Patent Publication Number: US-5839348-A

Title: Moving cylinder apparatus

Description:
This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/582,911 filed on Jan. 4, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,283. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a cylinder apparatus for use as a drive source or actuator for producing reciprocating movement in automatic machines in various factories, and more particularly to such a cylinder apparatus which is positioned between conveyor lines for displacing a workpiece a given distance. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Workpiece feed systems that have heretofore been employed in factories are composed of a plurality of conveyors or feed rollers that are coupled together. One such feed system comprises a plurality of feed lines including first and second feed lines extending perpendicularly to each other and joined to each other at a junction where there is disposed a transfer unit for lifting a workpiece fed from the first feed line and transferring the lifted workpiece to the second feed line. The transfer unit may comprise, for example, a lifting device incorporating a cylinder. 
     One conventional lifting device incorporating a cylinder is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings. The lifting device, generally denoted by the reference numeral 2, includes a cylinder 6 fixedly mounted substantially centrally on a base plate 8 and having a piston rod 4 that is displaceable in the directions indicated by the arrows X (X 1 , X 2 ). The lifting device 2 also has a pair of diagonally opposite guide rods 10a, 10b vertically movably disposed on the base plate 8. An upper plate 14 is coupled through an attachment plate 12 to respective upper ends of the piston rod 4 and the guide rods 10a, 10b. The cylinder 6 has a cylinder body 16 having a pair of compressed-air inlet/outlet ports 18a, 18b defined in a side wall thereof and connected to respective tubes 20. The tubes 20 have respective distal ends connected respectively to pipe joints 24a, 24b supported by a port block 22. A workpiece feed mechanism (not shown) such as a feed belt that is movable by a drive source is mounted on the upper plate 14. 
     The lifting device 2 operates as follows: The pipe joints 24a, 24b are connected to a compressed-air supply (not shown) through tubes (not shown). When the compressed-air supply is operated, it supplies compressed air to the cylinder 6 through the pipe joints 24a, 24b, the tubes 20, and the compressed-air inlet/outlet ports 18a, 18b. When the compressed air is introduced into one cylinder chamber in the cylinder body 16, the piston is displaced, moving the piston rod 4 upwardly. The upper plate 14 coupled to the upper end of the piston rod 4 is guided by the guide rods 10a, 10b to move upwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow X 1 . When the compressed air is introduced into the other cylinder chamber in the cylinder body 16, the upper plate 14 is lowered in the direction indicated by the arrow X 2 . 
     With the lifting device 2 incorporated in the feed system described above, when a workpiece reaches a predetermined position upon being fed on the first feed line, the cylinder 6 is actuated to lift the upper plate 14, elevating the workpiece off the first feed line, and a feed belt located in a position higher than the first feed line is operated to hold the elevated workpiece and transfer the workpiece toward the second feed line. In this manner, the workpiece is transferred from the first feed line to the second feed line that extends perpendicularly to the first feed line. 
     The height of the conventional lifting device 2 is governed by the vertical dimension or height of the cylinder 6 that is disposed between the base plate 8 and the upper plate 14. Consequently, the height of the lifting device 2 cannot be made smaller than the height of the cylinder 6. 
     The conventional lifting device 2 is also disadvantageous in that because of plural parts including the cylinder 6, the guide rods 10a, 10b, the port block 22, etc. which are placed between the base plate 8 and the upper plate 14, the lifting device 2 is made up of many parts and assembled in many assembling steps, and as a result the cost of the lifting device 2 is relatively high. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the present invention to provide a cylinder apparatus which has a relatively low height or vertical dimension for space-saving purposes, and is made up of relatively few parts including unitized parts, so that the cylinder apparatus can be manufactured at a relatively low cost and in a relatively small number of assembling steps. 
     A major object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder apparatus which is designed for effective utilization of a vertical space in a workpiece feed system to allow the workpiece feed system to be arranged in a relatively large choice available of layout options. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder apparatus which can easily be inspected and serviced for maintenance and permits easy replacement of parts. 
     The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylinder apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 1, with an upper plate lifted; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line IV--IV of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 4, with the upper plate lifted; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view showing communication passages communicating with cylinder chambers; 
     FIG. 7A is a plan view of a workpiece feed system with the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 1 being disposed at a junction between first and second feed lines; 
     FIG. 7B is a front elevational view of the workpiece feed system shown in FIG. 7A; 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a cylinder apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line IX--IX of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 9, with the upper plate lifted; 
     FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional lifting device; and 
     FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the lifting device shown in FIG. 11. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a cylinder apparatus 30 according to a first embodiment of the present invention basically comprises a horizontal, substantially square base plate 32, a casing 38 fastened to a stepped portion on the base plate 32 by screws 33 (see FIG. 3) and having a cylinder body 36 vertically movably disposed in a through hole 34 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of substantially circular cross section which is defined in the casing 38, and an upper plate 42 having substantially the same shape as the base plate 32 and fixed to the cylinder body 36 by screws 40a˜40d. An annular seal 46 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is interposed between the upper plate 42 and the cylinder body 36 for keeping cylinder chambers 44a, 44b (described later on) hermetically sealed. 
     The base plate 32 and the upper plate 42 have respective sets of internally threaded attachment holes 48a˜48d and 50a˜50d defined therein at respective four corners thereof. The cylinder apparatus 30 may be secured to another member by screws (not shown) that are threaded into the internally threaded attachment holes 48a˜48d in the base plate 32, for example. Alternatively, the cylinder apparatus 30 may be secured to another member by screws (not shown) that are threaded into the internally threaded attachment holes 50a˜50d in the upper plate 42. The casing 38 has concave surfaces 52 defined in respective outer surfaces of the four corners thereof closely to, but clear of, the respective attachment holes 48a˜48d for thereby exposing the attachment holes 48a˜48d. 
     The casing 38 also has three pairs of spaced attachment grooves 54a˜54c (see FIG. 3) of substantially T-shaped cross section which are defined respectively in three outer wall surface thereof, the attachment grooves 54a˜54c extending vertically in the directions indicated by the arrows X (X 1 , X 2 ). The casing 38 further has three pairs of sensor attachment grooves 56a˜56c defined respectively in three outer wall surfaces thereof between the three pairs of spaced attachment grooves 54a˜54c, the sensor attachment grooves 56a˜56c extending vertically in the directions indicated by the arrows X (X 1 , X 2 ). The cylinder apparatus 30 can be supported laterally on another member by retainers (not shown) with enlarged heads, which are complementary in cross-sectional shape to the attachment grooves 54a˜54c and fitted respectively in the attachment grooves 54a˜54c. Since the attachment grooves 54a˜54c extend vertically in the directions indicated by the arrows X (X 1 , X 2 ), the vertical position or height of the retainers can be adjusted with respect to the casing 38. 
     The remaining outer wall surface of the casing 38, which is devoid of any attachment grooves and sensor attachment grooves, has a pair of compressed-air inlet/outlet ports 58a, 58b defined therein which communicate through respective ports 59a, 59b (see FIG. 3) defined in a lower portion of the outer wall surface of the casing 38 and also through communication passages 60a, 60b defined in the base plate 32 and the piston 66 with respective cylinder chambers 44a, 44b (see FIG. 6). As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, a cylindrical bushing (guide member) 62 made of synthetic resin or the like is coaxially fitted in the through hole 34 of substantially circular cross section which is defined in the casing 38. The cylindrical bushing 62 is interposed radially between the inner wall surface of the casing 38 and the outer wall surface of the cylinder body 36. The cylinder body 36 is axially movable along the inner wall surface of the cylindrical bushing 62. 
     A piston 66 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is fixed substantially centrally to the base plate 32 by a pair of screws 64a, 64b threaded through the base plate 32 into a lower end of the piston 66. The piston 66 is positioned centrally in the casing 38 and housed in a large-diameter hole defined in the cylinder body 36 and extending axially in the directions indicated by the arrows X (X 1 , X 2 ), with a seal ring 68 disposed around a larger-diameter flange, serving as a piston head, of the piston 66 at its upper end and slidably held against the inner wall surface of the large-diameter hole. The piston 66 divides the large-diameter hole in the cylinder body 36 into an upper cylinder chamber 44a defined axially between the larger-diameter flange of the piston 66 and the upper plate 42 and a lower cylinder chamber 44b defined radially around a smaller-diameter portion, serving as a piston rod, of the piston 66 axially between the larger-diameter flange of the piston 66 and an annular rod cover 70 attached to a lower end of the cylinder body 36. 
     The cylinder body 36 has an annular step defined in the lower end thereof, and the annular rod cover 70 is fastened to the annular step by screws 72 in surrounding relationship to the piston 66 with an annular seal 74 retained by the annular rod cover 70 in slidable contact with the outer circumferential surface of the piston 66. As shown in FIG. 4, the cylinder body 36 has a diameter W greater than its height or axial dimension H. 
     When a fluid under pressure is introduced through the communication passage 60a into the upper cylinder chamber 44a, the cylinder body 36 is lifted along the inner wall surface of the bushing 62 in the direction indicated by the arrow X 1 , as shown in FIG. 5. When a fluid under pressure is introduced through the communication passage 60b into the lower cylinder chamber 44b, the cylinder body 36 is lowered along the inner wall surface of the bushing 62 in the direction indicated by the arrow X 2 , as shown in FIG. 4. 
     An annular damper (cushioning member) 76a is mounted on the lower surface of the larger-diameter flange of the piston 66, and an annular damper (cushioning member) 76b is mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 32 around the piston 66. The annular damper 76a abuts against the upper surface of the rod cover 70 when the cylinder body 36 reaches an upper end of its vertical stroke upon upward movement thereof. The annular damper 76b abuts against the lower surface of the rod cover 70 when the cylinder body 36 reaches a lower end of its vertical stroke upon downward movement thereof. Therefore, the annular dampers 76a, 76b serve to dampen shocks and minimize noise when the cylinder body 36 reaches the ends of its vertical stroke. When the rod cover 70 abuts against the larger-diameter flange of the piston 66 at its upper end, the rod cover 70 serves as a stop at the upper end of the vertical stroke of the cylinder body 36 upon upward movement. 
     As can be seen from FIG. 3, the piston 66, the rod cover 70, the cylinder body 36, and the cylindrical bushing 62 are coaxial with each other with respect to a point O where the diagonal lines of the substantially square base plate 32 cross each other. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, magnets 78 are supported on the cylinder body 36 at its lower end in the vicinity of the respective pairs of sensor attachment grooves 56a˜56c defined in the casing 38. Sensors 80 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) held in position in the sensor attachment grooves 56c detect magnetic fluxes from the corresponding magnet 78 for detecting the vertical position of the cylinder body 36 with respect to the casing 38. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an axial guide hole 82 is defined in the cylinder body 36 at a position spaced a given distance radially outwardly from the point O, and a guide rod 84 fixed to the base plate 32 is inserted in the guide hole 82. The guide rod 84 inserted in the guide hole 82 to lock the cylinder body 36 against angular displacement with respect to the base plate 32 and hence the casing 38 and also to guide the cylinder body 36 for its vertical movement with respect to the base plate 82 and hence the casing 38. The guide rod 84 may, however, be dispensed with if the outer wall surface of the cylinder body 36 and the inner wall surface of the casing 38 are complementarily angularly shaped. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, air inlet/outlet holes 89 are defined in the base plate 32 and communicate through passages (not shown) with respective chambers 86, 88 defined between the base plate 32 and the cylinder body 36 and between the upper plate 42 and the guide rod 84. When the cylinder body 36 is lifted or lowered, air is introduced into or discharged from the chambers 86, 88 through the air inlet/outlet holes 89. 
     Operation of the cylinder apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. 
     As shown in FIG. 7A, a workpiece feed system has a first feed line 92 and a second feed line 94. The first feed line 92 comprises a plurality of feed rollers 90a˜90f which are arranged substantially parallel to each other and which can be rotated by a drive source (not shown) for feeding a workpiece W in a first direction along the first feed line 92. The second feed line 94 comprises a plurality of feed rollers 93a˜93c which are arranged substantially parallel to each other and which can be rotated by a drive source (not shown) for feeding a workpiece W in a second direction along the second feed line 92, which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The cylinder apparatus 30 is fixedly mounted on a base 96 (see FIG. 7B) by screws which are threaded through the attachment holes 48a˜48d into the base 96. The cylinder apparatus 30 supports, on the upper plate 42, a feed unit 102 which comprises a pair of substantially parallel, spaced conveyor belts 100a, 100b that are trained around guide rollers 98a, 98b and can be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow by a drive source (not shown). The conveyor belts 100a, 100b extend parallel to the feed rollers 93a˜93c and are positioned between the adjacent feed rollers 90b, 90c and between the feed rollers 90d, 90e, respectively. The compressed-air inlet/outlet ports 58a, 58b of the cylinder apparatus 30 are connected to a compressed-air supply (not shown) through tubes (not shown). 
     A process of transferring the workpiece W from the first feed line 92 onto the second feed line 94 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7A will be described below. 
     When the workpiece W reaches a given position on the conveyor belts 100a, 100b, a detector (not shown) detects the workpiece W and outputs a detected signal to operate a directional control valve (not shown) for thereby supplying compressed air to the compressed-air inlet/outlet port 58a of the cylinder apparatus 30. The supplied compressed air lifts the upper plate 42 of the cylinder apparatus 30. The lifted upper plate 42 elevates the workpiece on the feed unit 102 off the feed rollers 90a˜90f. When the feed unit 102 projects upwardly beyond the feed rollers 90a˜90f, the conveyor belts 100a, 100b are operated to transfer the workpiece W from the first feed line 92 onto the second feed line 94 that extends substantially perpendicularly to the first feed line 92. 
     More specifically, the compressed air supplied to the compressed-air inlet/outlet port 58a is introduced through the communication passage 60a in the base plate 32 into the upper cylinder chamber 44a, lifting the upper plate 42 in the direction indicated by the arrow X 1 . At this time, the other compressed-air inlet/outlet port 58b is vented to the atmosphere. The upper plate 42 ascends in unison with the cylinder body 36 in the direction indicated by the arrow X 1  while being guided by the guide rod 84 until the upper plate 42 reaches the upper end of its stroke shown in FIG. 5. When the upper plate 42 reaches the upper end of its stroke shown in FIG. 5, the rod cover 70 abuts against the damper 76a, which absorbs shocks and minimizes noise. Upon upward movement in the direction indicated by the arrow X 1 , the conveyor belts 100a, 100b project upwardly through gaps between the adjacent feed rollers 90b, 90c and between the feed rollers 90d, 90e, respectively, as indicated by the two-dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 7B, supporting the workpiece W a given distance off the feed rollers 90a˜90f. Then, the conveyor belts 100a, 100b are operated to transfer the workpiece W onto the second feed line 94 perpendicular to the first feed line 92. Thereafter, the workpiece W is fed to a desired position by the second feed line 94. 
     After the workpiece W has been transferred to the second feed line 94, compressed air is supplied to the compressed-air inlet/outlet port 58b while the compressed-air inlet/outlet port 58a is being vented to the atmosphere. The upper plate 42 is now displaced in unison with the cylinder body 36 downwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow X 2  until it reaches the lower end of its stroke shown in FIG. 4. 
     As described above, the diameter W of the cylinder body 36 which supports the upper plate 42 and displaces the upper plate 42 in the direction indicated by the arrow X 1  or X 2  is greater than the height H of the cylinder body 36 (see FIG. 4). The cylinder body 36 is vertically movably held in the casing 38 which surrounds the cylinder body 36. The cylinder body 36 and the upper plate 42 can be lifted and lowered with respect to the piston 66 fixed to the base plate 32 while at the same time the cylinder body 36 is being guided by the cylindrical bushing 62. 
     If a workpiece feed system comprises a pair of upper and lower first feed lines 92 and a pair of upper and lower second feed lines 94 perpendicular to the first feed lines 92, then two upper and lower cylinder apparatus 30 may be positioned at a junction between the first and second feed lines 92, 94 because the height H of each of the cylinder apparatus 30 is relatively small with respect to the diameter W of the cylinder body 36. Consequently, the vertical space in the workpiece feed system is effectively utilized to allow itself to be arranged in a relatively large choice available of layout options. 
     The cylinder body 36, the piston 66, the rod cover 70, and other parts can be detached when the screws 33, 64a, 64b are removed from the base plate 32 and the screws 40a˜40d are removed from the upper plate 42. Accordingly, the cylinder body 36, the piston 66, the rod cover 70, and other parts can easily be inspected and serviced for maintenance, and can also easily be replaced with new parts. 
     Since some of the parts of the cylinder apparatus 30 are fastened and hence unitized by the screws, the cylinder apparatus 10 is made up of relatively few parts including those unitized parts, so that the cylinder apparatus 30 can be manufactured at a relatively low cost in a relatively small number of assembling steps as compared with the conventional lifting devices shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. 
     A cylinder apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10. Only those parts of the cylinder apparatus, generally denoted by the reference numeral 110, which are different from those of the cylinder apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment will be described below. Those parts shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 which are identical to those shown in FIGS. 1 through 7A, 7B are denoted by identical reference numerals, and will not be described in detail below. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, the cylinder apparatus 110 differs from the cylinder apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment in that the center of a piston 66 is displaced off the point O where the diagonal lines of a substantially square base plate 32 cross each other, and that the cylinder apparatus 110 does not have a guide rod, equivalent to the guide rod 84 in the first embodiment, for locking a cylinder body 112 against angular displacement with respect to the base plate 32. The cylinder apparatus 110 is therefore made up of fewer parts and can be manufactured less costly than the cylinder apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment. Otherwise, the cylinder apparatus 110 operates in the same manner and offers the same advantages as the cylinder apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment. 
     In the first and second embodiments, the cylinder body 36, 112 is vertically displaceable with respect to the piston 66 fixed to the base plate 32 which extends horizontally. However, the base plate 32 may be arranged vertically, and the cylinder body 36, 112 may be arranged so as to be displaceable horizontally with respect to the horizontal piston 66 fixed to the vertical base plate 32. 
     Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.