Pneumatic chuck

Abstract

The present invention provides a pneumatic chuck that can simply and stably connect a finger-shaped support portion to a chuck body portion and can safely and easily separate the finger-shaped support portion from the chuck body portion by manual operation. The pneumatic chuck comprises a finger-shaped support portion (2) having a pair of fingers (5, 5), a chuck body portion (3) having an operating mechanism (6) for opening and closing the fingers (5), and a connecting mechanism (4) for connecting the finger-shaped support portion to the chuck body portion in a detachable manner. The connecting mechanism comprises a connecting shaft extending from the finger-shaped support portion, a shaft insertion hole (44) formed in a main body (23) of the chuck body portion, a locking body (19) elastically locked to a locking surface (18a) of the connecting shaft when the connecting shaft is inserted into the shaft insertion hole, and a connection release member (70) for releasing the locking of the locking body to the locking surface by manual operation when the finger-shaped support portion is separated from the chuck body portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air chuck having a pair of fingers that can be opened and closed freely, and more particularly to an air chuck in which a finger support portion having the pair of fingers is detachably connected to a chuck body portion for opening and closing the fingers by a connecting mechanism. Background Art

[0002] For example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4, pneumatic chucks are known that utilize a connecting mechanism to detachably connect a finger support portion and a chuck body. The finger support portion includes a pair of freely openable and closable fingers, and the chuck body includes an operating mechanism for opening and closing the pair of fingers. This type of pneumatic chuck can handle a wide variety of workpieces by replacing the finger support portion to match the type of workpiece, resulting in high efficiency and economical efficiency.

[0003] However, since the connection mechanism of the pneumatic chucks disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is composed of an air cylinder and uses air to automatically replace the finger support portion, the structure is complex and requires the connection of air piping. Furthermore, there is a disadvantage that if the air supply is unavailable, such as during maintenance, the air cylinder cannot be actuated, and the finger support portion cannot be separated from the chuck body.

[0004] On the other hand, the air chuck disclosed in Patent Document 3 can manually attach and detach the finger support portion (workpiece chuck). However, since a manual operation member is attached in addition to the automatic connection mechanism using an air cylinder, the structure is more complicated.

[0005] On the other hand, the pneumatic chuck disclosed in Patent Document 4 is configured to connect the chuck body and the finger-shaped support portion in a manner that allows them to be assembled and disassembled manually by installing a pair of spring locks (Japanese: パチン㌠) on the outer side surface of the chuck body (main body) and engaging the spring locks with an engaging portion provided on the outer side surface of the finger-shaped support portion (guide member).

[0006] However, since the hook of the spring lock engages with the engaging portion of the guide member outside the pneumatic chuck, the hook or the engaging portion may be detached or damaged due to contact with surrounding members, making the connection state very unstable.

[0007] Prior art literature

[0008] Patent Literature

[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-289090

[0010] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-290392

[0011] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-41190

[0012] Patent Document 4: Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2576918 Summary of the Invention

[0013] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0014] The technical problem of the present invention is to enable a finger support portion and a chuck body portion to be simply and stably connected by a connection mechanism, and to enable the finger support portion and the chuck body portion to be safely and easily separated by a manually operated connection release member.

[0015] Technical solutions to problems

[0016] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the pneumatic chuck of the present invention has a finger-shaped member support portion, a chuck body portion and a connecting mechanism, the finger-shaped member support portion has a pair of fingers that can be opened and closed freely, the chuck body portion has an operating mechanism for opening and closing the pair of fingers, and the connecting mechanism connects the chuck body portion and the finger-shaped member support portion in a detachable manner.

[0017] The finger-shaped member support portion has two connecting shafts extending parallel to each other from the finger-shaped member support portion, and the connecting mechanism is respectively provided with two groups corresponding to the two connecting shafts, and each connecting mechanism has: a locking surface, which is formed on the connecting shaft; a shaft insertion hole, which is formed on the main body of the chuck body for inserting the connecting shaft; a locking body, which elastically locks with the locking surface of the connecting shaft when the connecting shaft is inserted into the shaft insertion hole and connects the connecting shaft to the chuck body; and a connection release member, which releases the locking of the locking body to the locking surface by manual operation when the finger-shaped member support portion is separated from the chuck body.

[0018] In the present invention, it is preferred that the connecting mechanism has at least one of the locking bodies, a pushing member and a pushing spring, at least one of the locking bodies is accommodated inside a locking body receiving hole formed in the hole wall of the shaft insertion hole in a manner that it can be freely displaced to a locking position locked with the locking surface of the connecting shaft and a non-locking position detached from the locking surface, the pushing member is freely displaced to a pushing position that pushes the locking body toward the locking position and a non-pushing position that does not push the locking body, and the pushing spring applies force to the pushing member toward the pushing position.

[0019] In this case, the locking body is a spherical body, the pushing member is cylindrical, and is arranged around the shaft insertion hole and the locking body in a manner that it can move forward and backward freely in the axial direction of the shaft insertion hole. A conical surface is formed on the inner surface of the pushing member, and the conical surface is configured to push the locking body toward the locking position when the pushing member advances toward the pushing position, and to release the pushing of the locking body when the pushing member retreats to the non-pushing position.

[0020] In the present invention, the uncoupling member displaces the pressing member toward the non-pressing position when separating the finger support portion from the chuck body.

[0021] In this case, it is preferred that the connection release member is mounted on the main body of the chuck body in a manner that it can be rotated from the outside, and has an abutment portion that abuts against the pushing member. When the connection release member is rotated toward the operating position, the abutment portion causes the pushing member to displace toward the non-pushing position. When the connection release member is rotated toward the non-operating position, the pushing spring causes the pushing member to displace toward the pushing position.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, the chuck body includes a locking body holding mechanism for holding the locking body displaced to a non-locking position at the non-locking position when the finger support portion is separated from the chuck body.

[0023] Preferably, the locking body retaining mechanism has a working rod that is freely displaced and embedded in the shaft insertion hole. When the finger-shaped member support portion is separated from the chuck body, the connecting shaft is pulled out from the shaft insertion hole. The working rod is displaced in the shaft insertion hole by the force of a working spring, abuts against the locking body in the non-locking position and retains the locking body in the non-locking position.

[0024] Effects of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, when the connecting shaft of the finger-shaped member support part is inserted into the shaft insertion hole of the chuck body part, the locking body provided in the shaft insertion hole is elastically locked with the locking surface of the connecting shaft, thereby simply and stably connecting the finger-shaped member support part and the chuck body part.

[0026] Furthermore, by manually operating the uncoupling member to release the locked state between the locking body and the locking surface, the finger support portion can be safely and easily separated from the chuck body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1This is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the air chuck of the present invention, showing a state in which the finger support portion and the chuck body are connected.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the air chuck with the finger support portion separated from the chuck body.

[0029] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the pneumatic chuck.

[0030] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of .

[0031] Figure 5 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the air chuck with a pair of fingers closed.

[0032] Figure 6 This is an enlarged view of the main parts in a state where the manual operating member is rotated to the operating position.

[0033] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing a state in the process of separating the finger support portion from the chuck body portion.

[0034] Figure 8 This is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of the air chuck of the present invention, showing a state in which the finger support portion and the chuck body are connected.

[0035] Figure 9 It is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment in a state where the finger support portion is separated from the chuck body.

[0036] Description of Reference Signs

[0037] 1A, 1B pneumatic chuck

[0038] 2 Finger support

[0039] 3 Chuck body

[0040] 4 Connection mechanism

[0041] 5 fingers

[0042] 6 Operating mechanism

[0043] 13 Connecting shaft

[0044] 18a Locking surface

[0045] 19 Fixed Body

[0046] 23 Subject

[0047] 44 Shaft insertion hole

[0048] 50 Fixing body receiving hole

[0049] 53 Pushing member

[0050] 53c cone

[0051] 54 Push spring

[0052] 70, 80 connection release member (manual operation member)

[0053] 71 locking body retaining mechanism

[0054] 73b contact portion DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Figure 1-Figure 7 A first embodiment of the pneumatic chuck of the present invention is shown, which includes a pneumatic chuck 1A having a finger-shaped member support portion 2 and a chuck body portion 3, wherein the finger-shaped member support portion 2 has a pair of fingers 5, 5 that can be opened and closed freely, and the chuck body portion 3 has an operating mechanism 6 for opening and closing the pair of fingers 5, 5 built in. The finger-shaped member support portion 2 and the chuck body portion 3 are connected to each other in a separable manner by a connecting mechanism 4.

[0056] In the following description, up, down, front, back, left, and right are Figure 1 direction shown.

[0057] The finger support portion 2 includes left and right elongated support rails 10 having a groove-shaped cross section. The pair of fingers 5 , 5 are openably and closably supported along the support rails 10 in guide grooves 11 formed on the upper surface of the support rails 10 .

[0058] The finger 5 has a substantially T-shaped front view and comprises a rectangular block-shaped base portion 5a and a rectangular block-shaped gripping portion 5b rising upward from the base portion 5a. The base portion 5a is slidably supported within the guide groove 11 of the support rail 10. A chuck attachment (not shown) is mounted on the gripping portion 5b, and a workpiece is gripped between the attachments.

[0059] The support rail 10 is provided with two sets of finger locking mechanisms 12, 12 for locking the pair of fingers 5, 5 so as not to be opened or closed when the finger support portion 2 is separated from the chuck body 3. Figure 3 and Figure 4 It can be seen that the two sets of finger-shaped locking mechanisms 12, 12 have the same structure as each other, and each has a locking shaft 13 corresponding to the pair of finger-shaped members 5, 5. The locking shaft 13 is moved to Figure 3The pair of fingers 5, 5 in the fully open position shown correspond to each other, with one being provided near one end and one being provided near the other end in the longitudinal direction of the support rail 10. Therefore, it can be said that the support rail 10 is provided with a pair of lock shafts 13, 13 corresponding to the pair of fingers 5, 5, respectively.

[0060] The locking shaft 13 has a cylindrical body 13a and a disc-shaped head 13b formed at the upper end (base end) of the body 13a. The diameter of the head 13b is larger than the diameter of the body 13a. In addition, the locking shaft 13 is inserted into the circular recess 10a formed on the upper surface of the support rail 10 in a state where the head 13b is fitted into the circular recess 10a formed on the upper surface of the support rail 10. The locking shaft 13 extends downward from the support rail 10 while passing through the support rail 10 and the guide member 14 fixed to the lower surface of the support rail 10 in a manner that allows for free movement up and down.

[0061] The guide member 14 is a circular container-shaped member, which has the function of guiding the up and down movement of the locking shaft 13 and serving as a spring seat. The locking spring 15 is sandwiched between the guide member 14 and the head 13b of the locking shaft 13 in a compressed state. The locking spring 15 is used to push the upper surface of the head 13b upward in the figure, that is, in the direction of the lower surface of the base 5a of the finger-shaped member 5, to always apply force to the locking shaft 13.

[0062] A locking protrusion 16 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the head portion 13b, and a locking recess 17 is formed on the lower surface of the base portion 5a of the finger 5, into which the locking protrusion 16 can be engaged. In the illustrated example, the locking protrusion 16 is in the shape of a truncated cone, and the locking recess 17 is in the shape of a conical hole, but the shapes of the locking protrusion 16 and the locking recess 17 may be other than these.

[0063] In addition, an annular locking recess 18 is formed at the lower end portion (front end portion) of the locking shaft 13. When the finger-shaped member support portion 2 and the chuck body portion 3 are connected by the connecting mechanism 4, as described in detail later, the locking body 19 of the connecting mechanism 4 is locked with the locking surface 18a of the locking recess 18, so that the locking shaft 13 compresses the locking spring 15 while displacing toward the bottom of the figure, that is, in the direction where the locking protrusion 16 of the head portion 13b is away from the locking recess 17 of the finger-shaped member 5.

[0064] The locking surface 18 a is an inclined surface that is inclined in a direction gradually away from the central axis of the lock shaft 13 toward the front end (lower end) of the lock shaft 13 , and is a conical surface in the example shown in the figure.

[0065] Since the finger lock mechanism 12 is constructed in this manner, Figure 3and Figure 4 As shown, when the finger-shaped member support portion 2 is connected to the chuck main body portion 3, the locking body 19 of the connecting mechanism 4 is locked with the locking surface 18a of the locking shaft 13, so that the locking shaft 13 is displaced to a position (unlocked position) where the locking protrusion 16 of the head portion 13b is away from the locking recess 17 of the finger-shaped member 5, so that the pair of finger-shaped members 5, 5 become in a state that can be opened and closed.

[0066] In addition, if Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, when the finger-shaped member support portion 2 is separated from the chuck body portion 3, the locking shaft 13 is pushed by the locking spring 15 and displaced to the position (locking position) where the locking protrusion 16 and the locking recess 17 are locked, so that the pair of finger-shaped members 5, 5 are locked in a state that cannot be opened or closed.

[0067] The chuck body 3 has a main body 23 in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the operating mechanism 6 for opening and closing the pair of finger-shaped members 5, 5 is provided in the center of the main body 23 in the left-right direction. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the operating mechanism 6 includes a set of cylinder devices 24 and two opening and closing levers 25 for transmitting the actions of the cylinder devices 24 to the pair of finger-shaped members 5, 5.

[0068] The cylinder device 24 includes a circular cylinder bore 26 extending vertically along the first axis L1 in the central portion of the main body 23. A short cylindrical lower plug 27 is airtightly mounted at the lower end of the cylinder bore 26 via a sealing member 27a. A short cylindrical upper plug 28 is airtightly mounted at the upper end of the cylinder bore 26 via a sealing member 28a. A piston chamber 29 is defined between the lower and upper plugs 27 and 28. An opening and closing piston 30 is slidably accommodated within the piston chamber 29 via a piston seal 30a.

[0069] Furthermore, the lower end of a cylindrical opening / closing rod 31 extending along the first axis L1 is integrally connected to the center portion of the upper surface of the opening / closing piston 30. The opening / closing rod 31 slidably and airtightly penetrates the upper plug 28 via a sealing member 31a. The upper end of the opening / closing rod 31 protrudes into a lever housing 32 formed in the upper portion of the main body 23. A plate-shaped support wall 31b is formed at the upper end of the opening / closing rod 31 for supporting the pair of opening / closing levers 25, 25.

[0070] Figure 3 The member marked with reference numeral 33 is an annular permanent magnet mounted on the opening and closing piston 30 and is a test object for position detection. Figure 1As shown, sensor mounting grooves 34 for mounting magnetic sensors (not shown) are formed on the front and rear surfaces (not shown) of the main body 23. The magnetic sensors mounted in the sensor mounting grooves 34 detect the permanent magnet 33, thereby detecting the operating position of the opening and closing piston 30. In this case, by mounting two magnetic sensors in the sensor mounting grooves 34, both the rising end and the falling end of the opening and closing piston 30 can be detected.

[0071] Return to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The piston chamber 29 is divided into a first pressure chamber 35 between the opening and closing piston 30 and the upper pin 28 and a second pressure chamber 36 between the opening and closing piston 30 and the lower pin 27. The first pressure chamber 35 is connected to a first port 37 (see FIG. 1 ) formed on the front surface of the main body 23 via a flow path (not shown) passing through the interior of the main body 23. Figure 1 ), the second pressure chamber 36 is communicated with a second port 38 (not shown) formed on the rear surface of the main body 23 via a through hole (not shown) passing through the interior of the main body 23.

[0072] Therefore, when Figure 3 When compressed air is supplied to the first pressure chamber 35 through the first port 37 and the second pressure chamber 36 is opened to the atmosphere through the second port, the opening and closing piston 30 and the opening and closing rod 31 are as follows: Figure 5 In addition, when the opening and closing piston 30 and the opening and closing rod 31 are lowered Figure 5 When compressed air is supplied to the second pressure chamber 36 through the second port and the first pressure chamber 35 is opened to the atmosphere through the first port 37, the opening and closing piston 30 and the opening and closing rod 31 are as follows: Figure 3 That rises.

[0073] The opening and closing lever 25 is an L-shaped component having a first arm 25a extending toward the rod side and a second arm 25b extending toward the finger-shaped member 5 side. The two opening and closing levers 25, 25 are arranged in a lever housing 32 at the upper end of the main body 23 in a left-right opposite manner with the first axis L1 clamped therebetween. The middle part of the first arm 25a and the second arm 25b of each opening and closing lever 25 is rotatably supported on the main body 23 by a lever shaft 39 extending in the front-rear direction of the main body 23.

[0074] A U-shaped notch 25c is formed at the front end of the first arm 25a of the opening and closing lever 25. An operating pin 40 engages in this notch 25c. The operating pin 40 is fixed to the support wall 31b at the upper end of the opening and closing rod 31. The support wall 31b is a plate-shaped wall. The operating pin 40 is attached to the support wall 31b in a direction parallel to the lever shaft 39, with one end and the other end of the operating pin 40 protruding toward the front and rear sides of the support wall 31b, respectively. The notch 25c of one opening and closing lever 25 engages with the operating pin 40 on the front side of the support wall 31b, while the notch 25c of the other opening and closing lever 25 engages with the operating pin 40 on the rear side of the support wall 31b.

[0075] In addition, at the front end of the second arm 25b of the opening and closing lever 25, there is formed an engaging cam 25d having an arc-shaped cam surface on the outer surface. The engaging cam 25d is engaged with the engaging recess 5c formed on the lower surface of the base portion 5a of the finger-shaped member 5 in a manner that allows it to swing freely and separate freely through the opening formed in the support rail 10.

[0076] Since the opening and closing lever 25 is constructed in this way, when Figure 3 and Figure 4 When the opening and closing piston 30 and the opening and closing rod 31 of the cylinder device 24 are lowered, Figure 5 As shown, by pulling down the front ends of the first arms 25a, 25a of the pair of opening and closing levers 25, 25 with the operating pin 40, the pair of opening and closing levers 25, 25 rotate in the direction in which the engaging cams 25d, 25d at the front ends of the second arms 25b, 25b approach each other, and the pair of finger-like members 5, 5 are closed.

[0077] In addition, when the pair of fingers 5, 5 are closed Figure 5 When the opening and closing piston 30 and the opening and closing rod 31 rise, Figure 3 As shown, the pair of opening and closing levers 25, 25 rotate in the direction in which the engaging cams 25d, 25d at the front ends of the second arms 25b, 25b are separated from each other, so that the pair of fingers 5, 5 are opened.

[0078] By such opening and closing operations of the fingers 5 , 5 , a workpiece is gripped or released between the fingers 5 , 5 .

[0079] The coupling mechanism 4 couples the finger support portion 2 and the chuck body 3 via the locking shaft 13. Two sets of coupling mechanisms 4, 4 corresponding to the pair of locking shafts 13, 13 are symmetrically arranged at left and right opposing positions of the main body 23, sandwiching the operating mechanism 6. Therefore, since the locking shaft 13 constitutes a portion of the coupling mechanism 4, it can be referred to as a "coupling shaft."

[0080] As in Figure 4 As shown in detail in the figure, the connecting mechanism 4 on one side has: the locking shaft 13, a circular shaft insertion hole 44 for inserting the locking shaft 13, a shaft locking mechanism 45 for displacing the locking shaft 13 to the non-locking position and locking the locking shaft 13 to the chuck body 3 when the locking shaft 13 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 44, a connection release member 70 for manually operating the locking body 19 locked with the locking shaft 13 to be able to be displaced to the non-locking position when the finger-shaped member support part 2 is separated from the chuck body 3, and a locking body holding mechanism 71 for holding the locking body 19 displaced to the non-locking position in the non-locking position after the finger-shaped member support part 2 is separated from the chuck body 3.

[0081] In order to form the shaft insertion hole 44, a circular through hole 47 extending along a second axis L2 parallel to the first axis L1 is formed in the main body 23, and a cylindrical sleeve 48 with a smaller diameter than the through hole 47 is inserted near the upper end of the through hole 47, and the shaft insertion hole 44 is formed inside the sleeve 48.

[0082] The sleeve 48 has a fixing flange 48a at its upper end. With the flange 48a locked to the upper surface of the main body 23, the sleeve 48 is clamped between a plate 49 fixed to the upper surface of the main body 23 and the main body 23, thereby being fixed in the through-hole 47. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the entrance portion of the shaft insertion hole 44 is tapered so as to gradually increase toward the entrance side, i.e., the upper end side of the sleeve 48.

[0083] A plurality of locking body receiving holes 50 opening to the hole wall of the shaft insertion hole 44 are formed in the sleeve 48, and the spherical locking body 19 is received inside each locking body receiving hole 50 in a manner that allows for free displacement between a locking position in which a part of the locking body 19 protrudes into the interior of the shaft insertion hole 44 and a non-locking position in which the locking body 19 does not protrude into the shaft insertion hole 44.

[0084] In the illustrated example, three locking body receiving holes 50 and three locking bodies 19 received in each locking body receiving hole 50 are arranged at intervals of 120 degrees around the second axis L2. However, the number of the locking bodies 19 and the locking body receiving holes 50 may be other numbers, for example, one or two, or four or more.

[0085] Furthermore, a cylindrical pressing member 53 is disposed between the outer circumference of the sleeve 48 and the inner circumference of the through-hole 47 so as to be freely displaceable along the sleeve 48 in the direction of the second axis L2. The pressing member 53 includes a small-diameter portion 53a at its base end (upper end) and a large-diameter portion 53b at its front end (lower end). The inner circumference of the small-diameter portion 53a slidably contacts the outer circumference of the sleeve 48, while the outer circumference of the large-diameter portion 53b slidably contacts the inner circumference of the through-hole 47. The diameter of the large-diameter portion 53b is larger than that of the small-diameter portion 53a.

[0086] A tapered surface 53c is formed on the inner surface of the pressing member 53, between the small-diameter portion 53a and the large-diameter portion 53b, for pressing the locking body 19 toward the locking position. The tapered surface 53c is inclined toward the front end of the pressing member 53 and gradually away from the second axis L2. When the pressing member 53 advances toward the downward pressing position, the tapered surface 53c pushes the locking body 19 toward the locking position. When the pressing member 53 retreats to the upward non-pressing position in the figure, the tapered surface 53c releases the locking body 19 from the pressing state, allowing it to move toward the non-pressing position.

[0087] The pushing spring 54 surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 53a is clamped between the large diameter portion 53b of the pushing member 53 and the spring seat 23a formed on the main body 23 in a compressed state, and the pushing spring 54 is used to always apply force to the pushing member 53 in the forward direction, and the forward direction is the direction of pushing the locking body 19 toward the locking position.

[0088] Furthermore, the locking surface 18 a of the lock shaft 13 , the locking body 19 , the pressing member 53 , and the pressing spring 54 constitute the shaft locking mechanism 45 for locking the lock shaft 13 to the chuck body 3 .

[0089] The disconnecting member 70 is a cylindrical member that is mounted within a circular mounting hole 72 extending from the front to the rear of the main body 23 of the chuck body 3 so as to be freely rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the second axis L2. Hexagonal operating holes 70a for inserting and rotating a tool such as a hexagonal wrench are formed on the front and rear surfaces of the disconnecting member 70. Therefore, the disconnecting member 70 can be rotated from either the front or rear surface of the main body 23. The disconnecting member 70 can be referred to as a "manually operated member."

[0090] By providing external threads on part or all of the outer circumference of the uncoupling member 70 and internal threads on part or all of the mounting hole 72, the uncoupling member 70 is screwed into the mounting hole 72 and is configured to move forward and backward by rotation. However, it is also possible to configure the uncoupling member 70 and the mounting hole 72 to not move forward and backward in the axial direction by rotation by not providing threads.

[0091] The position where the connection release member 70 is installed is a position where it intersects with the pushing member 53 near the front end of the pushing member 53, and an operating cam 73 for pushing up the front end of the pushing member 53 is formed in the portion where the connection release member 70 is close to the front end of the pushing member 53.

[0092] from Figure 6 It can be seen that the operating cam 73 is formed by cutting off a part of the side surface of a cylinder in a substantially L-shaped manner, and has an escape portion 73a and an abutment portion 73b. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, since the lower end of the pushing member 53 is located in the avoidance portion 73a and is not pushed by the abutment portion 73b when the connection release member 70 rotates to the non-operating position, the pushing member 53 moves forward (descends) due to the action of the pushing spring 54, and occupies the pushing position that pushes the locking body 19 to the locking position, and the finger-shaped member support portion 2 and the chuck body portion 3 are connected to each other.

[0093] When the coupling release member 70 is rotated and switched to the operating position from this state, as shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown, since the contact portion 73b of the operating cam 73 contacts the lower end surface of the pushing member 53 and pushes the pushing member 53 upward, the pushing member 53 retreats (rises) while compressing the pushing spring 54 and occupies a non-pushing position in which the pressing of the tapered surface 53c on the locking body 19 is released. Therefore, when the finger support 2 is lifted in this state to raise the locking shaft 13, the locking body 19 is displaced to the position due to the pressing of the locking surface 18a of the locking shaft 13. Figure 6 The non-locking position is shown by the dotted line, so it can pass Figure 7 , so that the finger-shaped member supporting portion 2 is completely separated from the chuck body portion 3.

[0094] In addition, when the separated finger support portion 2 is connected to the chuck body portion 3, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, the locking shaft 13 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 44, and while the locking shaft 13 is used to push down the working rod 76 of the locking body holding mechanism 71, it is pushed into the position where the support rail 10 of the finger-shaped member support part 2 abuts against the upper surface of the plate 49 of the chuck body part 3 and the locking recess 18 of the locking shaft 13 is adjacent to the locking body 19. Figure 6 At this time, the locking body 19 is located at the dotted line position. And, when the manual operating member 70 is rotated and restored to Figure 3 and Figure 4 When the locking shaft 13 is in the non-operating position, the finger-shaped member support portion 2 and the chuck body portion 3 are connected to each other via the locking shaft 13 because the pushing member 53 is pushed down (advanced) by the pushing spring 54, so the locking body 19 is pushed by the conical surface 53c of the pushing member 53 and abuts against the locking surface 18a of the locking recess 18, pushing the locking shaft 13 downward and displacing it to the non-locking position, and connecting the finger-shaped member support portion 2 and the chuck body portion 3 to each other via the locking shaft 13.

[0095] Furthermore, some kind of mark may be provided on the disconnecting member 70 and the main body 23 so that it can be visually confirmed whether the disconnecting member 70 is in the operating position or the non-operating position.

[0096] The locking body retaining mechanism 71 is arranged inside the through hole 47 in the main body 23 in a position lower than the shaft insertion hole 44 and the shaft locking mechanism 45, and has a working rod 76 that is slidably inserted into the shaft insertion hole 44, a piston-shaped working component 75 that is integrally connected to the lower end of the working rod 76, and a working spring 77 that applies an upward force to the working component 75.

[0097] To accommodate the operating member 75, a lower wall 59, which hermetically closes the lower end of the through-hole 47 via a sealing member 59a, and an intermediate wall 60, which hermetically closes the intermediate portion of the through-hole 47 via a sealing member 60a, are installed within the through-hole 47. The operating member 75 is vertically movable within a working chamber 61 defined between the lower wall 59 and the intermediate wall 60. Since no sealing member is installed around the outer periphery of the operating member 75, an upper chamber 78 between the operating member 75 and the intermediate wall 60 and a lower chamber 79 between the operating member 75 and the lower wall 59 communicate with each other via a gap between the outer periphery of the operating member 75 and the inner periphery of the working chamber 61. These upper chamber 78 and lower chamber 79 are open to the atmosphere via a through hole (not shown) formed in the main body 23. Furthermore, the actuating spring 77 is interposed in a compressed state between a recessed portion 75 a formed on the lower surface of the actuating member 75 and a recessed portion 59 b formed on the upper surface of the lower wall 59 .

[0098] The locking body holding mechanism 71 operates as follows. Figure 3 and Figure 4 From the state, such as Figure 6 As shown, by rotating the connection release member 70 to the operating position and pushing up the pressing member 53, the locking body 19 becomes a state that can be displaced to the non-locking position. Figure 7 As shown, when the finger support portion 2 is lifted and the locking shaft 13 is raised, the actuating member 75 and the actuating rod 76 are pushed by the actuating spring 77 and rise together with the locking shaft 13, and stop at the position of the raised end of the actuating member 75 abutting against the intermediate wall 60. At this time, since the front end (upper end) of the actuating rod 76 rises within the shaft insertion hole 44 to a position above the locking body 19, the side surface of the actuating rod 76 abuts against the locking body 19 that has moved to the unlatched position, thereby retaining the locking body 19 in the unlatched position.

[0099] Therefore, the elastic force of the actuating spring 77 may be large enough to push the actuating rod 76 upward to the rising end when the lock shaft 13 is pulled out from the shaft insertion hole 44 as the finger support portion 2 is separated.

[0100] However, the elastic force of the operating spring 77 can also be set so as to push the lock shaft 13 upward to the position when the coupling release member 70 is rotated and the locking body 19 is displaced to the non-locking position. Figure 7 The location shown is this size.

[0101] Even after the finger support portion 2 is separated from the chuck body 3 , the uncoupling member 70 maintains the operating position, and the actuating member 75 and the actuating rod 76 maintain the positions of the raised ends.

[0102] And, when the finger support portion 2 is connected to the chuck body portion 3 in the above-mentioned manner from this state, the working rod 76 is pushed down by the locking shaft 13 inserted into the shaft insertion hole 44. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Position shown.

[0103] Figure 8 and Figure 9 A second embodiment of the air chuck of the present invention is shown. The air chuck 1B of the second embodiment differs from the air chuck 1A of the first embodiment in that the uncoupling members 80 are button-shaped and provided on the left and right sides of the main body 23 .

[0104] That is, button mounting holes 82 are formed on the left and right sides of the main body 23 at positions corresponding to the front end of the pushing member 53, and the connection release member 80 is supported by the mounting plate 83 and is installed in the button mounting hole 82 so as to be able to move forward and backward freely in the left and right directions of the main body 23 toward the pushing member 53.

[0105] The uncoupling member 80 is in a square block shape and has a cam surface 80 a inclined upward at its front end. That is, the cam surface 80 a is inclined in a direction gradually away from the second axis L2 from the lower surface side to the upper surface side of the uncoupling member 80.

[0106] In addition, the manual operating member 80 is constructed so as to be able to move to a non-operating position protruding from the main body 23 and an operating position pushed into the interior of the main body 23. When pushed from the non-operating position to the operating position, it maintains the operating position itself, and when pushed again, it returns to the non-operating position.

[0107] The structure of the air chuck of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the air chuck of the first embodiment except for the above-mentioned differences. Therefore, the main components that are the same as those of the air chuck of the first embodiment are marked with the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0108] Figure 8 This is a state where the finger support portion 2 and the chuck body 3 are connected, and at this time, the disconnecting member 80 is located in a retracted non-operating position.

[0109] When the coupling release member 80 is pushed into the operating position from this state, as shown in FIG. Figure 9As shown, since the cam surface 80a of the coupling release member 80 pushes up the lower end of the pressing member 53, the pressing member 53 rises and takes a non-pressing position in which the pressing of the locking body 19 is released. Therefore, when the finger support portion 2 is lifted, the locking surface 18a of the locking shaft 13 causes the locking body 19 to be displaced to the non-locking position, thereby releasing the locking of the locking shaft 13 and the chuck body 3, and the finger support portion 2 can be completely separated from the chuck body 3.

[0110] When the separated finger-shaped member support portion 2 is connected to the chuck body portion 3, the locking shaft 13 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 44, and the locking shaft 13 is used to push down the working rod 76 of the locking body holding mechanism 71 while pushing the locking shaft 13 into the Figure 8 Furthermore, when the manual operating member 80 is restored to the non-operating position, the pressing member 53 is pushed downward (advanced) by the pressing spring 54, so that the locking body 19 is pushed by the pressing member 53 and abuts against the locking surface 18a of the locking recess 18, pushing the locking shaft 13 downward to displace it to the unlocked position, and connecting the finger-shaped member support portion 2 and the chuck body portion 3 via the locking shaft 13.

[0111] In each of the above embodiments, the finger support portion 2 includes the finger locking mechanism 12. However, the finger support portion 2 may not include the finger locking mechanism 12. In this case, the two locking shafts 13, 13 are each fixed to the support rail 10. Any fixing method is possible, such as screwing a threaded shaft formed on the locking shaft 13 into a threaded hole formed in the support rail 10, fixing the locking shaft 13 to the support rail 10 with a set screw, or fixing the locking shaft 13 to the support rail 10 with a suitable mounting member.

Claims

1. A pneumatic chuck comprising a finger support portion, a chuck body, and a connecting mechanism, wherein the finger support portion comprises a pair of fingers that can be opened and closed freely, the chuck body comprises an operating mechanism for opening and closing the pair of fingers, and the connecting mechanism connects the chuck body and the finger support portion in a detachable manner, wherein the pneumatic chuck is characterized in that: The finger support portion has two connecting shafts extending parallel to each other from the finger support portion. The connecting mechanism is respectively provided with two groups corresponding to the two connecting shafts, and each connecting mechanism comprises: a locking surface, the locking surface being formed on the connecting shaft; a shaft insertion hole, the shaft insertion hole being formed on the main body of the chuck body for inserting the connecting shaft; a locking body, when the connecting shaft is inserted into the shaft insertion hole, the locking body elastically locks with the locking surface of the connecting shaft and connects the connecting shaft to the chuck body; and a connection releasing member, when the finger-shaped piece supporting part is separated from the chuck body, the connection releasing member releases the locking of the locking body to the locking surface by manual operation. The connecting mechanism comprises at least one of the locking body, a pushing member and a pushing spring, at least one of the locking body being accommodated in the locking body receiving hole formed in the hole wall of the shaft insertion hole in a manner that it can be freely displaced to a locking position locked with the locking surface of the connecting shaft and a non-locking position detached from the locking surface, the pushing member being freely displaceable to a pushing position pushing the locking body toward the locking position and a non-pushing position without pushing the locking body, and the pushing spring applying force to the pushing member toward the pushing position. The fixing body is a sphere, The pushing member is cylindrical and is arranged around the shaft insertion hole and the locking body in a manner that it can move forward and backward freely in the axial direction of the shaft insertion hole. A tapered surface is formed on the inner surface of the pushing member. The tapered surface pushes the locking body toward the locking position when the pushing member advances toward the pushing position, and releases the pushing of the locking body when the pushing member retreats to the non-pushing position.

2. The pneumatic chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The uncoupling member displaces the pressing member toward the non-pressing position when separating the finger support portion from the chuck body.

3. The pneumatic chuck according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connection release member is installed on the main body of the chuck body in a manner that can be rotated from the outside, and has an abutment portion that abuts against the pushing member. When the connection release member is rotated toward the operating position, the abutment portion causes the pushing member to displace toward the non-pushing position. When the connection release member is rotated toward the non-operating position, the pushing spring causes the pushing member to displace toward the pushing position.

4. The pneumatic chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chuck body portion includes a locking body holding mechanism that holds the locking body displaced to a non-locking position at the non-locking position when the finger support portion is separated from the chuck body portion.

5. The pneumatic chuck according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking body retaining mechanism has a working rod that is freely displaced and embedded in the shaft insertion hole. When the finger-shaped part support portion is separated from the chuck body, the connecting shaft is pulled out from the shaft insertion hole. The working rod is displaced in the shaft insertion hole by the force of a working spring, abuts against the locking body in the non-locking position and retains the locking body in the non-locking position.

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