Spherical locking device

Abstract

A cylindrical body has a first part-spherical socket portion in the top, fittingly receiving a ball. A ball retainer has a second part-spherical socket portion facing the first part-spherical socket portion and receiving the ball therein. A post has a proximal end fixed to the ball and extends radially outward from the ball and away from the body to a distal end, and has screw threads at the distal end to receive a fastener thereon for attachment of an object to the distal end of the post. The ball-in-socket mounting of the post enables freely swiveling the ball and thereby the swiveling the distal end of the post to an infinite number of loci in a spherical envelope centered at the center of the ball, as well as enabling the post, and any object mounted to the post, to be rotated on a radial line from the center of the ball to the location of mounting of the object to the post. The body has a cylinder in the bottom receiving a piston. The piston is connected to the ball retainer for clamping the retainer on the ball and thereby locking the ball in the socket portions, to lock the post and thereby the object mounted to the post, in a position and orientation in space as selected by the user. Different embodiments employ various combinations of fluid pressure and mechanical springs to lock and unlock the device. In one example, a hydraulic pump assembly is coupled to the body to apply and release pressure on the piston.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A device for holding an object at a selected position and orientation and comprising: 
 a ball;    a body having a part-spherical socket portion having a center of curvature and receiving said ball;    a cylinder in said body and having a cylindrical wall, the wall having a cylindrical axis on a line extending through the said center of curvature, and the cylinder opening in a direction away from the socket portion;    a piston received in said cylinder and forming a chamber;    the piston being moveable axially in said cylinder in directions toward and away from said socket portion;    a clamp spaced from said piston and having a part-spherical socket portion facing toward the part-spherical socket portion of said body and receiving the ball therein and operable to establish a ball to body clamped condition;    ties connected to the clamp and to the piston to prevent the spacing between the clamp and the piston from exceeding a predetermined limit;    a passageway communicating with the chamber for admitting pressurized fluid to enter the chamber to cause the piston to move along said axis in a direction relative to the socket portion of said body to enable a change in the ball to body condition    
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  and further comprising: 
 a projection on the ball and adapted to connect to an object to be positioned and held in a selected position.  
 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2  and wherein: 
 said projection is a post on the ball and which extends in a direction away from the socket portions and has means thereon for attachment of said object to the post.  
 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  and wherein: 
 said chamber is between said piston and said socket portion of said body.  
 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  and wherein: 
 said piston is between said socket portion and said chamber.  
 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5  and wherein: 
 said piston has a proximal end and a distal end, and a recess in the proximal end; and  
 a spring is received in said proximal end and engages said body normally urging said piston in a first direction causing said ball to be clamped to said body.  
 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6  and wherein: 
 one wall of said chamber is the proximal end of said piston whereby said piston is movable in a second direction opposite said first direction and against the urging of said spring to enable unclamping of said ball from said body.  
 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7  and further comprising: 
 resilient members between said body and said clamp for biasing said clamp toward a ball unclamping condition.  
 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8  and wherein: 
 said body and clamp have a plurality of facing circularly-spaced sockets receiving said members; and  
 said resilient members are lift springs.  
 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1  and further comprising: 
 at least one resilient biasing device on said body and clamp and normally biasing said clamp toward a ball to body unclamped condition.  
 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10  and further comprising: 
 a plurality of sockets in said body and a plurality of sockets in said clamp, the sockets of said plurality in said clamp facing the sockets of said plurality in said body; and  
 a plurality of said resilient biasing devices received in said facing sockets and biasing said clamp toward a ball to body unclamped condition.  
 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11  and wherein: 
 said biasing devices are springs situated in an array of said facing sockets arranged in circularly spaced locations on a circle about said axis line.  
 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1  and wherein: 
 said cylinder is stepped, having a first portion of one diameter and a second portion of another diameter;  
 said piston has first and second ends and is stepped, having a first portion of one diameter extending to the first end and a second portion of another diameter extending to the second end,  
 said chamber being at the first end,  
 and said piston forming a second chamber at said second end.  
 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13  and further comprising: 
 a second passageway communicating with said second chamber for admitting pressurized fluid to enter said second chamber to cause the piston to move along said axis in a direction relative to the socket portion of said body to enable a change in the ball to body condition from clamped to unclamped.  
 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14  and wherein: 
 said first and second ends of said piston are opposite ends;  
 said first and second chambers are located at said opposite ends of said piston whereby fluid pressure applied to said first end causes a ball to body clamped condition.  
 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15  and wherein: 
 said first and second passageways are separate to enable double acting cylinder operation for alternate pressurization of said chambers and fluid powered selectable clamped and unclamped ball to body conditions.  
 
     
     
         17 . A device for holding an object at a selected position and orientation and comprising: 
 a body having a part-spherical socket portion for receiving a member having a convex exterior face portion;    an object mounting member having first and second convex face portions, said first convex face portion being received in said socket portion of said body;    a cavity in the body, said cavity having a cylindrical wall, the wall being cylindrical about an axis, and the cavity having an open end remote from said socket portion of said body;    a piston received in the cylindrical wall of the body and co-operating with the cavity to form a chamber;    the piston being slidably received in the body and moveable in a direction toward and, alternatively, away from said socket portion of the body;    a clamp spaced from said piston and having a part-spherical socket portion facing toward the part-spherical socket portion of said body and receiving the said second convex face portion of said mounting member therein;    ties connected to the clamp and to the piston to prevent the spacing between the clamp and the piston from exceeding a predetermined limit;    a passageway communicating with the chamber for admitting pressurized fluid to enter the chamber to cause the piston to move in a direction along said axis and thereby enable the clamp to move relative to said object mounting member to enable a change between a locked and unlocked condition of said object mounting member for a selected object position and orientation; and    a projection on the object mounting member and adapted to connect to the said object to be positioned and held.    
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17  and wherein: 
 said projection is a post on the mounting member and which extends in a direction away from the socket portions of said body and clamp and has means thereon for attachment of an object to the post.  
 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 17  and further comprising: 
 a pressurized fluid source coupled to said passageway and operable to apply fluid pressure to said chamber to lock said object mounting member, and to selectively enable reduction of fluid pressure from said passageway to enable unlocking of said object mounting member.  
 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 17  and further comprising: 
 a second cylindrical wall in said cavity and which is cylindrical about said axis;  
 said piston having a portion co-operating with said second wall to form a second chamber; and  
 a second passageway communicating with the second chamber for admitting pressurized fluid to enter said second chamber to cause the piston to move in a direction opposite the said direction of the piston movement causeable by pressurized fluid in the first-mentioned chamber.  
 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 17  and further comprising: 
 a closure at the open end of said cavity;  
 a downwardly opening cavity in said piston; and  
 a resilient member residing in said cavity in said piston and bearing on said piston and on said closure to bias said piston in a direction toward said socket portion of said body.  
 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 17  and further comprising: 
 an upwardly opening cavity in said piston.  
 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 22  and further comprising: 
 a resilient member residing in said upwardly opening cavity in said piston and bearing on said piston and said body and biasing said piston to move away from said socket portion of said body and thereby pull said clamp toward said socket portion of said body to normally lock said object mounting member to said body.  
 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 17  and further comprising: 
 at least one resilient biasing device situated between said clamp and said body to assist in a change from locked to unlocked condition of said object mounting member.  
 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 24  and further comprising: 
 a plurality of sockets in said body and a plurality of sockets in said clamp, the sockets of said plurality in said clamp facing the sockets of said plurality in said body and circularly spaced about said axis and receiving said at least one resilient biasing device and additional resilient biasing devices.  
 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 25  and wherein: 
 said resilient biasing devices are lift springs.  
 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 17  and wherein: 
 said cylindrical wall in said body is stepped, providing a cylinder having first and second diameter portions; and  
 said piston is stepped, having first and second diameter portions slidably received respectively, in said first and second diameter portions of said stepped cylinder.  
 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 27  and wherein: 
 said piston has first and second ends;  
 said body has an end cap portion,  
 said second end cooperating with the second diameter portion of said cylinder and with said body end cap portion to form a second chamber of said body.