Patent ID: 8459625

Claim:
A vehicle body to conveyor carrier clamping device, comprising: a clamping linkage unit supported by a linkage base and adapted for attachment to a vehicle conveyor carrier, said clamping linkage unit including: clamping and unclamping contact levers pivotally coupled to a clamp arm, a pair of spaced actuator arms pivotally coupled to either side of a central linkage mounting arm that is suspended below a top plate of said linkage base, said actuator arms each including said clamping and unclamping contact levers and a connecting lever, and a locking arm pivotally coupled between a spaced pair of outward linkage mounting arms that are suspended below said top plate of said linkage base, said locking arm including a pair of spaced guide levers with guide slots for receiving a guide pin associated with respective connecting levers of said actuator arms, and a front engaging plate adapted to engage said clamp arm; a clamp arm associated with said clamping linkage unit, said clamp arm including a clamp bar adapted and positioned to contact a portion of a vehicle body when said clamping linkage unit is placed in a clamped position; and a clamping actuation assembly positioned below and along the path of said conveyor carrier, said clamping actuation assembly including at least a clamping unit and an unclamping unit, each of said clamping unit and unclamping unit having an actuator adapted to move a contactor thereof into displacing contact with a corresponding one of said clamping or unclamping contact levers of said clamping linkage unit as a conveyor carrier passes overhead; wherein upward displacement of said clamping contact levers of said clamping linkage by a corresponding clamping actuation assembly clamping unit causes an upward rotation of said actuator arm connecting lever, thereby causing a like rotation of said locking arm and said clamp arm and moving said clamp bar into securing contact with a portion of a vehicle body to be secured to said conveyor carrier; and wherein upward displacement of said unclamping contact levers of said clamping linkage by a corresponding clamping actuation assembly unclamping unit causes a downward rotation of said actuator arm connecting lever, thereby causing a like rotation of said locking arm and said clamp arm and moving said clamp bar away from a vehicle body to be secured to said conveyor carrier; whereby, said clamping linkage unit is selectively clamped or unclamped to secure said vehicle body to or release said vehicle body from said conveyor carrier.