. The utilization of fasteners such as screws or bolts enables the sensor assembly to be readily removed from the clamp housing. This enables replacement of the sensor assembly as well as the substitution of the sensor assembly for a different stroke of the lever arm. Additionally, these clamps include manual handles fixed in position with respect to the housing. Further, they include one piece drive shafts that endure high stress forces and are expensive to manufacture. 
         [0004]    While the toggle lever clamps perform satisfactorily for their intended purpose, designers strive to improve the art. A disadvantage of the prior art devices is that the castings include intricate designs to retain the sensor assemblies within the housing. Additionally, the removal of the sensor assembly from the housing provides an opportunity for debris to enter into the housing. Additionally, the sensor assembly seals a large slot in the clamp housing subjecting the housing to leakage. Further, manual handles protrude outwardly from the housing reducing the number of mounting positions. Also, there is only a coarse adjustment of the handle position, if any. 
         [0005]    The present disclosure provides the art with a toggle lever clamp that includes a sensor assembly that is fastenerlessly held in place by the housing and cylinder assembly. The present disclosure provides a sensor pickup that is movably positioned along the cylinder rod to adjust the stroke of the lever arm. The present disclosure reduces the housing opening size. The device has a simple design that enables a reduction in the complexity of the housing to retain the sensor assembly within the housing. The device provides a manual handle that enables fine adjustment, is movable from side to side on the housing and does not interference with the mounting position. The device provides a multi-piece shaft sinter bonded together to reduce cost. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    According to the present disclosure, the toggle lever clamp comprises a clamp housing coupled within a cylindrical assembly. A piston assembly is movable in the cylinder assembly. A rod is coupled with the piston assembly and extends into the clamp housing. A toggle lever assembly is coupled with an end of the rod in the clamp housing. A sensor assembly is coupled with the housing. The sensor assembly includes a pair of sensors spaced from one another and positioned on a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is slidably secured with the housing. A sensor pickup is movably positioned on the rod so that the sensor pickup is capable of multiple positions on the rod to adjust the stroke of the toggle lever assembly. The mounting plate is entirely covered by the housing. The sensor assembly is fixed in position by the connection of the clamp housing with the cylinder assembly. The sensor assembly is fastenerlessly held in position. The sensor pickup slides on the rod and includes a mechanism to lock the sensor pickup on the rod at a desired position. 
         [0007]    According to a second embodiment, a toggle lever clamp comprises a clamp housing coupled with a cylinder assembly. A piston assembly is movably positioned in the cylinder assembly. A rod is coupled with the piston assembly. The rod extends into the clamp housing. A toggle lever assembly is coupled with an end of the rod inside the clamp housing. A sensor assembly is coupled with the housing. The sensor assembly includes a pair of sensors spaced from one another and positioned on a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is slidably secured within the housing. The sensor assembly is fastenerlessly held in place by the housing and the cylinder assembly. The printed circuit board abuts against the cylinder assembly. Removal of the cylinder assembly from the housing enables the sensor assembly to be readily removed from the housing. 
         [0008]    According to a third embodiment, a toggle lever clamp comprises a clamp housing coupled with a cylinder assembly. A piston assembly is movably positioned in the cylinder assembly. A rod is coupled with the piston assembly and extends into the clamp housing. A sensor assembly is coupled with the housing. A toggle lever assembly is coupled with an end of the rod inside the clamp housing. The toggle assembly includes a manual actuating mechanism with a driver coupled with a first link. A second link is coupled with the first link and a rod end member. The rod end member is coupled with a third link which, in turn, is coupled with a drive shaft. A handle assembly is coupled with the manual actuating mechanism. The handle assembly includes a shaft member coupled with the driver to move the toggle mechanism. An adjustment device is coupled with the shaft member to adjust an angle of a handle lever with respect to the shaft member to enable a desired position of the handle lever for a user. 
         [0009]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the toggle lever clamp; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view with a housing half removed from the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the embodiment according to  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a view like  FIG. 3  with the cylinder rotated; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the toggle assembly; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the drive shaft; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the handle assembly. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section view of a second embodiment of the toggle lever clamp. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a cross-section view like  FIG. 8 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the toggle lever clamp. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0022]    A toggle lever clamp is illustrated and designated with the reference numeral  10 . The toggle lever clamp  10  includes a clamp housing  12  and a cylinder assembly  14 . A lever arm  16  extends from a drive shaft member  18  projecting from the clamping housing  12 . A sensor assembly  20  is associated with the clamp housing  12 . 
         [0023]    The clamp housing  12  includes a pair of housing halves  22  and  24 . As seen in  FIGS. 2-4 , the housing half  24  is removed. The housing halves  22  and  24  are of a clamshell design and are coupled with one another. The housing  24  includes an aperture  26  to enable the drive shaft member  18  to project outside of the clamp housing  12  and couple with the lever arm  16 . 
         [0024]    The housing halves  22  and  24  include a hollow cavity  28  between the halves. The hollow area or cavity  28  houses the toggle mechanism  30  that is coupled with the drive shaft mechanism  18 . The housing halves  22  and  24  include shelves  32  that receive the sensor assembly  20 . 
         [0025]    The cylinder assembly  14  includes a cylinder housing  36  that includes a hollow bore  38  that houses a piston assembly  40 . The piston assembly  40  moves up and down in the cylinder housing  36  to move a piston rod  42  in the clamp housing  12 . The piston rod  42  is couple at one end with the toggle mechanism  30 . 
         [0026]    The sensor assembly  20  includes a mounting plate  44  with a pair of sensors or target switches  46  and  48 . The sensor assembly  20  also includes a mechanism  50  to secure it with a wire harness that associates the sensor assembly  20  with a power source and a controller. The sensor assembly  20  also includes LEDs  52  that provides information of the sensor assembly  20 . The mounting plate  44  usually includes a printed circuit board and is substantially rectangular and flat. The mounting plate  44  is slid into the shelves  32  to maintain the mounting plate  44  within the clamp housing  12 . Additionally, the cylinder assembly cover  54  abuts the bottom of the mounting plate  44  to secure the sensor assembly  20  within the clamp housing  12 . Thus, there are no fasteners used to directly retain the sensor assembly  20  in the clamp housing  12 . The sensor assembly  20  is sandwiched by the clamp housing  12  and the cylinder assembly  14  to retain it in position. This enables ready removal of the sensor assembly  20  from the housing. Additionally, it eliminates a large slot to position the sensor assembly  20  within the clamp housing  12  which reduces the area to be sealed by the sensor assembly  20 . 
         [0027]    A sensor pickup  60  is secured to the rod  42 . The sensor pickup  60  includes a collar assembly  62  and a pickup  64 . The collar assembly  62  includes a fastener  66  that enables the collar portion  68  to be positioned in a multiplicity of positions along the rod  42 . Thus, since the sensor pickup  60  can be multi-positioned along the rod  42 , the stroke of the lever arm  16  can have multiple adjustments. The collar assembly  62  is adjusted via an aperture  70  in the housing half  24 . A tool is placed through the aperture to loosen and tighten the fastener  66 . A plug  72  is positioned in the aperture to keep debris from entering the cavity  28 . 
         [0028]    The toggle mechanism  30  includes a plurality of links positioned within the housing cavity  28 . The links provides for the rotation of the drive shaft member  18 . Additionally, the links provide for the adjustment of the drive shaft member  18  at a desired position. Also, the links enable the drive shaft member  18  to rotate between its opened (first) and clamped (second) position. 
         [0029]    Turning to  FIG. 5 , an exploded view of the toggle mechanism  30  is illustrated. The toggle mechanism  30  includes a rod end member  80  that includes a connection  81  to couple with the rod  42 . The rod end member  80  also includes a clevis  82  with a pair of ears including apertures to receive a pin  84 . The pin  84  includes a pair of bearings  86 , one each on each side of the clevis  82 . The bearings  86  ride in channels  88  in the housing halves  22 ,  24 . This enables the rod end member  80  to move linearly in the cavity  28 . 
         [0030]    A link  90  includes an aperture  91  that receives the pin  84 . The link  90  is coupled with the rod end member  80  in the clevis  82 . The link  90 , via aperture  93 , is also coupled with the drive shaft  18 . Thus, as the cylinder assembly  14  moves the rod  42  up and down, the linear movement of the rod end member  80  coupled with the drive shaft  18 , via the link  90 , rotates the drive shaft member  18  in the housing  12 . This, in turn, moves the lever arm  16  between an open and closed position. 
         [0031]    The toggle mechanism  30  is manually operated via the handle assembly  92 . The handle assembly  92  is coupled with a receiving mechanism  94 . The receiving member  94  is on each side of the housing  12 . Thus, the handle assembly  92  can be utilized on either side of the housing  12 . The receiving mechanism  94  is coupled with first link  96 . The first link  96  is coupled with a driven link  98  which is, in turn, secured via a pin  100  to the rod end member  80 . The manual adjusting toggle mechanism  30  includes a pair of first links  96  and driven links  98  positioned on each side of the rod end member  80 , as seen in  FIG. 5 . The links  96  are identical and are connected, via a hub  102 , that couples with the receiving mechanism  94 . The first links  96  also includes an aperture  104  that receives an ear  106  from the driven link  98 . Also, the driven link  98  includes an ear  108  that projects into an aperture  110  in the rod end member  80 . Thus, the toggle mechanism  30  can be manually operated to move the lever arm  16  between its open and closed position. 
         [0032]    By rotating handle assembly  92 , the first links  96  rotate which, in turn, moves the driven links  98  along with the rod end member  80  in the cavity  28 . The manual toggle mechanism  30  is capable of moving the lever arm  16  between an open and closed position via movement of the handle assembly  92 . 
         [0033]    The handle assembly  92  includes a handle lever  120  and an adjustment mechanism  122 . The adjustment mechanism  122  includes a coupling mechanism  124  that includes a socket  125  that couples the handle assembly  92  with the receiving mechanism  94 . The coupling mechanism  124  also includes a base  126  with a plurality of teeth  128 . A second member  130  includes a base  132  with a plurality of mating teeth  134 . The second member  130  includes a channel  136  to receive the handle lever  120 . The teeth  128 ,  134  enable the handle lever  120  to be finely positioned to accommodate the user. The teeth enable the handle lever  120  to be adjusted at approximately 7.5° increments per each movement between the teeth. A bolt  140  retains the handle assembly  92  together. 
         [0034]    The drive shaft  18  is formed from a plurality of hardened metal parts. The drive shaft  18  includes a pair of end member  150  that include a receiving member  152  to receive the lever arm  16 . A keying shaft  154 , with a plurality of faces, fits into mating apertures  156 , including receiving faces, in the end member  150  to receive the keying shaft  154 . Additionally, a spacer  158  is positioned between the end members  150 . Once the drive shaft  18  is positioned together, it is sinter bonded together to fuse the powered metal parts together. This reduces the costs of manufacturing the drive shaft  18 . Once together, the drive shaft  18  includes a clevis  160  that receives pin  162  that secures link  90  in the drive shaft clevis  160 . The drive shaft end members  150  include a cylindrical portion  164  that fits within bearings  166  in the housing  12  to enable smooth rotational movement of the drive shaft  18  in the housing  12 . 
         [0035]    Turning to  FIGS. 8-10 , a second embodiment is illustrated to adjust the stroke of the toggle clamp. The elements which are the same as previously discussed include the same reference numerals. 
         [0036]    Here, the piston rod  242  is hollow and includes a hollow bore  244 . The link  280  includes an extending rod portion  282  that extends into the bore  244 . The rod portion  282  includes a plurality of teeth  284  to enable adjustment of the link  280  with respect to the piston rod  242 . 
         [0037]    The sensor pickup  260  includes a collar portion  262  and a pickup  264 . The collar  262  includes an engagement mechanism  262 ,  266  that engages with the teeth  284  of the rod  282  to adjust the link  280  with respect to the piston rod  242 . The adjustment mechanism  266  includes a threaded collar  268  coupled with a ratchet pawl  270 . The threaded collar  268  generally has a hexagonal bore  272  to receive a tool  300  to adjust the mechanism  266 . The ratchet pawl  270  includes a spigot  274  which is secured in the bore  272 . Also, the ratchet pawl  270  includes teeth  276  that mesh with teeth  284  of the rod  282 . 
         [0038]    To adjust the link  280  with respect to the rod  242 , the tool  300  is inserted into a bore  302  when the pickup mechanism  260  is in a down position as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . The tool  300  is inserted into the hexagonal bore  272  to enable the collar  268  to be rotated in the collar portion  262 . As this occurs, the ratchet pawl  270  and teeth  276  disengage from the teeth  284  of the rod  282 . Thus, the link  280  can be manually manipulated by the handle mechanism  92  to adjust the link to its desired position. After that is done, the tool  300  is rotated in a reverse direction driving the ratchet pawl  270  back into engagement with the teeth  284  of the rod  282 . Thus, a different as well as multiple positions may be obtained for adjustment of the toggle clamp. 
         [0039]    The present disclosure has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alternations will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the present disclosure be construed to include all such alternations and modifications insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.