Tool Holder Locking Assembly for Secure Bracket Pin Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tool holders and quick coupling units in machines are prone to accidents due to insecure locking mechanisms, where one bracket pin is hidden from view and can escape during machine tilting or oscillation, leading to potential injuries and material damage.
Innovation Solution
A tool holder design that uses an actuator to securely lock both bracket pins through a form-fit mechanism, ensuring the front bracket pin is locked in the hook-shaped recess and the rear bracket pin is locked in the cut out, with the actuator changing the size of the opening to prevent disengagement, and only allowing machine operation once the front bracket pin is secured.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hook shaped recess is used to engage the front bracket pin, then the tool can be quickly coupled to the tool holder, but the bracket pin can escape through the opening during machine tilting or oscillation
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is divided into two independent bracket pins: a front bracket pin that engages with a hook-shaped recess for quick coupling, and a rear bracket pin that engages with a cutout for secure locking. This segmentation allows the front pin to provide rapid engagement while the rear pin ensures security during operation, resolving the contradiction between coupling speed and locking security.
2Reliability
If the rear bracket pin is used for locking, then the tool can be securely locked, but the operator cannot visually confirm proper locking due to the pin being hidden
Solution Approach 1:
A visual indicator element is introduced as an intermediary between the hidden rear bracket pin and the operator's view. This indicator is connected to the rear bracket pin and moves or changes position to visually signal whether the pin is properly engaged, allowing the operator to confirm locking status without directly observing the hidden pin itself.
3Reliability
If the locking element is extended to lock the rear bracket pin, then the tool is secured, but the front bracket pin remains vulnerable during the locking sequence
Solution Approach 1:
The front bracket pin is designed to engage the hook-shaped recess as a preliminary action before the rear bracket pin is fully locked. This preliminary engagement provides initial security and maintains tool position during the locking sequence, reducing the vulnerable period before complete locking is achieved.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool holder for a machine includes a frame and an actuator that can be moved from a retracted state to an extended state and back. The frame includes a hook shaped recess having an opening and a cut out arranged at a distance from the hook shaped recess so that a front bracket pin of a tool can releasably connect to the hook shaped recess by entering the opening and a rear bracket pin of the tool can releasably connect to the cut out. The actuator is fixedly connected to the frame with one end. The actuator includes a locking element that is designed to change the shape of the cut out in the extended state of the actuator. The actuator includes a securing assembly designed to reduce the size of the opening of the hook shaped recess in the retracted state of the actuator. The rear bracket pin can enter the cut out in the retracted state of the actuator and the front bracket pin can enter the hook shaped recess in the extended state of the actuator.