Jig for positioning and fixing workpiece

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6715747
  • Patent Number
    6,715,747
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, October 10, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 6, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Watson; Robert C.
    Agents
    • Carstens; David W
    • Carstens Yee & Cahoon, LLP
Abstract
A fixing member (B, N) pierces a screw hole (13b) of a first clamping member (13) and an insertion hole (14c) of a second clamping member (14), and fixes the first and second clamping members (13, 14) to a workbench (12). The position of a workpiece (W) relative to the workbench is determined by utilizing the first and second clamping members (13, 14) fixed to the workbench (12) by the fixing member (B, N). The workpiece (W) moved to a space between a clamping face (13d) of the first clamping member (13) and a flange portion (14b) of the second clamping member (14) is fixed by a fastening member (15).
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a jig for positioning and fixing a workpiece, and more particularly to a jig which can position a workpiece with respect to a workbench of a machine tool such as a pressing machine or a cutting machine and clamp the workpiece.




As a jig for positioning and fixing a workpiece, the applicant of this application proposes one disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 10-231091. As shown in

FIG. 9

, this jig includes a base member


32


mounted on the upper face of a table


31


, and an adjustment member


33


screwed into a screw hole


32




a


of the base member


32


. Further, this jig includes a bolt


34


and a first nut


35


. The bolt


34


is inserted into the screw hole


32




a


of the base member


32


and a through hole


33




b


formed in the center of the adjustment member


33


. The bolt


34


is engaged and fixed to the table


31


. The first nut


35


fixes the base member


32


and the adjustment member


33


to the table


31


in cooperation with the bolt


34


.




When fixing a workpiece W, a clamp fitting


36


is mounted on a flange portion


33




c


integrally formed at the upper end portion of the adjustment member


33


and the workpiece W mounted on the upper face of the table


31


. Then, a second nut


37


screwed into the bolt


34


is fastened and the clamp fitting


36


is pressed downward, thereby fixing the workpiece W to the table


31


.




In the conventional jig, however, a space formed between the upper end face


32




b


of the base member


32


and the lower end face


33




e


of the flange portion


33




c


is not effectively utilized. Therefore, the clamp fitting


36


must be arranged as a separate member on the upper face of the flange portion


33




c


of the adjustment member


33


, and the number of components of the jig is thereby increased, which results in the problem that manufacturing and assembling cannot readily be performed.




It is an objective of the present invention to eliminate the problem existing in the prior art and to provide a jig for positioning and fixing a workpiece, which can facilitate manufacture with the reduced number of components and easily perform the clamping operation.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




To solve the above-described problem, according to the present invention, there is provided a jig for positioning and fixing a workpiece on a workbench. The jig has a first clamping member having a screw hole extending in the vertical direction. A second clamping member has an insertion hole extending in the vertical direction, also has a male screw portion screwed into the screw hole of the first clamping member so as to be capable of adjusting a position thereof. The second clamping member also includes a flange portion at the upper outer periphery. A fixing member pierces the screw hole of the first clamping member and the insertion hole of the second clamping member, and fixes the first and second clamping members to the workbench. A fastening member determines the position of a workpiece with respect to the workbench by utilizing the first and second clamping members fixed to the workbench by the fixing member, and fixes the workpiece which has moved to a space between the clamping face of the first clamping member and the flange portion of the second clamping member.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment according to the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of a base member, a first clamping member and a second clamping member;





FIG. 3

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment according to the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment according to the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment according to the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a fifth embodiment according to the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a sixth embodiment according to the present invention;





FIG. 8

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a seventh embodiment according to the present invention; and





FIG. 9

is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a conventional fixing jig.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




A jig for positioning and fixing a workpiece in a first embodiment according to the present invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




The jig according to this embodiment includes a base member


11


, a first clamping member


13


and a second clamping member


14


. The base member


11


is mounted on a workbench of a machine tool, namely, an upper face


12




a


of table


12


. A male screw portion


11




a


is formed on the outer peripheral face of the base member


11


, and a flange portion


11




b


used for stabilizing the support state on the upper face of the table


12


is integrally formed at the outer peripheral portion at the lower end of the same. Moreover, an insertion hole


11




c


for a fixing bolt B is formed in the center portion of the same so as to penetrate in the vertical direction. A passage


11




d


(see

FIG. 2

) for inserting and removing the fixing bolt B from the side portion is notched and formed at the male screw portion


11




a


and the flange portion


11




b


in accordance with the insertion hole


11




c


of the bolt B.




The first clamping member


13


includes a cylindrical main body


13




a


having a cylindrical shape. A screw hole


13




b


is formed in the center portion of the cylindrical main body


13




a


. A passage


13




c


along which the fixing bolt B is inserted or removed is notched and formed at the one side portion of the screw hole


13




b


. The upper end face of the first clamping member


13


functions as a clamping face


13




d


used for clamping a workpiece W. The first clamping member


13


is screwed into the male screw portion


11




a


of the base member


11


and can adjust the position of the clamping face


13




d


in the vertical direction.




The second clamping member


14


is screwed into the upper part of the screw hole


13




b


of the first clamping member


13


. The second clamping member


14


has a male screw portion


14




a


and a flange portion


14




b


integrally formed in the outer peripheral portion at the upper end thereof. An insertion hole


14




c


extending in the vertical direction is formed in the center portions of the male screw portion


14




a


and the flange portion


14




b


, and the fixing bolt B is inserted into the insertion hole


14




c


. A passage


14




d


along which the fixing bolt B is inserted or removed is formed at the male screw portion


14




a


and the flange portion


14




b


. A plurality of screw holes


14




e


extending in the vertical direction are formed in the flange portion


14




b


, and a clamping bolt


15


as a fastening member is screwed into each screw hole


14




e.






An engagement groove


12




b


is formed on the table


12


. A head portion Ba is integrally formed in the lower end portion of the fixing bolt B. In addition, the shaft portion of the fixing bolt B extends upwards from the engagement groove


12




b


with the head portion Ba of the fixing bolt B engaged with the engagement groove


12




b


. The fixing bolt B also protrudes above the second clamping member


14


through the insertion hole


11




c


of the base member


11


, the screw hole


13




b


of the first clamping member


13


and the insertion hole


14




c


of the second clamping member


14


. A nut N is screwed in the vicinity of the upper end of the shaft portion of the fixing bolt B. The base member


11


, the first clamping member


13


and the second clamping member


14


are fastened and fixed to the upper face


12




a


of the table


12


with the fixing bolt B and the nut N. The fixing bolt B and the nut N constitute the fixing member.




A clamping bolt


15


screwed into each screw hole


14




e


of the second clamping member


14


is designed to be fixed to the clamping face


13




d


and the workpiece W supported on the clamping face


13




d


of the first clamping member


13


.




Description will now be given of the advantages, the structure and the effects of the jig having the above-described structure.




(1) In the first embodiment, the clamping face


13




d


is formed on the upper end face of the first clamping member


13


. The workpiece W is moved to a space between the first and second clamping members


13


and


14


. The lower face of the workpiece W is supported on the clamping face


13




d


. In this state, the workpiece W is fixed by the clamping bolt


15


screwed into each screw hole


14




e


of the flange portion


14




b


. Therefore, after the height of the workpiece W is adjusted by utilizing the clamping face


13




d


of the first clamping member


13


and the flange portion


14




b


of the second clamping member


14


, the workpiece W can be clamped and fixed to a desired height by using each clamping bolt


15


.




Further, in the first embodiment, since the clamping face


13




d


of the first clamping member


13


is used as the clamping face of the workpiece W, the manufacturing and assembling operations can be facilitated with the reduced number of components.




(2) In the first embodiment, the passages


11




d


,


13




c


and


14




d


along which the fixing bolt B is inserted or removed from the side portion are formed in the base member


11


, the first clamping member


13


and the second clamping member


14


. It is, therefore, possible to facilitate the operation for attaching the base member


11


, the first clamping member


13


and the second clamping member


14


to the table


12


.




(3) In the first embodiment, the height of the workpiece W from the table


12


can be set to a desired height by adjusting the amount of screwing the first clamping member


13


relative to the male screw portion


11




a


of the base member


11


and an amount of screwing the male screw portion


14




a


of the second clamping member


14


with respect to the first clamping member


13


.




(4) In the first embodiment, the workpiece W is fixed to the jig by pressing the workpiece W supported onto the clamping face


13




d


of the first clamping member


13


against the clamping face


13




d


by the clamping bolt


15


. Therefore, the fastening force obtained by the clamping bolt


15


can be all utilized as the clamping force of the workpiece W, thereby stably holding the workpiece W at a predetermined position.




It is to be noted that the jig for positioning and fixing the workpiece can be embodied by making changes as follows.




In a second embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 3

, a concave portion


14




f


is formed in the upper end face of the second clamping member


14


concentrically with the insertion hole


14




c


. The head portion Ba of the fixing bolt B may be accommodated in the concave portion


14




f


. In this case, the nut N is fixed in the groove


12




b


. In the second embodiment, a tool for operating to turn the clamping bolt


15


does not interfere with the fixing bolt B and the nut N. The operation for turning the clamping bolt


15


can be performed easily, and the interference with the tool of the machine tool can be reduced.




In a third embodiment shown in

FIG. 4

, a height adjustment bolt


21


is screwed into the clamping face


13




d


of the first clamping member


13


so as to be capable of adjusting a position, and fixed by a nut


22


. In this embodiment, therefore, a height of the workpiece W can be readily finely adjusted by adjusting a protruding height of the height adjustment bolt


21


from the clamping face


13




d.






In a fourth embodiment shown in

FIG. 5

, the base member


11


is omitted, and the first clamping member


13


is directly in contact with the upper face


12




a


of the table


12


. In this case, the number of components can be further reduced.




In a fifth embodiment shown in

FIG. 6

, the flange portion


14




b


of the second clamping member


14


protrudes in the side direction away from the outer peripheral face of the first clamping member


13


. A clamping bolt


15




a


for clamping and fixing the upper end face of the workpiece W supported on the table


12


is provided at the protruding portion of the flange portion


14




b


. It is, therefore, possible to carry out fixation of the workpiece W on the table


12


by using the clamping bolt


15




a


as well as fixation of the workpiece W to the clamping face


13




d


by using the clamping bolt


15


.




In a sixth embodiment shown in

FIG. 7

, the lower end face of the male screw portion


14




a


of the second clamping member


14


is supported on the upper face of the table


12


, and the first clamping member


13


is screwed into the intermediate portion of the male screw portion


14




a


so as to be capable of adjusting a position in the vertical direction. A nut


23


for setting the first clamping member


13


to a predetermined height position is screwed into the male screw portion


14




a


. The base member


11


supported on the upper face of the table


12


is screwed into the lower end portion of the male screw portion


14




a


of the second clamping member


14


. This base member


11


may be omitted.




In a seventh embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 8

, the flange portion


13




e


is integrally formed in the outer peripheral portion of the first clamping member


13


. A clamping bolt


15




c


for pressing the workpiece W upwardly toward the clamping bolts


15


and


15




a


is provided at the flange portion


13




e


. In this embodiment, the clamping bolts


15


and


15




a


on the flange portion


14




b


side may be omitted, and the workpiece W may be pressed onto the lower face of the flange portion


14




b.






Further, the number of the screw holes


14




e


may be appropriately increased or decreased, and fixing positions of the workpiece W may be increased or decreased.




The passages


11




d


,


13




c


and


14




d


may be omitted.




In each of the foregoing embodiments, the base member


11


, the first clamping member


13


and the second clamping member


14


or the like are supported on the horizontal upper face


12




a


of the table


12


. However, the jig according to each embodiment may be attached laterally to the inclined face or the face extending in the vertical direction.




INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY




As described above, according to the present invention, manufacturing and assembling can be facilitated with the reduced number of components.



Claims
  • 1. A jig for positioning and fixing workpieces to a workbench, said jig comprising:a first clamping member having a screw hole extending in the vertical direction; a second clamping member, wherein the second clamping member has an insertion hole extending in the vertical direction and a male screw portion screwed into a screw hole of said first clamping member so as to be capable of adjusting a position, and wherein the second clamping member includes a flange portion at a periphery of the upper portion thereof; a fixing member, wherein the fixing member pierces said screw hole of said first clamping member and said insertion hole of said second clamping member and fixes said first and second clamping members to said workbench; and a plurality of fastening members, wherein each fastening member determines a position of said workpieces with respect to said workbench by utilizing said first and second clamping members fixed to said workbench by said fixing member, and wherein each fastening member fixes said workpieces moved to a space between a clamping face of said first clamping member and said flange portion of said second clamping member.
  • 2. The jig according to claim 1, wherein a base member including a male screw portion, a flange portion and an insertion hole is further provided, wherein said male screw portion of said base member is screwed into the lower portion of said screw hole of said first clamping member, wherein said flange portion of said base member is mounted on said workbench, and wherein said fixing member is inserted into said insertion hole of said base member.
  • 3. The jig according to claim 1, wherein said fixing member includes a fixing bolt and a nut, wherein said fixing bolt is engaged and fixed to said workbench at a head portion thereof and inserted into said insertion hole of said second clamping member at a shaft portion thereof, and wherein said nut is screwed into the distal end of said fixing bolt.
  • 4. The jig according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion having a diameter larger than that of said insertion hole is formed in said second clamping member, wherein said fixing member includes a fixing bolt and a nut, wherein a shaft portion of said fixing bolt is inserted into said insertion hole of said second clamping member, wherein said fixing bolt is engaged and fixed to said workbench at the lower end of a shaft portion thereof by said nut, and wherein a head portion of said fixing bolt is accommodated in said concave portion.
  • 5. The jig according to claim 1, wherein each fastening member is a clamping bolt screwed downwardly into a screw hole formed in said flange portion of said second clamping member.
  • 6. The jig according to claim 1, wherein passages along which said fixing member is inserted or removed from a side portion are respectively formed in said first and second clamping members.
  • 7. The jig according to claim 2, wherein passages along which said fixing member is inserted or removed from a side portion are respectively formed in said base member, said first clamping member, and said second clamping member.
  • 8. The jig according to claim 1, wherein said flange portion of said second clamping member is caused to protrude in the side direction away from the outer peripheral face of said first clamping member, and wherein a fastening member for fixing said workpiece supported on said workbench is provided at a protrusion portion of said flange portion.
  • 9. The jig according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of said male screw portion of said second clamping member is supported on the upper face of said workbench, and wherein said first clamping member is screwed into an intermediate portion of said male screw portion so as to be capable of adjusting the position.
  • 10. The jig according to claim 9, wherein said base member supported on said upper face of said workbench is screwed into the lower end portion of said male screw portion of said second clamping member.
  • 11. The jig according to claim 1, wherein a fastening member which presses said workpiece upwardly is provided at said first clamping member.
  • 12. The jig according to claim 1, wherein a height adjustment bolt is screwed into said first clamping member so as to be capable of adjusting the position, and wherein a protruding height of said height adjustment bolt from said clamping face can be adjusted.
  • 13. The jig according to claim 5, wherein said first clamping member is directly in contact with said upper face of said workbench.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2000-111244 Apr 2002 JP
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number Date Country
62-65136 Apr 1987 JP
1-92337 Jun 1989 JP
01-199744 Aug 1989 JP
4-2541 Jan 1992 JP
04-189438 Jul 1992 JP
10-231091 Sep 1998 JP
11-207641 Aug 1999 JP