Self-adaptive clamping device

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-adaptive clamping device. The self-adaptive clamping device comprises a platform, a steering plate arranged in the central area of the platform and clamping assemblies arranged on the periphery of the steering plate. The steering plate is rotationally connected with the platform through a supporting shaft; the clamping assembly comprises a plurality of linear guide rails arranged on the platform, clamping jaws capable of sliding along the linear guide rails and a connecting plate connected with the clamping jaws and the guide plate. One end of the connecting plate is hinged to the steering plate, and the other end of the connecting plate is hinged to the clamping jaw. Wherein one clamping jaw is provided with a driving mechanism in a matched mode, the driving mechanism drives the clamping jaw to move towards the steering plate, and under the linkage effect, the other clamping jaws synchronously move towards the direction of the guide plate to clamp a workpiece on the guide plate. The self-adaptive clamping device provided by the invention can meet the containing requirements of workpieces with different sizes, so that the problem that a stock bin needs to frequently replace tools for containing the workpieces is solved, and the machining efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of circulating multi-station hopper, in particular to a self-adaptive clamping device for transporting workpieces of different diameters. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of mechanical processing, especially in the automatic production line and flexible manufacturing cell, in order to realize less people and high efficiency operation, most enterprises have generally adopted full-automatic hopper and supporting conveying system to feed and circulate different workpieces. However, when the size and shape of the workpiece to be processed change, the special tooling for clamping and containing the workpiece on the conveyor often needs to be disassembled and replaced as a whole.

[0003] This mode causes the enterprise to have to design, manufacture and store a large number of special toolings of different specifications, which not only brings high manufacturing cost and storage management burden, but also requires frequent intervention of operators to perform tedious manual replacement and re-commissioning when switching products. This process causes the production line to be shut down for waiting, seriously lengthening the production cycle and reducing the comprehensive utilization rate of equipment. Especially for shafts, discs and other workpieces with symmetry or approximate symmetry, the traditional special fixture lacks size adaptability, and when the size of the workpiece to be processed changes, the tooling for placing the workpiece on the conveyor needs to be replaced, so a large number of toolings need to be prepared for containing workpieces of different sizes to meet the requirements of processing workpieces of different sizes, and manual replacement of toolings in large quantities is required to enable normal production, which greatly reduces the processing efficiency. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a self-adaptive clamping device to solve the problem that different sizes of workpieces in the prior art must be designed with corresponding toolings for containing, so that the problem of frequent replacement of toolings for containing workpieces in the hopper is avoided, and the efficiency of mechanical processing is improved.

[0005] A self-adaptive clamping device comprises a platform, a turning plate arranged at the central region of the platform, and a clamping assembly arranged around the turning plate; the turning plate is rotationally connected with the platform through a support shaft; the clamping assembly comprises a plurality of linear guides arranged on the platform, clamping jaws which can slide along the linear guides, and connecting plates connecting the clamping jaws and the turning plate; one end of the connecting plate is hinged to the turning plate, and the other end of the connecting plate is hinged to the clamping jaw; one of the clamping jaws is provided with a driving mechanism, and the clamping jaw is driven to move towards the turning plate through the driving mechanism, and the remaining clamping jaws are synchronously moved towards the turning plate under the linkage action to clamp the workpiece on the turning plate.

[0006] Further, the connecting plate is hingedly connected between one end of the turning plate and the pin shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate is also hingedly connected between the pin shaft and the clamping jaw.

[0007] Further, the upper end of the support shaft is fixedly connected to the turning plate, and the lower end of the support shaft is rotatably connected to the platform through the bearing.

[0008] Further, the turning plate is triangular in shape.

[0009] Further, three linear guides are provided, and each linear guide is aligned with the three corners of the triangular turning plate.

[0010] Further, a sliding block is arranged on the side of the clamping jaw close to the platform, and the sliding block is in sliding fit with the linear guide.

[0011] Further, an arc-shaped block is arranged on the upper side of the clamping jaw, and the surface of the arc-shaped block in contact with the workpiece is arc-shaped.

[0012] Further, the driving mechanism is a gas cylinder, the gas cylinder is fixed on the platform, and the movable end of the gas cylinder is connected to one of the clamping jaws.

[0013] The self-adaptive clamping device provided by the application places the workpiece in the central area of the platform of the clamping device, each clamping jaw can slide along the linear guide on the platform, and is hingedly connected to the central turning plate through the connecting plate, and the turning plate itself is also rotatably connected to the platform through the support shaft. When the driving mechanism drives one of the clamping jaws to move towards the turning plate, the remaining clamping jaws can be synchronously folded towards the center under the linkage action of the connecting plate and the turning plate, realizing the coordinated movement of multiple clamping jaws. After the clamping jaws contact the workpiece, the system can adapt to the shape of the workpiece, realize balanced clamping and stable positioning, and thus reliably fix the workpiece. The structure has the advantages of self-adaptive centering, uniform clamping force, and simple operation, and can be applied to workpieces of different sizes and shapes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the self-adaptive clamping device.

[0015] REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0016] 100 platform, 200 clamping assembly, 110 turning plate, 120 bearing, 130 support shaft, 111 first hinge point, 112 second hinge point, 113 third hinge point, 210 linear guide, 220 clamping jaw, 230 connecting plate, 240 sliding block, 250 arc-shaped block, 260 gas cylinder, 221 first clamping jaw, 222 second clamping jaw, 223 third clamping jaw, 231 first connecting plate, 232 second connecting plate, 233 third connecting plate. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0018] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "end," "top," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0020] This invention provides an adaptive clamping device, comprising a platform, a steering plate disposed in the central region of the platform, and clamping assemblies disposed around the steering plate; the steering plate is rotatably connected to the platform via a support shaft; the clamping assemblies include a plurality of linear guide rails disposed on the platform, grippers slidable along each of the linear guide rails, and a connecting plate connecting each gripper to the guide plate; one end of the connecting plate is hinged to the steering plate, and the other end of the connecting plate is hinged to the gripper; one of the grippers is equipped with a driving mechanism, which drives the gripper to move toward the guide plate, and under the linkage, the other grippers move synchronously toward the guide plate to clamp the workpiece on the guide plate.

[0021] The adaptive clamping device provided by the application places a workpiece in the central area of the platform of the clamping device, each clamping jaw can slide on the platform along a linear guide rail, and is hingedly connected to the central turning plate through a connecting plate, and the turning plate itself is also rotationally connected to the platform through a support shaft. When the driving mechanism drives one of the clamping jaws to move towards the turning plate, the remaining clamping jaws can be synchronously folded towards the center under the linkage action of the connecting plate and the turning plate, so as to realize the coordinated movement of the multiple clamping jaws. After the clamping jaws contact the workpiece, the system can adapt to the shape of the workpiece, realize balanced clamping and stable positioning, and thus reliably fix the workpiece. The structure has the advantages of adaptive centering, uniform clamping force, simple operation and the like, and can be applied to workpieces of different sizes and shapes.

[0022] The adaptive clamping device will be described below in combination with specific embodiments to further understand the inventive concept of the adaptive clamping device.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1 The adaptive clamping device comprises a platform 100, a turning plate 110 arranged in the central area of the platform 100, and clamping assemblies 200 arranged around the turning plate 110; the turning plate 110 is rotationally connected to the platform 100 through a support shaft 120; the clamping assembly 200 comprises a plurality of linear guide rails 210 arranged on the platform 100, clamping jaws 220 which can slide along the linear guide rails 210, and connecting plates 230 which connect the clamping jaws 220 and the turning plate 110; one end of the connecting plate 230 is hingedly connected to the turning plate 110, and the other end of the connecting plate 230 is hingedly connected to the clamping jaw 220; the linear guide rail 210 is fixedly installed on the platform through a bolt, preferably, three linear guide rails 210 are arranged, and a slidable clamping jaw 220 is arranged on each linear guide rail 210; one of the clamping jaws 220 is provided with a driving mechanism, the clamping jaw 220 is driven to move towards the turning plate 110 along the linear guide rail 210 through the driving mechanism, and the remaining clamping jaws 220 can also synchronously move towards the turning plate 100 under the linkage action of the connecting plate 230 and the turning plate 110, so as to clamp the workpiece.

[0024] In another embodiment, one end of the connecting plate 230 and the turning plate 110 are hingedly connected through a pin shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate 230 and the clamping jaw 220 are also hingedly connected through a pin shaft.

[0025] In another embodiment, the upper end of the support shaft 130 is fixedly connected to the turning plate 110, and the lower end of the support shaft 130 is rotationally connected to the platform 100 through a bearing 120. Specifically, the central part of the platform is provided with a hole accommodating the bearing 120, the bearing 120 is arranged in the hole, and the lower end of the support shaft 120 is inserted into the shaft hole of the bearing 120.

[0026] In another embodiment, the turning plate 110 is triangular in shape, and three linear guides 210 are arranged, each of which is aligned with a corner of the triangular turning plate 110.

[0027] In another embodiment, the clamping jaw 220 is provided with a sliding block 240 on one side close to the platform 110, and the sliding block 240 is in sliding fit with the linear guide 210.

[0028] In another embodiment, the upper side of the clamping jaw 220 is provided with an arc-shaped block 250, and the arc-shaped block 250 is in contact with the workpiece in an arc-shaped surface.

[0029] In another embodiment, the driving mechanism is a cylinder 260, the cylinder 260 is fixed on the platform 110, and the movable end of the cylinder 260 is connected with one of the clamping jaws 220.

[0030] The adaptive clamping device of the present application is connected with the platform through a linkage mechanism of the clamping jaw, the connecting plate, the guide plate and the guide plate through the support shaft, and the linear motion of the driving mechanism driving one of the clamping jaws is converted into the radial motion of the multiple clamping jaws synchronously, and the turning plate is the core transmission and coordination element of the entire linkage mechanism. The movement principle is that the driving mechanism drives the first clamping jaw 221 to move along the linear guide rail to the turning plate 110, the movement of the first clamping jaw 221 is transmitted to the corresponding first hinge point 111 of the turning plate 110 through the first connecting plate 231, and since the first clamping jaw 221 is constrained by the linear guide rail 210 to move linearly, the force F1 applied to the turning plate 110 will necessarily generate a torque relative to the center of the support shaft 120 after being transmitted through the first connecting plate 231, and under the action of the torque, the turning plate 110 starts to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise with the support shaft, thereby transmitting the movement to the other two clamping jaws 220. When the turning plate 110 rotates by an angle, the movement trajectories of the three hinge points thereon are concentric, and the circular arcs are 120° out of phase, the circular arc movement of the second hinge point 112 and the third hinge point 113 is transmitted to the second clamping jaw 222 and the third clamping jaw 223 through the second connecting plate 232 and the third connecting plate 233 respectively, and the two clamping jaws are also constrained by the linear guide rail 210 to move radially, and the "pushing" or "pulling" action of the second connecting plate 232 and the third connecting plate 233 is forcibly converted into the linear motion of the second clamping jaw 222 and the third clamping jaw 223 along the respective linear guide rails. Since the three hinge points are fixed on the same rigid turning plate 110, their angular displacement and angular velocity are exactly the same, and therefore the radial displacement and speed of the three clamping jaws also maintain a strict synchronous relationship, and in an ideal case, the three will reach the center position at the same time.

[0031] The movement process of the present application can be divided into the following two steps:

[0032] The first step, pre-contact stage, before the first jaw 221 contacts the workpiece, the first jaw 221 is driven, and the other two jaws are retracted to the center along a determined and synchronized trajectory, achieving automatic centering.

[0033] The second step, contact and clamping stage, assuming the positioning object is an irregular workpiece, the first jaw 221 first contacts a protruding part of the workpiece, and the first jaw 221 stops moving. At this time, the driving mechanism continues to advance, trying to rotate the steering plate 110, but the movement of the first hinge point 111 of the steering plate is locked by the first jaw 221 and the first connecting plate 231. However, the driving force still exists, which will cause the entire steering plate to drift slightly, allowing the steering plate 110 to rotate slightly around the first hinge point 111 as a temporary floating fulcrum, and this adjustment rotation will continue to drive the second jaw 222 and the third jaw 223, which have not yet contacted the workpiece, to move to the center until they contact the workpiece respectively. When all three jaws are in contact with the surface of the workpiece, the system reaches static equilibrium, and each jaw exerts force on the steering plate through the connecting plate, and the moment of force on the center of the support shaft is balanced, and the steering plate stops moving, so that the workpiece is stably and uniformly clamped.

[0034] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined in any manner. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described, but as long as the combinations of the technical features do not contradict, they should be considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0035] The above-described embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, which are described in detail and specifically, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adaptive clamping device, characterized by, The adaptive clamping device comprises a platform (100), a turning plate (110) arranged at a central region of the platform (100), and clamping assemblies (200) arranged around the turning plate (110); the turning plate (110) is rotationally connected with the platform (100) through a support shaft (130); the clamping assembly (200) comprises a plurality of linear guide rails (210) arranged on the platform (100), clamping jaws (220) capable of sliding along the linear guide rails (210), and connecting plates (230) connecting the clamping jaws (220) and the turning plate (110); one end of the connecting plate (230) is hingedly connected with the turning plate (110), and the other end of the connecting plate (230) is hingedly connected with the clamping jaw (220); one of the clamping jaws (220) is provided with a driving mechanism, and the clamping jaw (220) is driven to move towards the turning plate (110) through the driving mechanism, and the remaining clamping jaws (220) are synchronously moved towards the turning plate (110) under the linkage action, so that the workpiece on the turning plate (110) is clamped.

2. A self-adapting clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that The connecting plate (230) is hingedly connected with the turning plate (110) through a pin shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate (230) is also hingedly connected with the clamping jaw (220) through a pin shaft.

3. A self-adapting clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that The upper end of the support shaft (130) is fixedly connected with the turning plate (110), and the lower end of the support shaft (130) is rotationally connected with the platform (100) through a bearing (120).

4. The self-adapting clamp device of claim 1, wherein, The turning plate (110) is triangular.

5. A self-adapting clamping device according to claim 4, characterized in that Three linear guide rails (210) are arranged, and each linear guide rail (210) is aligned with three corners of the triangular turning plate (110).

6. The self-adapting clamp device of claim 1, wherein, A sliding block (240) is arranged on the side of the clamping jaw (220) close to the platform (110), and the sliding block (240) is slidingly matched with the linear guide rail (210).

7. The self-adapting clamp device of claim 1, wherein, An arc-shaped block (250) is arranged on the upper side of the clamping jaw (220), and the surface of the arc-shaped block (250) in contact with the workpiece is an arc-shaped surface.

8. The self-adapting clamp device of claim 1, wherein, The driving mechanism is a gas cylinder (260), the gas cylinder (221) is fixed on the platform (110), and the movable end of the gas cylinder (221) is connected with one of the clamping jaws (220).

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