THRUST EXPANSION DEVICE

• US 20200132090A1
• Filed: 10/17/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Arai, Shigehiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,816,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 3/00 Intensifiers or fluid-pressure converters, e.g. pressure exchangers; Conveying pressure from one fluid system to another, without contact between the fluids fluid-driven pumps F04B9/08
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 9/02 with servomotors of the reciprocatable or oscillatable type

Abstract

A through-hole of a hydraulic chamber is provided on an input side of a thrust expansion device in accordance with rod diameters of various actuators on the input side, and an input rod of an air cylinder or the like is inserted therein. Thus, a thrust expansion mechanism operates. An input-side actuator attaching portion of the thrust expansion device is configured such that parts can be changed according to a fixing method of various actuators and a rod shape. It is possible to freely change a thrust expansion ratio by changing a cross sectional area of the input rod. A stroke of an output-side rod can be changed by changing an input stroke of the input-side actuator. According to the thrust expansion device, various inexpensive commercially available actuators can be easily attached and replaced by being separated and independent from the input-side actuator.

Claims

1. A thrust expansion device that expands and outputs a thrust input from an input actuator by connecting the input actuator to an input side, the device comprising:

a cylinder;

a fluid piston having a piston portion disposed in the cylinder and moving in a thrust direction in the cylinder, and an output rod connected to the piston portion;

an output-side lid portion connected to one end side of the cylinder and provided with a through-hole in which the output rod moves in the thrust direction;

an input-side lid portion connected to the other end side of the cylinder and provided with an input portion to which the thrust from the input actuator is input;

fluid supply means for supplying a fluid into a fluid chamber partitioned by the cylinder, the piston portion, and the input-side lid portion; and

fixing means for fixing the input actuator, which is disposed at at least one location of the cylinder, the output-side lid portion, and the input-side lid portion.

2. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the input-side lid portion includes

an input-side lid where a replacing input portion is formed at a center, and which is fixed to the cylinder, and

a lid adaptor where the input portion is formed at a center, and which is disposed in the replacing input portion of the input-side lid, and is fixed in a replaceable manner.

3. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the fixing means includes fixing bolt holes formed in the input-side lid portion.

4. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the fixing means includes fixing bolt holes formed on side surfaces of the input-side lid portion and the output-side lid portion.

5. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the fluid piston includes a bottomed cavity portion extending from the piston portion to a middle of the output rod and forming a part of the fluid chamber.

6. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the fixing means includes a bolt hole for fixing a fixing adaptor for fixing the input actuator via the fixing adaptor.

7. The thrust expansion device according to claim 6,

wherein the fixing means fixes the input actuator, at a position spaced apart from the input-side lid by a predetermined distance via the fixing adaptor.

8. The thrust expansion device according to claim 7,

wherein the fixing means fixes the input actuator where an adaptor rod is fixed to a front end of an input rod of the input actuator, at a position spaced apart by the predetermined distance via the fixing adaptor.

9. The thrust expansion device according to claim 8,

wherein the input portion formed on the input-side lid portion has a circular shape that matches a cross sectional shape of the adaptor rod fixed to the front end of the input actuator.

10. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the input portion formed on the input-side lid portion has a circular shape that matches a cross sectional shape of an input rod of the input actuator.

11. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the input actuator to be fixed by the fixing means is an air cylinder or an electric cylinder.

12. The thrust expansion device according to claim 11,

wherein an input rod of the input actuator has a circular cross-sectional shape with no level difference on an outer circumferential surface thereof.

13. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the output-side lid portion has a rotation stop member that restricts rotation of the piston with respect to the output-side lid portion.

14. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1, further comprising:

biasing means for applying a force to the fluid piston in a direction toward the input side.

20. The thrust expansion device according to claim 1,

wherein the fixing means fixes the input actuator so that an axis of an input rod of the input actuator that inputs a thrust to the input portion has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to an axis of the output rod.

21. The thrust expansion device according to claim 20,

wherein the input-side lid portion is connected to the cylinder at the predetermined inclination angle with respect to the output-side lid portion.

22. The thrust expansion device according to claim 20,

wherein the inclination angle is 90 degrees.

15. The thrust expansion device according to claim

wherein the output-side lid portion includes

an output-side lid where a replacing output portion is formed at a center and which is fixed to the cylinder, and

a stop lid where the through-hole is formed at a center and which is disposed on the replacing output portion of the output-side lid and is fixed in a replaceable manner.

16. The thrust expansion device according to claim 15, further comprising:

output fixing means for fixing an output attachment, disposed at at least one location of the cylinder, the output-side lid portion, and the input-side lid portion, and receiving an expanded thrust output from the output rod.

17. The thrust expansion device according to claim 16, further comprising:

the output attachment capable of replacing a working jig corresponding to a working step.

18. The thrust expansion device according to claim 16, further comprising:

the output attachment capable of replacing gripping means for gripping a workpiece according to a workpiece shape.

19. The thrust expansion device according to claim 15, further comprising:

robot fixing means for fixing a robot adaptor for attaching a robot arm, which is disposed at at least one location of the cylinder, the output-side lid portion, and the input-side lid portion.

23. A thrust expansion device comprising:

an input actuator having a cylindrical input rod;

a cylinder;

a fluid piston having a piston portion disposed in the cylinder and moving in a thrust direction in the cylinder, and an output rod connected to the piston portion;

an output-side lid portion connected to one end side of the cylinder and provided with a through-hole in which the output rod moves in the thrust direction;

an input-side lid portion connected to the other end side of the cylinder and provided with an input portion to which the thrust from the input actuator is input;

fluid supply means for supplying a fluid into a fluid chamber partitioned by the cylinder, the piston portion, and the input-side lid portion; and

fixing means for fixing the input actuator, which is disposed at at least one location of the cylinder, the output-side lid portion, and the input-side lid portion,

wherein the input actuator is connected by inserting the input rod through the input-side lid portion to expand and output the thrust input from the input actuator.