JPH0216870Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a clamping device for clamping an object placed on a clamp stand with a clamp metal driven by a cylinder, and particularly relates to a clamp device that clamps an object placed on a clamp stand using a clamp metal driven by a cylinder. The present invention relates to measures for reducing the movement space when moving from a clamp position to a retracted position.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, for example, when assembling automobile body panels by welding, a clamp device equipped with a clamp metal that swings vertically between a clamp position and a retracted position by the expansion and contraction operation of a cylinder has been used. It is widely practiced to position and clamp a vehicle body panel on a clamp table and weld it by positioning the clamp metal of the clamp device at a clamp position.

As an example of the above-mentioned clamp device, conventionally, the clamp metal is moved far away from the clamping position to prevent the clamp metal from interfering with the movement of the clamped object (vehicle body panel) into and out of the clamp table. It is known that when the clamp metal is retracted, the clamp metal is once raised from the clamp position and then pulled downward.

(Problem that the invention aims to solve) However, with this conventional device, since the clamp metal is swung in the vertical direction, there is a large space for vertical movement of the clamp metal, making it difficult to install in places with small vertical space. It was hot.

The present invention was developed in view of the above, and its purpose is to move the clamp metal, which has started to retreat from the clamp position, from the clamp base while retracting the clamp metal in the direction of its retreat. On the other hand, by tilting the clamp in the lateral direction, the vertical movement space of the clamp metal can be reduced, so that the clamp device can be installed in a place with a small vertical space.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the solution means of the present invention is such that a clamp metal is swingably supported on a support member, and the support member is connected to a clamp on which an object to be clamped is placed. It is rotatably supported on the side surface of the stand via a rotating shaft extending in a direction substantially parallel to the rocking locus plane of the clamp metal.

The cylinder further includes a cylinder fixed to the support member and configured to move the clamp metal in a backward direction from a clamp position where the object to be clamped is clamped on the clamp table, a cam follower connected to a piston rod of the cylinder, and a cam follower connected to the cam follower. a cam surface that is shaped like an arc so as to gradually change its direction from below to the left, and rotates the support member around the rotation axis by contraction of the cylinder after the clamp metal is retracted from the clamp position; A cam plate having a cam plate is provided.

(Function) With the above configuration, in the present invention, when the cylinder is in the extended state, the clamp metal is positioned at the clamp position, and the object to be clamped is clamped on the clamp table. When the cylinder contracts from this state, the clamp metal retreats from the clamping position and the clamp on the object to be clamped is released. Thereafter, when the cylinder further contracts, the cam surface of the cam plate is provided in an arc shape so as to gradually change its direction from below to the left, so the support member is guided by the cam surface to engage the cam follower. Rotates around the rotation axis. As a result, the clamp metal recedes and tilts horizontally, that is, approximately vertically with respect to the swing trajectory plane, and reaches the retracted position.
Due to the tilting movement of the clamp as it retreats, the vertical movement space of the clamp becomes smaller.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

1 and 2 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automobile body assembly line, in which 1 is a clamping stand of a clamping device, on the top of which a car body panel W as an object to be clamped is placed. It is. A support member 2 made of a substantially L-shaped plate is attached to the side surface of the clamp base 1 via a horizontal rotating shaft 3 that extends in the horizontal direction, that is, in a direction substantially parallel to the swing locus plane of the clamp metal 8, which will be described later. It is rotatably supported in a vertical plane. Brackets 4, 4 are erected at the upper end of this support member 2, and these brackets 4, 4
A clamp arm 7 is swingably supported via a support shaft 5 and a link 6, and the end of the clamp arm 7 is attached to the vehicle body panel W on the clamp stand 1.
A clamp metal 8 is attached which presses and clamps the metal against the clamp base 1, and thus the clamp metal 8 is swingably supported by the support member 2.

On the other hand, an air cylinder 9 having a piston rod 9a projecting upward is integrally fixed to the outer end of the support member 2, and the rear end of the clamp arm 7 is connected to the tip of the piston rod 9a of the cylinder 9. When the cylinder 9 expands and contracts, the clamp arm 7 is linked around the support shaft 5 to swing the clamp 8, and when the cylinder 9 is extended from the contracted state, the clamp 8 is moved to the first position.
When the cylinder 9 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure and the cylinder 9 reaches a substantially extended end state, the clamp metal 8 is positioned at a clamp position where it presses and clamps the vehicle body panel W on the clamp base 1. On the other hand, when the cylinder 9 is contracted from its substantially extended end state, the clamp metal 8 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1 and moved in the backward direction from the clamp position.

Further, at the tip of the piston rod 9a of the cylinder 9, the upper ends of a pair of plate-shaped guide members 10, 10 are arranged to extend parallel to the piston rod 9a on both left and right sides of the piston rod 9a. connected. The lower ends of the guide members 10, 10 both extend toward the clamp base 1, and their tips are integrally connected by a connecting plate 12, and a guide roller 13 as a cam follower is installed in the center of the connecting plate 12. is rotatably supported by a horizontal rotating shaft 14. Therefore, the guide roller 13 is connected to the cylinder 9 via the connecting plate 12, the guide members 10, 10, and the connecting shaft 11.
The piston rod 9a is connected to the piston rod 9a.

Further, a cam plate 15 is attached to the side surface of the clamp table 1 at a position below the horizontal rotating shaft 3, and the cam plate 15 has cam surfaces 16a, 16a on the side surface that engage with the guide roller 13. A groove 16 is formed, and the cam groove 16 extends from one end 16b where the guide roller 13 is located when the cylinder 9 is in the extended end state to the guide roller 13 when the cylinder 9 is in the contracted end state, as shown in detail in FIG. As it moves toward the other end 16c where the roller 13 is located,
It is provided in an arc shape so as to gradually change direction from the bottom to the left. When the cylinder 9 contracts, the guide roller 13 rolls and is guided within the arc-shaped cam groove 16, thereby once retracting the clamp metal 8 from the clamping position and preventing the cylinder 9 from contracting thereafter. Therefore, the support member 2, cylinder 9, clamp arm 7, etc. are rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 about the horizontal rotation shaft 3, and the clamp metal 8 is tilted to the retracted position.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, 17 is the cylinder 9.
The guide plate 17 is a guide plate attached to the cylinder body 9b of the cylinder body 9b, and the guide plate 17 has a guide groove 1 that slides and guides the guide members 10, 10.
7a, 17a to restrict the deflection of the guide members 10, 10 due to the expansion and contraction movement of the cylinder 9.

Next, to explain the operation of the above embodiment,
When the clamp metal 8 of the clamp device is positioned at the retracted position, the cylinder 9 is in the contracted end state, and accordingly, the support member 2, the cylinder 9, the clamp arm 7, etc. are shown by imaginary lines in FIG. It is in a state of being tilted in the vertical direction.

From this state, when positioning the clamp metal 8 at the clamping position and clamping the vehicle body panel W onto the clamp base 1, place the vehicle body panel W on the clamp base 1.
After placing the cylinder 9, the cylinder 9 is extended. As the cylinder 9 extends, the clamp arm 7 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. . Simultaneously with this movement, as the cylinder 9 is extended, the guide roller 13 connected to the piston rod 9a via the connecting shaft 11 and the guide members 10, 10 moves in the cam groove 16 of the cam plate 15. It rolls while being guided by the surfaces 16a, 16a, and by the guiding action of the guide roller 13 by the cam groove 16, the support member 2, cylinder 9, clamp arm 7, etc.
Rotates counterclockwise. When the cylinder 9 reaches the substantially extended end state, the support member 2, cylinder 9, clamp arm 7, etc. stand up in the vertical direction, and the clamp metal 8 at the tip of the clamp arm 7 is positioned at the clamp position. Due to the positioning of the metal 8, the vehicle body panel W on the clamp base 1 is pressed by the clamp metal 8 and clamped to the clamp base 1.

On the other hand, when the clamp metal 8 is moved back from the clamped state to the retracted position to unclamp the vehicle body panel W on the clamp stand 1, the cylinder 9 is contracted. Along with this contraction movement of the cylinder 9, the clamp arm 7
rotates clockwise in FIG. 1, and the clamp metal 8 at its tip retreats from the clamp position,
The guide roller 13 is connected to the cam groove 1 of the cam plate 15.
6, the support member 2, cylinder 9, clamp arm 7, etc. rotate clockwise in FIG.
When the cylinder 9 reaches the contracted end state, the support member 2, cylinder 9, clamp arm 7, etc. are tilted to the tilted position, and the clamp metal is positioned to the retracted position, so that the body panel W is moved away from the clamp base 1. Unclamped.

Therefore, in this case, when the clamp metal 8 moves from the clamp position to the retracted position, the clamp metal 8 moves back and tilts laterally with respect to the retreating direction, so that the vertical direction of the clamp metal 8 when the clamp metal 8 is retracted is The moving space becomes extremely small, and therefore the clamping device can be installed in a place with small vertical space.

Further, when the clamp metal 8 is moved back from the clamp position to the retracted position, the clamp metal 8 is tilted by the rolling guidance of the guide roller 13 by the cam groove 16 of the cam plate 15, so that the clamp metal 8 is clamped by one cylinder 9. Both the backward movement and the tilting movement of the metal 8 can be performed, and the driving mechanism of the clamp device can be simplified.

In the above embodiment, when the cylinder 9 is contracted, the cylinder 9, the support member 2, etc. are rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. By bending the cylinder 9 to the right in FIG. 3, the cylinder 9, etc. may be rotated counterclockwise in FIG.
It may be selected as appropriate, taking into account the direction of loading and unloading.

Further, in the above embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to an automobile body assembly line has been described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to various other types of clamp devices.

(Effects of the invention) As described above, according to the clamp device of the invention,
By retracting the clamp metal from the clamping position and then tilting it laterally as the cylinder contracts, the vertical movement space for the clamp metal is small, and the vertical space is saved. The clamp device can be installed in a small space.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is an overall front view, Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a view of the cylinder etc. when the guide roller moves along the cam groove of the cam plate. It is an explanatory view showing a tilting operation. 1... Clamp base, 2... Support member, 3... Horizontal rotating shaft, 8... Clamp metal, 9... Cylinder,
9a... Piston rod, 13... Guide roller (cam follower), 15... Cam plate, 16...
...Cam groove, 16a...Cam surface, W...Vehicle body panel (object to be clamped).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A clamping device capable of retracting a clamp metal and simultaneously tilting it to a retracted position, wherein the clamp metal is swingably supported by a support member, and the support member is attached to a side surface of a clamp base on which an object to be clamped is placed. The clamp metal is rotatably supported via a rotating shaft extending in a direction substantially parallel to the rocking locus plane of the clamp metal, and is fixed to the support member to move the clamp metal in the backward direction from the clamping position. A cylinder, a cam follower connected to a piston rod of the cylinder, and a cam follower that engages with the cam follower and is provided in an arc shape so as to gradually change direction from below to the left, and retreat the clamp metal from the clamp position. A clamp device comprising: a cam plate having a cam surface that rotates the support member by subsequent contraction of the cylinder.