Mechanical Workpiece Clamping With Dense Shaft Arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clamping devices require compressed air to switch between unclamping and clamping states, limiting their use in environments where air is not available, and they do not allow for densely packed arrangements of shaft members.
Innovation Solution
A workpiece holding apparatus with a clamping device that switches states through direct or indirect contact with a trigger member, eliminating the need for air cylinders, and a configuration of shaft members arranged in regular polygons to enable densely packed placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an air cylinder is used to switch the clamping device between unclamping and clamping states, then the clamping device can be operated reliably, but it cannot be used in environments where compressed air is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pneumatic system (air cylinder) with a mechanical trigger member that directly actuates the clamping device. The trigger member mechanically pushes the rolling element to switch between clamping and unclamping states, eliminating the need for compressed air infrastructure and enabling use in environments where air supply is unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the air cylinder component from the clamping device system. By eliminating the pneumatic actuation mechanism, the device becomes simpler and adaptable to environments without compressed air, while retaining the core clamping function through the trigger member mechanism.
2Adaptability or versatility
If shaft members are arranged in a densely packed manner, then the workpiece holding apparatus can handle various workpieces, but the arrangement becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric arrangement of shaft members where the radial distances between adjacent shaft members are not uniform. This asymmetric configuration allows for optimized dense packing while maintaining accessibility and operational simplicity, enabling the handling of various workpiece sizes and shapes without requiring complex positioning mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables clamping and unclamping without air cylinders and allows for densely packed arrangements of shaft members, facilitating versatile and stable workpiece holding.
Implementation Method 1
a rolling element placed in a wedge-shaped space between the outer cylinder and the shaft, and a retainer that holds the rolling element. When the outer cylinder is moved in one direction relative to the retainer to cause the rolling element to roll to a small diameter side of the wedge-shaped space, the shaft member can be clamped.
Implementation Method 2
a rolling element placed in a wedge-shaped space between the outer cylinder and the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A workpiece holding apparatus includes: a main body; at least one shaft member capable of coming into contact with a workpiece; a clamping device into which the shaft member is inserted, the clamping device being attached to the main body and capable of switching between an unclamping state that releases the shaft member and a clamping state that clamps the shaft member; and a trigger member configured to switch the clamping device between the unclamping state and the clamping state. The trigger member comes into direct contact with the workpiece, or comes into indirect contact with the workpiece via at least a part of the shaft member, thus moving relative to the main body, and the clamping device switches from the unclamping state to the clamping state.