Patent ID: 6860669

Claim:
A clamping device of a system for adjusting the position of an adjustable member relative to a support assembly considered as fixed, said adjustable member having an axis and said support assembly including two uprights connected to each other by a connecting member, said two uprights being substantially parallel to each other, said adjustable member being disposed inside said two uprights of said support assembly so that said two uprights are substantially parallel to said axis of said adjustable member, and said position adjusting system being locked in a selected position by said clamping device having a clamping axis which is substantially perpendicular to said two uprights and to said axis of said adjustable member, said clamping device comprising: (a) a bracket including: (1) a base outside one of said two uprights, and (2) two tie-rods passing through said two uprights; (b) a closure and bearing member outside the other upright, said closure and bearing member connecting said two tie-rods with assembly means and bearing on an external face of said other upright; (c) an external clamping rod mounted on said base and coaxial with said clamping axis; (d) a locking assembly mounted on said external clamping rod; (e) an intermediate bearing member that is mounted on said external clamping rod and between said base of said bracket and said locking assembly and bears on an external face of said one upright situated on the same side as said base; and (f) an axial retention assembly for said locking assembly; (g) said axial retention assembly being mounted on and fixed to said external clamping rod and outside said locking assembly and being adjusted along said clamping axis so that in a locked position of said clamping device: (1) said locking assembly be as on an external face of said intermediate bearing member which is pushed against said external face of said one upright on the same side as said base; and (2) said locking assembly also pushes on an internal face of said axial retention assembly in order to pull on said external clamping rod which moves said bracket with said closure and bearing member which bears on and pushes back said external face of said other upright, thereby moving said two uprights toward each other to provide a required clamping.