fastening system

Abstract

The invention relates to a fastening system (1) comprising: - a base (3) having an orifice (4), - a clamp (2) having a clamping support (5) having a support body (9) and a lower jaw (10), and a clamping hook (6) having a hook body (11) and an upper jaw (12), - a clamping element (7) disposed in the orifice (4) and configured to hold the clamp (2) in the base (3) in a locked state, - an actuating device (8) connected to the clamping element (7), the actuating device (8) being configured so that, in a clamping movement, it causes one of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws to move towards the other of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws, and moves the clamping element (7) from the unlocked state to the locked state, and being configured so that, in a loosening movement,cause one of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws to move in the opposite direction to the other upper (12) and lower jaw, and move the clamping element (7) from the locked state to the unlocked state. Figure for the abbreviation: 3,

Description

Title of the invention: Fastening system technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of fastening systems for holding a part in position on a support device such as a work table or a machining table. Technological background

[0002] Clamping devices allowing parts to be clamped together by introducing the clamping device into an orifice of these parts are known in particular from document EP3848595.

[0003] This clamping device comprises a body, a clamping unit including clamping legs, and a separating bar positioned between the clamping legs and configured to spread the clamping legs outwards during its longitudinal movement. The clamping legs have clamping feet which, combined with the force of the body, allow the parts to be clamped together.

[0004] While this type of system allows for the efficient clamping of parts together, it has the disadvantages of requiring, on the one hand, parts with a suitable opening and, on the other hand, clamping one part against another flat part serving as a support. Summary of the invention

[0005] One idea underlying the invention is to design a fastening system that allows a part to be easily clamped while being held to a support.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the invention provides a fastening system comprising: - a base having an orifice, the base being intended to be fixed to a support, - a clamp comprising a clamping support having a hollow cylindrical support body extending in an axial direction and a lower jaw projecting from the support body in a radial direction, and a clamping hook having a hollow cylindrical hook body extending in the axial direction and an upper jaw projecting from the hook body in the radial direction, the support body being disposed at least partially in the orifice of the base, the hook body being disposed at least partially inside the support body, - a clamping element disposed in the orifice of the base and configured to hold the clamp in the base in a locked state,the clamp being movable in rotation around an axis parallel to the axial direction in an unlocked state, - an actuating device passing through the support body and the hook body and being connected to the clamping element, the actuating device being configured to, in a clamping movement, cause the displacement of one of the upper jaws, and lower towards the other of the upper and lower jaws, and move the clamping element from the unlocked state to the locked state, and being configured to in a loosening movement, cause the movement of one of the upper and lower jaws to the opposite of the other of the upper and lower jaws, and move the clamping element from the locked state to the unlocked state.

[0007] Thanks to these features, the clamping system allows a workpiece to be easily secured between the upper and lower jaws while being held to a support. Indeed, the actuation device, through a single clamping movement by the operator, acts on both the jaws and the clamping element that locks the movement of the gripper. Thus, in the unlocked state, the operator is free to adjust the position and orientation of the gripper in the opening relative to the workpiece to be clamped. Then, with the clamping movement, the clamping element moves to the locked state, thus locking the position and orientation of the gripper in the opening while simultaneously clamping the workpiece between the upper and lower jaws.

[0008] According to embodiments, such a fastening system may include one or more of the following characteristics.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the clamping support comprises a skirt having an internal housing of frustoconical shape and being provided with a plurality of slots segmenting the skirt into a plurality of skirt portions, the clamping element comprising a frustoconical male part disposed in the internal housing and having an external surface of complementary shape to the internal housing, and in which, in the locked state, the skirt portions protrude from the support body in the radial direction, the skirt portions being elastically deformed by the displacement of the frustoconical male part in the axial direction during the clamping movement.

[0010] Thus, during the tightening movement, the frustoconical male part moves in the axial direction, elastically deforming portions of the skirt which protrude from the support body and exert a force against the walls of the orifice. During the loosening movement, the frustoconical male part moves in the opposite axial direction, allowing the skirt portions to return to their original position.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the skirt is connected to the support body and is disposed in the opening of the base.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the internal housing has a lower edge and an upper edge, and has a cone generatrix, the generatrix being inclined from the outside to the inside of the clamping support, from the lower edge to the upper edge.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the frustoconical male part has a lower edge and an upper edge, and has a cone generatrix, the generatrix being inclined at from the outside to the inside of the truncated conical male piece, from the lower edge to the upper edge.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the cone generatrix of the frustoconical male part and the internal housing is inclined at an angle with the axial direction of between 5 and 45°, preferably between 5 and 15°.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the actuation device is an actuation screw, the frustoconical male part having a tapped orifice cooperating with the actuation screw.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the actuation screw comprises a screw head.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the hook body includes a screw housing, the screw head being located in the screw housing.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the screw head has a bearing surface in contact with the hook body, the bearing surface being configured so that during the tightening movement it applies a force directed in the axial direction on the hook body and in the direction of the lower jaw so as to move the upper jaw towards the lower jaw.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the fastening system includes spring washers arranged inside the clamping support, between a shoulder of the support body and the clamping element.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the base comprises a base spring disposed in the orifice, one end of the base spring being in contact with the actuating element.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the clamp includes a clamp spring disposed inside the clamping support and having a first end in contact with the hook body and a second end in contact with the support body.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the clamp includes a spring-loaded pusher disposed in the clamping support, the spring-loaded pusher comprising a ball and a pusher spring, the pusher spring being on one side in contact with the clamping support and on the other side in contact with the ball, the ball being pressed against the hook body by the pusher spring.

[0023] Thus, the spring-loaded plunger allows the clamping support and the clamping hook to be rotationally coupled by the ball's adhesion. However, this coupling can be disengaged by the operator simply by resisting the rotation of the clamping support to counteract the ball's adhesion. Therefore, the operator can either rotate the clamping support and the clamping hook together or separately, as required.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a fastening assembly comprising a support and the aforementioned fastening system, in which the base of the fastening system is fixed to the support.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the support is a work table or a machining table.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for fixing a part using a fixing system, in which the fixing method comprises the following steps: - provide the aforementioned fixing system, a support and a part to be clamped, - attach the base to the support, - align the upper bit with the lower bit, - place the part to be clamped between the upper jaw and the lower jaw, - operate the actuation device in a clamping motion so as to move one of the upper and lower jaws towards the other of the upper and lower jaws and to pass the clamping element into the locked state. Brief description of the figures

[0027] The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the fastening system according to one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the clamp of the fastening system according to a method of implementation.

[0030] Figure 3 represents a cross-sectional view along plane III-III of Figure 1, representing the fastening system according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the fastening system according to a method of realization. Description of the implementation methods

[0032] A fastening system 1 allowing a part to be clamped by a clamp 2 will be described later with reference to figures 1 to 4.

[0033] As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the fastening system 1 comprises: - a base 3 equipped with an opening 4, - the clamp 2 comprising a clamping support 5, and a clamping hook 6, - a clamping element 7 disposed in the opening 4, and - an actuation device 8 passing through the clamping support 5, and the clamping hook 6, and being connected to the clamping element 7.

[0034] The base 3 has mounting holes 21 which allow the base 3 to be fixed to a support (not shown). The support can, for example, be a machining table.

[0035] The clamp 2 is more particularly represented in [Fig.2]. The clamping support 5 of the clamp 2 thus comprises a hollow cylindrical support body 9 extending in an axial direction A and a lower jaw 10 projecting from the support body 9 in a radial direction orthogonal to the axial direction A.

[0036] The clamping hook 6 of the clamp 2 has a hollow cylindrical hook body 11 extending in the axial direction A and an upper jaw 12 projecting from the hook body in the radial direction.

[0037] As seen in [Fig.3], the support body 9 is disposed partially in the orifice 4, and the hook body 11 is disposed partially inside the support body 9.

[0038] The clamping support 5 comprises a skirt 13 having an internal housing 14 of frustoconical shape and being provided with a plurality of slots 15 segmenting the skirt into a plurality of skirt portions 16, as shown in particular in figures 2 and 3. The skirt 13 is connected to a lower part of the support body 9 and is disposed in the orifice 4.

[0039] The clamping element 7 is configured to hold the clamp 2 in the base 3 in a locked state. Indeed, in this state, the skirt portions 16 protrude from the support body 9 in the radial direction because the skirt portions 16 are elastically deformed by the clamping element 7.

[0040] In an unlocked state, the gripper 2 is free to rotate within the opening 4 about an axis parallel to the axial direction A. The base 3 may advantageously include a slewing stop 22, visible in [Fig. 1], limiting the angular amplitude of the gripper 2's rotation. The slewing stop 22 may be removable, for example by screwing, or include a removable portion 30, as shown in [Fig. 4]. In this case, when the removable portion 30 is removed, only the lower jaw 10 is limited in angular amplitude by the slewing stop 22.

[0041] As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the actuation device 8 is in the form of an actuation screw and the clamping element 7 comprises a frustoconical male part 17 disposed in the internal recess 14 of the skirt 13. The frustoconical male part 17 has an external surface with a shape complementary to the internal recess 14. The frustoconical male part 17 further comprises a tapped orifice 18 cooperating with the thread of the actuation screw 8.

[0042] The actuation screw 8 has a screw head 19 which has a bearing surface 20 in contact with the hook body 9.

[0043] In order to clamp a part located between the upper and lower jaws 10, 12, the actuating screw 8 is turned by the user in a clamping movement, for example clockwise, which initially causes the bearing surface 20 to move so as to apply a force directed in the axial direction on the hook body 11 and towards the lower jaw 10, thus moving the upper jaw 12 towards the lower jaw 10 until the upper jaw 12 is pressed against the workpiece to be clamped. Then, in a second step and still with the tightening movement of the actuating screw, the frustoconical male part 17 is driven in the axial direction by cooperation with the thread of the actuating screw 8 so as to elastically deform the skirt portions 16 which are caused to protrude from the support body 9 and to exert a force against the walls of the orifice 4, which represents the locked state.

[0044] To loosen a part located between the upper and lower jaws 10, 12, the actuating screw 8 is turned by the user in a loosening motion, for example counterclockwise. This initially causes the frustoconical male part 17 to move in the axial direction A towards the bottom of the orifice 4, allowing the skirt portions 16 to return to their original, unlocked position by elastic recoil. Subsequently, and still with the tightening motion of the actuating screw 8, the actuating screw 8 is itself moved outwards in the axial direction A, thus relieving pressure on the hook body 11 and releasing the upper jaw 12.

[0045] In order to improve or assist certain movements made during tightening or loosening, the fastening system 1 also includes spring elements.

[0046] Indeed, the fastening system 1 comprises spring washers 23, visible in Figures 3 and 4, arranged inside the clamping support 5, between a shoulder 24 of the support body 9 and the frustoconical male part 17. During the transition from the unlocked to the locked state, the spring washers 23 are elastically deformed. During the transition from the locked to the unlocked state, the elastic return of the spring washers 23 contributes to the movement of the frustoconical male part 17 in the axial direction A towards the bottom of the orifice 4.

[0047] In addition, the base 3 includes a base spring 25, visible in [Fig.3], fixed in the opening 4. One end of the base spring 25 is arranged so as to be in contact with the frustoconical male part 17. This base spring 25 makes it possible to hold the clamp 2 in the upper position in the base 3 by simply supporting the weight of the clamp 2. The operator can therefore exert slight pressure on the clamp 2 to position it at the height of the workpiece to be clamped and then perform a 90° rotation to place the lower jaw 10 under the workpiece to be clamped.

[0048] The clamp 2 also includes a clamp spring 26 disposed inside the clamping support 5 and having one end in contact with the hook body 11 and a second end in contact with the support body 9. During the clamping movement, the clamp spring 26 is elastically deformed. During the loosening movement, the elastic return of the clamp spring 26 allows to help the hook body 11 move away from the support body 9 and thus move the upper jaw 12 away from the lower jaw 10. The clamp spring 26 also ensures that the tapered male part 17 is always in contact with the spring washers 23 to prevent the actuating screw 8 from spinning freely

[0049] The clamp finally includes a spring-loaded plunger 27, visible in Figures 3 and 4, disposed in the clamping support 5. The spring-loaded plunger 27 comprises a ball 28 and a plunger spring 29. The plunger spring 29 is in contact on one side with the clamping support 5 and on the other side with the ball 28, the ball 28 being pressed against the hook body 11 by the elastic return of the plunger spring 29. The spring-loaded plunger 27 allows the clamping support 5 and the clamping hook 6 to be coupled in rotation by the friction of the ball 28.

[0050] Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is clearly evident that it is by no means limited to them and that it includes all technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations if these fall within the scope of the invention.

[0051] The use of the verb "comprise", "comprendre" or "include" and its conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or other steps than those stated in a claim.

[0052] In the claims, any reference sign in parentheses shall not be interpreted as a limitation of the claim.

Claims

Demands

1. Fastening system (1) comprising: - a base (3) provided with an opening (4), the base (3) being intended to be fixed to a support, - a clamp (2) comprising a clamping support (5) having a hollow cylindrical support body (9) extending in an axial direction (A) and a lower jaw (10) projecting from the support body (9) in a radial direction, and a clamping hook (6) having a hollow cylindrical hook body (11) extending in the axial direction and an upper jaw (12) projecting from the hook body (11) in the radial direction, the support body (9) being disposed at least partially in the orifice (4) of the base, the hook body (11) being disposed at least partially inside the support body (9), - a clamping element (7) disposed in the opening (4) of the base (3) and configured to hold the clamp (2) in the base (3) in a locked state, the clamp (2) being free to rotate about an axis parallel to the axial direction in an unlocked state, - an actuating device (8) passing through the support body (9) and the hook body (11) and being connected to the clamping element (7), the actuating device (8) being configured so that, in a clamping movement, it causes one of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws to move towards the other of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws, and moves the clamping element (7) from the unlocked state to the locked state, and being configured so that, in a loosening movement, it causes one of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws to move away from the other of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws. (10), and move the clamping element (7) from the locked state to the unlocked state.

2. A fastening system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the clamping support (5) comprises a skirt (13) having a frustoconical internal housing (14) and being provided with a plurality of slots (15) segmenting the skirt (13) into a plurality of skirt portions (16), the clamping element (7) comprising a frustoconical male part (17) disposed in the internal housing (14) and having an external surface of a shape complementary to the internal housing (14), and wherein, in the locked state, the portions of skirt (16) protrude from the support body (9) in the radial direction, the skirt portions (16) being elastically deformed by the displacement of the frustoconical male part (17) in the axial direction during the clamping movement.

3. A fastening system (1) according to claim 2, wherein the actuating device (8) is an actuating screw, the frustoconical male part (17) having a tapped orifice (18) cooperating with the actuating screw.

4. A fastening system (1) according to claim 3, wherein the actuating screw has a screw head (19), the screw head (19) having a bearing surface in contact with the hook body (11), the bearing surface being configured so that during the clamping movement it applies a force directed in the axial direction on the hook body (11) and in the direction of the lower jaw (10) so as to move the upper jaw (12) towards the lower jaw (10).

5. A fastening system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fastening system (1) comprises spring washers (23) arranged inside the clamping support (5), between a shoulder of the support body (9) and the clamping element (7).

6. A fastening system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the base (3) comprises a base spring (25) disposed in the orifice (4), one end of the base spring (25) being in contact with the actuating element.

7. A fastening system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the clamp (2) has a clamp spring (26) disposed inside the clamping support (5) and having a first end in contact with the hook body (11) and a second end in contact with the support body (9).

8. A fastening system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the clamp (2) has a spring-loaded plunger (27) disposed in the clamping support (5), the spring-loaded plunger (27) comprising a ball (28) and a plunger spring (29), the plunger spring (29) being in contact on one side with the clamping support (5) and on the other side with the ball (28), the ball (28) being pressed against the hook body (11) by the plunger spring (29).

9. A fastening assembly comprising a support and a fastening system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base (3) of the fastening system (1) is fixed to the support.

10. A method for fixing a part using a fixing system (1), wherein the fixing method comprises the following steps: - providing a fixing system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, a support and a part to be clamped, - fixing the base (3) to the support, - aligning the upper jaw (12) with the lower jaw (10), - placing the part to be clamped between the upper jaw (12) and the lower jaw (10), - actuating the actuating device (8) in a clamping movement so as to move one of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws towards the other of the upper (12) and lower (10) jaws and to pass the clamping element (7) into the locked state.