Tool changer for machine tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682453-B2
Application number	US-201514685709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Apr 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A tool changer for a machine tool is provided with a spindle head, tool magazine, rotating shaft, and magazine drive motor. The tool magazine is provided with a tool-magazine power transmission unit. The tool-magazine power transmission unit and a magazine-drive-motor power transmission unit engage with each other at all times between a proximity position and a separated position relative to the spindle head of the tool magazine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tool changer for a machine tool, comprising:
a spindle head supporting a spindle for rotation;
a tool magazine provided with a plurality of grips configured to hold a tool on a periphery of the tool magazine;
a magazine drive motor configured to turn the tool magazine about an indexing axis to index the tool; and
a pivot pin about which the tool magazine pivots toward and away from the spindle head to set the tool magazine in a separated position and in a proximity position, respectively; wherein
the tool magazine comprises a tool-magazine power transmission unit,
the magazine drive motor comprises a magazine-drive-motor power transmission unit,
the tool-magazine power transmission unit and the magazine-drive-motor power transmission unit are configured to engage with each other at all times between the proximity position and the separated position relative to the spindle head;
the magazine drive motor is configured to be secured to an immovable portion of the machine tool,
the magazine-drive-motor power transmission unit comprises a magazine-drive-motor-side gear secured to a shaft of the magazine drive motor,
the tool-magazine power transmission unit comprises a tool-magazine-side gear secured to the tool magazine, said tool-magazine-side gear comprising a gear tooth surface meshing with the magazine-drive-motor-side gear, and
a cross-section of the gear tooth surface of the tool-magazine-side gear taken along a plane containing the indexing axis of the tool magazine comprises a circular arc that constitutes a segment of an imaginary circle, wherein the pivot pin is located inside the imaginary circle.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Isobe Gaku
• Murota Masahiro
• Sato Naoki

Classifications

• B23Q3/15534

  Magazines mounted on the spindle · CPC title

• Y10T483/1795

  Matrix indexes selected tool to transfer position · CPC title

• B23Q3/157 Primary

  of rotary tools {(in combination with non-rotary tools B23Q3/15506, B23Q3/15513)} · CPC title

• B23Q1/5406

  a single rotating pair followed perpendicularly by a single rotating pair (B23Q1/545 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23Q3/15722

  Rotary discs or drums · CPC title