Vice

Abstract

We offer a small, flexible vise. [Solution] A pair of jaws 12, 14 each include at least one sliding body 24 and two sliding bodies 26, the one sliding body 24 having two arc-shaped concave sliding surfaces 38, the two sliding bodies 26 each having an arc-shaped convex sliding surface 40 that slidably engages with the two concave sliding surfaces 38, the two concave sliding surfaces 38 are formed such that portions of two annular virtual contour lines 38A defined by the surrounding contour overlap each other, and the two sliding bodies 26 are formed with opposing surfaces 26A that face each other flat so as not to interfere with each other when sliding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vise for clamping a workpiece.

Background Art

[0002] When machining a workpiece on a machine tool, for example, a vise (also referred to as a machine vise) is fixed to the table of the machine tool, and the workpiece is machined in a state where the workpiece is clamped by this vise.

[0003] The vise disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a pair of jaws for clamping a workpiece, and at least one of the pair of jaws is provided so as to be movable in a direction approaching or separating from the other jaw. Further, the pair of jaws have the same structure. For example, taking one of the jaws as an example, the jaw has a plurality of sliding members having a substantially semi-circular shape in which each size gradually decreases toward the other jaw.

[0004] The plurality of sliding members each have a concave sliding surface having a semi-arc shape and a convex sliding surface having a semi-arc shape, and in two adjacent sliding members among the plurality of sliding members, the concave sliding surface of one sliding member and the convex sliding surface of the other sliding member are slidably engaged. Thereby, the plurality of sliding members are flexibly and slidably connected to each other.

[0005] Further, among the plurality of sliding members, the smallest sliding member (also referred to as a base) that abuts on the surface of the workpiece has a workpiece abutting portion on a portion facing the workpiece, and this workpiece abutting portion is formed in a crescent shape. That is, the workpiece abutting portion of the base is recessed in a concave shape at the central portion and protruded in a convex shape at both end portions, and both convex end portions are abutted on the surface of the workpiece.

[0006] According to the vise of Patent Document 1, for example, it can clamp a workpiece having a diamond shape, a flat shape, a round shape, or an arbitrary shape.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 1405325 [Overview of the Initiative]

[0008] The flexible vise disclosed in Patent Document 1 tends to be structurally large due to its flexibility. However, from the perspective of fixing the vise to a machine tool, a small size is preferable, and therefore, in the field of vises, there is a demand for a small, flexible vise.

[0009] One embodiment of the technology described herein provides a small, flexible vise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A vise according to a first aspect of the present invention is a vise that clamps a workpiece by a pair of jaws by bringing the pair of jaws close together, wherein each pair of jaws includes at least one first sliding body and two second sliding bodies, the one first sliding body having two arc-shaped first concave sliding surfaces, the two second sliding bodies each having an arc-shaped first convex sliding surface that is slidably engaged with the two first concave sliding surfaces, the two first concave sliding surfaces are formed such that a portion of two annular virtual contour lines defined by their surrounding contours overlap each other, and the two second sliding bodies are formed with opposing surfaces that are flat so as not to interfere with each other when sliding.

[0011] A vise according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, each pair of jaws includes two third sliding bodies, each of the two second sliding bodies having two arc-shaped second concave sliding surfaces, each of the two third sliding bodies having an arc-shaped second convex sliding surface slidably engaged with the two second concave sliding surfaces, each of the two third sliding bodies includes a workpiece contact portion that contacts a workpiece, each workpiece contact portion having a pair of arc-shaped protrusions projecting toward the workpiece, the pair of arc-shaped protrusions being formed such that portions of two annular virtual contour lines defined by the circumferential contours of the arc-shaped protrusions overlap each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, a small, flexible vise can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a vise according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view of the vise. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram comparing the sizes of the two sliding bodies shown in Figure 1 with the sliding body of the comparative example. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an overall perspective view of the sliding body corresponding to the nozzle. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a plan view of the sliding body shown in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the vise 10 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 is a plan view of the vise 10 shown in Figure 1. For the purpose of explaining the vise 10 of the embodiment, a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system with three mutually orthogonal axes (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis) will be used. In this coordinate system, the X-axis direction is horizontal, the Y-axis direction is horizontal and perpendicular to the X-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction is vertical.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vise 10 of the embodiment includes a pair of jaws 12 and 14 for clamping the workpiece W, and a moving mechanism 16 for moving the pair of jaws 12 and 14 toward and toward each other (in the X-axis direction).

[0017] A pair of jaws 12, 14 and a moving mechanism 16 are provided on the body 18 of the vise 10. The body 18 is a roughly cubic block with two fixing seats 19 on each side, and is fixed to the table (not shown) of a machine tool using the fixing seats 19 when processing a workpiece W. As a result, the workpiece W is fixed to the table of the machine tool via the vise 10 and processed by the machine tool while clamped to the vise 10.

[0018] In this embodiment, the vise 10 has a jaw 12 located on the left side in the X-axis direction in Figures 1 and 2 that is fixed to the main body 18. On the other hand, the jaw 14 located on the right side is provided on the main body 18 so as to be movable along the X-axis direction.

[0019] Furthermore, in the vice 10 of this embodiment, a lead screw device is used as the moving mechanism 16. A detailed explanation of the lead screw device will be omitted as it is a known device, but it has a screw shaft and a nut, the screw shaft is arranged on the main body 18 along the X-axis direction and is rotated by a handle (not shown). The nut is provided on the jaw 14 and is screwed into the screw shaft. The main body 18 also has a guide member (not shown) that guides the linear motion of the jaw 14 along the X direction.

[0020] According to the vise 10 of the embodiment, when the screw shaft is rotated in the forward and reverse directions using the handle, the jaw 14 moves in the direction of approaching and separating from the jaw 12 (X-axis direction) due to the feeding action between the screw shaft and the nut and the linear guiding action of the guide member.

[0021] Note that, in the vise 10 of the embodiment, the jaw 12 is a fixed type and the jaw 14 is a movable type, but it is not limited thereto. The jaw 12 may be a movable type and the jaw 14 may be a fixed type, or both jaws 12 and 14 may be movable types. Further, the moving mechanism 16 is not limited to a feed screw device, and any device that can linearly move the jaw 14 (for example, a cylinder device) can be applied regardless of whether it is manual or electric.

[0022] Next, the structures of the jaws 12 and 14 will be described. Since the jaws 12 and 14 have the same configuration, the jaw 14 will be described as an example here. In the case of the jaw 12, the description will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the same members as those of the jaw 14.

[0023] The jaw 14 includes a jaw body 20, one sliding body 22, two sliding bodies 24, four sliding bodies 26, and eight sliding bodies 28. In the jaw 14, the sliding bodies adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction are slidably connected to each other, and the jaw 14 has flexibility that enables a flexible operation as a whole.

[0024] The nut of the aforementioned feed screw device is provided on the lower surface side (the lower side in the Z-axis direction) of the jaw body 20, and the jaw body 20 is moved along the X-axis direction by the feed screw device. As a result, the entire jaw 14 is moved along the X-axis direction.

[0025] A concave sliding surface 30 is formed on the side surface of the periphery of the jaw body 20 that faces the jaw 12 in the X-axis direction, and the convex sliding surface 32 of the sliding body 22 is slidably engaged with the concave sliding surface 30.

[0026] Of the side surfaces surrounding the sliding body 22, the convex sliding surface 32 is formed on the side surface facing the concave sliding surface 30 in the X-axis direction. The concave sliding surface 30 and the convex sliding surface 32 are slidably engaged with each other, causing the sliding body 22 to slide relative to the jaw body 20 along an axis parallel to the Z-axis. As a result, the sliding body 22 slides along the XY plane.

[0027] In this example, the engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 30 and the convex sliding surface 32 employs a structure that allows them to slidably engage with each other. Specifically, the structure consists of a convex ridge 30A formed along the concave sliding surface 30 and a concave ridge 32A formed along the convex sliding surface 32 that slidably engage with each other. Furthermore, the convex ridge 30A and the concave ridge 32A are configured in a dovetail groove shape to prevent separation in the X direction.

[0028] On the side surface of the sliding body 22 that faces the jaw 12 in the X-axis direction, two concave sliding surfaces 34 are formed spaced apart from each other along the Y-axis direction. The convex sliding surfaces 36 of the two sliding bodies 24 are slidably engaged with these concave sliding surfaces 34.

[0029] Of the side surfaces surrounding the sliding body 24, the convex sliding surface 36 is formed on the side surface facing the concave sliding surface 34 in the X-axis direction. The concave sliding surface 34 and the convex sliding surface 36 are slidably engaged with each other, so that the two sliding bodies 24 slide relative to the sliding body 22 along an axis parallel to the Z-axis. As a result, the two sliding bodies 24 slide independently along the XY plane. The engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 34 and the convex sliding surface 36 in this example is the same as the engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 30 and the convex sliding surface 32 described above.

[0030] On the side surface of the sliding body 24 that faces the jaw 12 in the X-axis direction, two concave sliding surfaces 38 are formed spaced apart from each other along the Y-axis direction. The convex sliding surfaces 40 of the two sliding bodies 26 are slidably engaged with these concave sliding surfaces 38.

[0031] Of the side surfaces surrounding the sliding body 26, the convex sliding surface 40 is formed on the side surface facing the concave sliding surface 38 in the X-axis direction. The concave sliding surface 38 and the convex sliding surface 40 are slidably engaged with each other, so that two sliding bodies 26 slide around an axis parallel to the Z-axis relative to one sliding body 24. As a result, the two sliding bodies 26 slide independently along the XY plane. The engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 38 and the convex sliding surface 40 in this example is the same as the engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 30 and the convex sliding surface 32 described above.

[0032] On the side surface of the sliding body 26 that faces the jaw 12 in the X-axis direction, two concave sliding surfaces 42 are formed spaced apart from each other along the Y-axis direction. The convex sliding surfaces 44 of the two sliding bodies 28 are slidably engaged with these concave sliding surfaces 42.

[0033] Of the side surfaces surrounding the sliding body 26, the convex sliding surface 44 is formed on the side surface facing the concave sliding surface 42 in the X-axis direction. The concave sliding surface 42 and the convex sliding surface 44 are slidably engaged with each other, so that two sliding bodies 28 slide along an axis parallel to the Z-axis relative to one sliding body 26. As a result, the two sliding bodies 28 slide independently along the XY plane. The engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 42 and the convex sliding surface 44 in this example is the same as the engagement structure between the concave sliding surface 30 and the convex sliding surface 32 described above.

[0034] Here, when relating the components of the embodiment to the components of the present invention, the sliding body 24 corresponds to one first sliding body of the present invention, the sliding body 26 corresponds to one second sliding body of the present invention, and the sliding body 28 corresponds to one third sliding body of the present invention. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the sliding body 28 corresponds to the jaws of the vise 10, since it is a component that comes into contact with the surface of the workpiece W when the workpiece W is clamped.

[0035] The following describes the case in which a workpiece W (Figure 2) with a rhomboid surface shape is clamped using the vise 10 of the embodiment.

[0036] First, the jaw 14 is positioned sufficiently far from the jaw 12 in the X-axis direction. Next, the workpiece W is placed on the upper surface of the main body 18 located in the gap between the jaw 12 and the jaw 14. In this case, a preferred arrangement of the workpiece W is to position the workpiece W such that its left corner C is located in the gap between the two innermost sliding bodies 28 of the eight sliding bodies 28 of the jaw 12. Then, the moving mechanism 16 moves the jaw 14 along the X-axis direction to approach the jaw 12.

[0037] As a result, the two innermost of the eight sliding bodies 28 of jaw 14 first come into contact with the surface of workpiece W. Then, as jaw 14 continues to move, the two sliding bodies 24 of each jaw 12 and 14 slide against the sliding body 22 due to the reaction force received from the surface of workpiece W, and the six sliding bodies 28 of each jaw 12 and 14, excluding the two innermost ones, sequentially come into contact with the surface of workpiece W.

[0038] At this time, the eight sliding bodies 28 of each jaw 12, 14 are pressed against the surface of the workpiece W while sliding against the sliding body 26. When the jaw 14 is moved to the position shown in Figure 2, the workpiece W is clamped by the pair of jaws 12, 14. In other words, because the vise 10 of this embodiment is flexible, it can easily clamp even a workpiece W with a diamond-shaped surface.

[0039] In this example, a diamond-shaped workpiece W is used as an example of the workpiece to be clamped. Therefore, the sliding parts of the jaws 12 and 14 that function when clamping the workpiece W are mainly two: the sliding part between the sliding body 22 and the sliding body 24, and the sliding part between the sliding body 26 and the sliding body 28. However, depending on the shape of the workpiece (diamond shape, flat shape, round shape), the sliding part between the jaw body 20 and the sliding body 22, and the sliding part between the sliding body 24 and the sliding body 26 may also function as sliding parts. In other words, since the vise 10 of this embodiment has four sliding parts, it can clamp workpieces of any shape.

[0040] Next, the detailed configuration of the sliding bodies 24 and 26 will be described with reference to Figure 3. Part A of Figure 3 is a plan view of the sliding bodies 24 and 26 as seen from the Z-axis direction, Part B of Figure 3 is a front view of the sliding body 24 shown in Part A as seen from the X-axis direction, and Part C of Figure 3 is a plan view of the comparative example sliding body 50, which corresponds to the sliding body 24, as seen from the Z-axis direction. Note that the sliding bodies 24 and 26 shown in Figure 3 differ slightly in form from the sliding bodies 24 and 26 shown in Figures 1 and 2, but Figure 3 shows the fundamental form of the sliding bodies 24 and 26.

[0041] First, as a basic configuration of the vise 10 of the embodiment, a pair of jaws 12, 14 each include at least one sliding body 24 and two sliding bodies 26. The one sliding body 24 has two arc-shaped concave sliding surfaces (corresponding to the first concave sliding surface) 38, and the two sliding bodies 26 each have an arc-shaped convex sliding surface (corresponding to the first convex sliding surface) 40 that is slidably engaged with the two concave sliding surfaces 38.

[0042] In the above-described configuration, as shown in part A of Figure 3, the two concave sliding surfaces 38 are formed such that parts of the two annular virtual contour lines 38A defined by their surrounding contours overlap each other. Furthermore, the two sliding bodies 26 have their opposing surfaces 26A (part A in Figure 3) formed flat so that they do not interfere with each other when sliding.

[0043] Here, we will describe the comparative example sliding body 50 shown in section C of Figure 3. The sliding body 50 has two concave sliding surfaces 52 formed with the same curvature as the concave sliding surface 38 of the sliding body 24. The two concave sliding surfaces 52 are formed such that the two annular virtual contour lines 52A defined by their surrounding contours do not overlap. Furthermore, the sliding body (not shown: the sliding body corresponding to the sliding body 26 in this example) that is slidably engaged with the two concave sliding surfaces 52 does not need to be considered for interference with each other during sliding, and therefore does not have a flat opposing surface 26A to avoid interference like the sliding body 26, and the opposing surface is formed in an arc shape.

[0044] As shown in sections A to C of Figure 3, when the ends of the two virtual contour lines 38A and 52A with equal diameters on the X(+) side (workpiece W side) are aligned with the same Y-axis, the sliding body 24 of this example can have its length in the X-axis direction shortened by a and its length in the Y-axis direction shortened by 2b compared to the sliding body 50 of the comparative example. As a result, the sliding body 24 of this example can be made smaller compared to the sliding body 50 of the comparative example. Therefore, according to this embodiment, a small and flexible vise 10 can be provided.

[0045] In the embodiments, one sliding body 24 is exemplified as one first sliding body of the present invention, and two sliding bodies 26 are exemplified as two second sliding bodies of the present invention, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, one sliding body 22 may be applied as one first sliding body of the present invention, and two sliding bodies 24 may be applied as two second sliding bodies of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 4 is an overall perspective view of the sliding body 28, and Figure 5 is a plan view of the sliding body 28. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the sliding body 28 (corresponding to the third sliding body) includes a workpiece contact portion 60 on the X(+) direction side (workpiece W side) of the sliding body 28 that abuts against the workpiece W. The workpiece contact portion 60 has a pair of arc-shaped protrusions 62 that project toward the workpiece W. The pair of arc-shaped protrusions 62 are formed along the Y-axis direction as shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, the pair of arc-shaped protrusions 62 are formed such that parts of two annular virtual contour lines 62A defined by the surrounding contours of the arc-shaped protrusions 62 overlap each other.

[0047] The workpiece contact portion 60 is formed with a small-diameter shaft portion 64 sandwiched between it, which is slidably engaged with the sliding body 26 in the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the workpiece contact portion 60 is configured to be larger than the shaft portion 64 when viewed from the Z-axis direction.

[0048] In the configuration described above, the sliding body 28 applied to the vise 10 of the embodiment has a reduced amount of recess in the recess 66 formed in the center of the workpiece contact portion 60 in the Y-axis direction (amount of recess relative to the arc-shaped protrusion 62), and the curvature of the pair of arc-shaped protrusions 62 that come into contact with the workpiece W is also reduced. As a result, when the workpiece contact portion 60 comes into contact with the surface of the workpiece W, it is possible to suppress scratches on the surface of the workpiece W caused by the workpiece contact portion 60.

[0049] A comparative example to the above-described sliding body 28 will now be described. For example, in the vise disclosed in Patent Document 1, the crescent-shaped sliding body (the member shown in Figure 5 of Patent Document 1), which corresponds to the sliding body 28 of this example, has a larger recess in the central part than the recess 66 of the sliding body 28 of this example, and the curvature of the pair of arc-shaped protrusions that contact the workpiece is greater than the curvature of the pair of arc-shaped protrusions 62 of the sliding body 28 of this example.

[0050] In other words, the pair of arc-shaped protrusions in Patent Document 1 are formed such that the two annular virtual contour lines defined by the surrounding contours of the arc-shaped protrusions do not overlap. As a result, when the crescent-shaped sliding body of Patent Document 1 comes into contact with the surface of the workpiece W, there is a problem that scratches will be left on the surface of the workpiece W by the crescent-shaped sliding body.

[0051] In contrast, the vise 10 of the embodiment has the above configuration for the sliding body 28 corresponding to the jaws, so as described above, when the workpiece contact portion 60 comes into contact with the surface of the workpiece W, it is possible to suppress scratches on the surface of the workpiece W caused by the workpiece contact portion 60.

[0052] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements or modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Vices 12 Joe 14 Joe 16 Moving mechanism 18 Main unit 19 Fixing seat 20 Joe main body 22 Sliding body 24 Sliding body 26 Sliding body 28 Sliding body 30 Concave sliding surface 30A Convex part 32 Convex sliding surface 32A Concave section 34 Concave sliding surface 36 Convex sliding surface 38 Concave sliding surface 38A Virtual contour line 40 Convex sliding surface 42 Concave sliding surface 44 Convex sliding surface 50 Sliding body 52 Concave sliding surface 52A Virtual contour line 60 Workpiece contact area 62 Arc-shaped protrusion 64 Shaft section 66 Recessed area

Claims

1. In a vise that clamps a workpiece by bringing a pair of jaws close together, The pair of jaws mentioned above are Each includes at least one first sliding body and two second sliding bodies, The aforementioned first sliding body has two arc-shaped first concave sliding surfaces, Each of the two second sliding bodies has an arc-shaped first convex sliding surface that is slidably engaged with the two first concave sliding surfaces. The two first concave sliding surfaces are formed such that parts of the two annular virtual contour lines defined by their surrounding contours overlap each other. The two second sliding bodies are formed with their opposing surfaces flat so that they do not interfere with each other during sliding. Vice.

2. The pair of jaws mentioned above are Each includes two third sliding bodies, Each of the two second sliding bodies has two arc-shaped second concave sliding surfaces, Each of the two third sliding bodies has an arc-shaped second convex sliding surface that is slidably engaged with the two second concave sliding surfaces. Each of the two third sliding bodies includes a workpiece contact portion that contacts the workpiece, The workpiece contact portion has a pair of arc-shaped protrusions projecting toward the workpiece, The pair of arc-shaped protrusions are formed such that parts of the two annular virtual contour lines defined by the surrounding contours of the arc-shaped protrusions overlap each other. The vise according to claim 1.

Images