Universal coupling for machine tool

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6786807
  • Patent Number
    6,786,807
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, October 22, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 7, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A detachable tool body is connected to the mandrel by means of a universal type coupling. The mating end of the drive shaft is constructed with U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending axially towards the tool body. The inner surfaces of the arms form a partially cylindrical seat. A similar U-shaped element having a pair of similar arms is constructed on the tool body with basically a mirror image profile relative to the drive shaft element. In the assembled position the mated arms define an inner bearing chamber (seat) having dual cylindrical surfaces with transverse axes. A barrel is constructed, which is shaped to nest in the seat formed by the mated pair of U-shaped elements and acts as a bearing which allows dual axes of motion. The adjustment rod of the abrasive element adjustment mechanism extends from the drive shaft through a bore in the barrel and into the tool body.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a coupling between the drive shaft of a honing machine and a tool body which supports abrasive elements. The coupling provides universal movement of the tool body on the drive shaft while allowing the passage of the abrasive element adjustment rod from the drive shaft to the adjustment cones. This is accomplished without using the pins typical of the prior art.




2. Brief Description of Related Developments




Machines for boring and finishing cylindrical holes, such as engine cylinder bores, use a tool having abrasive strips mounted on a cylindrical body. As these tools wear, they are generally adjusted radially outward to compensate for the depletion of the abrasive surface. The wear compensating adjustment mechanism forms part of the tool body and comes in many shapes and sizes, for example the tool shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,794. These tools consist of a mandrel which connects to the machine spindle at one end and is constructed with an abrasive head at the other. A connecting rod connects to an adjustment mechanism within the abrasive head to bias the abrasive elements radially outward against the work piece. The adjustment can be accomplished automatically as shown in the '794 patent or manually as shown in the reference Gross, U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,865.




The particular tools, shown in the above referenced patents, are used in honing machines for the construction of bores, such as piston cylinders in automotive engines and similar applications. In the past, such machines have been dedicated to specific tasks in association with particular production runs. With the onset of modern manufacturing concepts such as Just in Time Manufacturing, lean manufacturing, and other inventory reduction methods, there is a need to apply flexible machining systems to the tasks that were previously performed by dedicated machinery. Flexible machine systems generally employ computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment capable of performing multiple varied operations on multiple workpieces. It is a purpose of this invention to provide a honing tool which facilitates use with CNC machinery.




In order to increase the flexibility of a tool assembly for use in CNC machines, it becomes advantageous to be able to replace the tool body without dismantling the entire tool, which may cause considerable down time. It is a purpose of this invention to facilitate the removal of the tool body from the mandrel so as to allow the replacement of the abrasive elements. A tool having an abrasive head (tool body) which is removable from the mandrel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,766, which issued on Sep. 28, 1999 to an assignee common to this application. The disclosure of the '766 patent is incorporated herein by reference.




It is also advantageous to provide a coupling for the tool body to the drive shaft of the machine which allows a universal type of relative movement. Prior art attempts to provide a universal tool mounting typically provided movement about a pair of mutually transverse axes. This was accomplished by constructing matius U-shaped ears on the interface surfaces of the tool body and mandrel. The respective pairs of ears are mated by rotating the tool body ninety degrees from the axially aligned mandrel. Pins are inserted though aligned bores which extend through the ears and the opposing part. Couplings of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,371,359 and 4,065,881. It is observed that these couplings become complex when provision is made for the passage of the adjustment rod.




It is a purpose of this invention to construct a universal type coupling in which the pins are eliminated, thereby simplifying the manufacture of the tools and mandrels.




It is a purpose of this invention to simplify the coupling of the drive shaft to the tool body while providing a conveniently detachable mechanism which allows for removal of the tool head. It is a purpose of this invention to provide for convenient extension of the adjustment rod through the coupling and for releasably connecting the adjustment rod to the adjustment mechanism. It is another purpose of the invention to strength the coupling by eliminating the pins to provide a stronger structure for the transmission of torque.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




A tool is constructed for a CNC machine station to perform a honing operation as part of a flexible machining system. The tool is an assembly of a tool body which holds the abrasive elements, a mandrel which supports the tool body, and a coupling which connects the tool to the CNC machine, as is well known. Commonly the abrasive elements are positioned in axially extending slots positioned circumferentially about the periphery of the tool body. The abrasive elements engage a cone shaped cam that is designed to convert an axial force into a radial force to move the abrasive elements radially. The abrasive elements are spring biased radially inward to provide both extension and retraction of the abrasive elements. The radial force is generally exerted by the motion of a rod extending axially through the mandrel to engage the cam surfaces.




The tool of this invention has a detachable tool body which is connected to the mandrel by means of a universal type coupling. The coupling is designed to allow the passage of the abrasive element adjustment rod.




In the coupling of this invention, the adjacent ends of the mandrel or drive shaft and the tool body are constructed for axial alignment in the assembled position. An axially extending bore is constructed and extends from the drive shaft to tool body to accommodate the passage of an adjustment rod in the assembled position. The mating end of the drive shaft is constructed with U-shaped element having a pair of arms 180 degrees apart extending axially towards the tool body. The inner surfaces of the arms form a partially cylindrical seat. A similar U-shaped element having a pair of similar arms is constructed on the mating interface of the tool body with basically a mirror image profile relative to the drive shaft. The tool body is rotated ninety degrees to mate with the drive shaft. In the assembled position the mated arms define an inner bearing chamber (seat) having dual cylindrical surfaces with transverse axes.




In order to hold the tool body in rotatable engagement with the drive shaft, a barrel is constructed, which is shaped to nest in the seat formed by the mated pair of U-shaped elements. To assemble the tool body on the drive shaft, the barrel is nested within the partial cylindrical seat of the U-shaped element in the drive shaft. The tool body may now be mounted on the drive shaft by displacing the tool body sideways, i.e. transverse to the axis of the tool, and sliding the tool body U-shaped element over the drive shaft U-shaped element. The barrel engages the seat formed by the drive shaft/tool body interface and acts as a bearing which allows dual axes of motion.




The adjustment rod of the abrasive element adjustment mechanism extends from the drive shaft through a bore in the barrel and into the tool body. A transverse slot is constructed in the tool body which connects with the adjustment rod bore. The adjustment rod ends in a spherical portion integral with the rod and connected thereto by means of a neck portion of reduced diameter. The adjustment cone of the adjustment mechanism is constructed with a key shaped slot to allow the engagement of the adjustment rod in the adjustment cone in the same motion that occurs as the tool body is mounted on the drive shaft.




An assembly sleeve is mounted for axial movement on the drive shaft and is slid downward over the coupling to complete the assembly.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The coupling of this invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:





FIG. 1

is a cut away view of the entire tool assembly from tip to spindle of the prior art.





FIG. 2

is a cut away view of the mandrel and tool body assembly of

FIG. 1

showing an example of the internal parts of an expander mechanism;





FIG. 3

is a sectional view of the mandrel and tool body assembly of

FIG. 2

at section lines


3





3


;





FIG. 4

is a sectional view of a detachable tool assembly employing the coupling of this invention;





FIG. 5

is an axially exploded view of the tool assembly shown in

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 5



a


is an end view (view lines


5




a





5




a


) of the tool body of

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 6

is an exploded perspective view of the coupling of this invention; and





FIGS. 7



a


-


7




c


are respectively side, front, and top views of the barrel element of this invention.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




A tool mechanism generally representative of the art is shown in

FIGS. 1-3

and is constructed for installation on spindle


1


of a honing machine. Such a tool is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,766, which issued on Sep. 28, 1999 to an assignee common to this application. The disclosure of the '766 patent is incorporated herein by reference. The tool of the '766 patent is shown as an illustration of a tool of the type adaptable to this invention. The illustrated abrasive element expansion adjustment mechanism typifies the mechanics of a mechanism in general use. In this example, the tool body is removable from the mandrel, but there are limitations in the variety of replacement units in that the expansion mechanism remains attached to the mandrel. This design is advantageous in replacing worn abrasives, but not necessarily in converting to a different machining operation.




The illustrated tool consists of an elongated support shaft


2


which connects the machine spindle


1


to the tool. A mandrel


5


is a generally cylindrical element, attached to the distal end


3


of support shaft


2


which encloses an adjustment mechanism and other parts of the tool. Mandrel


5


is operatively connected to shaft


2


for rotation. A tool body


4


is mounted at the distal end


3


of the mandrel


5


and contains the abrasive elements


22


.




As shown in

FIGS. 1-3

, tool body


4


is constructed as a shell having an outer periphery


7


, an inner end


6


, and an internal axial bore


8


. Channels


9


are formed in the outer periphery


7


and extend axially to receive an abrasive assembly


20


. The abrasive assembly


20


consists of a holder


21


and an abrasive block


22


. The abrasive holder


21


is constructed with a bottom surface


27


for engagement with the expander element


18


, described below. Holder


21


is held in place by elastic springs


26


, as shown in FIG.


3


. O-rings


26


engage U-shapeds


28


and


29


on either end of the holder


21


. Additional channels


30


extend axially on the body


4


to receive guide members


31


.




Elongated slots


10


are constructed at the base of the channel


9


which communicate with the internal bore


8


to provide access to the abrasive holder


21


from within. Inner end


6


contains a hexagonal recess to receive a mating drive surface on the mandrel


5


for transmission of drive torque from mandrel


5


to tool body


4


.




The distal end


3


of mandrel


5


is shown in

FIG. 1-3

and has cylindrical housing


12


sized to fit into the bore


8


of tool body


4


. Housing


12


encloses the tip portion of the expander mechanism, identified by elements


17


and


18


shown in FIG.


3


. The cam element


18


is held in place by elastic springs


32


.




The housing


12


, forms part of mandrel


5


, and is constructed with an inner chamber


19


into which the expander mechanism extends. Housing


12


is constructed with slots


16


through which the expander element


18


extends for operative engagement with the bottom surface


27


of holder


21


. This engagement is accomplished through the aligned slots


10


in tool body


4


and slots


16


in mandrel housing


12


. The outer end of mandrel


5


has a threaded portion


25


to receive the threaded end cap


23


which serves to secure the tool body


4


on the mandrel


5


.




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the expander cam


17


is mounted at the tip end of an adjustment rod


24


which extends longitudinally within the support shaft


2


and connects with appropriate operating mechanisms within the spindle


1


. The actuating rod


24


, when actuated, pushes downward causing cam


17


to move radially outward. Cam


17


exerts a radial force on expander element


18


which is in contact with the surface


27


of holder


21


. Axial movement of the adjustment rod


24


will, therefore, move the abrasive assembly


20


outward to compensate for wear.




The above description illustrates the general operation of an expansion mechanism used in many types of tools. The particular removable feature of the tool body


4


shown in

FIGS. 1-3

of the illustrated tool is not instrumental to this invention, but the mandrel, tool body and adjustment mechanisms are operationally similar and equally adaptable to use in the apparatus of this invention.




In the prior art, adjustment rod


24


is mechanically connected to a control mechanism located in the machine spindle. The adjustment rod


24


may also be connected through a fluid medium to its actuation control. An adjustment mechanism using a fluid medium is described in copending Application for U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/193,767, filed on Jul. 10, 2002 and owned in common with the subject application. The disclosure of the referenced application is incorporated herein by reference.




The tool using the coupling of this invention is shown in

FIGS. 4-7

. The basic components of the coupling


40


are shown in

FIGS. 4 and 6

and consist of drive shaft


41


which is operatively connected to the spindle of a CNC machine, such as shown in FIG.


1


. Tool body


42


is coupled to drive shaft


41


by the engagement of opposing U-shaped elements


43


and


44


fixed to the ends of drive shaft


41


and tool body


42


respectively. Abrasive elements


45


are mounted for radial adjustment on tool body


42


.




U-shaped elements


43


and


44


consist of mirror image shapes having a pair of arms which extend outward from a base formed on the respective parts. The inner surfaces


46


and


47


of the arms define inner receptacles


54


and


55


which are substantially cylindrical. Receptacle


54


of U-shaped element


43


is constructed having a curvature about the axis y-y while receptacle


55


of U-shaped element


44


is constructed having a curvature about the axis x—x, as shown in FIG.


6


. When the U-shaped elements are assembled, a bearing seat


48


is formed by the cooperation of receptacles


54


and


55


. The bearing seat


48


, thus formed, has dual transverse axes of curvature.




A barrel


49


provides a bearing element by which the U-shaped elements


43


and


44


are joined. Several views of barrel


49


are shown in

FIGS. 7



a


-


7




c


. The shape of barrel


49


is such as to be contained within the bearing seat


48


. This requires that a top surface


56


and a bottom surface


57


have a common radius of curvature corresponding to receptacle


55


and side faces


58


and


59


have a common radius of curvature corresponding to receptacle


54


. Barrel


49


is constructed with a central bore


50


′ which aligns with a similar axial bore


50


in drive shaft


41


and tool body


42


to allow the passage of adjustment rod


51


.




In the assembled position, the inner surfaces


46


and


47


of U-shaped elements


43


and


44


, therefore, define a bearing seat


48


having dual cylindrical curvatures about axes x and y. Barrel


49


is shaped with dual partial cylindrical surfaces


56


-


59


to engage each of the dual curvatures of seat


48


. Barrel


49


can be slidably mounted within the inner surface


46


of U-shaped element


43


and in position, extends above and below the U-shaped element


43


for engagement with the inner surface


47


of U-shaped element


44


, as shown in FIG.


5


. To mount tool body


42


on the drive shaft


41


, the tool body


42


is rotated so that the U-shaped element


44


is 90° out of phase with U-shaped element


43


. Tool body


42


is then displaced transversely and aligned with the U-shaped element


43


. U-shaped element


44


is then slid transversely into engagement with barrel


49


. This coupling provides the tool body with freedom of motion about both of the axes x and y, while being locked against axial movement.




Drive shaft


41


and tool body


42


are constructed with an axial bore


50


to receive the adjustment rod


51


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, adjustment rod


51


is an elongated element having a connection at its spindle end to the adjustment actuator of the machine spindle. Rod


51


extends through bore


50


, bore


50


′, and the continuation of bore


50


in tool body


42


. The tool end of rod


51


is constructed with a ball


53


fixed to rod


51


by a neck


54


of reduced diameter.




Adjustment cones


60


are mounted for axial movement in the tool body


42


. To permit engagement with the ball


53


of rod


51


, the connection end


61


of cones


60


is constructed with a slot


62


having a key hole shape of the general profile of neck


54


and ball


53


. Slot


62


extends radially from an outer periphery of cones


60


inward past the center of the cross section of cones


60


and axially for a depth slightly less than the overall length of the ball and neck of rod


51


. In addition a slot


63


is constructed in the U-shaped element


44


extending radially inward from its periphery to the bore


50


. This permits the tool body


41


to slide transversely to the axis of the tool into engagement with adjustment cones


60


as it is being assembled with drive shaft


41


.




A sleeve element


64


is mounted on the drive shaft


41


for axial movement over ring spring


65


. After the drive shaft and tool body are engaged, the sleeve element


64


is moved axial to enclose the joint and secure the assembly from unintended detachment. Sleeve


64


is held in position by the friction engagement of ring spring


65


.



Claims
  • 1. A coupling for releasably attaching a tool to a spindle of a machine for rotation about an axis thereof comprising:a first U-shaped element attached to a drive member connected to said spindle, said first U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending outward therefrom in an axial direction, said pair of arms spaced apart radially on said first element to define a first receptacle between said arms, said first receptacle being defined by opposing surfaces of said arms, said surfaces having a first common curvature about a first axis transverse to the spindle axis; a second U-shaped element attached to a tool supporting member, said U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending outward therefrom in an axial direction, opposing the arms of said first U-shaped element, said pair of arms spaced apart radially on said second element to define a second receptacle between said arms, said second receptacle being defined by opposing surfaces of said arms, said surfaces having a second common curvature about a second axis transverse to the spindle axis and said first axis; a bearing element being shaped to fit in said first and second receptacles having external surfaces which mate with said first and second curvatures; and wherein said first and second U-shaped elements are assembled to form a seat by the cooperation of said first and second receptacles and said bearing element is secured in said seat and further wherein said first and second elements are locked from axial movement by engagement with said bearing element and said first and second U-shaped elements are allowed to rotate relatively about said first and second axes.
  • 2. The coupling, according to claim 1, wherein said first and second U-shaped elements are mirror images of the each other.
  • 3. The coupling according to claim 1, wherein said first and second U-shaped elements are detachable from each other.
  • 4. A coupling for releasably attaching a tool to a spindle of a machine for rotation about an axis thereof comprising:a first U-shaped element attached to a drive member connected to said spindle, said first U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending outward therefrom in an axial direction, said pair of arms spaced apart radially on said first element to define a first receptacle between said arms, said first receptacle being defined by opposing surfaces of said arms, said surfaces having a first common curvature about a first axis transverse to the spindle axis; a second U-shaped element attached to a tool supporting member, said U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending outward therefrom in an axial direction, opposing the arms of said first U-shaped element, said pair of arms spaced apart radially on said second element to define a second receptacle between said arms, said second receptacle being defined by opposing surfaces of said arms, said surfaces having a second common curvature about a second axis transverse to the spindle axis and said first axis; a bearing element being shaped to fit in said first and second receptacles having external surfaces which mate with said first and second curvatures; wherein said first and second U-shaped elements are assembled to form a seat by the cooperation of said first and second receptacles and said bearing element is secured in said seat and further wherein said first and second elements are locked from axial movement by engagement with said bearing element and said first and second U-shaped elements are allowed to rotate relatively about said first and second axes and further comprising a sleeve mounted on said first U-shaped element for axial movement thereon between at least a first and second position, wherein, in said first position said sleeve covers the assembled first and second U-shaped elements and in said second position said sleeve allows the assembled first and second U-shaped elements to be uncoupled.
  • 5. The coupling, according to claim 4, wherein said sleeve is secured in the cover position by frictional engagement with a ring spring.
  • 6. A coupling for releasably attaching a tool to a spindle of a machine for rotation about an axis thereof comprising:a first U-shaped element attached to a drive member connected to said spindle, said first U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending outward therefrom in an axial direction, said pair of arms spaced apart radially on said first element to define a first receptacle between said arms, said first receptacle being defined by opposing surfaces of said arms, said surfaces having a first common curvature about a first axis transverse to the spindle axis; a second U-shaped element attached to a tool supporting member, said U-shaped element having a pair of arms extending outward therefrom in an axial direction, opposing the arms of said first U-shaped element, said pair of arms spaced apart radially on said second element to define a second receptacle between said arms, said second receptacle being defined by opposing surfaces of said arms, said surfaces having a second common curvature about a second axis transverse to the spindle axis and said first axis; a bearing element being shaped to fit in said first and second receptacles having external surfaces which mate with said first and second curvatures; wherein said first and second U-shaped elements are assembled to form a seat by the cooperation of said first and second receptacles and said bearing element is secured in said seat and further wherein said first and second elements are locked from axial movement by engagement with said bearing element and said first and second U-shaped elements are allowed to rotate relatively about said first and second axes; and further comprising: abrasive elements mounted on the tool supporting member for radial movement to adjust the position thereof; an adjustment mechanism engaging said abrasive elements to convert an axial motion to a radial motion of said abrasive elements; and an adjusting rod connected to said adjustment mechanism to cause axial movement thereof; and wherein said adjusting rod extends through a bore formed in said coupling by aligned bore portions constructed in said first and second U-shaped elements and said bearing element.
  • 7. The coupling, according to claim 6, wherein said first and second U-shaped elements are detachable from each other and said adjustment rod is detachable from the adjustment mechanism.
  • 8. The coupling, according to claim 7, further comprising:a first radially extending slot constructed in said second U-shaped element; a second radially extending slot constructed in said adjustment means in alignment with said first slot; a ball shaped extension constructed on said adjustment rod connected to said rod through a neck portion of reduced diameter; and wherein said first and second slots cooperate to allow the engagement of said ball shaped extension into said adjustment means by a sliding motion transverse to the axis of the tool.
RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Serial No. 60/407,894, filed Sep. 3, 2002.

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1121144 Sponsel Dec 1914 A
2787865 Gross Apr 1957 A
2876636 Thackeray Mar 1959 A
3626437 Staples Dec 1971 A
4065881 Gillette Jan 1978 A
4075794 Blaylock Feb 1978 A
4094103 Ebelt Jun 1978 A
4371359 Brennan Feb 1983 A
4483755 Heck et al. Nov 1984 A
4551947 Grimm et al. Nov 1985 A
4655007 Graft et al. Apr 1987 A
4683680 Bender Aug 1987 A
4893962 Komeyama Jan 1990 A
5050352 Estabrook et al. Sep 1991 A
5371978 Higashikawa Dec 1994 A
5482498 Higashikawa Jan 1996 A
5800252 Hyatt Sep 1998 A
5957766 Kalokhe et al. Sep 1999 A
6425808 Higashikawa Jul 2002 B1
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/407894 Sep 2002 US