Automatic drill pointing machine with automatic drill locater system

Claim 2

In a machine tool wherein a workpiece has a predetermined angular orientation about an axis of said workpiece relative to a machining tool at the initiation of a machining operation and wherein said workpiece has an irregular peripheral contour about said axis with a predetermined portion of said contour being located at a predetermined angular position about said axis when said workpiece is disposed in said predetermined angular orientation, rotatable chuck means having a rotational axis and being adapted to receive and clamp said workpiece and to rotate said workpiece about said rotational axis when said workpiece is clamped therein, means for loading said workpiece in said chuck means at random angular orientations about said workpiece axis, drive means to rotate said chuck means, probe means for sensing said contour when said workpiece is clamped in said chuck means and for providing a first output signal when said predetermined contour portion is at said predetermined angular position and a second output signal when said predetermined contour portion is located at other than said predetermined angular position, and control means operatively coupled to said probe means and said drive means and responsive to said output signals for causing said drive means to rotate said chuck means until said predetermined contour portion is located at said predetermined angular position.

Claim 3

The machine tool set forth in claim 1 wherein said loading means comprises guide means to direct said workpiece into said chuck means during a loading operation along a loading axis aligned with said rotational axis of said chuck means and means for feeding individual workpieces to said guide means with said workpiece axis aligned with said loading axis and said workpiece at random angular orientations about said loading axis.

Claim 4

The machine tool set forth in claim 2 wherein said workpiece has a predetermined longitudinal position along said chuck rotational axis at the initiation of a machining operation, said control means includes switch means operable in a first state to actuate said drive means in response to said second signal and operable in a second state to inhibit actuation of said drive means, and means actuated by said loading means to switch said switch means to said first state when said workpiece is disposed in said predetermined longitudinal position.

Claim 5

The machine tool set forth in claim 1 wherein said workpiece is a fluted cutting tool and said predetermined contour portion is a flute of said cutting tool, and wherein said probe means comprises a movable probe member adapted to seat in said flute when said cutting tool is clamped in said chuck means, and transducer means responsive to motion of said probe member to develop said output signals.

Claim 6

The machine tool set forth in claim 4 wherein said probe means is mounted on said machine tool generally between said chuck means and said loading means with said probe member being movable to a location adjacent said loading axis, and wherein said probe means further comprises spring means urging said probe member in a first direction generally toward said loading axis to thereby move said probe member into contact with said cutting tool and cause said probe member to track in said flute while said cutting tool is being loaded in said chuck means, and wherein said transducer means is responsive to movement of said probe in an opposite direction to provide said second output signal if said probe moves out of said flute.

Claim 7

The machine tool set forth in claim 5 wherein said probe means further comprises an arm mounted for free swinging movement in a vertical plane about a horizontal pivot axis, said probe member is mounted on one end of said arm, said spring means is mounted in said probe means to pivot said arm and thereby move said probe member in said first direction into contact with said cutting tool, and wherein said transducer means comprises a proximity switch having a sensor mounted in said probe means so that said arm moves toward and away from said sensor and stop means adjustably mounted on said arm to move toward and away from said sensor so that said probe means provides said first signal when said stop means is disposed at a first predetermined gap with said sensor and provides said second signal when said stop is disposed at a second predetermined gap with said sensor.

Claim 8

The machine tool set forth in claim 4 wherein said loading means comprises guide means to direct said cutting tool into said chuck means during a loading operation along a loading axis aligned with said chuck rotational axis, and feeding means for feeding individual cutting tools to said guide means with said cutting tool axis aligned with said loading axis and said cutting tools at random angular orientations about said loading axis.

Claim 9

The machine tool set forth in claim 7 wherein said cutting tool has a predetermined longitudinal position along said chuck rotational axis at the initiation of a machining operation, said control means includes switch means operable in a first state to actuate said drive means in response to said second signal and operable in a second state to inhibit actuation of said drive means, and means actuated by said loading means to switch said switch means to said first state when said cutting tool is disposed in said predetermined longitudinal position.

Claim 10

The machine tool set forth in claim 7 wherein said machining tool is a grinding wheel, said machine tool is adapted to grind a point at one end of said cutting tool and wherein said chuck means is carried in a head rotatable about a head axis that is disposed at substantially a first included angle with said chuck rotational axis and disposed at substantially a second included angle with said loading axis substantially equal to said first angle.

Claim 11

THe machine tool set forth in claim 9 wherein said first and second included angles are on the order of 30 degrees.

Claim 12

The machine tool set forth in claim 9 wherein said drive means further comprises means to rotate said head about said head axis during a machining operation and wherein said control means is operatively coupled to said probe means and to said head rotating means to cause said head rotating means to rotate said head in response to said first output signal.

Claim 13

The machine tool set forth in claim 9 wherein said drive means comprises a hollow first drive shaft rotatable on said head axis, said head being drivingly connected to said first drive shaft for rotation thereby, said chuck means is rotatably mounted in said head with said chuck rotational axis at said first angle to said head axis, a second drive shaft also rotatable on said head axis and extending concentrically through said first drive shaft to said head, a sun gear fixedly mounted on said second shaft and disposed in said head, and a planet gear integral with said chuck means and meshed with said sun gear to rotate said chuck means.

Claim 14

The machine tool set forth in claim 12 wherein said drive means further comprises drive selection means operative in a first state to cause said first shaft to rotate and restrain rotation of said second shaft and operative in a second state to cause said second shaft to rotate and restrain rotation of said first shaft, and wherein said control means is operatively coupled to said drive selection means to actuate the same to its first state in response to said first output signal and to its second state in response to said second output signal.

Claim 15

The machine tool set forth in claim 13 wherein said drive selection means comprises a movable latch member, stop means drivingly connected to said first shaft to rotate therewith, said latch means being disposed on said machine tool to move into and out of engagement with said stop means, and actuating means operated in response to said output signals to move said latch means into and out of engagement with said stop means.

Claim 16

The machine tool set forth in claim 14 wherein said stop means is located at an angular position about said head rotational axis for engagement by said latch means when said chuck rotational axis is aligned with said loading axis.

Claim 17

The machine tool set forth in claim 15 wherein said stop means is mounted on a first ring member adapted to be driven, and wherein said drive selection means further comprises a second ring member keyed on said first shaft and drivingly connected to said first ring member through a lost motion connection.

Claim 18

The machine tool set forth in claim 13 further comprising means to open and close said chuck means and wherein said control means includes sequence controller means to sequentially cause said chuck means to open, cause said loading means to load a cutting tool into said chuck means, cause said chuck means to close, sense the angular orientation of said cutting tool about its axis, drive said second shaft to rotate said chuck means if said cutting tool is not in said predetermined angular orientation, terminate rotation of said chuck means when said cutting tool is in said predetermined angular orientation and then drive said first shaft to rotate said head.

Claim 19

A drill point grinding machine comprising a rotatable drive sleeve, a head body keyed on said sleeve for rotation therewith on a first axis, chuck means rotatably mounted in said head body eccentrically to said sleeve for rotation on a second axis, epicyclic gear means including a sun gear to rotate said chuck means, a drive shaft journalled in said sleeve to rotate on said first axis independently of said sleeve, said sun gear being fixedly mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, and means for driving said shaft and said sleeve independently of each other.

Claim 20

A drill point grinding machine comprising a rotatable drive sleeve, a head body keyed on said sleeve for rotation therewith on a first axis, chuck means rotatably mounted in said head body eccentrically to said sleeve for rotation on a second axis, epicyclic gear means including a sun gear to rotate said chuck means, a drive shaft journalled in said sleeve to rotate on said first axis independently of said sleeve, said sun gear being fixedly mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, and means for driving said shaft and said sleeve independently of each other.

Claim 21

The machine set forth in claim 18 wherein said chuck means includes a collet sleeve open at both ends and said sleeVe is mounted in said head with a longitudinal axis of said sleeve coincident with said second axis so that when a first drill is disposed in said collet sleeve, a second drill directed into one end of said collet sleeve will eject said first drill from the other end of said collet sleeve.

Claim 22

The machine set forth in claim 18 wherein said first and said second axes are disposed in first and second planes but said axes are neither parallel nor intersecting, and wherein said head includes means for adjusting said head on said sleeve in a direction radially of said first axis to thereby vary the separation between said first plane and said second plane.

Claim 23

The machine set forth in claim 18 wherein said drive means comprises stop means carried by said sleeve and latch means adapted to engage said stop means to restrain rotation of said sleeve.

Claim 24

The machine set forth in claim 21 wherein said latch means comprises a latch bar movable into and out of engagement with said stop means along a first direction, means mounting said latch bar for pivotal movement in a second direction generally perpendicular to said one direction when said latch bar is engaged with said stop means, and spring means engaging said latch bar to restrain pivotal movement in said second direction.

Claim 25

The machine set forth in claim 21 wherein said drive means further comprises an outer ring adapted to be driven and an inner ring keyed on said sleeve, said rings being concentric with each other and with said sleeve, said stop means being fixedly mounted on said outer ring for engagement by said latch means, and means drivingly connecting said first ring to said second ring comprising at least one pin fastened on one of said rings and riding in a slot in the other of said rings so that when said pin bottoms in one end of said slot said outer ring drives said inner ring and spring means interconnecting said rings to urge said pin toward said one end of said slot.

Claim 26

A drill pointing machine comprising a horizontal machine bed, a first pivotal slide plate mounted on said bed for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane about a first pivot axis, a second pivotal slide plate mounted on said first plate for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane about a second pivot axis, a grinding wheel mounted on one of said plates for comovement therewith and having a grinding face that moves through an arc during a grinding operation, a work head assembly mounted on said bed and having head means rotatably mounted therein for rotation on a generally horizontal axis, chuck means rotatably carried in said head means to rotate on a chuck axis disposed at substantially a first acute included angle to said head rotational axis, drill loading means mounted on said bed and adapted to deliver a drill to said chuck means along a loading axis aligned with said chuck rotational axis when said head means is at a first predetermined angular position about said head rotational axis, and wherein said work head assembly and said loading means are mounted on said bed so that said head rotational axis intersects said loading axis at substantially a second acute included angle substantially equal to said first included angle so that said head means may be rotated to said first predetermined angular position during a loading operation to receive a drill from said loading means and rotated to a second predetermined angular position at which said chuck rotational axis intersects said grinding wheel face during a grinding operation.

Claim 27

A drill pointing machine comprising a horizontal machine bed, a first pivotal slide plate mounted on said bed for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane about a first pivot axis, a second pivotal slide plate mounted on said first plate for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane about a second pivot axis, a grinding wheel mounted on one of said plates for comovement therewith and having a grinding face that moves through an arc during a grinding operation, a work head assembly mounted on said bed and having head means rotatably mounted therein for rotation on a generally horizontal axis, chuck means rotatably carried in said head means to rotate on a chuck axis disposed at substantially a first acute included angle to said head rotational axis, drill loading means mounted on said bed and adapted to deliver a drill to said chuck means along a loading axis aligned with said chuck rotational axis when said head means is at a first predetermined angular position about said head rotational axis, and wherein said work head assembly and said loading means are mounted on said bed so that said head rotational axis intersects said loading axis at substantially a second acute included angle substantially equal to said first included angle so that said head means may be rotated to said first predetermined angular position during a loading operation to receive a drill from said loading means and rotated to a second predetermined angular position at which said chuck rotational axis intersects said grinding wheel face during a grinding operation.

Claim 28

The machine set forth in claim 24 wherein said first and said second acute included angles are approximately 30*.

Claim 29

The machine set forth in claim 24 wherein said pivot axes of said first and said second plates are disposed in a vertical plane intersected by said chuck rotational axis when said head means is in said second predetermined angular position, and wherein said intersection of said vertical plane and said chuck rotational axis is substantially vertically aligned with the pivot axis of the other of said plates.

Claim 30

The machine set forth in claim 24 further comprising locater means including a probe adapted to engage said drill while said drill is being loaded in said chuck means, means urging said probe in a direction to cause said probe to track in a flute of said drill, transducer means responsive to motion of said probe to provide a first output signal when said probe is seated in said flute and a second output signal when said probe is engaged with a land of said drill, drive means to selectively rotate said chuck means and control means responsive to said first and second output signals to actuate said drive means in response to one of said output signals to rotate said chuck means and thereby rotate said drill and to actuate said drive means in response to the other output signal to terminate rotation of said drill.

Claim 31

The machine set forth in claim 27 wherein said probe is arranged and disposed to seat in said flute when said drill has a predetermined angular position about said chuck rotational axis required to present point faces of said drill to said grinding wheel face when said head means rotates to its second predetermined angular position and wherein said drill also has a predetermined position longitudinally in said chuck means required to present said point faces of said drill to said grinding wheel when said head means rotates to its second predetermined angular position, and wherein said control means further comprises second transducer means providing a third output signal when said drill is at said predetermined longitudinal position, and gate means operable upon occurrence of both said one output signal and said third output signal to actuate said drive means.

Claim 32

The machine set forth in claim 27 wherein said drive means comprises a rotatable drive sleeve, said head means is drivingly connected to said sleeve for rotation therewith on said head axis, epicyclic gear means including a sun gear to rotate said chuck means about its rotational axis, a drive shaft journalled in said sleeve to rotate on said head axis independently of said sleeve, said sun gear being drivingly connected to said shaft for rotation therewith, and means for driving said shaft independently of said sleeve to thereby rotate said chuck means in response to said one output signal.

Claim 33

The machine set forth in claim 29 further comprising second drive means to rotate said sleeve independently of said shaft and wherein said control means further comprises means responsive to said other output signal to actuate said second drive means and cause said sleeve to rotate.

Claim 34

The machine set forth in claim 30 further comprising means to open and close said chuck means and wherein said control means further comprises sequence controller means to cause said chuck means to open when said head means is in said first predetermined angular position, cause said loading means to load said drill into said chuck means, cause said chuck means to close, sense the angular position of said drill about said chuck rotational axis, drive said shaft to rotate said chuck means in response to said one output signal, terminate rotation of said shaft in response to said other output signal and then drive said sleeve to rotate said head means through its second predetermined angular position.

Claim 35

The machine set forth in claim 24 wherein said chuck means includes a collet sleeve open at both ends and said sleeve is mounted in said head means on said chuck rotational axis so that when said head means is at said first predetermined angular position and a first drill is disposed in said collet sleeve, a second drill directed into one end of said collet sleeve by said loading means ejects said first drill from the other end of said collet sleeve.