JP7344544B2 - swing clamp - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a swing type clamp.

A conventional clamp of this type is described in Patent Document 1 below. The conventional technology is configured as follows.

The swing type clamp device described in Patent Document 1 includes a limit switch that detects a non-clamped state. This limit switch is arranged so that when the clamp rod reaches the retracted position, a detector constituting the limit switch is pushed into a trochanter guided by a cam.

Utility Model Publication No. 64-9718

The above conventional technology has the following problems.
If the clamp rod in the retracted position is accidentally rotated diagonally upward by an external force, such as a human hand, or if it comes into contact with a peripheral device and is rotated diagonally upward, or if it vibrates, the clamp rod There is a concern that the detector may be strongly pressed by the trochanter, which may damage the limit switch.

An object of the present invention is to provide a swing clamp having a configuration that can prevent damage to a release detection switch even if the swing arm in the release position moves inadvertently.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention configures a swing clamp as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, for example, as follows.

A swing clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 5, a piston 9 that is movable and hermetically inserted into a cylinder hole 5a formed in the housing 5, and a piston 9 that protrudes from the piston 9 toward the tip side. An output rod 10, a swing arm 15 whose base end 15a is rotatably connected to the distal end of the output rod 10 via a connecting pin 16, and a cam follower 17 attached to a side surface of the swing arm 15. , a cam member 18 disposed on the distal end side of the cam follower 17 and having a curved concave surface 18a for guiding the cam follower 17, the output rod 10 and the swing arm 15 are aligned in a straight line. a biasing means 20 for biasing the swing arm 15 in the direction; and a release detection switch 23 for detecting the released state of the swing arm 15, which are disposed on the side of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward. A release detection switch 23 is provided. When released, the detector 23a of the release detection switch 23 is operated on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 16, and the released state of the swing arm 15 is detected.

The swing clamp of the present invention has the following effects.
The connecting pin is the rotation axis on which the swing arm rotates, so even if the swing arm moves (rotates) inadvertently due to an external force while the swing arm is in the release position, the position of the connecting pin will remain unchanged. does not change. Therefore, even if the swing arm moves inadvertently, the detector of the release detection switch will not be pushed by the connecting pin, and damage to the release detection switch can be prevented.

In the swing clamp described above, the connecting pin 16 and the swing arm 15 may be fixed at the base end portion 15a.
According to this configuration, there is no play in the connection between the connection pin and the swing arm, so the operation of the release detection switch becomes more stable.

Further, the swing clamp includes a lock detection switch 24 for detecting the locked state of the swing arm 15, and an operation member 25 protruding from the side surface of the shaft end of the connection pin 16, and the lock detection switch 24 includes , is disposed on the side of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward, and is shifted from the release detection switch 23 in the axial direction of the connecting pin 16, and when driven to lock, the The lock state of the swing arm 15 may be detected by operating the detector 24a of the lock detection switch 24 with the operating member 25.
According to this configuration, in addition to the released state of the swing arm, the locked state can also be detected. Further, by providing the above-mentioned operating member, it becomes easier to arrange the release detection switch and the lock detection switch in the direction in which the connecting pin advances and retreats.

Further, in the swing clamp, the release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 may be arranged at positions sandwiching a movement route of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward.
According to this configuration, it becomes easy to arrange the release detection switch and the lock detection switch.

Further, the swing clamp described above includes a lock detection switch 24 that detects the locked state of the swing arm 15, and the lock detection switch 24 is arranged on the side of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward. When the swing arm 15 is driven to lock, the detector 24a of the lock detection switch 24 may be operated on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting pin 16 to detect the locked state of the swing arm 15.

According to the present invention, even if the swing arm in the release position moves inadvertently, damage to the release detection switch can be prevented.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional side view of a swing clamp in a released state. FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the swing clamp in a state in the middle of switching from a released state to a locked state. FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the swing clamp in a locked state. FIG. 4 is a view in the same released state as FIG. 1, and is a sectional view of the protective cover portion of the switch as viewed from the side. FIG. 5 is a diagram in the same intermediate state as FIG. 2, and is a sectional view of the protective cover portion of the switch as viewed from the side. FIG. 6 is a view in the same locked state as FIG. 3, and is a sectional view of the protective cover portion of the switch as viewed from the side. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 in which the stopper member is omitted in the swing clamp shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 of the swing clamp.

1 to 6 illustrate one embodiment of the invention. The swing clamp of this embodiment is used to fix the mold 1 to the base 2.

The configuration of a swing clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
A base plate 3 is attached to the upper surface of the end portion of the base plate 2, and a pair of left and right side walls 4 are erected on the upper surface of the base plate 3. For example, in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right side walls 4 are erected at intervals in the front and back directions of the paper. Since FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view, the side wall 4 on the back side is visible. A housing 5 is attached to the upper ends of the pair of left and right side walls 4. The housing 5 has an upper end wall 6, a body 7, and a lower end wall 8. A piston 9 is inserted into a cylinder hole 5a formed in the housing 5 in a manner that allows it to move forward and backward in a sealed manner. An output rod 10 is provided to protrude from the piston 9 toward the tip side. Pressure oil is supplied to and discharged from a release chamber 11 formed above the piston 9 through a release port 12 . Further, pressure oil is supplied to and discharged from a lock chamber 13 formed below the piston 9 through a lock port 14 . In this embodiment, the piston 9 and the output rod 10 are integrally molded from one material, but the piston 9 and the output rod 10 may be formed separately and then fixed and integrated. good.

A base end 15a of a swing arm 15 is rotatably connected to the distal end of the output rod 10 via a connecting pin 16. The swing arm 15 and the connecting pin 16 are fixed to each other at the base end 15a using fixing means such as a pin (not shown). A cam follower 17 is attached to the side surface of the swing arm 15. A cam member 18 having a curved concave surface 18a that guides an outer ring 17a of the cam follower 17 is fixed with a bolt 19 to the inner surface of the right side (front side in the drawing) of the pair of left and right side walls 4. Further, a holding spring 20 serving as a biasing means for biasing (pulling) the swing arm 15 in a direction in which the swing arm 15 and the output rod 10 are aligned is located on the left side of the pair of left and right side walls 4 (on the back side of the paper). is arranged between the side wall 4 of the output rod 10 and the output rod 10 . One end of the retaining spring 20 is attached to the side surface of the swing arm 15 opposite to the side to which the cam follower 17 is attached, and the other end of the retaining spring 20 is attached to the inner surface of the side wall 4.

Covers 21 are attached to the front surfaces of the pair of left and right side walls 4. This cover 21 is provided with a U-shaped notch 21a through which the rotating swing arm 15 passes. Further, a stopper member 22 that restricts the rotation range of the swing arm 15 is attached to the side wall 4.

The base plate 3, the base plate 2, and the mold 1 are provided with a U-shaped groove 3a, a groove 2a, and a groove 1a, respectively, into which the rotating swing arm 15 enters.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the swing clamp of this embodiment includes a release detection switch 23 that detects the released state of the swing arm 15, and a lock detection switch 24 that detects the locked state of the swing arm 15. .

The side wall 4 is provided with an elongated hole 4a extending in the forward and backward direction of the connecting pin 16 (=the forward and backward direction of the output rod), such that the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 protrudes to the outside of the side wall 4 from this elongated hole 4a. be done. Furthermore, an operating member 25 for operating the lock detection switch 24 is provided protruding from the side surface of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 .

The release detection switch 23 is arranged on one side of the axial end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward, and the lock detection switch 24 is arranged on the other side of the axial end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward. . In order to prevent the operation member 25 rotating together with the connection pin 16 from colliding with the release detection switch 23, the lock detection switch 24, which is operated by the operation member 25, is rotated against the release detection switch 23 in the axial direction of the connection pin 16. They are placed offset from each other. The release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 are covered with a protective cover 26. In this embodiment, the release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 are attached to the outer surface of the right side wall 4 (the front side in the drawing) of the pair of left and right side walls 4.

The swing clamp configured as described above operates as follows.
In the released state shown in FIG. 1, pressure oil in the lock chamber 13 is discharged from the lock port 14, and at the same time, pressure oil is supplied from the release port 12 to the release chamber 11. As a result, the output rod 10 is lowered, and when the output rod 10 is lowered, the cam follower 17 moves along the concave surface 18a of the cam member 18 against the urging force of the holding spring 20, and the swing arm 15 rotates forward. It will be in a moving state. At this time, the engaging portion 15b formed at the tip of the swing arm 15 is positioned away from the mold 1 to the side, and the mold 1 can be removed from the base 2.

When switching from the released state shown in FIG. 1 to the locked state shown in FIG. raise.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, due to the urging force of the holding spring 20, the swing arm 15 rotates rearward while rising, and is drawn into the mold 1 side. When the swing arm 15 hits the bottom surface 3a1 of the groove 3a provided in the base plate 3, the swing arm 15 stops rotating, and the swing arm 15 and the output rod 10 become almost in a straight line. Since the swing arm 15 and the connecting pin 16 are fixed to each other, the connecting pin 16 rotates together with the swing arm 15, and the operating member 25 protruding from the side surface of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 rotates as shown in FIG. facing up as shown.

When the output rod 10 further rises, the engaging part 15b of the swing arm 15 hits the lower surface of the mold 1, and the engaging part 15b pushes the mold 1 onto the base 2 by the force of the pressure oil supplied to the lock chamber 13. Press firmly from below. This locks the mold 1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the detector 24a of the lock detection switch 24 is operated by the operating member 25 (the operating member 25 hits the detector 24a), the lock detection switch 24 is turned from OFF to ON, and the swing The locked state of arm 15 is detected.

When switching from the locked state shown in FIG. 3 to the released state shown in FIG. lower it.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the engaging portion 15b of the swing arm 15 separates from the lower surface of the mold 1, and the cam follower 17 hits the concave surface 18a of the cam member 18. When the output rod 10 further descends, the cam follower 17 moves along the concave surface 18a of the cam member 18 against the urging force of the holding spring 20, and the swing arm 15 rotates forward while descending. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the engaging portion 15b of the swing arm 15 is positioned away from the mold 1 to the side, and the mold 1 can be removed from the base 2.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the detector 23a of the release detection switch 23 is operated by the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 16 (the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 16 hits the detector 23a), and the release detection switch 23 is operated by the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 16. changes from OFF to ON, and the released state of the swing arm 15 is detected.

As described above, the swing clamp of this embodiment includes the stopper member 22 that restricts the rotation range of the swing arm 15. Therefore, when the swing arm 15 is in the release position shown in FIG. 1, the swing arm 15 is prevented from inadvertently moving due to external force or the like. However, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the absence of the stopper member 22, the swing arm 15 moves (rotates) inadvertently due to external force or the like. Even if the swing arm 15 moves (rotates) inadvertently, the position of the connection pin 16 does not change because the connection pin 16 is a rotation axis for the swing arm 15 to rotate. Therefore, even if the swing arm 15 moves inadvertently, the detector 23a of the release detection switch 23 will not be pushed by the connecting pin 16, so that the release detection switch 23 is prevented from being damaged. Note that depending on the magnitude of the external force, the stopper member 22 may break. In this case, even if the swing arm 15 moves (rotates), the position of the connecting pin 16 does not change as described above, so damage to the release detection switch 23 is prevented.

The above embodiment can be modified as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in this embodiment, the release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 are arranged at positions sandwiching the movement route of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward. . Alternatively, the release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 may be arranged on the same side of the movement route of the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 that moves forward and backward.

The operating member 25 for operating the lock detection switch 24 may not be provided. In this case, the lock detection switch 24 is arranged lower than in this embodiment, for example in FIG. 6, so that the detector 24a of the lock detection switch 24 is operated on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting pin 16 . That is, similarly to the release detection switch 23, the lock state of the swing arm 15 may be detected by operating the detector 24a of the lock detection switch 24 on the outer peripheral surface of the connection pin 16. In this case, the swing arm 15 and the connecting pin 16 do not need to be fixed. Further, the lock detection switch 24 does not need to be disposed offset from the release detection switch 23 in the axial direction of the connecting pin 16.

In this embodiment, the release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 are attached to the outer surface of the right side wall 4 (the front side in the drawing) of the pair of left and right side walls 4. The release detection switch 23 and the lock detection switch 24 may be attached to the outer surface of the left side wall 4 (back side in the drawing) of the pair of left and right side walls 4. In this case, the shaft end of the connecting pin 16 is made to protrude to the outside of the side wall 4 on the left side (back side in the drawing) in accordance with the arrangement of the switches 23 and 24.

The fluid that operates the piston 9 may be compressed air (gas) instead of pressure oil (liquid). Although the piston 9 of this embodiment is a double-acting type, it may be a single-acting type such as a spring release type or a spring lock type.

The swing clamp of the present invention may be placed in an upside-down position, a horizontal position, or an oblique position, instead of being placed in the illustrated vertical position. Further, the use of the swing clamp is not limited to mold fixing.

Instead of being attached to the base 2, the swing clamp described above may be attached to a movable part of a transport mechanism such as a robot arm. In this case, the object to be clamped is not limited to a mold, but may be a tool, a pallet, or a workpiece. Furthermore, if the object to be clamped is large, the object to be clamped may be fixed by a plurality of swing clamps.

In addition, it is of course possible to make various other changes within the range that can be imagined by those skilled in the art.

5: Housing, 5a: Cylinder hole, 9: Piston, 10: Output rod, 15: Swing arm, 16: Connection pin, 17: Cam follower, 18: Cam member, 18a: Concave surface, 15a: Base end, 16: Connection Pin, 20: Holding spring (biasing means), 23: Release detection switch, 23a: Detector, 24: Lock detection switch, 24a: Detector, 25: Operation member

Claims (2)

a housing (5);
a piston (9) that is movable and hermetically inserted into a cylinder hole (5a) formed in the housing (5);
an output rod (10) protruding from the piston (9) toward the distal end;
a swing arm (15) whose base end (15a) is rotatably connected to the distal end of the output rod (10) via a connecting pin (16);
a cam follower (17) attached to a side surface of the swing arm (15);
a cam member (18) disposed on the distal side of the cam follower (17), the cam member (18) having a curved concave surface (18a) that guides the cam follower (17);
urging means (20) for urging the swing arm (15) in a direction in which the output rod (10) and the swing arm (15) are aligned;
a release detection switch (23) for detecting a released state of the swing arm (15), the release detection switch (23) being disposed on the side of the shaft end of the connecting pin (16) that moves forward and backward;
a lock detection switch (24) that detects a locked state of the swing arm (15);
an operating member (25) protruding from a side surface of the shaft end of the connecting pin (16);
Equipped with
The connecting pin (16) and the swing arm (15) are fixed at the base end (15a),
The lock detection switch (24) is located on the side of the shaft end of the connection pin (16) that moves forward and backward, and is shifted relative to the release detection switch (23) in the axial direction of the connection pin (16). It is located in
When the release detection switch (23) is driven to release, the detector (23a) of the release detection switch (23) is operated on the outer peripheral surface of the connection pin (16) to detect the release state of the swing arm (15) ;
When the lock is driven, the detector (24a) of the lock detection switch (24) is operated by the operating member (25), and the locked state of the swing arm (15) is detected;
swing clamp. The swing clamp according to claim 1 ,
The release detection switch (23) and the lock detection switch (24) are arranged at positions sandwiching a movement route of the shaft end of the connection pin (16) that moves forward and backward;
swing clamp.

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