BigPatents India

The clamping apparatus comprises a first coupling element (10) and a second coupling element (15) that can be releasably attached thereto. The first coupling element (10) is provided with four at least partially conical centering pins (1, 2, 3, 4) that are adapted to engage four grooves (21, 22, 23, 24) correspondingly arranged on the second coupling element (15). Both coupling elements (10, 15) have stop surfaces (6, 17a, 20a) serving as Z references, cooperating upon clamping together the two coupling elements (10, 15) to determine the position of the second coupling element (15) with regard to the first coupling element (10) in Z-direction once they are clamped together. The centering pins (1, 2, 3, 4) are, in relation to the grooves (21, 22, 23, 24), designed such that each centering pin (1, 2, 3, 4) rests only on one flank (21a, 22b, 23a, 24b) of a groove (21, 22, 23, 24) such that a gap (S1, S2, S3, S4) remains between the other flank (21b, 22a, 23b, 24a) and the particular cen~erir1q pin (1, 2, 3, 4) . Out of the overall eight groove flanks (21a, 21b; 22a, 22b; 23a, 23b; 24a, 24b) of the four grooves (21, 22, 23, 24), the centering pins (1, 2, 3, 4) rest on in each case two pairs of diametrically opposite flanks (21a, 23a; 22b, 24b), while they do not rest on the two further pairs of oppositely located flanks (2lb, 23b; 22a, 24a) (FIG.2a,2b)