Tool changing – Tool transfer to or from matrix – Indexing matrix
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-04
2002-08-06
Wellington, A. L. (Department: 3722)
Tool changing
Tool transfer to or from matrix
Indexing matrix
C483S065000, C483S059000, C483S902000, C211S001560
Reexamination Certificate
active
06428454
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool pot separation type chain which is used to receive, in a tool pot thereof, an exchangeable tool to be used by a machining center and feed the exchangeable tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tool pot separation type chain provided for a tool magazine of a machine tool such as a machining center is conventionally known and disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publications Nos. Hei-2-27834 and Hei-5-93736. Particularly, the tool pot separation type chain disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei-5-93736 is shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
. Referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8
, the tool pot separation type chain includes a pair of link plates on which a pair of bearings of a small size are mounted, respectively, such that outer races of the bearings are moved in rolling contact on a guide rail provided for a tool magazine to carry an exchangeable tool with a reduced traveling resistance to the chain. In particular, the tool pot separation type chain
31
includes a plurality of pairs of inner and outer link plates
33
and
34
each having a tool pot receiving section in which a tool pot
32
for holding an exchangeable tool is removably accommodated. The link plates
33
and
34
in each two adjacent pairs are connected to each other by a connection pin
36
with a roller
35
disposed between the pair of inner link plates
33
,
33
. A receiving section center line a—a interconnecting the centers of the tool pot receiving sections of the link plates
33
and
34
coincides with a chain pitch line which is also denoted by a—a. A pin
37
extends between the link plates
33
and
34
in each pair in parallel to the connection pin
36
of the link plates
33
and
34
just below the tool pot receiving sections such that it projects outwardly from the link plates
33
and
34
. A pair of small bearings
38
are fitted on the pin
37
on the exterior side of the outer link plates
34
,
34
. Further, a guide rail
40
along which outer races
38
A of the bearings
38
roll is mounted on a tool magazine frame
39
, and also a pair of tool pot jumping-out preventing rails
41
A and
41
B are provided on the tool magazine frame
39
in an opposing relationship to the guide rail
40
so that the tool pot
32
may not come out of the tool pot receiving sections while they are fed.
In a tool carrying apparatus provided for a tool magazine, the traveling direction of a tool pot separation type chain is usually changed or reversed by a guide roller, a sprocket wheel, a guiding curved rail or the like in a circulating path thereof such that it travels in a vertical upward or downward direction, a horizontal direction, an oblique upward or downward direction or the like. Therefore, in the conventional tool pot separation type chain
31
described above, although a tool pot moves in rolling contact with the guide rail
40
through the outer races
38
A at a place where the tool pot separation type chain
31
travels horizontally on the guide rail
40
, at another place along which the tool pot travels horizontally on the tool pot jumping-out preventing rails
41
A and
41
B after it is reversed, the tool pot travels in sliding contact with the tool pot jumping-out preventing rails
41
A and
41
B. Consequently, in the tool pot separation type chain
31
, some tool pots always remain in sliding contact with the rails at some place along the path of circulation. As a result, the tool pot separation type chain
31
is acted upon by a high resistance to its traveling movement. Therefore, the conventional tool carrying apparatus is disadvantageous in terms of requirement for a high driving source, abrasion of a tool pot and a jumping-out preventing rail, and noise generated by a slip in sliding contact.
Further, in the tool pot separation type chain
31
, when it is tried to carry in and load or carry out and unload a tool pot
32
into or from the tool pot receiving sections of the link plates
33
and
34
by means of a gripper apparatus or the like at a tool pot loading/unloading position intermediate along a vertical portion of the path of circulation of the tool pot separation type chain
31
(refer to FIG.
6
), the tool pot
32
is slidably moved on a carrying in/out rail
18
which extends horizontally. Therefore, the conventional tool pot separation type chain
31
is disadvantageous in that the tool pot
32
is acted upon by high resistance to movement by the sliding contact and cannot be loaded or unloaded readily and besides a tool pot and the carrying in/out rail
18
suffer from abrasion.
The conventional tool pot separation type chain
31
is further disadvantageous in that, since the bearings
38
are mounted on the link plates
33
and
34
themselves, a great number of parts are required to mount the bearings
38
, and the size of the bearings
38
is limited from two factors of the magnitudes of the link plate and the tool pot and a bearing of a large size cannot be used for the bearings
38
. Furthermore, in the conventional tool pot separation type chain
31
, while it moves horizontally, the force for moving the weight of tools and the tool pot
32
is assigned to the chain, and the bearings
38
mounted on the chain support the overall weight. Further, also the tensile force upon movement is assigned to the chain. Consequently, the chain is acted upon by the two forces. Accordingly, the conventional tool pot separation type chain
31
is liable to suffer from abrasion or elongation of the chain and is disadvantageous in durability. Further, in the conventional tool pot separation type chain
31
, depending upon whether the chain which travels downwardly in the tool magazine thereafter changes its traveling direction upwardly around a lower corner portion or the chain which travels upwardly thereafter changes its traveling direction downwardly around an upper corner portion, the radii of curvature of rails which may be provided at such corners must be made different from each other. Further, a sprocket wheel meshes with the chain on the bearing side while another sprocket wheel meshes with the chain on the reverse side. Therefore, in order to prevent a pin for mounting a bearing from interfering with a link plate, sprocket wheels of different shapes are required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool pot separation type chain which minimizes a traveling resistance thereof during carrying of a tool pot to reduce the driving force, prevent abrasion of a tool pot and a rail and suppress generation of noise, and which facilitates a carrying in or carrying out operation of a tool pot at a tool pot loading/unloading position.
In order to attain the object described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a tool pot separation type chain for use in a tool magazine having a guide rail and a tool pot jumping-out preventing rail provided in an opposing relationship with each other along a circulating traveling path of the chain. The chain comprises a tool pot, and a plurality of pairs of laterally aligned link plates each adjacent ones of which are connected to each other by a connection pin, each of the pairs of link plates having a tool pot receiving section for removably receiving therein the tool pot. The tool pot has at least one bearing mounted thereon, and the bearing has an outer race movable in rolling contact on the guide rail or the tool pot jumping-out preventing rail of the tool magazine.
In one preferred form of the present invention, the link plates each have a pair of grip fingers pivotally mounted thereon and disposed on opposite sides of the tool pot receiving section, and a spring member acting between the grip fingers and urging them toward each other so that the tool pot received in the tool pot receiving section is held by and between the grip fingers under a biasing force of the spring member.
It is preferable that the tool pot has an outer peripheral surface formed with two
Araki Kazuhiko
Oitaka Michio
Yokota Hiroshi
Cadugan Erica E
Dann Dorfman Herrell and Skillman, P.C.
Skillman Henry H.
Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
Wellington A. L.
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