Work table for wood working machine or the like

• US 5,120,033 A
• Filed: 06/25/1991
• Issued: 06/09/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Isao Shoda
• Original Assignee: Isao Shoda
• Inventors: Shoda, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Watson, Robert C.
• Application Number:
  US07/720,330
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 269/20, 269/21, 269/309, 269/310, 269/296, 269/13, 269/303, 269/304, 279/3 R, 294/64 R, 51/235
• US Class Current: 269/21
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/035 with an array of longitudinally movable rods defining a reconfigurable support surface
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 16/001 Stops, cams, or holders therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/005 Vacuum work holders

Abstract

A workpiece is placed on a plurality of supporting cylinders which are projected upwardly from an upper plate or a hollow table body. All of the supporting cylinders normally assume a lowered position at which lower end faces thereof contact seat portions in a chamber of the table body so that attracting pads provided at upper ends of the supporting cylinders are disconnected from the chambers. Accordingly, even if the chamber is put into a negative pressure condition, the workpiece is not attracted to the attracting pads. Then, compressed air is supplied to the pneumatic cylinders of those supporting cylinders which fall within a horizontal area of the workpiece to lift those supporting cylinders. Consequently, the lower end faces of those supporting cylinders are spaced away from the seat portions to allow communication between the attracting pads and the chamber by way of air sucking passageways formed in the supporting cylinders to suck air through the attracting pads. As a result, the workpiece is attracted to the attracting pads and thus fixed to the lifted supporting cylinders.

Claims

1. A work table for a wood working machine or the like, comprising:

a hollow table body having an upper plate and a lower plate and defining a chamber therein between said upper and lower plates, said chamber being capable of being put into a negative pressure condition;

a plurality of supporting cylinders mounted for individual upward and downward sliding movement in a juxtaposed relationship on said table body to extend upwardly through and from said upper plate of said table body;

an attracting pad provided at an upper end of each of said supporting cylinders, each of said supporting cylinders having an air sucking passageway formed therein for communicating said attracting pad with said chamber, said air sucking passageway having a lower end opening at a lower end face of the supporting cylinder;

a spring for urging each of said plurality of supporting cylinders downwardly to contact the lower end face of each of the supporting cylinders with a seat portion in said chamber to close said lower end opening of said air sucking passageway;

a pneumatic cylinder disposed in each of said plurality of supporting cylinders for driving each respective supporting cylinder to move upwardly against the corresponding spring; and

a valve device for controlling supply and discharge of compressed air into and from each of the pneumatic cylinders.

2. A work table for a wood working machine or the like as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of carrying in/out pneumatic cylinders having piston rods, said plurality of carrying in/out pneumatic cylinders being disposed in a juxtaposed relationship among said plurality of supporting cylinders and capable of lifting, with said piston rods thereof, a workpiece to a position higher than that to which the workpiece is lifted by said plurality of supporting cylinders.

3. A work table for a wood working machine or the like as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a head having a spherical face provided at an upper end of the piston rod of each of said plurality of carrying in/out pneumatic cylinders.

4. A work table as defined by claim 1, wherein each of said pneumatic cylinders disposed in corresponding ones of said supporting cylinders includes a piston rod and a cylinder tube, said spring being positioned within a corresponding supporting cylinder and coupled between said piston rod of said pneumatic cylinder and said cylinder tube to urge said piston rod downwardly.

5. A work table according to claim 1, wherein said attracting pad includes an annular rubber packing mounted thereon.

6. A work table according to claim 2, furhter comprising a return spring coupled to a respective one of said piston rods of said plurality of carrying in/out pneumatic cylinders for urging a respective carrying in/out pneumatic cylinder downwardly.

7. A work table according to claim 1, further comprising at least one scale device mounted on said table body.

8. A work table according to claim 7, wherein said at least one scale device comprises a plurality of scale height changing-over pneumatic cylinders mounted on said table body, and a scale.

9. A work table according to claim 8, wherein said scale includes a pair of upper and lower offset positioning faces formed on an inner side face of said scale, said scale device further comprising a stopper.

10. A work table according to claim 2, further comprising a ball provided at an upper end of a piston rod of each of said plurality of carrying in/out pneumatic cylinders.