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US 10,377,004 B2Granted
Tool magazine
AssigneeYamazaki Mazak Corporation
InventorsToru Yamamoto, Yasuyuki Hara, Kouichi Shouji, Tetsuya Nakanishi, Reiji Maekawa, Jumpei Kitayama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tool magazine includes a magazine arm and a gripper plate. The magazine arm has a tool pot to hold a tool. The magazine arm is pivotable around a pivotal axis such that the tool pot pivots around the pivotal axis. The gripper plate has at least one gripper to hold the tool at a holding position on a circular arc track along which the tool moves when the magazine arm pivots. The at least one gripper is open in a tangent direction of the circular arc track at the holding position.
Claims23
A tool magazine comprising:
- a magazine arm comprising:
- a pivotal axis on one end of the magazine arm;
- and
- a tool pot on another end of the magazine arm, the tool pot being configured to hold a tool in a suspended manner with the tool having a longitudinal axis extending in an extending direction such that the tool pivots around the pivotal axis on a circular arc track when the magazine arm pivots around the pivotal axis;
- and
- a gripper plate on which a plurality of grippers are disposed in a longitudinal direction of the tool magazine, at least one of the plurality of grippers being configured to hold the tool in a suspended manner at a holding position on the circular arc track such that the extending direction of the longitudinal axis of the tool is substantially aligned with a vertical direction of the tool magazine, the at least one gripper having a U-shape when viewed in a direction parallel to the pivotal axis, the U-shape having two parallel sides, an open end, and a closed end, the at least one gripper having a central line that extends parallel to the two parallel sides from the closed end to the open end, the central line being tangent to the circular arc track at the holding position on the circular arc track when the tool is being inserted into the at least one gripper along the circular arc track.
3 more elements
A tool magazine comprising:
- a magazine arm which has a tool pot to hold a tool in a suspended manner with the tool having a longitudinal axis extending in an extending direction, the magazine arm being pivotable around a pivotal axis such that the tool pivots around the pivotal axis along a circular arc track;
- and
- a gripper plate having at least one gripper configured to hold the tool in a suspended manner at a holding position on the circular arc track such that the extending direction of the longitudinal axis of the tool is substantially aligned with a vertical direction of the tool magazine, the at least one gripper having a U-shape when viewed in a direction parallel to the pivotal axis, the U-shape having two parallel sides, an open end, and a closed end, the at least one gripper having a central line that extends parallel to the two parallel sides from the closed end to the open end, the central line being tangent to the circular arc track at the holding position on the circular arc track when the tool is being inserted into the at least one gripper along the circular arc track.
A tool magazine comprising:
- a magazine arm which has a tool pot to hold a tool in a suspended manner with the tool having a longitudinal axis extending in an extending direction, the magazine arm being pivotable around a pivotal axis such that the tool pivots around the pivotal axis along a circular arc track;
- and
- a gripper plate having at least one gripper with opposing first and second side walls, and an opening to hold the tool in a suspended manner in the opening at a holding position on the circular arc track such that the extending direction of the longitudinal axis of the tool is substantially aligned with a vertical direction of the tool magazine, the circular arc track extending in a plane perpendicular to the pivotal axis, the opening having a central line that extends in a direction parallel to the plane, the central line being tangent to the circular arc track at the holding position on the circular arc track, the central line extending from a closed end of the at least one gripper through a central portion of an open end of the at least one gripper, the open end being configured to allow the tool to move therethrough when the tool is being inserted into the at least one gripper along the circular arc track,
- wherein the opposing first and second walls each have a longitudinal axis that is oblique to a longitudinal axis of the gripper plate.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.