Abstract:
A fluid power cylinder provided with a clamp to allow for clamping of the cylinder to another surface, or for clamping of an object onto the cylinder housing without applying forces directly on an inner bore of the cylinder and without causing any distortion of the bore diameter surface of the cylinder in which a piston is running.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to clamping devices for clamping on an exterior surface of a fluid power cylinder having a reciprocable piston member. More particularly, the invention relates to a clamp that provides a clamping force on the fluid power cylinder housing without applying pressure to and/or distorting the internal cylinder bore in which the piston reciprocates. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Fluid operated or fluid power cylinders generally include a cylindrical shaped tube or barrel with a cylindrical inner bore in which a piston reciprocally moves in the longitudinal direction. Generally, the barrel of the fluid power cylinder is manufactured of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel. More commonly, the cylinder barrel is of the conventional round architecture, i.e., a simple torus geometry. A second, more modern type of barrel used in fluid power cylinders includes a square profile made by extrusion of a metal material, such as aluminum. The architecture of the square extension usually includes a variety of complex geometrical patterns, ranging from a simple square or rectangular outer geometry with a round cavity in the middle to a very complex outer geometry with a complex internal geometry. 
     Fluid power cylinders are controlled by various sensors and switches designed to sense the position of a reciprocating piston within the cylinder. Through these sensors, the mechanisms controlling the action of the fluid power cylinders may determine the position of the piston, or the timing for opening or closing various valves, inlets, or outlets in order to control the fluid pressure working on the piston, and vice versa. Thus, in some applications of fluid power cylinders, and depending on the task to be accomplished, it is often necessary to mount sensors or electrical switches onto the cylinder housing in order to respond to a piston as it travels within the inner bore, or to control operation of the cylinder. The piston often contains some means to activate a sensing device or switch associated with the mounted sensor to help the sensor determine the position of the piston as it travels within the inner bore. Moreover, the fluid power cylinder is often in cooperative coupling with another apparatus or serves as part of a mechanism. The current methods of mounting or clamping sensors or other objects on the fluid power cylinder and the apparatus for achieving such clamping are quite varied. 
     In many fluid power cylinders, the barrel outer surface is used to clamp position sensors or other devices thereto. One method currently used to hold an object on a cylinder, including a sensor or apparatus, is the tie-rod method. Tie-rods are provided between the end caps and the object is either clamped on the rod or the tie rods are screwed into the object that needs to be held along the cylinder profile. While several variations of the tie-rod types of mounting systems exist in the prior art, most commonly, the cylinder is simply surrounded by tie rods which connect and hold various structures, such as caps or heads, at opposing ends of the cylinder and the tie rods serve as the structure upon which the clamping occurs and the sensors are mounted. The sensor may be held in place via metal or plastic tie-straps. Screw clamp methods are known in the art as well. 
     In tie-rod mounting systems, the clamp forces used for the placement of the sensors onto the barrel outer surface are rather low. Thus, it is unlikely that clamping of the sensor will distort the cylinder profile or the inner bore wherein the piston travels reciprocally. 
     However, tie-rod mounting systems present other potential problems. For example, when an object or the cylinder itself needs to be held in place along the barrel surface to avoid movement of the object or avoid movement of the cylinder, the mounting system may slip or pivot on the tie rod. Moreover, in order to properly install or change the clamp mounted with tie rods, one must disconnect the tie rods and remove the cylinder head. 
     More recent innovations aimed at alleviating the problems with tie rods often do not achieve the desired level of success, or simply trade one problem for another. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,950, issued to Ohman et al., a clamping assembly for attaching a magnetically operated electrical switch to a tie rod and against the outside surface of a cylinder is disclosed. The stated goal of the invention is the creation of a clamping device which cooperates with an apparatus to hold that apparatus in a pre-determined position against the outside of a cylinder. Ohman et al. further discloses that the essence of the invention resides in the fact that the cooperating clamp surfaces engage the tie rod and converge toward the cylinder in order to effectively draw the assembly tightly against the outside cylinder surface as the fastening means are tightened. In sum, the &#39;950 patent discloses a clamp construction designed to cause the entire clamp assembly to converge tightly and move against the cylinder wall. 
     While trying to solve a problem associated with clamping to a tie-rod, the &#39;950 patent creates other potential disadvantages. For example, when clamping on a simple torus profile or square/rectangular extruded type profile, high forces directed towards the center of the profile may affect the housing material in such a way that the inner bore of the cylinder becomes smaller or distorted. As the diameter of the inner bore decreases in size or becomes distorted from its annular shape, the piston running inside the inner bore may bind or become stuck inside the inner bore due to higher friction. The higher friction will in turn cause wear on the piston running surface, which in most cases is a seal or seal with slide bearing combination. This additional wear will adversely affect the life expectancy of the cylinder. Furthermore, when the piston seal wears due to the profile distortion, small openings at the seal can form and the seal will not be able to properly seal. Thus, fluid tightness of the cylinder and piston will be lost. The additional friction will also cause the piston to run slower and the piston travel time to increase. 
     On the other hand, one may attempt to decrease the forces directed by the clamp on the inner bore by loosening the clamp around the perimeter of the fluid power cylinder; however, this can create other problems. For example, the reciprocal movement of the piston in the inner bore of the cylinder inherently generates high fluid power cylinder forces that may cause the clamped object to come lose. There is also the potential of moving the clamped object out of position due to accidentally hitting the object. This poses a potential hazard to a person standing nearby the object. Moreover, current clamp-on designs are non-smooth designs generally having sharp edges, which pose the threat of potential danger to a person handling such a component. The person may hurt himself or herself by the protruding components of the clamps. 
     Thus, there remains a need for an improved clamp assembly for securing an apparatus to the cylinder profile of a fluid power cylinder without using a tie rod and without distorting the inner bore of the cylinder or affecting the piston reciprocally traveling therein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a clamping method and a clamping apparatus that can be easily secured to the cylinder profile of a fluid power cylinder, without distorting the inner bore of the cylinder or negatively affecting the normal functioning of the piston reciprocally mounted therein. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved clamping assembly to hold a switch, sensor, or some other object or apparatus on the cylinder profile of a fluid power cylinder, or to clamp the cylinder to some other structure in a proper orientation and location. 
     To attain the above-mentioned goals, the present invention provides a clamping device which cooperatively couples an implement or apparatus to the housing of a fluid power cylinder to hold that apparatus in a predetermined position against the outside surface of the cylinder. The clamping device may also hold the fluid power cylinder in a predetermined position relative to an apparatus. Thus, in the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted a hydraulic or fluid power cylinder and a clamping device attached to said cylinder. The cylinder comprises a body or housing which defines an outer cylinder profile including an outer geometry adapted to receive the clamp. The cylinder housing includes an annular inner bore. Mounted within the housing inner bore and slidably engaging the inner surface thereof is a piston which travels reciprocally therein. 
     Embodiments of the invention further satisfy the above-identified need in the art by providing a clamp method and profile geometry that will direct the forces generated by the securing means of the clamp in such a way that it will not distort the inner diameter of the inner bore of the cylinder barrel. More specifically, clamping forces are effectively directed away from the circumference of the inner bore by providing a cylinder barrel including at least one longitudinal groove specifically located along the barrel outer surface. The groove can have varying geometries and may have different angles, radii, or depth. However, regardless of the geometry, configuration, or orientation of the groove, the groove provides a load bearing surface upon which the clamp engages such that the clamping forces are directed away from the inner bore and the piston running reciprocally therein. In a preferred embodiment, a line of force created by the securing means for the clamp on the load bearing surface is generally parallel to a line tangential to a curve of the annular inner bore. Stated differently, the line of force generated by the securing means is such that it does not place any pressure upon the housing which could adversely affect or distort the inner bore of the housing. Directing the forces away from the inner bore helps maintain the efficiency of the cylinder assembly. Hence, the bore internal diameter will retain the same size and shape and not cause the piston to bind, get stuck or have additional wear at the piston seal. 
     In order to be efficiently manufactured, the clamp in accordance with the present invention may be made in one piece or several pieces depending upon the application. The clamp may be designed to completely encircle the cylinder housing or, alternatively, may be designed to clamp to a corner or edge of the housing. Moreover, the clamped object can be assembled and disassembled without having to disassemble the cylinder or change the cylinder structure in any way, saving assembly cost. The design of the present invention does not require additional tie-rods and generally requires less torque due to the novel securing means comprising a set screw and block, the block including a large surface area for contacting the load bearing surface of the cylinder groove. 
     A preferred form of the present invention, as well as other embodiments, features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a side perspective view of a first clamping assembly attached to a fluid power cylinder housing. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a preferred cylinder profile of the barrel of the fluid power cylinder. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial cut-away of longitudinal perspective view of a fluid power cylinder including housing grooves. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the clamping assembly attached to a cylinder profile of the barrel of the fluid power cylinder as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a second clamping assembly attached to a fluid power cylinder housing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention provides a movable clamping apparatus designed to operate in combination with a fluid power cylinder, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. For purposes of illustrating the invention, the figures show a pneumatic device; however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention can be used on any fluid power device. With reference to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the principal components of the combination include a fluid power cylinder  10  and a clamp  30  mounted to said fluid power cylinder  10 . As shown in FIGS.  2  and  3 , the fluid power cylinder  10  comprises a housing having an outer cylinder profile  12  and an inner annular bore  14  adapted to receive a piston  16  reciprocally movable therein, the piston including a piston bearing  18  and piston seal  20 . Alternatively, the cylinder to which the clamp is to be connected may be a magnetically coupled rodless cylinder which is well known to those skilled in the art. In the case of a magnetically coupled rodless cylinder, the clamp of the present invention may be mounted to the carriage or follower housing. Similarly, the cylinder may be driven by either air or by some other fluid, such as hydraulic fluid. As depicted in  FIG. 2 , the cylinder housing has an outer cylinder profile  12  which includes an outer geometry adapted to receive the clamp  30 , the cylinder profile  12  outer geometry includes at least one elongated mounting groove  22  extending along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder housing. The elongated groove includes a load bearing surface  24  for attachment of the clamp thereto. The groove is preferably specifically located between a mid-point of the side and a corner thereof as shown in  FIG. 1 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the groove must be placed on the cylinder housing so that pressure applied to the load bearing surface will generally not apply pressure to the housing inner bore. 
     The elongated groove in the housing may be of any geometry, but is preferably generally v-shaped for ease of manufacturing the extruded housing. Furthermore, the groove is located on the cylinder housing such that upon applying pressure to the load bearing surface, substantially no force is applied to the inner bore of the housing. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the housing includes at least one groove located between a side surface mid-point and an edge thereof. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the cylinder housing preferably includes two grooves on each of the four sides of the cylinder housing. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  the clamp  30  may comprise a housing which substantially surrounds the cylinder profile  12 . The clamp  30  may also include a trunnion  31  so that the fluid power cylinder may be mounted to another device. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the clamp  30  may comprise a housing which does not surround the cylinder profile but rather attaches to any corner of the cylinder profile  12  utilizing the mounting grooves  22  on adjacent side surfaces of the cylinder profile. Irrespective of the particular shape, the clamp housing includes at least one securing means  32  for securing the clamp  30  to a mounting groove on the cylinder profile  12 . Two alternative designs for a securing means are shown in  FIG. 5 . Preferably, the securing means  32  comprises a threaded locking screw  36  which is mounted within a threaded bore  34  of the clamp. The locking screw  36  has an end surface which engages the load bearing surface  24  of the mounting groove  22  to retain the clamp securely to the cylinder housing. The locking screw end surface may include grooves, knurling, or a roughened surface of any kind to provide additional friction against the load bearing surface to enhance the clamping action. 
     Alternatively, as depicted in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the securing means  32  for securing the clamp  30  to the cylinder housing may comprise at least one threaded bore  34  in the clamp adapted to receive a cooperating threaded locking device  38  including a locking screw  42  and a securing block or engagement member  44 . The securing block  44  may be formed of a material having a greater coefficient of friction than the locking screw to enhance the securement of the clamp  30  to the cylinder housing. Furthermore, the securing block may include an end surface with a surface area larger than that of the aforementioned locking screw  42  to provide greater holding force for the clamp  30 . The securing block  44  may also include a roughened end surface  40 . The roughened end surface  40  may be a knurled surface for engaging the load bearing surface  24  of said groove  22  or any other roughened end surface which would enhance the gripping force of the securing block to the load bearing surface. While two alternative designs for the securing means are shown in  FIG. 5 , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any securing means for securing the clamp on the cylinder profile whereby the securing means engages the load bearing surface of the groove falls within the scope of the present invention. Some alternative designs include, but are not limited to, clips, spring-loaded fasteners, fasteners having a cooperative rib and groove design, and the like. 
     The clamp  30  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4  also preferably includes at least one channel or groove  50  on an outer surface of said clamp  30  in which said securing means  32  is mounted. Specifically, the securing means  32  is provided in a wall of the groove to provide easy access to the securing means  32  for attaching the clamp  30  to the cylinder housing. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the channel or groove  50  on the outer surface of said clamp  30  is preferably substantially v-shaped, but may be any geometry which permits easy access to the securing means for the clamp. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the configuration of the securing means  32  of the clamp  30  provides that the clamping forces applied to the load bearing surface  24  of the groove  22  are directed away from the axial bore  14  in which the piston reciprocates. More specifically, the configuration of the present invention provides that the clamping forces shown by arrows F in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , be applied in a direction which is substantially parallel to a line tangential to a curve of the inner bore  14 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any clamp mounting system whereby the forces applied to secure the clamp to a cylinder housing are directed so as not to put pressure on or distort the axial bore within the cylinder housing falls within the scope of the present invention. Thus, as provided in the embodiments disclosed herein, directing the clamping forces away from the inner bore  14  prevents the inner bore  14  from distorting and helps to avoid the occurrence of the piston  16  binding or having additional wear on the piston bearing  18  and/or piston seal  20 . 
     Although the illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.