Title of Invention

A WORKPIECE CONVEYING CLAMP/DEVICE

Abstract

The workpiece conveying clamp device (5) capable of synchronous movement with a cutting means (4) of a metal forming machine, the workpiece convgeying clamp device 5. A mounting seat (51) tamable about an axis substantially parallel to a first directio; a clamp carrier bar (53) elongated in said first direction and connected movable to said mounting seat (51) for turning together with said mounting seat (51); a plurality of rotary shafts (54) mounted on said clamp carrier drive bar (53) and each carrying a clamp (56); and a coupling mechanism (3) to couple said clamp carrier bar (53) to the cutting means (4) for synchronous movement of said clamp carrier bar (53) with the cutting means (4), said coupling means (3) comprising a first coupling part (6) attached to said clamp carrier bar (53), a second coupling part (7) adapted to be attached to the cutting means (4), and having a seat body (71), a slide groove (621) provided in one of said first and second coupling parts (6, 7), and a guide protrusion (72) provided in the other one of said first and second coupling parts (6, 7) and projecting into said slide groove (621), slide groove (621), extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction, wherein said section coupling part (7) has a seat body (71) secured to the cutting means (4) below said first coupling part and extends directly and upwardly from the cutting means (4) to the first coupling part (6), said slide groove (621) or said guide protrusion (72) is provided on said seat body (71); and said first and second coupling (6, 7) are not fastened to each other using a fastener.

Full Text

WORKPIECE CONVEYING CLAMP MECHANISM FOR A METAL FORMING MACHINE This invention relates to a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism for a metal forming machine, more particularly to a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism capable of synchronous movement with a cutting mechanism of a metal forming machine. Generally, metal parts such as washers, screws, nuts, etc., are fabricated from a continuous rod material by using a forging machine which performs a series of processing steps, such as cutting, clamping, conveying, forging, and other subsequent operations to form pre-designed parts. Such a forging machine typically includes a feeding mechanism, a cutting mechanism, a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism, a forging mechanism and a drive mechanism to drive the aforesaid mechanisms. By subjecting the rod, material to a series of operations of the forging machine, the rod material can be cut into workpieces which are then formed into metal parts of predetermined shape. In early forging machines, the above-mentioned mechanisms are driven by respective drive units. In order to speed up the rate of production, improvements in such forging machines have been developed. In one of such improvements, a cutting mechanism is coupled with a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism to share a common drive mechanism for synchronous movement. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 1 includes a mounting seat 11 turnable along a direction denoted by (A) by rotating about an axis (B) , a plurality of upstanding support shafts 12 installed on the mounting seat 11, a clamp carrier drive bar 13 disposed rearwardly of and parallel to the mounting seat 11, a plurality upstanding rotary shafts 14 mounted on the clamp carrier drive bar 13, a plurality of swing plates 15 each connected to one of the support shafts 12 and one of the rotary shafts 14, and a plurality of clamps 16 connected respectively to bottom ends of the rotary shafts 14. Each rotary shaft 14 is particularly designed according to the specification of workpieces to be forged and is rotatable about its own axis. Each clamp 16 is arranged to rotate along with the corresponding rotary shaft 14 by an angle of about 180 degreed. As such, each workpiece can be inverted in position when being transferred to a next mold. In order to synchronize the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 1 with a cutting mechanism 20, there is provided a coupling mechanism 2 which interconnects the cutting mechanism 20 and the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 1. The coupling mechanism 2 includes a coupler 21, a fixing disc 22, an intermediate link 23 and a screw rod 24. The fixing disc 22 is mounted on top of the cutting mechanism 20 . The intermediate link 23 has one end pivoted to the fixing disc 22. The coupler 21 is swingable relative to the intermediate link 23 and includes a first coupling part 211 connected to the clamp carrier drive bar 13 and a second coupling part 212 pivoted to the intermediate link 23 by means of a pivot member 210. The first coupling part 211 of the coupler 21 is recessed to form a positioning recess 213 which engages a detent block 131 projecting from the clamp carrier drive bar 13. A bolt 24 extends from top to bottom through the detent block 131 and the positioning recess 213, thereby fastening the two components together. As mentioned above, the cutting mechanism 20 is connected to the clamp carrier drive bar 13 to drive the same through the coupling mechanism 2 so that the clamp carrier drive bar 13 reciprocates substantially along a longitudinal direction. When the cutting mechanism 2 0 reciprocates, it drives the clamp carrier drive bar 13 so that the rotary shafts 14 are moved along the longitudinal direction of the clamp carrier drive bar 13 and the workpieces are moved through the clamps 16. When the clamp carrier drive bar 13 is moved, it rotates gears 141 which are respectively mounted on the rotary shafts 14 and which are respectively engaged with other gears 121 mounted on the support shafts 12. At this time, the clamps 16 beneath the clamp carrier drive bar 13 are turned by 18 0 deg. During the movement of the clamp carrier drive bar 13 in coordination with the swing plates 15 and gears 121, 141, the clamps 16 are not only moved longitudinally but also turned 180 degrees to their inverted positions. In addition, the clamp carrier drive bar 13 swings relative to the intermediate link 23 and further slides along a curved path. The clamp carrier drive bar 13 always maintains a position parallel to the mounting seat 11 during its movement. In the aforesaid forging machine, a forging mechanism (not shown) is further provided below the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 1. If workpieces to be fed to the forging mechanism are abnormal, or if the design of forged products is to be altered, it is necessary to inspect, change and/or adjust the forging mechanism by turning the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 1 upside down (along direction A) . To this end, the bolt 24 must be detached from the coupling mechanism 2 to permit the mounting seat 11 to be turned upside down for inspection and adjustment of the forging mechanism. Afterwards, the mounting seat 11 has to be turned back and re-positioned by re-attaching the bolt 24. As stated above, although the coupling mechanism 2 is cooperative with the unidirectional cutting mechanism 20 and the bi-directional workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 1, the conventional coupling mechanism 2 is provided with a complicated construction in order to push or pull the clamp carrier drive bar 13 along two directions. Furthermore, adjustment and/or maintenance of the forging machine requires detaching and reattaching of the bolt 24 and thus is inconvenient. An obj ect of the present invention is to provide a forging machine with an improved workpiece conveying clamp mechanism which is simple in construction and is convenient for adjustment and maintenance of the forging machine. Accordingly, the present invention provides a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism which is capable of synchronous movement with a cutting mechanism of a metal forming machine. The workpiece conveying clamp mechanism is characterized by: a mounting seat turnable about an axis substantially parallel to a first direction; a clamp carrier bar elongated in the first direction and connected movably to the mounting seat for turning together with the mounting seat; a plurality of rotary shafts mounted on the clamp carrier drive bar and each carrying a clamp; and a coupling mechanism to couple the clamp carrier bar to the cutting mechanism for synchronous movement of the clamp carrier bar with the cutting mechanism, the coupling mechanism including a first coupling part attached to the clamp carrier bar, a second coupling part adapted to be attached to the cutting mechanism, a slide groove provided in one of the first and second coupling parts, and a guide protrusion provided in the other one of the first and second coupling parts and projecting into the slide groove, the slide groove extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional workpiece conveying clamp mechanism; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the conventional workpiece conveying clamp mechanism; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the preferred embodiment; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment; and Fig. 6 is the same view as Fig. 3 but with a mounting seat of the preferred embodiment being turned down. Referring to Figures 3-6, there is shown a workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 embodying the present invention, which can be moved synchronously with a cutting mechanism 4 of a metal forming machine such as a forging machine. The cutting mechanism 4 is movable along an X-direction. The workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 includes a coupling mechanism 3 which connects the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 to the cutting mechanism 4. The workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 includes a mounting seat 51 which is turnable about an axis (B) by an angle of about 180 degrees. The axis (B) extends along a first direction, i.e. the X-direction in this embodiment. The workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 further includes a plurality of support shafts 52 mounted substantially perpendicularly on the mounting seat 51, a clamp carrier bar 53 substantially parallel to the mounting seat 51 and elongated along the X-direction, a plurality of rotary shafts 54 mounted on the clamp carrier bar 53, a plurality of clamps 56 respectively attached to bottom ends of the rotary shafts 54 which extend downward from the clamp carrier bar 53, a plurality of gears 57 respectively attached to top ends of the rotary shafts 54 which extend upward from the clamp carrier bar 53, and a plurality of swing plates 55 each of which has one end connected to one of the support shafts 52 and the other end connected to one of the rotary shafts 54. The clamp carrier bar 53 has a top surface 531 and a bottom surface 532. Since the construction of the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 is known, it is not detailed hereinafter. The coupling mechanism 3 includes a first coupling part 6 and a second coupling part 7. The first coupling part 6 is attached to one end of the clamp carrier bar 53 proximate to the cutting mechanism 4, and includes an upper seat 61 disposed on the top surface 531 of the clamp carrier bar 53, a lower seat 62 disposed over the bottom surface 532 of the clamp carrier bar 53. The lower seat 62 has a base wall 621 in abutment with the bottom surface 532 and two spaced-apart legs 622 projecting downward from the base wall 621. The legs 622 define a slide groove 623 which extends along a second direction, i.e. the Y-direction in this embodiment. The slide groove 623 has two opposite ends which are opposite to each other along the Y-direction and which are open. The slide groove 623 also opens at a bottom end thereof. The upper seat 61 functions as a packing. A plurality of bolts 63 are provided to secure the upper and lower seats 61 and 62 to the clamp carrier bar 53. The second coupling part 7 is attached to one end of the cutting mechanism 4 proximate to the clamp carrier bar 53. The second coupling seat 7 includes a seat body 71 secured to the cutting mechanism 4 below the lower seat 62 of the first coupling part 6, and a guide protrusion 72 projecting upward and toward the slide groove 623 of the lower seat 62 . The guide protrusion 72 is substantially rectangular in cross-section and is shaped to substantially conform to the shape of the slide groove 623 so that the guide protrusion 72 can be received snugly in the slide groove 62 3. Referring once again to Figure 3, when the first and second coupling parts 6 and 7 are assembled, the legs 622 of the first coupling part 6 engage and position the guide protrusion 72 of the second coupling part 7. When the cutting mechanism 4 moves in the X-direction, it actuates the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 to move. There is not any fastening means such as screws for fastening the first and second coupling parts 6 and 7. Referring once again to Figure 4, the clamp carrier bar 53 is provided with through holes 530 which are slightly larger in diameter than the bolts 63 . Due to the clearance around each bolt 63 in the corresponding through hole 53 0, positional adjustment of the clamping claws 561 of the clamps 56 relative to respective dies 8 is permitted in case there are positional errors in the first and second coupling parts 6, 7 relative to the clamp carrier bar 53, which would occur after a long time of use of the coupling mechanism 3. The adjustment may be made by loosening the bolts 63 to unfasten the clamp carrierbar 53. Thereafter, apunchrod (not shown) used in forging workpieces may be inserted into one of the clamping claws 561 and the corresponding die 8 so that the clamping claw 561 can be re-aligned with the corresponding die 8. The adjustment as such is quick and convenient. Furthermore, in place of the punch rod, any other metal rod may be used in the operation of aligning the clamping claw 561 and the corresponding die 8. While the slide groove 623 and the guide protrusion 72 are provided respectively in the first and second coupling parts 6 and 7 in this embodiment, the present invention should not be limited thereto. The slide groove 623 and the guide protrusion 72 may be interchanged so that the slide groove 623 is formed in the second coupling part 7 and the guide protrusion 72 is formed on the first coupling part 6. The present invent ion provides the following advantages : 1. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the slide groove 623 extends in the X-direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (Y-direction) of the clamp carrier bar 53, and the slide groove 623 opens at two opposite ends thereof. Therefore, there is not any restriction that limits movement of the guide protrusion 72 at the two opposite ends of the slide groove 623. Therefore, when the clamp carrier bar 53 is moved along the X-direction by the cutting mechanism 4, it can also displace in the Y-direction (see imaginary- lines shown in Figure 5). In other words, the clamp carrier bar 53 can move in both X-direction and Y-direction along a curved path. 2. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, since no screw or other - ■•-- ■ -• fastening means is used to assemble the first and second coupling parts 6 and 7, the mounting seat 51 may be directly turned over and then returned to its original position without the need to detach or re-attach any component parts. Therefore, adjustment of the clamping claws 561 or maintenance of the forging machine can be facilitated through the present invention. 3. Since the coupling mechanism 3 according to the present invention is simple in structure, the whole construction of the workpiece conveying clamp mechanism 5 is simplified and is reduced in weight, thereby resulting in a decrease in inertia forces. As a result, reciprocating parts of the forming machine can be designed and constructed easily at a reduced cost. WE CLAIM: 1. A workpiece conveying clamp device (5) capable of synchronous movement with a cutting means (4) of a metal forming machine, the workpiece conveying clamp device (5) being characterized by comprising: a mounting seat (51) turnable about an axis substantially parallel to a first direction* a clamp carrier bar (53) elongated in said first direction and connected movably to said mounting seat (51) for turning together with said mounting seat (51), a plurality of rotary shafts (54) mounted on said clamp carrier drive bar (53) and each carrying a clamp (56); and a coupling mechanism (3) to couple said clamp carrier bar (53) to the cutting means (4) for synchronous movement of said clamp carrier bar (S3) with the cutting means (4), said coupling means (3) comprising a first coupling part (6) attached to said clamp carrier bar (53), a second coupling part (7) adapted to be attached to the cutting means (4), and having a seat body (71), a slide groove (621) provided in one of said first and second coupling parts (6, 7), and a guide protrusion (72) provided in the other one of said first and second coupling parts (6, 7) and projecting into said slide groove (621), slide groove (621), extending in a second direction transverse to said first directions wherein: said section coupling part (7) has a seat body (71) secured to the cutting means (4) below said first coupling part and extends directly and upwardly from the cutting means (4) to the first coupling part (6), said slide groove (621) or said guide protrusion (72) is provided on said seat body (71); and said first and second coupling parts (6, 7) are not fastened to each other using a fastener. 2. The workpiece conveying clamp device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slide groove (621) is provided in said first coupling part (6)* said guide protrusion (72) being provided on said seat body (71) of said second coupling part (7) below said slide groove (621) and projecting upward to extend into said slide groove (621). 3. The workpiece conveying clamp device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said clamp carrier bar (53) comprises top and bottom surfaces ( (531, 532), said rotary shafts (54) extending through said top and bottom surfaces* said clamps being attached respectively to bottom ends of said rotary shafts. 4. The workpiece conveying clamp device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said guide protrusion (72) is rectangular in cross—section, said slide groove (621) having a rectangular cross—section and two opposite ends which are opposite to each other along said second direction and which are open. 5. The workpiece conveying clamp device as claimed in claim 4» wherein said first coupling part (6) comprises a lower seat (62) which has a base wall (621) in abutment with said bottom surface (532) of said clamp carrier bar (53), and two spaced-apart legs (622) extending downward from said base wall (621). 6. The workpiece conveying clamp device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said clamp carrier bar (53) has a plurality of bolts (63) to fasten said lower seat (62) to said clamp carrier bar (53). 7. The workpiece conveying clamp device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said clamp carrier bar (53) comprises a plurality of through holes (530) to receive respectively said bolts (63), each of said through holes (530) having a diameter larger than that of a corresponding one of said bolts (63) The workpiece conveying clamp device (5) capable of synchronous movement with a cutting means (4) of a metal forming machine, the workpiece convgeying clamp device 5. A mounting seat (51) tamable about an axis substantially parallel to a first directio; a clamp carrier bar (53) elongated in said first direction and connected movable to said mounting seat (51) for turning together with said mounting seat (51); a plurality of rotary shafts (54) mounted on said clamp carrier drive bar (53) and each carrying a clamp (56); and a coupling mechanism (3) to couple said clamp carrier bar (53) to the cutting means (4) for synchronous movement of said clamp carrier bar (53) with the cutting means (4), said coupling means (3) comprising a first coupling part (6) attached to said clamp carrier bar (53), a second coupling part (7) adapted to be attached to the cutting means (4), and having a seat body (71), a slide groove (621) provided in one of said first and second coupling parts (6, 7), and a guide protrusion (72) provided in the other one of said first and second coupling parts (6, 7) and projecting into said slide groove (621), slide groove (621), extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction, wherein said section coupling part (7) has a seat body (71) secured to the cutting means (4) below said first coupling part and extends directly and upwardly from the cutting means (4) to the first coupling part (6), said slide groove (621) or said guide protrusion (72) is provided on said seat body (71); and said first and second coupling (6, 7) are not fastened to each other using a fastener.

Documents:

421-KOL-2005-(03-01-2013)-FORM-27.pdf

421-KOL-2005-FORM 27.pdf

421-KOL-2005-FORM-27-1.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-abstract.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-claims.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-correspondence.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-description (complete).pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-drawings.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-examination report.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-form 1.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-form 18.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-form 2.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-form 26.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-form 3.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-form 5.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

421-kol-2005-granted-specification.pdf