Clamp apparatus

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a clamp having an arm for clamping a workpiece. The arm is rotatable at a predetermined angle by a drive mechanism.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#FIG. 1 is a partially-sectional exploded perspective view of a clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along an axis of the clamp according to the embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along a line III-III shown in FIG. 2;

#In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 indicates a clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention.

#The clamp 10 comprises a body 12, a cylinder section (drive mechanism) 14, an arm 20, and an impact-reducing mechanism 22. The cylinder section 14 is air-tightly connected to a lower end of the body 12. The arm 20 is connected to a coupling portion 18. The coupling portion 18 has a rectangular cross section and protrudes to the outside through a pair of substantially circular openings (not shown) formed in the body 12. The impact-reducing mechanism 22 is provided in the body 12 and reduces inertial force (rotational force) of the arm 20 rotating together with the coupling portion 18 as the center of rotation, thereby reducing an impact exerted when the arm 20 comes into contact with a workpiece (not shown).

#The cylinder section 14 includes an end block 24 and a cylinder tube 26 in the shape of a rectangular pipe. The cylinder tube 26 has one end air-tightly connected to the end block 24 and the other end air-tightly connected to the body 12