Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Hook – hoistline – or grab type – Locking device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-24
2001-11-20
Cherry, Johnny D. (Department: 3652)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Hook, hoistline, or grab type
Locking device
C294S119100, C901S037000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318779
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a parallelly-gripping chuck for gripping a workpiece by a pair of jaw components which are opened and closed by the action of a fluid pressure.
PRIOR ART
Conventionally, a chuck used for gripping, carriage, and the like of various workpieces, in which a jaw member for gripping a workpiece is assembled to the chuck body so that the components of the jaw member are linearly opened and closed and the jaw member performs a gripping operation by a piston driven by an air pressure, disposed in a cylindrical hole in the body, is known.
The chuck of this kind is mounted and used in various industrial robots and the like. Recently, an occasion of gripping and carrying a precise and small part as a workpiece in a limited narrow space is increasing. In order to stably and safely grip and carry the workpiece, a small chuck which is suited to the size of the workpiece and work space becomes indispensable.
In the chuck, usually, a guide block for guiding the pair of components of the jaw so that the jaw components are opened and closed in parallel with each other is attached to an end of the chuck body by an attaching screw. It is, however, difficult to assure the space for the attaching screw. A technique (Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 3-44587) intended to solve the problem as shown in
FIG. 10
is known. In the technique, two thin-plate guide members
44
and
44
for guiding a jaw member
43
are in contact with recessed steps
42
and
42
formed on both side faces at an end of the chuck body
41
. The guide members
44
and
44
are attached to the body
41
by tightening screws
45
and
45
which penetrate in the thickness direction of the guide members
44
and
44
.
In the chuck of this type, the thickness of each of the guide members
44
and the body
41
can be reduced irrespective of the size of the tightening screws and their screw holes, so that the whole chuck can be made thinner. The chuck is therefore much smaller than conventional ones.
In the chuck, however, since the jaw member
43
is guided between the two guide members
44
and
44
, in order to stably and securely grip the workpiece, the guide members
44
and
44
have to be stably fixed by the tightening screws in consideration of the relative positional relation. It is necessary to check whether the guide members
44
and
44
are properly securely tightened at the time of assembly and maintenance of the chuck.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A technical subject of the invention is to provide a smaller chuck in which guide members for guiding a jaw member are easily assembled and maintained and which can stably guide a pair of jaw components.
Another technical subject of the invention is to provide a chuck capable of always stably and securely gripping a workpiece.
In order to achieve the above subject, according to a chuck of the invention, a pair of jaw components for gripping a workpiece are assembled to the chuck body so as to be linearly opened and closed via a single guide block.
The guide block integrally has: a block body of a substantially rectangular shape, having a first face on one side and a second face on the opposite side; a pair of guide walls which are formed integrally and symmetrically on a first face side of the block body, and extend in parallel with each other in the length direction of the block body, and between which the pair of jaw components are slidably fit; and at least one attaching wall which is integrally formed on a second face side of the block body and extends in the length direction of the block body. The attaching wall is attached to the chuck body by being in contact with the outer face of an end of the chuck body and being fixed by attaching screws.
In the chuck having the above construction, since the guide block for linearly guiding the pair of jaw components integrally has the block body, the guide walls, and the attaching wall and their relative positions are unchanged and have always a proper positional relation. Consequently, only by checking the state where the attaching wall is securely connected to the chuck body by the attaching screws, the gripping operation of the jaw components can be performed always stably and securely. A troublesome check of an assembly state of the guide member as conventionally performed can be omitted.
Since the attaching wall can be attached to the chuck body by screwing the attaching screws in the thickness direction of the attaching wall in a state where the attaching wall is in contact with the outer face of the chuck body, the attachment by using the attaching screws is very easy, and the thickness of the chuck body can be reduced irrespective of the size of the attaching screw and the like. The whole chuck can be therefore slimmed and miniaturized.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a step at least having a depth which is equal to a thickness of the attaching wall is formed on the outer face of the chuck body, and the attaching wall is fixed to the chuck body in a state where the attaching wall is fit in the step so as not to be projected from the outer face of the chuck body.
One attaching wall can be formed on one end in the width direction of the guide block or two attaching walls can be formed on both ends. When the number of the attaching wall is one, the step is formed on one of the outer faces of the chuck body. When the number of the attaching walls is two, two steps are formed on both outer faces of the chuck body.
When two each of the attaching walls and steps are formed, preferably, one of the two steps is formed to be slightly deeper than the other step, thereby forming an interval between two attaching walls slightly larger than a distance between the two steps. A gap between the step and the attaching wall is absorbed by a deflection of the step when each of the attaching walls is screwed to each of the steps.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the transforming means is a pair of levers. An intermediate portion of each of the levers is pivotally supported by the chuck body, one end of the lever is connected to the piston rod, the other end extends to a position between the pair of guide walls through a leading hole formed on the block body of the guide block, and the levers are connected to corresponding jaw components.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4607873 (1986-08-01), Nusbaumer et al.
patent: 4741568 (1988-05-01), Borcea et al.
patent: 4874194 (1989-10-01), Borcea et al.
patent: 4913481 (1990-04-01), Chin et al.
patent: 5529359 (1996-06-01), Borcea et al.
patent: 5595413 (1997-01-01), McGeachy et al.
patent: 0 170 103 (1986-02-01), None
patent: 0 208 827 (1987-01-01), None
patent: 0 293 153 (1988-11-01), None
patent: 2 322 116 (1998-08-01), None
Hanne Hiroshi
Ishibashi Koichiro
Cherry Johnny D.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
SMC Corporation
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