Patent US3760958A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3760958A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Clamping tool changer mechanism and actuating mechanism for a machine tool
Assignee: Kearney and Trecker Corp
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Filing: 1972-05-22
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Granted: 1973-09-25
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Expires: 1992-05-22
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a tool changer mechanism operative to effect a bodily interchange of a pair of toolholders respectively mounted in spaced apart parallelism in an operating station and a storage station. To effect a tool interchange, a pair of independent and oppositely rotatable toolholder arms, are normally positioned in a vertical or substantially parallel parked position about a common parallel axis, between the horizontally spaced apart operating and storage stations respectively. Each of the toolholder arms is provided towards its opposite ends with inwardly or oppositely disposed semicircular openings movable toward one another into opposed or clamped tool encompassing relationship. The arms are interconnected to be controlled by a novel reversing mechanism to effect clockwise rotation of one arm simultaneously with effecting counterclockwise rotation of the other arm. By means of this arrangement, the inner and outer arms are initially rotated 90* in opposite directions to move the semicircular openings toward one another into a fully enclosed clamped position about the spaced apart toolholders carried in spaced apart parallelism in the operating station and storage station respectively. After urging the separate arms into fully enclosed gripping engagement with the spaced apart tools, a transverse cylinder is actuated to simultaneously move both oppositely clamped arms rectilinearly outward to extract the fully enclosed or clamped tools from the respective sockets. Next, with both arms still locked in enclosed tool engaging position, the entire assembly is rotated 180* to bodily interchange the positions of the enclosed tools relative to the spaced apart storage and operating stations. The assembly is then reversibly moved rectilineally inward to reinsert the now interchanged tools after which the reverse mechanism is again operated to reactuate the arms in independent reversed direction to return parked position.
Inventors
- 👤 E Lohneis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 09:28
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16H; F16H19/00; F16H19/02; F16H19/04; B; B23; B23Q; B23Q3/00; B23Q3/155; B23Q3/1552; B23Q3/1554; B23Q2003/155414; B23Q2003/155418; B23Q2003/155425; B23Q2003/155428; B23Q2003/155435; B23Q2003/155439; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S483/00; Y10S483/902; Y10T; Y10T483/00; Y10T483/17; Y10T483/1733; Y10T483/1748; Y10T483/1752; Y10T483/1755; Y10T483/1767
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
164 words
In a tool change mechanism for interchanging tools between a tool storage magazine and an operating station; a frame; a pair of independently journalled cooperatively disposed tool change arms carried by said frame; a first drive gear means carried by said frame; driven gear means connected to be engaged by said first drive gear means and being operative to transmit power to rotate said tool change arms in opposite directions in response to power from said first gear means; first shifting means connected to actuate said first drive gear means to effect opposite rotation of said tool change arms in a tool change cycle; a second drive gear means carried by said frame; second shifting means connected to actuate said second drive gear means for transmitting power to rotate said tool change arms in the same direction in a tool change cycle; and, means operable to engage said driven gear means to receive driving power from said first or second drive gear means respectively.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
164 words
In a tool change mechanism for interchanging tools between a tool storage magazine and an operating station; a frame; a pair of independently journalled cooperatively disposed tool change arms carried by said frame; a first drive gear means carried by said frame; driven gear means connected to be engaged by said first drive gear means and being operative to transmit power to rotate said tool change arms in opposite directions in response to power from said first gear means; first shifting means connected to actuate said first drive gear means to effect opposite rotation of said tool change arms in a tool change cycle; a second drive gear means carried by said frame; second shifting means connected to actuate said second drive gear means for transmitting power to rotate said tool change arms in the same direction in a tool change cycle; and, means operable to engage said driven gear means to receive driving power from said first or second drive gear means respectively.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
134 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said first drive gear means are carried by said frame in axially spaced relationship to said second drive gear means; axially extending guide means carried by said frame to define an axial path transverse to said axially spaced first and second drive gear means carried by said frame; and power operable shifting means connected to effect selective axial shifting movement of said driven gear means along said axially extending guide means for so positioning said driven gear means as to receive driving power from said first drive gear means in a position to transmit driving power or for so positioning said driven gear means as to receive driving power from said axially spaced second drive gear means in a position to transmit driving power.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
69 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said driven gear means for transmitting driving power to drive said tool change arms is selectively positionable relative to said first and second drive gear means for operating to transmit driving power for simultaneously rotating said tool change arms in opposite directions or for supplying unidirectional driving power for simultaneously rotating said tool change arms in the same direction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said driven gear means for transmitting driving power to drive said tool change arms is selectively positionable to transmit driving power.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
197 words
In a tool change mechanism for interchanging tools between a tool storage magazine and the operating work station of a machine tool; a frame; a pair of tool change arms carried by said frame for coordinate rotation about a concentric axis; a first drive gear means mounted in said frame; driven gear means engageable with said first drive gear means and connected with said tool change arms so that movement of said first drive gear means is connected to effect coordinate rotation of said concentrically journalled tool change arms in opposite directions; a first shifting means connected to move said first drive gear means for effecting opposite rotation of said tool change arms in a tool changing cycle; a second drive gear means mounted in said frame; a second shifting means connected to move said second drive gear means for moving said driven gear means, said tool change arms being connected to be driven in the same direction when said driven gear means are engaged to be driven by said second drive gear means; and, means operable to move said driven gear means into selective driven engagement with either said first or second drive gear means selectively.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
197 words
In a tool change mechanism for interchanging tools between a tool storage magazine and the operating work station of a machine tool; a frame; a pair of tool change arms carried by said frame for coordinate rotation about a concentric axis; a first drive gear means mounted in said frame; driven gear means engageable with said first drive gear means and connected with said tool change arms so that movement of said first drive gear means is connected to effect coordinate rotation of said concentrically journalled tool change arms in opposite directions; a first shifting means connected to move said first drive gear means for effecting opposite rotation of said tool change arms in a tool changing cycle; a second drive gear means mounted in said frame; a second shifting means connected to move said second drive gear means for moving said driven gear means, said tool change arms being connected to be driven in the same direction when said driven gear means are engaged to be driven by said second drive gear means; and, means operable to move said driven gear means into selective driven engagement with either said first or second drive gear means selectively.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said tool change arms are connected to be driven in opposite directions by engagement of said driven gear means with said first gear means for pivotally moving said tool change arms from disengaged parked position into clamped engagement with a tool to be interchanged.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
88 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said tool change arms are first pivoted into clamped engagement with a tool to be interchanged by engagement of said driven gear means with said first drive gear means; and, wherein said pivotally clamped tool change arms are connected to be driven in the same direction by engagement of said driven gear means with said second drive gear means for effecting a selective bodily interchanging movement of a tool carried in clamped engagement by said pivotally clamped arms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
210 words
In a machine tool change mechanism according to claim 5 wherein spaced apart tool receiving sockets are provided in said tool storage magazine and said machine opErating station and wherein said driven gear means includes a first and second gear respectively and individually connected to drive each one of said tool change arms; means associated with said driven gear means connected to transmit power from said first drive gear means for oppositely operating said first and second gear to effect rotation of said tool change arms into tool clamping engagement with a tool; and, third shiftable means connected to effect axial shifting movement of said clamped first and second gears including axial guide means adapted to meshingly engage said first and second gears to maintain said tool change arms in clamped engagement for retracting a clamped tool from its socket, said third shiftable means being operative to axially move said clamped gears from meshing engagement with said axial guide means into intermeshing clamped engagement with said second drive gear means for effecting an operative connection to rotate said first and second gears in the same direction for effecting rotation of said clamped tool change arms in the same direction for moving a retracted clamped tool in a selected lateral direction.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
195 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 5 wherein axial drive shaft means are journalled in said frame for axial shifting movement and for rotation about an axis transverse to said first and second drive gear means carried by said frame in axially spaced apart positions, said drive shaft means comprising separate axially extending concentrically journalled tubular drive shafts that are respectively adapted to support one of said concentrically journalled tool change arms; a power receiving gear carried by each of said concentrically journalled axially extending tubular drive shafts comprising said driven gear means; a third shifting gear means connected to effect axial shifting movement of said axial drive shaft means and said change arms for effecting like axial shifting movement of said power receiving gears relative to said axially spaced first and second drive gear means carried by said frame, whereby said power receiving gears are selectively engageable to transmit driving power in opposite directions to rotate said respective tubular shaft in like opposite directions and whereby said power receiving gears are selectively engageable with said second drive gear means to transmit power for rotating said tool change arms in the same direction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
114 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 5 wherein a pair of separate first and second gears are each respectively and independently connected to respectively rotate one of said cooperatively disposed pair of tool change arms; drive means are provided in said driven gear means in position to engage said first and second gears for supplying power to rotate said tool change arms into tool clamping engagement; and, means for shiftably moving said first and second gears to an axially spaced position for meshingly engaging said second drive gear means including axially extending gear means engageable with said first and second gears during shiftable movement for maintaining said arms in tool clamped engagement.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
144 words
In a tool change mechanism provided with a frame having a tool receiving socket; a pair of movable grips carried by said frame in open parked position relative to said tool receiving socket; a pair of gears operatively journalled in said frame and each connected to move one of said grips from parked position into coordinately forcible tool engaging clamped engagement with a tool in said receiving socket; a first gear rack including means operatively connectable to drive said gears in opposite directions to effect movement of said grips into clamped engagement upon rectilinear movement of said first gear rack in one direction; and, a second gear rack in an axially parallel spaced position adapted to simultaneously engage both of said gears and being rectilinearly movable to rotate both gears in the same direction fOr bodily moving said grips to an axially spaced position.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
144 words
In a tool change mechanism provided with a frame having a tool receiving socket; a pair of movable grips carried by said frame in open parked position relative to said tool receiving socket; a pair of gears operatively journalled in said frame and each connected to move one of said grips from parked position into coordinately forcible tool engaging clamped engagement with a tool in said receiving socket; a first gear rack including means operatively connectable to drive said gears in opposite directions to effect movement of said grips into clamped engagement upon rectilinear movement of said first gear rack in one direction; and, a second gear rack in an axially parallel spaced position adapted to simultaneously engage both of said gears and being rectilinearly movable to rotate both gears in the same direction fOr bodily moving said grips to an axially spaced position.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
59 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 11 including second gear drive means positioned to meshingly engage said gears upon axial positioning movement thereof by operation of said axially extending power operable drive means, said second gear drive means being actuatable to effect selective unidirectional rotation of said gears and said clamped grips to a selected spaced position.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
174 words
In a tool changing mechanism for a machine having a frame provided with a pair of spaced tool receiving stations; a pair of pivotal arms which are normally maintained in a pivotally open parked position to present opposed tool engaging ends; first power drive means including separate gears respectively and individually connected to rotate said pivotal arms in opposite directions for moving said tool engaging opposite ends from a parked position into coordinate forcible clamped engagement with a tool carried in one of said receiving stations; and second power drive means including separate gear means disposed to meshingly engage said gears to maintain said associated arms in a clamped position with said tool during axial movement to a spaced position, and an axially spaced power operable means disposed to meshingly engage both of said gears to maintain said pivotal arms in continued clamped engagement and being operable to simultaneously rotate both of said gears in the same direction for bodily moving said pivotal arms to transfer the clamped tool between spaced tool receiving stations.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
174 words
In a tool changing mechanism for a machine having a frame provided with a pair of spaced tool receiving stations; a pair of pivotal arms which are normally maintained in a pivotally open parked position to present opposed tool engaging ends; first power drive means including separate gears respectively and individually connected to rotate said pivotal arms in opposite directions for moving said tool engaging opposite ends from a parked position into coordinate forcible clamped engagement with a tool carried in one of said receiving stations; and second power drive means including separate gear means disposed to meshingly engage said gears to maintain said associated arms in a clamped position with said tool during axial movement to a spaced position, and an axially spaced power operable means disposed to meshingly engage both of said gears to maintain said pivotal arms in continued clamped engagement and being operable to simultaneously rotate both of said gears in the same direction for bodily moving said pivotal arms to transfer the clamped tool between spaced tool receiving stations.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
84 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 13 wherein said first power drive gear means selectively engage said separate gears to rotate them in opposite directions to effect rotation of said arms in corresponding directions; and, said second drive means include second power drive gear means positioned in an axially spaced relationship and operable to simultaneously engage both of said gears for maintaining them in continued clamped engagement and supplying driving power to simultaneously drive both of said gears in the same direction.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
239 words
In a tool change mechanism having a frame including tool receiving means; first axially movable tool holding means journalled in said frame and comprising a first rotatable gear mounted on an axially extending tubular drive shaft secured at its forward end to a clamp arm extending radially outward to present a tool grip; second axially movable tool holding means journalled in said frame and comprising a second gear journalled rearwardly of said first gear and mounted on an inner drive shaft journalled within said first tubular drive shaft and secured at its forward end to a second clamp arm extending radially outward to present a tool grip, said first and second radial clamp arms respectively extending in different radial directions in a parked position; first power operable means connectable to rotate said first and second gears in opposite clamping directions for rotating said first and second tool grips from parked position into clamped engagement with a tool carried in said tool receiving means; second power operable means connected to effect axially forward movement of said clamped gears including axially extending gear means intermeshing with said clamped gears as axially outward movement of said clamped tool arms extracts the clamped tool from said frame receiving means; and, third power operable means axially spaced and connected to simultaneously rotate said clamped gears in the same direction for rotating said clamped arms to effect bodily tool changing movement of a clamped tool.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
239 words
In a tool change mechanism having a frame including tool receiving means; first axially movable tool holding means journalled in said frame and comprising a first rotatable gear mounted on an axially extending tubular drive shaft secured at its forward end to a clamp arm extending radially outward to present a tool grip; second axially movable tool holding means journalled in said frame and comprising a second gear journalled rearwardly of said first gear and mounted on an inner drive shaft journalled within said first tubular drive shaft and secured at its forward end to a second clamp arm extending radially outward to present a tool grip, said first and second radial clamp arms respectively extending in different radial directions in a parked position; first power operable means connectable to rotate said first and second gears in opposite clamping directions for rotating said first and second tool grips from parked position into clamped engagement with a tool carried in said tool receiving means; second power operable means connected to effect axially forward movement of said clamped gears including axially extending gear means intermeshing with said clamped gears as axially outward movement of said clamped tool arms extracts the clamped tool from said frame receiving means; and, third power operable means axially spaced and connected to simultaneously rotate said clamped gears in the same direction for rotating said clamped arms to effect bodily tool changing movement of a clamped tool.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
111 words
In a tool change mechanism according to claim 15 wherein said first and second power operable means includes a pair of axially spaced transversely extending parallel and stationary piston rods and said third power operable means comprises an axially extending stationary piston rod laterally offset relative to said axially spaced stationary piston rods; each of said three power operable means comprise a separate hydraulic cylinder axially slidable along its associated piston rod relative to an associated stationary piston; and, power control of the respective pistons is provided by directing a flow of pressure fluid through a system of internal pressure directing ports and manifolds formed within the associated stationary piston rods.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3587873A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-09-24 | 1977-03-26 | 1977-09-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-09-24 | 1981-03-26 | 1981-09-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-09-24 | 1985-03-26 | 1985-09-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |