Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6732612
-
Patent Number
6,732,612
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, December 27, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 11, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Peterson; Kenneth E.
- Flores-Sánchez; Omar
Agents
- Nixon Peabody LLP
- Safran; David S.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 083 481
- 083 5082
- 083 663
- 083 665
- 083 666
- 083 69841
- 083 13
- 081 13
- 081 55
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
With a blade exchanging device, a cylindrical body is engaged with a nut that is fastened to a spindle, and at the same time the nut is held by fitting nails of a chuck member with grooves that are formed on the nut. Next, a torque wrench is inserted through the cylindrical body, and a polygonal head of the torque wrench is engaged with a polygonal hole formed in the head of the spindle. In this state, the spindle is rotated with the torque wrench in a direction to unfasten the nut from the spindle. The nut is thereby detached from the spindle. When the cylindrical body is disengaged from the spindle, the nut is prevented from falling off the cylindrical body, since the nails of the chuck hold the nut.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a blade exchanging device and a blade exchanging method therefor in order to exchange a blade of a dicing machine, which dices a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of Related Art
A dicing machine rotates a blade at a high speed and dices a semiconductor wafer, on which many chips are formed, along the chips. In the dicing machine, the blade is fastened on a spindle with a nut, and a special blade exchanging device is used for exchanging the blade.
A conventional blade exchanging device comprises a cylindrical spanner and a sticklike torque wrench. The operator engages the spanner with the nut, and then inserts the torque wrench through a hole of the spanner so that a polygonal head of the torque wrench is engaged with a polygonal hole formed in the head of the spindle. In this state, the operator securely holds the torque wrench by one hand to prevent the wrench from rotating, and rotates the spanner by the other hand to unfasten the nut. The nut is thereby detached from the spindle. After disengaging the spanner from the spindle, the old blade is dismounted from the spindle and a new blade is mounted on the spindle. Then, the operator puts the nut on the spindle with the spanner, and rotates the spindle with the torque wrench so that the nut is fastened on the spindle. An operation for exchanging the blade using the blade exchanging device is completed by the above-described process.
However, in the conventional blade exchanging device, the nut may fall off the spanner when detaching the nut from the spindle and disengaging the spanner from the spindle. Moreover, the blade exchanging device requires the operator to use both hands, and the operator must insert both hands into a narrow space when the blade is in the narrow space, which is difficult. The blade exchanging hence used to be a troublesome operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object the provision of the blade exchanging device and the blade exchanging method therefor by which the nut is prevented from falling off the body of the exchanging device, and the operator can perform the exchanging operation manually with only one hand.
In order to achieve the above-described objects, the present invention is directed to a blade exchanging device with which at least one of unfastening of a blade, the blade being fastened to a spindle with a nut, from the spindle by unfastening the nut from the spindle and fastening of the blade to the spindle by fastening the nut to the spindle is performed, the blade exchanging device comprising: a cylindrical body which is engaged with the nut; a chuck which is provided inside the cylindrical body and is fitted with a fitting portion formed on the nut so as to hold the nut; and a wrench which is inserted through a hole of the chuck so as to be engaged with a hole formed in a head of the spindle, wherein one of the spindle and the nut is prevented from rotating while the other of the spindle and the nut is rotated with the wrench and the cylindrical body to perform at least one of unfastening of the nut from the spindle and fastening of the nut to the spindle.
According to the present invention, the body of the exchanging device is first engaged with the nut that is fastened to the spindle while fitting the chuck into the fitting portion that is formed on the nut so as to hold the nut. Second, the wrench is inserted through the hole of the chuck and the head of the wrench is engaged with the polygonal hole formed in the head of the spindle. In this state, one of the spindle and the nut is prevented from rotating while the other of the spindle and the nut is rotated with the wrench and the cylindrical body so as to unfasten the nut, whereby the nut is detached from the spindle. When the body of the exchanging device is detached from the spindle, the nut does not fall off the body of the exchanging device since the nut is held at the chuck. Thus, the blade exchanging device of the present invention can prevent the nut from falling off the body of the exchanging device.
Moreover, according to the present invention, the nut is held without falling off the body of the exchanging device by fitting the chuck provided to the body of the exchanging device into the fitting portion formed at the nut. Next, the nut is pressed against the body of the exchanging device while inserting the wrench through the hole of the chuck so as to engage the head of the wrench with the polygonal hole formed in the head of the spindle. Then, one of the spindle and the nut is prevented from rotating while the other of the spindle and the nut is rotated with the wrench and the cylindrical body, whereby the nut is fastened to the spindle. In this state of fastening the nut, the nut can be easily fastened since it is held by the chuck without falling off the body of the exchanging device.
Further, the blade exchanging device of the present invention is constructed in such a manner that the cylindrical body and the nut are engaged with each other by a projection and a depression provided on a circle coaxial with the spindle. Thus, the projection and the depression can be engaged with each other by only rotating either one of the body of the exchanging device or the nut with the wrench, even though in a case where the projection and the depression do not engage with each other when pressing the body of the exchanging device against the nut.
Furthermore, in the blade exchanging device of the present invention, the cylindrical body is attached to a fixed member provided nearby the blade through an arm member so as to be able to swivel, and the cylindrical body is pressed by a pressing member in a direction so that the nut is pressed against the spindle.
In such a blade exchanging device, the body of the exchanging device is first attached to the cover of the blade and at the same time is pressed against the nut with the pressing force of the pressing member. Next, the chuck is operated so as to hold the nut. Then, the wrench is inserted through the hole of the chuck and the head of the wrench is engaged with the polygonal hole of the spindle. Subsequently, the spindle is rotated by the wrench in the direction to loosen the nut, whereby the nut is detached from the spindle. Thereafter, the body of the exchanging device is retracted from the blade by swiveling the body of the exchanging device via the arm. In this state, since the nut is held by the chuck, the nut does not fall off the body of the exchanging device. Then, an old blade is detached from the spindle and a new blade is attached to the spindle. The body of the exchanging device is swiveled via the arm so as to position the body at the position facing to the spindle, and the nut held at the chuck is pressed against the spindle by the pressing force of the pressing member. After that, the spindle is rotated in the direction to fasten the nut. Thus, the nut is fastened to the spindle and the new blade is fixed to the spindle. Then, the chuck is operated so as to release the holding of the nut by the chuck. The body of the exchanging device is detached from the blade cover member. The blade exchanging operation is completed by the above-described manner, which is performed by the operator with only one hand.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will be explained in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures and wherein:
FIG. 1
is an explanatory view of a dicing machine and a blade exchanging device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a section view showing the blade exchanging device being attached to a spindle of the dicing machine;
FIG. 3
is an exploded perspective view of the body of the blade exchanging device;
FIG. 4
is an explanatory view of a blade exchanging method with the blade exchanging device;
FIG. 5
is another explanatory view of a blade exchanging method with the blade exchanging device;
FIG. 6
is still another explanatory view of the blade exchanging method with the blade exchanging device;
FIG. 7
is still another explanatory view of the blade exchanging method with the blade exchanging device;
FIG. 8
is still another explanatory view of the blade exchanging method with the blade exchanging device; and
FIG. 9
is still another explanatory view of the blade exchanging method with the blade exchanging device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Hereunder preferred embodiments of a blade exchanging device and a blade exchanging method therefor of the present invention will be described in detail according to the accompanying drawings.
A blade exchanging device
10
in
FIG. 1
is used to exchange a blade
18
, which is fastened on a spindle
14
of a dicing machine
12
with a nut
16
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the blade
18
of the dicing machine
12
is mounted on an axis
22
of a flange
20
, which is fitted on the spindle
14
, and the blade
18
is fastened on the flange
20
with the nut
16
, which is screwed down on a male screw
24
of the flange
20
. Then, the blade
18
can be changed by detaching the nut
16
from the male screw
24
. The flange
20
is fixed to the spindle
14
with a nut
26
, which is fastened on the top end of the spindle
14
, so as to be integrated with the spindle
14
. Reference number
28
in
FIG. 1
is a flange cover (a fixed member provided nearby the blade) for covering the blade
18
, and reference numbers
30
and
32
are nozzles for supplying grinding liquid and cooling liquid to the blade
18
. The dicing machine
12
which is constructed as described above rotates the blade
18
by the spindle
14
at a high speed and dices a semiconductor wafer along chips.
The blade exchanging device
10
comprises a body
34
of the exchanging device and a torque wrench
36
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the body
34
comprises a cylindrical body
38
and a chuck
40
, which is inserted in a hole
42
of the cylindrical body
38
with a compression spring
44
, a collar
45
and a stopper block
46
.
The chuck
40
has a pair of tabs
50
and
50
, which look like a ring divided in two by a space S at one end of a cylindrical body
48
, and has a pair of nails
52
and
52
, which project to face to each other at the other end of the cylindrical body
48
. When the nut
16
is detached from the spindle
14
in
FIG. 1
, the nails
52
and
52
are fitted into a groove (a fitting portion) that is formed on the outer periphery of a boss
17
of the nut
16
as shown in FIG.
2
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the nails
52
and
52
are formed so as to extend from the tabs
50
and
50
. When the tabs
50
and
50
are pinched to get closer to each other, and the nails
52
and
52
are moved in a direction to be further away from each other (an opening direction), and the nails
52
and
52
thereby retract from the groove
54
of the nut
16
in
FIG. 2
, so that their fitting with the nut
16
is released.
The tabs
50
and
50
in
FIG. 3
are pressed in a direction to be away from each other by compression springs
56
and
56
, which are arranged at the space S. The pressing force of the compression springs
56
and
56
is transmitted from the tabs
50
and
50
to the nails
52
and
52
through the cylindrical body
48
, whereby the nails
52
and
52
are pressed in a direction to get closer to each other, that is, in a direction to fit into the groove
54
(refer to
FIG. 2
) of the nut
16
. A slit
58
and a hollow
60
are formed at the cylindrical body
48
of the chuck
40
as shown in
FIG. 3
so as to provide flexibility such that the nails
52
and
52
are easily moved by the pressing forces of the pinch of the tabs
50
and
50
and of the compression springs
56
and
56
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the compression spring
44
is arranged in a space between the cylindrical body
38
and the cylindrical body (main body)
48
. The compression spring
44
is also arranged between a step
58
formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical body
38
and the collar
45
mounted on the cylindrical body
48
. The chuck
40
is pressed to the right in
FIG. 2
by the compression spring
44
.
A stopper block
46
is fastened to the chuck
40
with a screw
61
. A flange
62
and a pair of grooves
64
and
64
are formed on the outer periphery of the stopper block
46
as shown in FIG.
3
. The flange
62
is engaged with a groove
66
in
FIG. 2
formed at the inner periphery of the cylindrical body
38
. Thereby, the chuck
40
is pressed to the right in
FIG. 2
by the compression spring
44
while the chuck
40
is prevented from falling off the cylindrical body
38
since the flange
62
of the stopper block
46
is engaged with the groove
66
of the cylindrical body
38
. If the chuck
40
is pressed to the left in
FIG. 2
against the pressing force of the compression spring
44
, the nails
52
and
52
project from the left end surface
38
A of the cylindrical body
38
and at the same time faces
51
and
51
of the tabs
50
and
50
are in contact with the right end surface
38
B of the cylindrical body
38
, whereby the pressing amount of the chuck
40
is regulated. Arms
53
and
53
of the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
are fitted in the grooves
64
and
64
of the stopper block
46
in
FIG. 3. A
hole
68
is opened at the center of the stopper block
46
, and a tapered surface
70
is formed around the hole
68
. The torque wrench
36
in
FIG. 1
is inserted through the hole
68
under guidance of the tapered surface
70
.
An arm (arm member)
72
is projected from the cylindrical body
38
, and a rod
78
, on which a knob
76
is formed, is slidably and rotatably inserted through a top end opening
74
(shown in
FIG. 2
) of the arm
72
via a sleeve bearing
80
. A compression spring (pressing member)
82
is arranged between the knob
76
and the sleeve bearing
80
. The rod
78
is inserted through the compression spring
82
and is pressed to the right direction in
FIG. 2
by the pressing force of the compression spring
82
. An E-washer
84
is fitted on the periphery of an end
79
of the rod
78
, which is inserted through the sleeve bearing
80
. The E-washer
84
is in contact with an end surface
81
of the sleeve bearing
80
so as to prevent the rod
78
from falling off the sleeve bearing
80
.
A male screw
86
is projected on the end surface
74
A of the rod
78
, and the male screw
86
is coaxial with the rod
78
. The male screw
86
is screwed into a threaded hole
88
, which is formed at the flange cover
28
in FIG.
1
. The body
34
of the exchanging device is thereby attached to the flange cover
28
as shown in
FIG. 2
, so that the cylindrical body
38
is supported to be able to swivel with respect to the flange cover
28
in which the axis of the male screw
86
is the center, that is, the axis P of the rod
78
is the center of the swiveling.
The swiveling range of the cylindrical body
38
is set between an exchangeable position where the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
fit in the groove
17
of the nut
16
and a retracting position where a pin
92
provided on the body
34
of the exchanging device engages with an arched groove
90
formed on the flange cover
28
. In the retracting position, the cylindrical body
38
swivels from the exchangeable position by 180 degrees and is retracted above the blade
18
. When the cylindrical body
38
is at this retracting position, the blade
18
can be detached from the spindle
14
.
Two pins (projections)
94
and
94
are projected on the left end surface
38
A of the cylindrical body
38
in FIG.
3
. The pins
94
and
94
are engaged with two of four holes
96
(depressions), which are formed on the surface of the nut
16
in FIG.
1
. The nut
16
is thereby fixed to the cylindrical body
38
. The holes
96
are formed on a circle, which is coaxial with the nut
16
and the spindle
14
, at every 90 degrees, and the pins
94
and
94
are engaged with the two holes
96
and
96
that face to each other across the spindle
14
.
A method will be described for exchanging a blade by the blade exchanging device
10
which is constructed as described above.
First, as shown in
FIG. 4
, the male screw
86
of the body
34
of the exchanging device is screwed into the threaded hole
88
of the flange cover
28
so as to attach the body
34
to the flange cover
28
. The cylindrical body
38
is positioned at the exchangeable position where the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
fit in the groove
17
of the nut
16
. At this point, the cylindrical body
38
is pressed toward the nut
16
since the pressing force of the compression spring
82
is transmitted to the cylindrical body
38
through the arm
72
. At this point also, the nut
16
is not fixed to the cylindrical body
38
since the pins
94
are not engaged with the holes
96
. In addition, if the holes
96
are already positioned at the facing positions of the pins
94
, the nut
16
is fixed to the cylindrical body
38
since the pins
94
are directly engaged with the holes
96
.
Next, the tabs
50
and
50
of the chuck
40
are pinched with fingers of the operator in the direction represented by arrows A in
FIG. 4
, and the chuck
40
is pressed into the nut
16
in the direction represented by an arrow B in this state. As the operator's fingers are released from the tabs
50
and
50
, the tabs
50
and
50
return at the original position by the pressing force of the compression springs
56
and
56
. Thereby, the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
fit in the groove
54
of the nut
16
as shown in FIG.
2
.
Next, as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
, the torque wrench
36
is inserted through the hole of the chuck
40
and through the hole
68
of the stopper block
46
so that a polygonal head
37
of the torque wrench
36
is engaged with a polygonal hole
15
of the spindle
14
. After that, as rotating the spindle
14
with the torque wrench
36
by a predetermined amount in the direction to unfasten the nut
16
represented by an arrow A in
FIG. 5
, the nut
16
is rotated together with the spindle
14
, and the pins
94
of the nut
16
are fitted in the holes
96
of the nut
16
as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
; thereby the nut
16
is automatically fixed to the cylindrical body
38
so that the nut
16
is prevented from rotating with respect to the cylindrical body
38
.
Then, the spindle
14
is rotated by the torque wrench
36
in the direction to unfasten the nut
16
(the direction represented by the arrow A in FIG.
7
), whereby the nut
16
is gradually loosened and is detached from the spindle
14
.
When the nut
16
is completely detached from the spindle
14
, the cylindrical body
38
is pulled out of the spindle
14
as shown in
FIG. 9
against the pressing force of the compression spring
82
. At that time, the nut
16
is held by the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
, so that the nut
16
does not fall off the cylindrical body
38
. After that, the cylindrical body
38
is swiveled via the arm
72
by 180 degrees so as to engage the pin
92
with the groove
90
, and the cylindrical body
38
is held at the position retracting from the blade
18
.
Then, the old blade
18
is dismounted from the spindle
14
, and a new one is mounted on the spindle
14
. The engaging of the pin
92
with the groove
90
is released by pulling the cylindrical body
38
so as to retract the pin
92
from the groove
90
. Subsequently the cylindrical body
38
is swiveled by 180 degrees via the arm
72
so as to position the cylindrical body
38
at the exchangeable position facing to the spindle
14
. The nut
16
, which is held by the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
, is thereby pressed against the male screw
24
by the pressing force of the compression spring
82
. Then, the spindle
14
is rotated by using the torque wrench
16
in the direction to fasten the nut
16
. Thereby, the nut
16
is fastened to the male screw
24
and the new blade
18
is fixed to the spindle
14
.
Next, the tabs
50
and
50
of the chuck
40
are pinched so that the nails
52
and
52
release the nut
16
. The rod
78
is rotated to unfasten the male screw
86
from the threaded hole
88
, so that the main body
34
of the exchanging device is detached from the flange cover
28
. The blade exchanging operation is completed by the above-described process.
The blade exchanging device
10
of the present invention is provided with the chuck
40
for holding the nut
16
; thus, the nut
16
detached from the spindle
14
is prevented from falling off the cylindrical body
38
.
Moreover, the blade exchanging device
10
is constructed in which the nut
16
is fixed to the cylindrical body
38
by the pins
94
and the holes
96
, which are arranged on the circle coaxial with the nut
16
. Therefore, even though the pins
94
do not engage with the holes
96
when the cylindrical body
38
is pressed against the nut
16
, the holes
96
can be automatically engaged with the pins
94
by only rotating the spindle
14
, with which the nut
16
is rotated, with the torque wrench
36
by a predetermined amount, because the cylindrical body
38
is pressed against the nut
16
by the compression spring
82
.
Further, the operator can perform the exchanging operation of the blade
18
described above by only one hand, and thus the exchanging operation can also be easily performed in a narrow place.
If the body
34
of the exchanging device is constructed with the cylindrical body
38
only and does not have the arm
72
, the nut
16
is detached from the spindle
14
by the following procedure. First, the cylindrical body
38
is engaged with the nut
16
which is fastened to the spindle
14
while holding the nut
16
by the nails
52
and
52
of the chuck
40
. The torque wrench
36
is inserted through the hole of the chuck
40
so that the torque wrench
36
is engaged with the spindle
14
. In this state, one of the nut
16
and the spindle
14
is prevented from rotating while the other is rotated in the loosening direction, by the cylindrical body
38
and the torque wrench
36
. The nut
16
is thus detached from the spindle
14
. At that time, the nut
16
is prevented from falling off the cylindrical body
38
, since the chuck
40
holds the nut
16
.
In a case of fastening the nut
16
, first, the nut
16
is held by the nails
52
of the chuck
40
to be prevented from falling off the cylindrical body
38
. Second, the nut
16
is pressed against the spindle
14
while inserting the torque wrench
36
through the hole of the chuck
40
so that the torque wrench
36
is engaged with the spindle
14
. Then, one of the nut
16
and the spindle
14
is prevented from rotating while the other is rotated so that the nut
16
is fastened to the spindle
14
, by the cylindrical body
38
and the torque wrench
36
. Since the nut
16
is held by the chuck
40
to be prevented from falling off the cylindrical body
38
, the nut
16
can be easily fastened.
As described above, in the blade exchanging device and the exchanging method therefor of the present invention, the nut detached from the spindle does not fall off the body of the exchanging device since the chuck for holding the nut is provided.
Furthermore, the present invention is constructed in such a manner that the nut can be fixed to the body of the exchanging device by the projections and the depressions provided on the circles coaxial with the nut. Thus, even though the projections do not engage with the depressions when pressing the body of the exchanging device onto the nut, the projections and the depressions can be easily engaged with each other by only rotating the nut with the wrench by the predetermined amount.
In addition, the blade exchanging operation of the blade exchanging device of the present invention can be performed manually by the operator using only one hand.
It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternate constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A method for exchanging a blade, wherein the blade is mounted on a spindle and is fastened to the spindle by fastening a nut to the spindle, the method comprising the steps of:manually mounting the blade on the spindle without the nut; holding the nut in an unfastened condition by engaging portions of a chuck with a fitting portion formed on the nut, the chuck being provided to a body of an exchanging device and said portions of the chuck being shaped to hold the nut to prevent the nut from falling off the body of the exchanging device irrespective of whether the nut is on the spindle; pressing the nut, which has a plurality of depression holes in a surface which will engage the body, against the spindle with the body of the exchanging device, by engaging a plurality of projection pins on a surface of body with the depression holes of the nut; inserting a wrench through a hole of the chuck so as to engage a head of the wrench with a hole formed in a head of the spindle; and fastening the nut to the spindle by preventing one of the spindle and the nut from rotating while rotating the other of the spindle and the nut with the wrench and the cylindrical body.
- 2. A method for exchanging a blade, wherein the blade is fastened to a spindle with a nut and is unfastened from the spindle by unfastening the nut from the spindle, the method comprising the steps of:engaging a body of an exchanging device, having a plurality of projection pins extending from a surface of the body, with the nut being fastened to the spindle in which the nut has a plurality of complementary depression holes formed in a surface of the nut by inserting each pin of the body in a complementary hole in the nut; holding the nut by engaging portions of a chuck with a fitting portion formed on the nut, the chuck being provided to the body of the exchanging device and said portions of the chuck being shaped to hold the nut to prevent the nut from falling off the body of the exchanging device irrespective of whether the nut is on the spindle; inserting a wrench through a hole of the chuck so as to engage a head of the wrench with a hole formed in a head of the spindle; unfastening the nut from the spindle by preventing one of the spindle and the nut from rotating while rotating the other of the spindle and the nut with the wrench and the cylindrical body, the nut being retained by said portions upon unfastening thereof; removing the nut without the blade; and subsequently, manually removing the blade.
- 3. A blade exchanging device for enabling manual exchanging of a blade that is fastened to a spindle with a nut, comprising:a cylindrical body which is engaged with a nut; a chuck which is provided inside the cylindrical body and which has portions shaped to engage with a fitting portion formed on the nut to prevent the nut from falling off the cylindrical body so as to hold the nut irrespective of whether the nut is on the spindle; and a wrench which is inserted through a hole of the chuck so as to be engaged with a hole formed in a head of the spindle, wherein one of the spindle and the nut is prevented from rotating while the other of the spindle and the nut is rotated with the wrench and the cylindrical body to perform at least one of unfastening of the nut from the spindle and fastening of the nut to the spindle; and wherein means are provided for pressing the entire chuck and the nut engaged therewith in a direction away from the blade on the spindle, and wherein the cylindrical body is attached to a fixed member provided nearby the blade through an arm member so as to be able to swivel, and the cylindrical body is pressed by a pressing member in a direction so that the nut is pressed against the spindle.
- 4. A blade exchanging device for exchanging of a blade that is fastened to a spindle with a nut, comprising:a cylindrical body which is engaged with a nut; a chuck which is provided inside the cylindrical body and which has portions shaped to engage with a fitting portion formed on the nut so as to hold the nut irrespective of whether the nut is on the spindle; and a wrench which is inserted through a hole of the chuck so as to be engaged with a hole formed in a head of the spindle, wherein one of the spindle and the nut is prevented from rotating while the other of the spindle and the nut is rotated with the wrench and the cylindrical body to perform at least one of unfastening of the nut from the spindle and fastening of the nut to the spindle; and wherein the portions of the chuck shaped to engage with the fitting portion formed on the nut are formed on tabs that are movable toward and away from each other, and wherein said fitting portion is a groove formed on the nut in which said portions of the chuck are engaged when the tabs are held in a position moved toward each other.
- 5. A blade exchanging device for enabling manual exchanging of a blade that is fastened to a spindle with a nut, comprising:a cylindrical body having pin projections extending from a surface which is engaged with a nut which has depression holes on a surface engaged with the cylindrical body; a chuck which is provided inside the cylindrical body and which has portions shaped to engage with a fitting portion formed on the nut to prevent the nut from falling off the cylindrical body so as to hold the nut irrespective of whether the nut is on the spindle; and a wrench which is inserted through a hole of the chuck so as to be engaged with a hole formed in a head of the spindle, wherein one of the spindle and the nut is prevented from rotating while the other of the spindle and the nut is rotated with the wrench and the cylindrical body to perform at least one of unfastening of the nut from the spindle and fastening of the nut to the spindle; and wherein means are provided for pressing the entire chuck and the nut engaged therewith in a direction away from the blade on the spindle, and wherein the cylindrical body and the nut are engaged with each other via insertion of each projection pin into an complementary depression hole in the nut.
- 6. The blade exchanging device as defined in claim 5, wherein the cylindrical body is attached to a fixed member provided nearby the blade through an arm member so as to be able to swivel, and the cylindrical body is pressed by a pressing member in a direction so that the nut is pressed against the spindle.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
11-370599 |
Dec 1999 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (13)