US1125905A - Mechanism independently controlling each feed. - Google Patents

Description

R T. HAZELTON.

MECHANISM INDEPENDBNTLY CONTROLLING EACH FEED.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1914.

1,125,905. Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

3 sums-SHEET 1.

. R. T. HAZELTON. MECHANISM INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLING EACH FEED.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 13, 1914.

1,125,905. Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 F'ecv. 4-,,

R. T. HAZELTON.

MECHANISM INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLING EACH FEED.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 13, 1914.

1 ,125,905. Patented Jan. 19, 1915.

' s SHEETS-SHEET 3.

He, IE. i,

- Eta-1H,

stra'rs P ROBERT '1. HAZELTON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CINCINNATI MILLING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MECHANISM IN DEPENDEN TLY CONTROLLING EACH FEED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 19315,

Application filed. July 13, 1914. Serial No. 850,698.

and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Mechanism Independently Controlling Each Feed, of which the following specification is a full disclosure.

This invention deals with improvements in the mechanism for eflecting, in any one of a. plurality of available directions, a relative movement between a tool-supporting member and a work-supporting member; and itproposes an organization whereby the motion in any of the directions may be reversed or stopped quite independently of the setting of the mechanism for producing motion in other directions; and whereby each control lever will invariably roduce thesame effect when in a given position and without being influenced or modified in its function by reason of the setting of any other lever designed to control other directions of movement.

Heretofore, it has been customary in one type of milling-machines to use an automatically-controlled dominating or master clutchmember which was located in a separate box and was actuated by any one of the three trip-devices respectively controlling thelvertical-feed of the knee, the cross-feed of the saddle and the longitudinal-feed ofthe table; thereby enabling the table to be moved in any one of three transverse directions. This reversing-clutch dominates the various branches of the propelling transmission and, to enable all of the branches (except the one in immediateuse) to be rendered temporarily inoperative, it has been necessary in such constructions to provide each branch of the propelling transmission with its own individual or secondary clutch. Thus, in case it should be desired to use the longitudinal feed, then the clutch individually controlling the transmission branch that extends to the table feed-screw will be brought into its operative position; and all the other clutches,

last-used individual clutch- (the longitudinal table feed clutch for example) and by error first throw the cross-feed clutch, then both clutches would be operating simultaneously and the table would have a compound or dlagonal movement and some damage might be done to the work or the machine under certain conditions.

In the case of another type of milling-machines, an independent reverser is used in the feed train, but the automatic tripping is done through a separate clutch for each individual feed, and not through the independent reverser. This gives rise to the disadvantage that, if the feed is thrown out by means of a dog, it cannot be rengaged so long as the dog is opposite the trip-plunger, unless the construction be considerably complicated by the use of some peculiar and more or less involved mechanism overcomingIthese difficulties.

i ow, a primary object of this invention is to create a new system or organization of a simple yet effective character, and which will wholly avoid the difliculties enumerated as to the abovementioned types of machines; so that regardless of the position of any other clutch, any given clutch will always produce a consistent efi'ect as to its particular feed, and so that no other clutch has any inflience over, or effect upon, that particular Another object is to utilize independently reversible branch-line transmissions for the table, saddle and knee, respectively, and to drive each branch-line from a distant prime mover by means of an irreversible trunkline transmission and to provide separate levers for automatically as well as manually controlling the direction of motion delivered by each branch-line.

Another object is to simplify the manipulation of milling-machines by so devising and arranging the lever or levers determining the direction of travel that the directions in which they slant will invariably correspond with the directions in which the table will be caused then to move, thus avoiding errors due to a confusion of the attendant. Thus if a feed-control lever be swung up, the table will feed upwardly, and conversely. So also, if he desires to cause the table to move in any given direction, and does not know which lever will produce that result, he needsonly attempt to pull showing one of each lever in the given direction withthe assurance that the only one yielding in that direction will cause the effect desired, whether the direction sought be to the right or left, or in or out, or up or down.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relations of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof; all as more completely outlined herein. H

To enable others skilled'in the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred form have been annexed as apart of this disclosure, and in' such drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine tool embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic lay-out exemplifying a concatenated series of gears forming a trunkline transmission through a feed-change mechanism and two branch-line transmissions determining the two directions of horizontal movement of the table. Fig. 3 is a similar lay-out of the knee-actuating branch-line transmission for controlling the vertical movement of the table. Fig. 4 is a vertical section longitudinal of the table rangements of motion-reversers for the table-screw. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the knee and a portion of the saddle, together with the means operable by hand, or automatically, for controlling the motion-reversers for the knee and saddle respectively. Fig. 6 is a vertical section partly in elevation showing further details of the aforesaid mechanism. Fig. 7 is a detail of a detent for definitely pos1- tioning the saddle controlling clutch. Fig. 8 is a detail of a detent for definitely positioning the kneecontrolling clutch. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the trip-mechanism for positioning the table-actuating clutch.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section through line 10-10 of Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a detail of the dog mechanism for operating the knee clutch. Fig. 12 is 'a detail of a control device.

It may at the outset be explained that this invention proposes a transmission system deriving motion from a suitable source and having asmany branch-line transmissions as there are directions in which a relative motion is to be effected between a toolsupportingmembe'r and a work-supporting member. Each of said branch-lines also or anti-clockwise as the case may be) the various possible arwith gear D embodies an individual motion-reverser so constructed and arranged as always to transmit motion in a given direction when shifted in the same way. That is to say, in each branch-line there are two members either one of which may be operatively connected with a third member with the effect that in the one case the motion will invariably be transmitted clockwise, and in the other case the motion will invariably be transmitted anti-clockwise. A characteristic of this system is also that the transmission system extending from the primemover to each branch-line motion-reverser is constituted entirely of uni-directional elements, 2'. 6., each transmission element in tervening between the prime-mover and the motion-reverser in each branch-line rotates invariably in the same direction (clockwise and it never suffers a reversal of'direction during a normal use of the machine. In the more improved aspect of this invention, the table-propelling transmission will be formed of a first, second and third branch-line, each including a motion-reverser, the first branch-line yielding the longitudinal feed, the second branch-line providing the crossfeed, and the third branch-line affording the vertical feed; and all these three branchlines will off-shoot from a uni-directional.

trunk-line that includes a feed-change mechanism and which derives motion from the prime-mover and irreversibly imparts motion to each of the three branch-lines.

The transmission including the feedchange gearing will now be described. In this illustrated embodiment, the trunk-line transmission may be said to extend from the fork or terminal-member 8 to the" various terminal-members at the junctions of the several branch-lines; the one raisin the knee, the other moving the saddle, an the third directly actuating the table. Thus, a pinlon d is keyed to the shaft 9. and meshes with the gear d which is keyed to the shaft d so as to drive it. Splined to this shaft are two shiftable gear-units d and d. The former carries the gears d and d, and the latter carries the gears d and d and the purpose of enabling these gear bearers to be shifted is to utilize one or another of said four gears for propelling or transmitting 9 which may be brought into mesh with gear D by a lateral movement of the unit 9, 'or similarly the gear 9 may be meshed Inasmuch as the unit 9 is splined-to a sleeve g, the latter will be r0- .motion is derived from one of these five gears. Thus, the gear-unit g carries a geartated at a rate dependent upon the character of the foregoing intermeshing; with theefi'ect thatgear 9 which is fast to the sleeve 9 will directly drive the gear G and indirectly the gear G at a correspondmg rate. The gear G3 and the sleeve 9 constltute terminal members, either of which may be brought into propelling relation with agear kwhich is splined to and therefore drlves the shaft If, This connection is effected on the one hand by the teeth of the gear G, and\ on the other hand by the clutch-teeth at the end of the sleeve 9 The shaft k is keyed to a gear it which permanently meshes with the gear H which is in the nature of a junction member for the branch-line leading directly to the table, on the one hand, and for the branch-lines leading to the saddle C and to the knee B, on the other hand.

Inasmuch as the members al and d enable four feed-changes to be made, and the member 9 introduces two other multipliers in serial relation with these changes, and

the member It also introduces two more multipliers in serial relation, it will therefore be evident that four times two times two, or sixteen difi'erent changes of. feed are rendered available for all the branch-lines i. e., for each of the three transverse directions in which the table may be fed. The table transmission in this embodiment includes an extension or sleeve 10 of the. gear H and a bevel gear 11 keyed thereon. Bevel 12 meshes with bevel 11 and is keyed to the gear-shaft 13 which typifies a connection actuating the bevel-gear 14 which is suitably journaled in the saddle of the machine. -This bevel 14 meshes with both the bevels R and L which are also journaled in the table-support C. A shiftable clutchmember T controls the direction of feed of the table by being interlocked either with the bevel R (to feed the table to the right) or with the bevel L (tofeed it to the left) 'since'it is splined to a sleeve 15 that is in turn splined to the shaft t which is translatedby the cooperation of its threads 18 with the nut 19 fixed to the table-support 'C. By means of-collars 17, the screw-shaft t is enabled to reciprocate.

The saddle branch-line transmission may be said to start with the junction-member or gear H which meshes with a pinion i that is splined tothe shaft 7' which extends cross-wise to the table-screw and is jourmaled in the knee so that as the saddle moves in and out, the pinion will preserve the driv ing connection by merely sliding on the shaft 7'. This shaft 1' has keyed to its other end a pinion-c which meshes with one of a pair of intermediate gears l and m which are journaled on a shaft n carried by the saddle. Gear l meshes directly with-a terminal gear I and gear m meshes indirectly through the idler o pivoted b shaft p with a companion terminal-gear These terminal gears I and O are loose on a transmission shaft 9 but either of them may be connected with it by means of a clutch-member S which thereby controls the direction of travel of the saddle. When clutch S is shifted to the right, it interlocks with gear 0 and thereupon it drives shaft g in a corresponding direction through its spline-connection therewith. This rotates gear 1' which then turns the idler u and causes the gear '0 to be turned. The saddle-screw s is thereby rotated.

The knee branch-line transmission embodies a pair of uni-directional gears U and D, the one of which is caused irreversibly to rotate in an opposite direction to the other. In the form illustrated, this is accomplished by a direct meshing of the gear U with the gear I and of the gear D with the gear 0. These gears U andD are coaxial with a stub-shaft 21 to which is splined a shiftable clutch-member K which may interlock either with gear D to execute a downward movement of the table (through the knee) or with gear U to yield an upward movement. This is done through the bevel 22 keyed to shaft 21 and meshing with gear 23 splined to shaft 24 which extends horizontally to a bevel 25 that meshes with the bevel 26 fast to the knee-screw K.

The means instrumental in shifting the various clutch-members T, S and K (for the table, saddle and knee, respectively,) into interlocking driven relation with the corresponding terminal members R to feed the table to the right, L to feed it to the left, I to feed it in, O to feed it out, U to feed it up or D to feed it down, will now be described. The trip mechanism for control-' ling the right and left movements .may be constructed in various ways. For example,

it may embody a rock shaft 30 (see Fi 10) which is pivotedly mounted in the saddle or table-support and carries a hand-lever 31 at the front side of thetable so that by swin ing the handle to the right the rock sha will turn clockwise, and co'nversely. The parts are so arranged that the directlon m which the handle is swung will indicate the- ,direction in which the table will be caused to feed. Thus, when handle 31 is swung to the right, the pin 32 eccentrically located on the rock-shaft 30, as shown by Fig. 9., will be thrown to the right, thereby shi ting the clutch T to the right through the intermediate roller or shoe 33. When the clutch T has been thrown to the right it will interlock with the bevel R (see Fig. 3) and the feed-screw t of the table will be caused to rotate in a direction effective to produce a right-handed feed of the table. This motion will'continue until the attendant manuv ally shifts the parts B so that it may conversely, or until they are automatically tripped, as will now be explained.

At an appropriate distance from the left hand end of the table is a dog 34 providing a contact surface 35 which will ultimately impact the contact surface 36 of a suitable trip-member of plunger 37, thereby shifting the position of the same, in this instance depressing it. This trip-member is suitably connected with the rock-shaft 30, as by" means of the circular rack 38 which meshes with the teeth 39 of the pinion 40 which is keyed to the rock-shaft 30 so as to turn the same anti-clockwise. The parts are so designed and constructed that under the positive action of the dog the clutch T will be thrown only so far as to bring it out of engagement with the bevel R, but not positively into engagement with the-bevel L; otherwise, should the clutch-teeth not match then fracture would result. In other words, the first portion of the throw has a positive movement and the final portion has an impositive movement which is produced by means of a wedge-pin 41 actuated'by the spring 42 so as to force the pin to a position on one side or the other of the cam-peak 43, as will be understood. This will reverse the direction of the table and cause it to feed to the left until the dog 44 brings its contact-surface 45 into coaction with the surface 46 of the plunger 37 whereupon the parts will be conversely shifted and the direction again reversed. A similar trip-mechanism may be used in connection with any other of the clutches, or an improved trip mechanism may be emloved, as will now be described preferably in connection with the other two directions of feed of the table.

The trip-mechanism for controlling the inward and dle, as well as the upward and downward movements of the knee, comprises a tripelement E, here assuming the form of an elongated rod, which is mounted on the knee be shifted longitudinally (to control vertical movements) or may be rotated to control inward and outward 'movements.

Pivotally supported by the knee to swing in a horizontal plane is a hand-lever J Should the attendant pull this lever outwardly or toward himself, then would the saddle be caused to travel toward the attendant through the following operation. The lever J is pivoted to a vertical rockshaft 50 which bears teeth 51- adjacent its upper end, and these teeth intermesh with rack-teeth 52 in a shaft 53 (see Fig. 6) which is journaled in the knee so as to shift longitudinally, and which carries an arm 54 terminating in a shoe 55 which rides, in the grooveof the clutch S so as to deteroutwardmovements of the sadmine the position thereof. When the lever J is pulled outwardly a similar motion would be produced in the shaft 53 thereby shifting the clutch S to the right, as seen by Fig. 2, and intermeshing with the gear 0 so as to due time, a dog or impact element 56 (see Fig. 5) will impact the contact surface 58 of the dog 57 with the result that the rockshaft E will be turned clockwise, as'indicated by the arrow 59 on Fig. 6, thereby translating the ring-shaft e to the left by means of the rack-teeth 60 so as to rotate the shaft 50 in the opposite that last mentioned with the result that the shoe 55 will movethe clutch S toward the gear I by a positive action and until the spring pressed detent 61 is enabled to complete the throw as will be seen from Fig. 7. The saddle will now feed inwardly or toward the column of the machine until the dog 56 impacts the dog 0 and rotates the rock-shaft E in a direction opposite to the arrows shown on Fig. the table and saddle will again feed outwardly.

The means for causing the table to be raised or lowered is tripped through the instrumentality of certain of the above mentioned parts. Namely, this means is controlled by a lever M which is fixed to the outer end of the shaft 62, which in turn is provided with gear-teeth 63 meshing. with the rack 64 on the shaft part 65 from which extends the arm 66 that carries a shoe 67 ridin in the groove of the clutch-member K. ow, when the handle M is raised the 'shoe 67 will move the clutch K to the left, as seen by Fig.3, thereby interlocking it with the gear U and causing the knee to raise. Ultimately the dog 68 ad ustably secured to the column will impact the head 69 of the trip-element E and shift it outwardly in the direction of the arrow 70 shown on Fig. 5, and this will cause the rock-shaft 63, as shown by Fig. 6, to be rotated in the direction of the arrow 71 throwing the handdirection from y feed the saddle outwardly. In 7 6 with the result that K to the right as seen by Fig. 3, and into interlocking engagement with the gear D thereby causing the table to feed down- A spring pressed detent pin 1), shown by Figs. 6 and 8, completes the throw of the parts, as will be understood. Now, as the knee descends, the dog a (see Fig. 5) will ultimately impact the head 69 and reverse the operations.

Having thus revealed this invention, I claim as new and desire to secure the following combination of elements, or equivalents thereof, by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A machine-tool organization combining a table; a frame-unit slidably supporting thereof; another frame-unit connected with said first frame-unit to provide for a relative movement therebetween in a direction transverse to the above mentioned movement of said table; a first branch-line transmission for longitudinallly moving said table and embodying a motion-reverser comprising a clutch-member shiftable into one position always effective to move said table to the right and shiftable into another position always effective to move said table to the left; a second branch-line transmission for transversely moving said table and also embodying a motion-reverser comprising a clutch-member shiftable into two positions each always effective transversely to move said table in a direction opposite to that of the other; a prime-mover; and a transmission system .for irreversibly transmitting motion from said prime-mover to each of said branch-line transmissions.

2. A machine-tool organization combining a column; a knee; a saddle; a table; a first branch-line transmission for effecting a relative movement between the knee and the column; a second branch-line transmission for moving the saddle relatively to the knee; a third branch-line transmission for moving the table relatively to the saddle; a prime-mover; transmission means for irreversibly driving each of said branch-line transmissions by motion derived from said prime-mover; a motion-reverser independently controlling each branch-line transmis sion and each elfective in a given position always to impart a given motion in this branch-line transmission; and means for independently operating each of said motion reversers.

3. A machine-tool organization combining a plurality of relatively movable frameunits; a transmission for feeding one of said frame-units and embodying a pair of coaxial gears; a clutch-element adapted to be interlocked with the one or the other of said gears; a second pair of co-axial gears directly meshing with said first pair; a clutchmember adapted to be interlocked with the one or the other gears of said second pair; and means for propelling another of said frame-units from said clutch-member.

4. A machine-tool organization of the nature disclosed combining a column; a knee; a ,saddle; a table; three branch-line transmissions; a prime-mover; transnnsslon means irreversibly imparting motion to each of said three branch-line transmissions; a first lever movablein a vertical plane; a motion reverser in the knee operating branch-line transmission controlled by said first lever whereby the knee will be elevated when said lever is raised and conversely; a second lever movable in a horizontal plane; a motion-reverser in the saddle operating transmission connected with said second lever whereby said saddle will be moved toward the column when the lever is shifted toward the column and conversely; a'third lever movable in a horizontal plane transversely to the second lever; and a motionreverser in the table operating transmission and connected with said third lever whereby the table will be fed to the right when said third lever is swung to the right and conversely.

5. A machine-tool organization combining a knee; a first lever pivotedly supported by the knee to swing about a vertical axis andhaving a hand-grip adjacent the front end of said knee whereby said hand-grip may be moved inwardly and outwardly with relation to the attendant; a second lever also pivoted to said knee but adapted to swing about a horizontal axis and having a handgrip also adjacent the front end of said knee adapted to be moved up and down; a first branch-line transmission embodying a motiont-reverser operable by said first lever to move said saddle when said first lever has been moved outward and conversely; a second branch-line transmission embodying a motion-reverser adapted to move said knee upward when said second lever has been swung upward and conversely; a primemover; and means for irreversibly imparting motion to each of said branch-line transmissions from said prime-mover.

i 6. A machine-tool organization combining a work-supporting member and a toolsupporting member ;'.a number of slidably connected frame-units intervening between said members to provide for relative movements therebetween in any one of three transverse directions, a first branch-line transmission for controlling the movement in one-of said transverse directions and emclutch-element shiftable into two positions each always effective to effect said relative movement in a direction opposite to that of the other; a third branch-linetransmission for causing a relative movement between said members in a direction at right angles to each of the above-mentioned movements and also embodying a motion-reverser comprising a clutch-element adapted when shifted into the same position always to cause the movement to take place in the same direction; a prime-mover; and a-transmission system for irreversibly transmittin motion from said prime-mover to each 0 said branch-line transmissions.

table to the right 7. A machine-tool organization combining a table; a first frame-unit slidably supporting said table to provide a longitudinal travel thereof; a second frame-unit conn cted with said first frame-unit to provide for a relative movement therebetween in a direction transverse to the above-mentioned movement of said table; a first branch-line transmission for longitudinally moving said table and embodying a motion-reverser comprising aclutch-member shiftable into one position always effective to move said and shiftable into another position always effective to move said table to the left; a hand-lever pivoted about an axis transverse to the length of the table and so connected with said clutch-member as to cause said table to travel to the right when said lever is swung to the right; a second branch-line transmission for transversely moving one of said frame-units relathe other and also embodying a tively to clutch-memmotion-reverser comprising a ber shiftable into a given position always effective to move said frame-unit transversely in a given direction; a primemover; another hand-lever pivoted about an axis parallel with the length of the table and adapted when swung in a'given direction to so shift said clutch-member as to move said frame-unit in the direction of said hand-lever; and a transmission system for irreversibly transmitting motion from said prime-mover to each of said branchline transmissions.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested to by the two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT T. HAZELTON.

Witnesses: 7

S01. Ems'rmn,

H. T. WILLIAMS.

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