Device for connecting the protective plates on bellows covering the guides of automatic machines, machine tools and robots

Abstract

A connecting device rotatably joins a protective plate to a bellows that covers the guide of an automatic machine, machine tool or robot. The plate is one of a plurality of partially overlapping protective plates that slide and turn relative to each other as the bellows is extended and compressed. The connecting device includes a pushing element designed to extend freely through an aperture made in the respective plate and to come into contact with an outside face of the plate itself; a joining element which can be stably connected to the bellows at a respective transversal fold line and which is designed to come into contact with an inside face of the respective plate so as to rotatably support the plate in removable, pivot-like fashion when the plate is pushed by the pushing element; and a pair of helical springs forming a single component with the pushing element and stably connected to the joining element.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.