Citizen Watch has filed a patent for a tooling exchange mechanism and machine tool that reduces the load on a turret during tooling exchange. The mechanism includes a pressing member and a locking lever that engage with the tooling holder to release the retracted state of the tool holder, allowing for tooling exchange. GlobalData’s report on Citizen Watch gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Citizen Watch, Under-screen biometric identification was a key innovation area identified from patents. Citizen Watch's grant share as of September 2023 was 28%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Tooling exchange mechanism for reducing load during tool exchange
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230294227A1) describes a tooling exchange mechanism for a machine tool. The mechanism includes a turret mounted with a tooling holder that can detachably hold a rotary tool for machining a workpiece. The turret support includes a tooling detacher that can detach the tooling from the tooling holder. The tooling holder has a holding portion for mounting the tool holder in a retracted state. The tooling detacher consists of a movable pressing member and a locking lever. The pressing member presses the rear end of the tooling holder to release the retracted state of the tool holder, while the locking lever engages with an engaging projection on the tooling holder. Once the pressing member contacts the rear end of the tooling holder and the locking lever is engaged with the engaging projection, the pressing member moves forward to release the retracted state of the tool holder, allowing for tooling exchange.
In addition, the tooling detacher includes an elastic member that biases the tooling detacher towards the turret. The reaction force exerted by the tooling holder on the pressing member is greater than the biasing force of the elastic member. This ensures a secure detachment of the tooling from the tooling holder.
The patent also describes a machine tool that incorporates the tooling exchange mechanism. The machine tool includes the aforementioned mechanism, a spindle for gripping the workpiece, and a tooling storage device for storing the tooling. After the turret is rotated to a predetermined tooling exchange position, the pressing member of the tooling detacher presses the rear end of the tooling holder, while the locking lever pulls back the engaging projection of the tooling holder. This allows for efficient and reliable tooling exchange during machining operations.
Overall, this patent presents a tooling exchange mechanism and its application in a machine tool. The mechanism allows for easy and secure detachment of tooling from the tooling holder, facilitating efficient tooling exchange during machining operations. The inclusion of an elastic member in the tooling detacher ensures a reliable detachment process. This innovation has the potential to enhance productivity and flexibility in the field of machine tooling.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
