coupling piece

Abstract

Coupling piece (10) for mutually positioning and fastening a first element (30) and a second element (32), wherein the coupling piece (10) comprises: a body (12) that is hollow; and a plate-shaped nut element (18), where a side wall (12c) of the body has a groove section (14) extending from one longitudinal end to another longitudinal end of the side wall, the groove section has a first section (14a) that opens to an outer surface of the side wall, and a second section (14b) which lies further inside than the first section, where the width of the second section is greater than the width of the first section, the first section and the second section form a groove with a T-shaped cross-section, the nut element is arranged on the second section and comprises an adjusting screw (24, 40) which is screwed into a first internal threaded section (20) of the nut element, the outer diameter of the adjusting screw is smaller than the width of the first section, and the first element is attached to the body via the nut element by means of a fastening element which is screwed into a second internal thread section (22) of the nut element.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE USE SAMPLE AREA OF THE USE SAMPLE

[0001] The present utility model concerns a coupling piece (coupling) that is used for the mutual positioning and fastening of two elements. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[0002] JP 2009-208203 A describes a fastening device for fixing a tool holder in a predetermined position relative to a tool carrier of a machine tool. The fastening device is provided with a T-slot formed in the tool carrier and a rod-shaped fastening nut inserted into the T-slot. The fastening nut is positioned and fixed in the tool carrier using a support plate. That is, after the fastening nut has been inserted into the T-slot of the tool carrier, a fastening screw is screwed from the outside of the support plate into a threaded hole on an end face of the tool carrier and into a threaded hole on an end face of the fastening nut. The tool holder is attached to the fastening nut by inserting the fastening screw into the fastening hole of the tool holder and screwing it into the threaded hole of the fastening nut.

[0003] However, the fastening structure of JP 2009-208203 A requires a new component, a carrier plate and a screw hole formed in the end face of the fastening nut, resulting in a complicated structure. SUMMARY OF THE USAGE SAMPLE

[0004] The present utility model aims to solve the problems mentioned above.

[0005] A coupling piece for mutually positioning and fastening a first element and a second element, wherein the coupling piece comprises a hollow body and a plate-shaped nut element, the side wall of the body having a groove section extending from one longitudinal end to another longitudinal end of the side wall. The groove section comprises a first section opening towards an outer surface of the side wall and a second section located further inward than the first section, the width of the second section being greater than the width of the first section, and the first section and the second section forming a groove with a T-shaped cross-section.The nut element is arranged on the second section and comprises an adjusting screw which is screwed into the first internal threaded section of the nut element, wherein the outside diameter of the adjusting screw is smaller than the width of the first section, and the first element is attached to the body via the nut element by a fastening element which is screwed into the second internal threaded section of the nut element.

[0006] According to the aforementioned coupling piece, by screwing in the locking screw, which is inserted from the first section of the groove into the first internal thread section of the plate-shaped nut element located on the second section of the groove, it is possible to secure the nut element at any position along the side wall. Therefore, the structure for positioning and securing the two elements using the plate-shaped nut element can be simplified.

[0007] A coupling element according to the present utility model comprises a body and a plate-shaped nut element, wherein the side wall of the body has a groove section extending from one longitudinal end to another, a groove with a T-shaped cross-section being formed through the first and second sections of the groove section, and an adjusting screw being screwed into the nut element arranged on the second section. In this way, the nut element can be attached at any desired position along the longitudinal direction of the side wall with a simple configuration.

[0008] The above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages will be easily understood from the following description of the embodiments, which are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Fig. Figure 1 is a front view of a coupling piece according to a first embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling piece made of Fig. 1 along line II-II. Fig. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling piece made of Fig. 1 along line III-III. Fig. Figure 4 is a view of the coupling piece made of Fig. 1, broken down into its components. Fig. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an application example for the coupling piece made of Fig. 1 shows. Fig. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a coupling piece according to a second embodiment of the present utility model, in accordance with Fig. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF USE

[0009] Preferred embodiments of a coupling piece according to the present utility model are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of simplicity, terms relating to upward and downward directions in the following description refer to the directions shown in the drawings; however, the actual arrangement of the components and the like is not necessarily limited thereto. (First embodiment)

[0010] A coupling piece 10 according to a first embodiment of the present utility model is described with reference to the Fig. 1 to 5 described. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the coupling piece 10 is attached between a movable carrier (first element) 30 of a linear drive that moves in the X-axis direction and a fixed housing (second element) 32 of a linear drive that moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0011] As in the Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the coupling piece 10 comprises an elongated hollow body 12, a pair of end plates 28 that close opposite ends of the body 12, and a pair of elongated plate-shaped nut elements 18. The body 12 has a cylindrical shape, enclosed by an upper wall 12a, a lower wall 12b, a first side wall 12c, and a second side wall 12d, and a cross-section of the body 12 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is rectangular. The first side wall 12c has a pair of upper and lower groove sections 14 that extend from one longitudinal end to the other end of the first side wall 12c.

[0012] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c has a first section 14a opening towards an outer surface of the first side wall 12c, a second section 14b positioned further inwards than the first section 14a, and a third section 14c positioned further inwards than the second section 14b. The first section 14a, the second section 14b, and the third section 14c extend from one longitudinal end to the other end of the first side wall 12c and have a uniform width in the top / bottom direction. The width W2 of the second section 14b is greater than the width W1 of the first section 14a, and the first section 14a and the second section 14b form a groove with a T-shaped cross-section.In this embodiment, the width W3 of the third section 14c is equal to the width W1 of the first section 14a, but the width W3 of the third section 14c can be greater than the width W1 of the first section 14a.

[0013] The groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c has a pair of upper and lower mounting wall surfaces 16 that can be pressed into contact with the nut element 18. The mounting wall surface 16 extends upwards or downwards from the end sections of the pair of upper and lower wall surfaces that form the wall surface of the first section 14a, forming the wall surface of the second section 14b. The groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c has a wall surface 26 opposite the mounting wall surface 16. The opposite wall surface 26 forms part of the wall surface of the second section 14b. The end plate 28 is attached to the body 12 by means of fastening screws 34 in a manner that can be fastened and removed.

[0014] The elongated, plate-shaped nut element 18, with uniform thickness and width, is positioned in each groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c. Specifically, the nut element 18 is inserted from the longitudinal end of the groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c into the second section 14b of the groove section 14 and fixed at any desired position along the longitudinal direction of the second section 14b by the action of an adjusting screw 24, which will be described later. When the nut element 18 is inserted into the second section 14b of the groove section 14, the end plate 28 is detached from the body 12, and the end plate 28 is attached to the body 12 after the nut element 18 has been secured.

[0015] The length of the nut element 18 is shorter than the length of the groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c. The thickness of the nut element 18 is less than the depth of the second section 14b of the groove section 14 (see Fig. 2) The elastic nut element 18 can be displaced or deformed within the second section 14b of the groove section 14 by a predetermined amount in the thickness direction. The nut element 18 has a first internal thread section 20 in the longitudinal center axis.

[0016] The adjusting screw 24 for fastening the nut element 18 to the body 12 is screwed into the first internal thread section 20. The adjusting screw 24 has a uniform outer diameter D, except at its tip. The outer diameter D of the adjusting screw 24 is smaller than the width W1 of the first section 14a of the groove section 14. The rear end of the adjusting screw 24 has a recess 24a with which the tool engages.

[0017] The mechanism by which the nut element 18 is fastened to the body 12 by the adjusting screw 24 is described below. After the nut element 18 has been inserted through the second section 14b of the groove section 14 of the first side wall 12c and positioned at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the second section 14b, the adjusting screw 24 is inserted from the first section 14a of the groove section 14 towards the first internal thread section 20 of the nut element 18.

[0018] Then a tool (not shown) is inserted into the recess 24a of the adjusting screw 24, and the adjusting screw 24 is screwed into the first internal thread section 20 of the nut element 18 while being rotated. When the adjusting screw 24 begins to engage in the first internal thread section 20, the nut element 18 is displaced together with the adjusting screw 24 and contacts the opposite wall surface 26 of the groove section 14.

[0019] When the adjusting screw 24 is screwed into the first internal thread section 20 of the nut element 18 by a predetermined amount, the tip of the adjusting screw 24 protrudes from the nut element 18 and enters the third section 14c of the groove section 14. Further rotation of the adjusting screw 24 results in an axial displacement of the adjusting screw 24. The axial displacement of the adjusting screw 24 is stopped when the tip of the adjusting screw 24 contacts the underside of the third section 14c of the groove section 14.

[0020] If the adjusting screw 24 is turned further after the axial displacement of the adjusting screw 24 has stopped, the nut element 18 is displaced relative to the adjusting screw 24. That is, the nut element 18 is displaced towards the mounting wall surface 16 of the groove section 14 and pressed into contact with the mounting wall surface 16 of the groove section 14 near the adjusting screw 24 (see Fig. 2) Therefore, a frictional force acts between the nut element 18 and the body 12, which fastens the nut element 18 to the body 12.

[0021] The nut element 18 has second internal thread sections 22 near both ends in the longitudinal direction (see Fig. 3) A fastening element (not shown), for example a bolt, is screwed into the second internal threaded section 22 to fasten the fixed housing 32 of the linear actuator, which moves in the Y-axis direction, to the nut element 18. The fixed housing 32 is fastened to the body 12 of the coupling piece 10 via a nut element 18. The bottom wall 12b of the body 12 has a fastening bore 36 to fasten the movable support 30 of the linear actuator, which moves in the X-axis direction, to the body 12 (see Fig. 4) The movable support 30 is attached to the body 12 of the coupling piece 10 using the fastening hole 36 of the bottom wall 12b.

[0022] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to fasten the nut element 18 at any position in the longitudinal direction of the first side wall 12c of the body 12 by tightening the adjusting screw 24, which is screwed from the first section 14a of the groove section 14 into the first internal thread section 20 of the plate-shaped nut element 18, which is arranged in the second section 14b of the groove section 14. Therefore, the structure for mutually positioning and fastening the movable support 30 and the fixed housing 32 can be simplified with a small number of components using the plate-shaped nut element 18.

[0023] Although the groove section 14 in the present embodiment is described with a third section 14c, the groove section 14 can omit the third section 14c. In this case, the tip of the adjusting screw 24 is brought into contact with the underside of the second section 14b of the groove section 14, thereby stopping the axial displacement of the adjusting screw 24.

[0024] Although the coupling piece 10 of the present embodiment has been described as being used between the movable carrier 30 of the linear drive, which moves in the X-axis direction, and the fixed housing 32 of the linear drive, which moves in the Y-axis direction, the specific application of the coupling piece 10 is not limited to this. (Second embodiment)

[0025] A coupling piece according to a second embodiment of the present utility model is described with reference to Fig.6 described. The coupling piece according to the second embodiment differs from the coupling piece 10 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the adjusting screw. The same or equivalent components as those of the coupling piece 10 according to the first embodiment are identified with the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof can be omitted.

[0026] The adjusting screw 40 consists of a circular cylindrical body 42, a ball 44, and a spring 46 and is designed as a so-called ball plunger. The cylindrical body 42 has a uniform outer diameter D, and its outer circumferential surface has an external thread 42a. The outer diameter D of the cylindrical body 42 is smaller than the width W1 of the first section 14a and the width W3 of the third section 14c of the groove section 14. The cylindrical body 42 has a hole 42b for receiving the spring 46 and a recess 42c with which the tool engages. The hole 42b opens towards the front end of the cylindrical body 42, and the recess 42c opens towards the rear end of the cylindrical body 42.

[0027] The ball 44 is mounted on the cylindrical body 42 near the opening end of the hole 42b. The inner diameter of the hole 42b in the cylindrical body 42 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball 44, except at the opening end of the hole 42b. The inner diameter of the opening end of the hole 42b in the cylindrical body 42 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ball 44 due to crimping or similar processes. Therefore, there is no risk of the ball 44 detaching from the cylindrical body 42. The spring 46 is positioned between the bottom surface of the hole 42b in the cylindrical body 42 and the ball 44. The spring 46 is compressed by a predetermined amount, and the ball 44 is biased by the spring 46 in a direction in which it protrudes from the cylindrical body 42.

[0028] The cylindrical body 42 is screwed into the first internal threaded section 20 of the nut element 18. The mechanism by which the nut element 18 is fastened to the body 12 with the adjusting screw 40 is described below. After the nut element 18 has been placed at a predetermined position of the second section 14b of the groove section 14, the adjusting screw 40 is inserted from the first section 14a of the groove section 14 towards the first internal threaded section 20 of the nut element 18.

[0029] Then, a tool (not shown) is inserted into the recess 42c of the cylindrical body 42, and the cylindrical body 42 is screwed into the first internal threaded section 20 of the nut element 18 while rotating it. As the cylindrical body 42 begins to engage in the first internal threaded section 20, the nut element 18 is displaced along with the cylindrical body 42 and contacts the opposite wall surface 26 of the groove section 14. When the cylindrical body 42 is screwed into the first internal threaded section 20 by a predetermined amount or more, part of the cylindrical body 42 and the ball 44 enter the third section 14c of the groove section 14.

[0030] When the cylindrical body 42 continues to rotate after the ball 44 contacts the bottom surface of the third section 14c of the groove section 14, the nut element 18 is displaced relative to the cylindrical body 42. That is, the nut element 18 is displaced towards the mounting wall surface 16 of the groove section 14 and pressed into contact with the mounting wall surface 16 of the groove section 14 near the cylindrical body 42. Therefore, a frictional force acts between the nut element 18 and the body 12, thus securing the nut element 18 to the body 12.

[0031] The force that generates the frictional force required to fasten the nut element 18 to the body 12 (the force that presses the nut element 18 against the mounting surface 16) is less than the restoring force of the spring 46 exerted when the ball 44 protrudes maximally from the cylindrical body 42. Therefore, when the cylindrical body 42 is rotated to perform the process described above for fastening the nut element 18 to the body 12, the ball 44 remains in a state where it protrudes maximally from the cylindrical body 42.

[0032] When the position of the nut element 18, once attached to the body 12, is adjusted, it is not necessary to use a tool to rotate the cylindrical body 42 in the loosening direction; rather, a force is simply required to press the nut element 18 towards the opposite wall surface 26 of the groove section 14. If the nut element 18 is pressed in with a force greater than the restoring force of the spring 46, which acts when the ball 44 protrudes maximally from the cylindrical body 42, the force with which the nut element 18 is pressed against the mounting wall surface 16 of the groove section 14 is reduced. Therefore, the frictional force acting between the nut element 18 and the body 12 is reduced, and the nut element 18 can slide along the longitudinal direction of the groove section 14.After the nut element 18 has been set to the desired position, the nut element 18 is reattached to the body 12 at the set position by releasing the force used to press the nut element 18.

[0033] According to the present embodiment, the adjusting screw 40 consists of the cylindrical body 42, the ball 44, and the spring 46, wherein the cylindrical body 42 has an external thread 42a on its outer circumferential surface, the ball 44 is located near the opening end of the hole 42b of the cylindrical body 42, and the spring 46 is arranged between the bottom surface of the hole 42b of the cylindrical body 42 and the ball 44. Therefore, once the nut element 18 is attached to the body 12, the position can be easily fine-tuned. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2009-208203 A [0002, 0003]

Claims

[1] Coupling piece (10) for mutually positioning and fastening a first element (30) and a second element (32), wherein the coupling piece (10) comprises: a body (12) that is hollow; and a plate-shaped nut element (18), where a side wall (12c) of the body has a groove section (14) extending from one longitudinal end to another longitudinal end of the side wall, the groove section has a first section (14a) that opens to an outer surface of the side wall, and a second section (14b) which lies further inside than the first section, where the width of the second section is greater than the width of the first section, the first section and the second section form a groove with a T-shaped cross-section, the nut element is arranged on the second section and comprises an adjusting screw (24, 40) which is screwed into a first internal threaded section (20) of the nut element, the outer diameter of the adjusting screw is smaller than the width of the first section, and the first element is attached to the body via the nut element by means of a fastening element which is screwed into a second internal thread section (22) of the nut element. [2] Coupling piece according to claim 1, wherein the groove section comprises a third section (14c) which is positioned further inwards than the second section, and the width of the third section is equal to or greater than the width of the first section. [3] Coupling piece according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the nut element is less than the depth of the second section. [4] Coupling piece according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting screw (40) comprises a circular cylindrical body (42), a ball (44) and a spring (46), the cylindrical body having an external thread (42a) on an outer circumferential surface, the ball being positioned near an opening end of a hole (42b) of the cylindrical body and the spring being arranged between a bottom surface of the hole of the cylindrical body and the ball. [5] Coupling piece according to claim 1, which is used between a movable carrier (30) of a linear drive which moves in the X-axis direction and a stationary housing (32) of a linear drive which moves in the Y-axis direction.

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