Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – Type of machine
Patent
1997-07-25
2000-02-22
Howell, Daniel W.
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
Type of machine
29 601, 2988808, 82106, 409131, 409165, 409199, 451399, B23B 700
Patent
active
060265493
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a crankpin phase indexing apparatus and a phase indexing method applied to a crankpin grinding machine for machining, for example, grinding or polishing, a crankpin of a crankshaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In this type of crankpin phase indexing apparatus, in general, two spindles are rotatably supported by a pair of head stocks, respectively, in axial alignment with each other, and chucks for holding journals on both ends of a crankshaft at locations spaced from the axis of the spindles are mounted to the inner ends of the respective spindles. Spindle driving motors are coupled to the pair of head stocks, respectively. As the spindles are rotated by the respective spindle driving motors, the crankshaft turns around its crankpin that is located in axial alignment with the spindles, whereby the outer peripheral surface of this crankpin can be subjected to machining such as grinding or polishing by means of a rotating grinding stone.
The crankpin phase indexing apparatus includes a phase indexing motor and a phase indexing shaft arranged in association with one of the chucks. As the phase indexing shaft is rotated for indexing by the phase indexing motor, the crankshaft rotates about the journals so that crankpins of the crankshaft, which have different phases, may be selectively set in the machining position and aligned with the axis of the spindles.
In such crankpin phase indexing apparatus, during phase indexing, the phase indexing shaft alone is rotated with the spindles stopped. During the machining operation, on the other hand, the phase indexing shaft is required to be rotated together with the spindles so that the phase indexing shaft is held in a fixed position in relation to the spindles.
To this end, in a conventional phase indexing apparatus, a complicated planetary gear mechanism is interposed between the phase indexing shaft and the spindle so that one of two modes, that is, either the phase indexing by means of the phase indexing shaft or the machining operation, may be selected through operation of the planetary gear mechanism, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-60623, for example.
The conventional phase indexing apparatus, however, has the problem that the apparatus is complicated in structure and is large in overall size, because the planetary gear mechanism includes numerous gears. Also, there is the problem that the manufacturing cost is high. In addition, since the gears in the planetary gear mechanism clatter or chatter, loud noise is produced, deteriorating the crankpin machining environment. Also, the machining accuracy is lowered due to wear of the gears, and maintenance such as lubrication of the gears is required.
When the crankshaft is replaced with one having a different crank arm length, the chucks are adjusted to change the distance between the axis of each spindle and the axis of the corresponding chuck. To permit the distance to be changed, a link coupling, for example, a Schmidt coupling (trade name) 201 shown in FIG. 11, is arranged between the spindle and the chuck.
The Schmidt coupling 201 comprises a driving coupling plate 202 aligned with the axis of the spindle for rotation together therewith, an intermediate coupling plate 203, and a driven coupling plate 204 aligned with the axis of the chuck for rotation together therewith. The intermediate coupling plate 203 is coupled at one side to the driving coupling plate 202 by links 205, and is coupled at the other side to the driven coupling plate 204 by links 206.
As shown in FIG. 12, the center .alpha. of the driving coupling plate 202 and the center .beta. of the driven coupling plate 204 coupled to the driving coupling plate 202 via the intermediate coupling plate 203 are located on a line .gamma., which extends in the direction in which the center distance .epsilon. between the axes of the spindle and the chuck may be increased or decreased.
Usually, in this Schmidt coupling 201, a minimum specified valu
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Imai Takashi
Kokaji Yukio
Makino Kunio
Uchida Hiroyuki
Harris Christopher P.
Hochberg D. Peter
Howell Daniel W.
Kirkman Christopher
Nippon Toyama Corporation
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