Device for precisely manipulating objects
AssigneeWillcox Investments S.A.
InventorEamon Joseph McArdle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for precisely manipulating objects by means of multidimensional tooling movement cycles, comprising a revolving shaft assembly, a barrel shaped main cam connected in a slidable but rotationally locked manner with the revolving shaft assembly, a fixed main cam follower configured to engage the main cam such that the main cam performs a cyclic main translational movement in the direction of a shaft rotation axis, a plate shaped secondary cam rigidly connected to the main cam, a tooling holder having a main slide slidable in the direction of the shaft rotation axis and a secondary slide slidable with respect to the main slide in a transversal direction to the shaft rotation axis, wherein the main slide is connected to the main cam and a secondary cam follower is connected to the secondary slide.
Claims18
Device for precisely manipulating objects by means of multidimensional tooling movement cycles, comprising:
- a support structure and a revolving shaft assembly supported by the support structure such that the revolving shaft assembly can rotate around a shaft rotation axis,
- drive means connected to the support structure and configured to co-operate with the revolving shaft assembly to rotate the revolving shaft assembly around the shaft rotation axis,
- a barrel shaped main cam connected in a slidable but rotationally locked manner with the revolving shaft assembly such that the main cam can slide along the revolving shaft assembly in the direction of the shaft rotation axis and rotates together with the revolving shaft assembly around the shaft rotation axis, wherein the main cam comprises a main cam profile extending around the shaft rotation axis and defining a main stroke in the direction of the shaft rotation axis,
- a fixed main cam follower connected to the support structure and configured to engage the main cam profile of the main cam such that, in response to a rotation of the revolving shaft assembly around the shaft rotation axis, the main cam performs a cyclic main translational movement in the direction of the shaft rotation axis,
- a plate shaped secondary cam rigidly connected to the main cam such that the secondary cam rotates and translates together with the main cam, said secondary cam comprising a secondary cam profile extending around the shaft rotation axis and defining a secondary stroke in a transversal direction to the shaft rotation axis,
- a tooling holder having a main slide supported by the support structure in a slidable and guided manner such that the main slide can move in the direction of the shaft rotation axis and a secondary slide including a tooling fixation portion and being connected to the main slide in a slidable and guided manner such that the secondary slide can move with respect to the main slide in a transversal direction to the shaft rotation axis, wherein the main slide is connected to the main cam integrally in translation along shaft rotation axis and rotatably around said shaft rotation axis such that said main slide moves together with the main cam in the direction of the shaft rotation axis while the main cam can freely rotate with respect to the main slide around the shaft rotation axis,
- a secondary cam follower connected to the secondary slide and configured to engage the secondary cam profile of the secondary cam in such a way that, in response to the rotation of the revolving shaft assembly around the shaft rotation axis, the secondary slide performs a cyclic secondary translational movement in the transversal direction to the shaft rotation axis synchronized with said main cyclic translational movement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.