Patent Application
20210156408
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of Brazilian Patent Application Serial No. BR102019024996-0, filed on Nov. 27, 2019, the entire contents of which as are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an adjustable clip shaped as an eyeglass frame for use as a mechanical attachment component of mechanical elements having tubular, billet, spherical, or other similar and/or compatible shapes to be attached to elements from automated systems such as transfer grippers or robot grips, but also as a component in machine assemblies, pipes, structural systems such as, for example, shelves or other type of furniture, or in any other type of application compatible with their characteristics of joining two or more mechanical elements.
The present invention further relates to a method of fastening a component by means of an adjustable clip.
Use of connecting clips of structural mechanical elements or components such as grippers, shovels, suction cups for handling and transporting parts in processes and which allow an easy and broad adjustment of these elements to the working positions is relatively common and there are many different concepts and models therefore.
There is a need for a product that meets the characteristics of being structurally stiff, lightweight, widely flexible and easy to adjust, being stable to maintain the adjusted conditions for many cycles with an intense dynamics but without any vibration, and that is relatively simple to result in a cost competitive product that does not limit the throughput of equipment where it is installed.
The state of the art clips are known to be inefficient in their installation, removal, and most importantly, they do not provide an a easy, precise, efficient and fast adjustment. Also, location of the clip as well as its position in the equipment where it is installed can often make it very difficult for the operator to handle it, thus making its assembly and adjustment in the proper position difficult.
Therefore, the state of the art fails to provide an apparatus (clip) having a configuration that would facilitate one to reach its fastening means (screws) and that would allow access for assembly and adjustment in the most optimized, simple, precise, efficient and fast way possible.
In this sense, the present inventor has been developing innovative clips for some time, testing and evaluating them in use over time to improve them. He has recently developed a new concept and model that is characterized by being simple (it has 2 separate parts and screws), easy to use, stiff and lightweight.
An object of various embodiments of the present invention is to provide a clip to be used with a gripper in transfer systems or robots that operate under dynamic motion, which in most cases aim at achieving its maximum cycle and therefore require stiffness, durability, stability, repeatability of functional positioning, while being as lightweight as possible to meet the capacity restrictions of the equipment to which it will be attached, without any vibrations associated with the maximum speed while in motion.
Another object of various embodiments of the present invention is to provide a clip configured as an attachment element between components that require regulation for better adjusting the components and grip and release positions of workpieces.
Another object of various embodiments of the present invention is to provide a clip having the functional characteristics of being easy to adjust, providing a firm fastening while being solid and maintaining firmness of position under the dynamics of operation for a great amount of cycles.
Another object of various embodiments of the present invention is to provide a clip being structurally stiff, lightweight, flexible, easy to adjust and stable to keep the conditions under which it was set up for many cycles.
Another object of various embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method of fastening a component using an adjustable clip.
The above-identified and other objects of the present invention are achieved by means of an adjustable clip comprising: two equal or very similar semi-clamps assembled as a mirror mount resulting in an “eyeglass” shape having two spherical cores (mouthpieces), into which fully or partially shaped components having spherical surface can be inserted either directly or using adapters; spherical adapters having an external surface that is partially or fully spherical, split or bipartite with an internal hole, which are used to allow the clips to clamp the element to be fastened; and fastening elements, mainly screws, nuts and washers; wherein the first semi-clamp and the second semi-clamp are configured to be positioned, in a way to tighten something in the spherical section, to each other at least by means of one or more fastening elements, in the configuration shown 3 sets (screw, nut and washer) and in another configuration shown 4 sets of fastening elements, so that in the configuration shown, it enables an adjustment to be made of one of the elements to be fastened with a pre-tightening of the central screw, then with a pre-tightening of the peripheral screw adjacent to the element being adjusted and fastened, then the process is repeated on the other element to be adjusted and fastened and then final sequence is concluded by re-tightening or strongly tightening all of the adjusted, tightened and fastened elements.
The present invention will now be described in more detail based on one embodiment shown in the drawings.
The figures show:
In principle, with initial reference to
However, although several processes can alternatively be used in the manufacture of the adjustable clip of the present invention, one of these alternatives is presented herein, namely, micro melting, which is preferable for giving the lowest cost for the instant production volumes; variation in the production volumes may define which processes are the most appropriate and preferred.
In general, the adjustable clip is configured to securely and precisely grab, hold, transport and position parts in a production or manufacturing process. From among these processes are for example the transport of parts in integrated stamping processes (shaping of metal parts), among others.
More specifically, the clips are developed and designed to receive and embody components used for grabbing and moving parts (assemblies) in processes, such as grippers, shovels, suction cups and other known assemblies in a system.
Various embodiments of clips to securely and precisely grab, hold, transport and position parts in a manufacturing process, or more specifically to transfer parts in an integrated process, for example, stamping (shaping of metal parts), from one process step to the subsequent one, for example, in an appropriate site of the type of tool, are known. Clips are developed and designed to receive and hold part gripping systems such as grippers, shovels, suction cups and other known known grip assemblies; however these assemblies need to be quickly and accurately adjusted to grab parts or other elements in the best way possible in a safe and precise dynamic transport condition at the maximum speed for the viable conditions of the manufacture process.
In the present invention, a structural configuration of the present adjustable clip basically comprises at least two semi-clamps 10 and fastening elements 12, 13.
More specifically, one configuration of the present invention comprises a first semi-clamp 10 and a second semi-clamp 10 mounted on opposite sides as a mirror image so as to create two spherical cores, as shown especially in
The structural shape of the fastening clip includes two clamping semi-clamps 10 having spherical internal surfaces to fit a compatible spherical surface of a gripper-type component, or any other component having a spherical surface matching the spherical surface of the semi-clamps; if the component surface makes it impossible or difficult to have a spherical surface that matches the semi-clamps, then a ring-shaped adapter core is used, which has an external spherical surface matching those of the semi-clamps, wherein said core must have an internal surface of the most appropriate shape, such as tubular, billet or any other shape that would allow the component to be adjusted and fastened, as shown in
Both semi-clamps 10 of the clip assembly are joined and secured by three screws 12 with their respective clamping and fastening nuts 13, one screw being placed at the center line between the two spherical surfaces and the other two at the two opposite ends of the semi-clamps. Even though it is possible to fasten the semi-clamps with 1, 2, or more screws 12, the ideal is to perform adjustments gradually; to this end, it is important and preferable that three screws 12 are used, which enables the adjustment of components from one side, then concluding with a pre-tightening of the two peripheral screws on that side, continuing by adjusting the components on the opposite side, after which a final tightening of all 3 screws 12 is performed.
The semi-clamps 10 are configured to be placed and pressed towards each other as a mirror image, resulting in an “eyeglass” shape and in a housing having a partially spherical surface, therefore, cooperating with each other for fastening, which is made by means of the fastening elements, screw 12 and nut 13, which may alternatively be clamps, fittings, etc. However, it should be noted that the type of fastening element 12, 13 is not a limitation of the present invention and can be configured in other ways that meet the fastening needs.
An innovative, useful and important feature of this invention are the housings for said screws 12 and nuts 13. The semi-clamps have side openings in the screw passage holes to allow the quick insertion and removal of screws through the clamp sides in a direction 1000; they are also very important since by enabling insertion by either sides, it will also allow them to be inserted pre-assembled; such slotted configuration also allows the screws and nuts to be inserted and placed in a more convenient way to facilitate adjustments and also in order to be within the reach of Allen keys or other type of key from the easiest side for tightening. To facilitate placement of the nuts, the semi-clamps have the housing where they will be placed in the shape of the nut, thus avoiding the use of a tightening wrench of the type known as ratcheting or spanner wrench etc. The use of Allen screws is the most appropriate and preferable as the screw head has smaller diameter than the matching nut, therefore, the nut housing can accommodate the screw head on either of the mounting sides of the screw. The design of the semi-clamp 10 was developed, and is exemplified herein, aiming at a micromelting manufacture process. This is the preferred process due to involving lower costs, however this same design can be used for a molding process with a plastic polymer having the adequate strength to the intended use. The basic design of the semi-clamp 10 can be slightly adapted for a machining process from an iron, aluminum or any other metal sheet or block. The spherical core can also be made of metal, plastic, other polymers or other materials compatible with use and being commercially available.
To meet certain grip conditions and provide greater flexibility and a degree of radial adjustment, another configuration is presented herein, in which the adjustable clip has spherical cores orthogonal to each other, as shown in
In another configuration, it should be noted that the adjustable clip has cores orthogonal to each other with three screws, as illustrated in particular in
As an example, a configuration with four fastening means is shown in particular in
It should also be noted that the semi-clamps 10, and in particular the spherical cores can alternatively be made in other geometries, including a rectangular, triangular, tubular (cylindrical) profile or any geometric shape that meets the principles of the present invention, further comprising combinations with each of the cores of a different geometry.
External appearance of the mount fastening assembly can be of many shapes, but the current external appearance was chosen due to facilitating the conditions of adjustment and tightening, reducing weight while retaining stiffness.
The present invention further comprises a method of fastening a component by means of an adjustable clip.
It is therefore noted that the features of said adjustable clip described are compatible with the method that will be described below.
Regarding the method of fastening a component, it comprises a step of joining one semi-clamp to the other.
This step must be performed in such a way that said component is at least partially surrounded by the clamps, allowing them to attach to each other.
The present method of fastening the component is configured to comprise a step of inserting each fastening element 12, 13 into a respective slot.
To this end, the components of the adjustable clip are provided with the already described characteristics, such that the semi-clamps are joined at least by means of the fastening elements, the semi-clamps being cooperative with each other.
Advantageously, the present invention is configured in such a way that the slots allow one to laterally and frontally insert and remove the fastening elements towards a direction 1000, as already described.
The step of joining the semi-clamps to each other at least by means of the fastening elements is configured to form at least one core (mouthpiece) matching at least one component to be fastened.
Thus, one step of the present method comprises inserting the component to be fastened into the core (mouthpiece). If the component does not match the core, the present invention also provides for a step of inserting an adjustment sphere 11 into the core, wherein the adjustment sphere 11 is configured to allow the component to be fastened to the adjustable clip when said component a be fastened is not compatible with the core.
The adjustment sphere 11 is further configured to match at least the core and the component to be fastened, as already described in the present specification, and may also be configured as a bipartite sphere without a notch 14 or a bipartite sphere with a notch 15.
Presented and described here is an “eyeglass” clip assembly that uses semi-clamps to compress and secure a spherical surface of other components such as grippers etc. Although the embodiments and applications of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it is evident that many other configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.
It is presented a method of fastening the component that uses the clip of the present invention.
Having described various preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention encompasses other possible variations, being limited only by the content of the appended claims, including any possible equivalents thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| BR10201902499 | Nov 2019 | BR | national |
