JPH0642508A - Rodless cylinder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent invasion of dusts from outside and flowout of lubricating oil, etc., from inside in a rodless cylinder. CONSTITUTION:Sliding contact members 54a, 54b are extended in a displacing direction of both sides of a sliding table 14, substantially in a parallel manner to support members 48a, 48b arranged between a cylinder tube 12 and the sliding table 14. One surface of each of the sliding contact members 54a, 54b are installed onto long holes 55a, 55b of the sliding table 14. The other surface of the sliding contact members 54a, 54b are in sliding contact with the upper surface of the sliding table 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rodless cylinder capable of preventing intrusion of dust from the outside and outflow of lubricating oil and the like from the inside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various rodless cylinders have been adopted as a work transfer device in factories and the like.
The rodless cylinder has a feature that the cylinder length can be shortened as compared with a cylinder having a rod, so that the occupied area is small and the handling is easy.

By the way, a supporting member for supporting the slide table is interposed between the cylinder and the slide table, and the conventional rod for slidingly displacing the slide table along the longitudinal direction of the cylinder via the support member. A slit is defined in the pressureless cylinder along the moving direction of the slide table so that the bore of the rodless cylinder communicates with the outside. The slit is closed by a seal member that engages with the slide table. When the slide table is slidably displaced along the slit, a scraper for scraping off dust adhering to the upper surface of the seal member closing the slit has front and rear end portions in the moving direction of the slide table. It is provided in.

[0004]

However, since the scraper can remove only the dust adhering to the upper surface of the seal member that closes the slit of the rodless cylinder, the slide table is mounted on the upper surface of the cylinder through the support member. When sliding on the slide table, there is an inconvenience that it is not possible to completely prevent the intrusion of dust from the sliding portion between the slide table and the cylinder, that is, both side surfaces of the slide table. Further, there is a disadvantage that the lubricating oil attached to the sliding member or the like interposed between the cylinder and the slide table flows out to the outside to contaminate the installation environment.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate these disadvantages, and by providing slide contact members at the front and rear end portions and both side surface portions of the support member between the slide table and the cylinder, the slide contact member can be provided from the outside. An object of the present invention is to provide a rodless cylinder capable of preventing the intrusion of dust and the outflow of lubricating oil from the inside.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a cylinder and a slide table, the cylinder reciprocating in a cylinder tube and a bore defined in the cylinder tube. Defining a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder tube for communicating the outside with the bore, and the slit engages with the first seal member engaging the piston and the slide table. A first sliding contact member is provided at one end and the other end of a support member that supports the slide table, the first slide contact member being closed by a mating second seal member, and the slide table between the cylinder and the slide table. It is characterized in that a second sliding contact member extending along the displacement direction is provided.

[0007]

In the rodless cylinder according to the present invention, the slide table moves as the piston reciprocates in the bore defined by the cylinder tube.
When the slide table moves, the first sliding contact members provided at one end and the other end of the support member slide on the upper surface of the second seal member. On the other hand, the second sliding contact member extending along the displacement direction of the slide table also moves between the cylinder and the slide table. The second sliding contact member seals the sliding portion including the support member together with the first sliding contact member, and thus prevents dust from entering the inside of the slide table and the sliding portion from the outside. The outflow of lubricating oil and the like attached to the support member is prevented.

[0008]

Preferred embodiments of the rodless cylinder according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rodless cylinder according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of the rodless cylinder shown in FIG. 1, respectively.

The rodless cylinder 10 has a cylinder tube 12 and a slide table 14. A bore 16 extending longitudinally inside the cylinder tube 12.
(See FIG. 2), the bore 16 is in communication with the outside through a slit 18 defined in the end face portion. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, on both side surfaces of the cylinder tube 12, the sensor mounting long groove 20 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed.
a, 20b and lead wire storage long grooves 20c, 20d are defined, and further, fluid bypass passages 22a and 22b for centralized piping are defined so as to extend in the longitudinal direction as well.

In FIG. 2, first sliding surfaces 24a, 24b are provided on the upper portion of the cylinder tube 12 so as to inwardly incline toward a slit 18 side described later. The first
The slit 1 is provided between the sliding surface 24a and the first sliding surface 24b.
8 is defined, and the slit 18 is formed so as to communicate the bore 16 with the outside.

Both ends of the cylinder tube 12 constructed as described above are hermetically closed by end caps 40a, 40b having ports 38a, 38b defined therein (see FIG. 1). A magnetic sensor (not shown) for detecting the position of the slide table 14 is attached to the long groove 20a or 20b provided on the side surface of the cylinder tube 12.

Next, the slide table 14 formed integrally with the piston 70 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the slide table 14 includes a table portion 44, and a groove 52 extending in the longitudinal direction through the central portion of the slide table 14 is defined in the table portion 44. Is made. A cover member 45 is provided on the upper portion of the table portion 44, and long grooves 46a and 46b are provided on the bottom portion so as to extend in the longitudinal direction.
Supporting members 48a and 48b for supporting the slide table 14 are fitted and fixed to 6a and 46b. The supporting members 48a and 48b are engaged with the first sliding surfaces 24a and 24b of the cylinder tube 12 so as to guide the slide table 14 when the piston 70 reciprocates and to apply a load acting on the slide table 14. Support Boa 1
Second sliding surfaces 50a, 50b capable of preventing a change in inner diameter of 6
Is provided. The support members 48a and 48b are formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material having excellent wear resistance and low friction resistance.

Between the slide table 14 and the cylinder tube 12, a pair of opposed slidable contact members (second slidable contact member) 5 are disposed substantially parallel to the support members 48a and 48b.
4a and 54b are interposed (see FIGS. 2 and 5). The upper portions of the sliding contact members 54a, 54b are mounted in the long holes 55a, 55b defined in the slide table 14, while the lower portions of the sliding contact members 54a, 54b are the outer side surface portions 57.
2 and an inner side surface portion 59 (see FIG. 2B), and the branched tip portions are formed in sliding contact with the upper surface of the cylinder tube 12. Therefore, the support members 48a, 4
The sliding portion between 8b is sealed by a scraper (described later) provided at the front and rear ends of the supporting members 48a, 48b, and the sliding contact members 54a, 54b.
The outer side surface portion 57 of 4b can prevent dust from entering from the outside, and the inner side surface portion 59 can prevent the lubricating oil applied to the support members 48a and 48b from flowing out. The sliding contact member 54a,
The vertical cross-sectional shape of 54b is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 7, the sliding contact members 56a, 56b, 58a, 58b, 60a of various vertical cross-sectional shapes are formed according to the application.
It is possible to form 60b, 62a, 62b.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the sliding contact member 56a,
The portion where 56b slides on the upper surface of the cylinder tube 12 may be curved, or as shown in FIGS. 7 (b) and 7 (c), the portion on which the upper surface of the cylinder tube 12 slides is removed. You may incline and may be formed.
As shown in FIG. 7D, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the sliding contact members 62a and 62b. As described above, by forming the sliding contact member in various shapes, it is possible to select the most suitable sliding contact member according to the work environment and the like, and by changing the area in sliding contact with the upper surface of the cylinder tube 12, friction can be obtained. It is possible to reduce the resistance. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, sliding contact members 64a, 64b, 66a, 66b having a shape integrated with the supporting members 48a, 48b.
May be By using the sliding contact members 64a, 64b, 66a, 66b having a shape integrated with the support members 48a, 48b, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and simplify the configuration, and at the same time, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. There is.

FIG. 5 shows a piston 70 formed integrally with the slide table 14. This piston 70
Has a first pressure receiving surface 72 and an opposite second pressure receiving surface 74, and cushion seals 76a and 76b are provided therein (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, belt separators 78a and 78b are fixed to the upper portion of a cylindrical piston 70 to a piston yoke 80, and a roller 84 disposed above the piston yoke 80 is a slide table. It is fixed inside 14.
In addition, inside the slide table 14, a support member 48a,
Scrapers (first sliding contact members) 85a and 85b for removing dust adhering to the upper surface of the first seal member, which will be described later, are provided at the front and rear ends of 48b. These scrapers 85a, 85b and sliding contact members 54a, 54b
As described above, the sliding portion between the supporting members 48a and 48b is surrounded and sealed by the above. Note that FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 86 indicates a passage for a first seal member, which will be described later, to enter into the piston, and reference numeral 87 indicates a cushion ring.

FIG. 6 shows a seal member fitted to the step portions 36a and 36b. The first seal member 90 includes the tongue pieces 92a, 92.
b, and bulging portions 94a and 94b are further provided above the tongue pieces 92a and 92b. The bulging portions 94a, 9
4b, the engaging piece 9 is directed upwards and slightly spreads.
6a and 96b are extended. The bulged portions 94a, 94
b is for engaging the stepped portions 36a, 36b when an internal pressure is applied to the inside of the piston 70, and the engaging pieces 96a, 96b are inner surfaces 98a, 98b for defining the slit 18. Engage with. This first seal member 9
0 is integrally formed of a flexible synthetic resin body as a whole. On the other hand, the second seal member 97 includes the slit 18
And is fitted into a groove 99 extending in the longitudinal direction from above the slit defined in the upper end surface of the cylinder tube 12. The first seal member 90 is
It penetrates into the passage 86 of the piston 70, and its both ends are the second
End caps 40a and 40b together with the seal member 97
Is stuck to.

Next, the operation of the rodless cylinder 10 thus constructed will be described.

First, the work is fixed on the upper surface of the slide table 14. When the compressed air is introduced from the port 38a, the compressed air presses the first pressure receiving surface 72 through the passage defined inside the cushion ring 87. As a result, the piston 70 is displaced leftward (in the direction of arrow X) in FIG. At this time, since the piston 70 is integrally formed with the slide table 14 via the piston yoke 80, the slide table 14 is displaced along with the piston 70 and is similarly moved to the left side. At this time, the belt separators 78a and 78b are
The first seal member 90 and the second seal member 97 serve to separate the slide table 14 and the piston 70 from each other. Therefore, the work placed on the slide table 14 can be transferred to the left side in FIG.
When compressed air is introduced into the port 38b, the opposite action is performed. The roller 84 is for slidingly contacting the second seal member 97 during the transfer thereof to facilitate the transfer.

By the way, when the slide table 14 to which the supporting members 48a and 48b are fixed is displaced along the first sliding surfaces 24a and 24b defined on the upper surface of the cylinder tube 12, the slide table 14 is fixed to the bottom portion of the slide table 14. The fixed scrapers 85a and 85b are similarly displaced. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the scrapers 85a and 85b are
Since the bottom surface of the second sliding member 97 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the second seal member 97, the dust that adheres to the upper surface of the second seal member 97 is scratched, so that the dust is removed.
Can be prevented from invading inside. Furthermore, since sliding contact members 54a and 54b are provided at both ends of the support members 48a and 48b on the outer side, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the inside of the slide table 14 from the outside. On the other hand, the support members 48a, 4
It is possible to prevent the lubricating oil applied to 8b from flowing out. Further, the first sliding surface 2 which is a sliding portion between the support members 48a, 48b and the cylinder tube 12.
Since it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to 4a and 24b, it is possible to also protect the support members 48a and 48b themselves without increasing frictional resistance. Since the sliding contact members 54a, 54b are preferably made of a material such as synthetic resin, rigid rubber, urethane, etc.,
It can be manufactured inexpensively and easily. Furthermore, when the slide table 14 reciprocates, the lower end portions of the sliding contact members 54a and 54b are in small contact with the upper surface of the cylinder tube 12, and therefore there is no possibility of increasing the operating resistance. In addition, the sliding contact members 54a and 54b
Slot 55a for attaching the slide table 14 to the slide table 14,
Since 55b can be integrally formed with the slide table 14 by using an extruded material, it is only necessary to simply attach the sliding contact members 54a and 54b to the long holes 55a and 55b of the integrally formed slide table 14. The advantage is that no secondary processing is required.

[0020]

According to the rodless cylinder of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, the slide table moves as the piston reciprocates in the bore defined in the cylinder tube. When the slide table moves, the first sliding contact members provided at one end and the other end of the support member slide on the upper surface of the second seal member. On the other hand, the second sliding contact member extending along the displacement direction of the slide table also moves between the cylinder and the slide table. The second sliding contact member seals the sliding portion including the support member together with the first sliding contact member, and thus prevents dust from entering the inside and the sliding portion of the slide table from the outside. The outflow of lubricating oil and the like attached to the support member is prevented.

As described above, intrusion of impurities from the outside is suitably prevented, and there is no fear of contaminating the installation environment, so that there is an advantage that it can be used, for example, in a clean room.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rodless cylinder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rodless cylinder shown in FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the rodless cylinder shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cylinder tube that constitutes the rodless cylinder shown in FIG.

5 is a perspective view of a piston and a slide table forming the rodless cylinder shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a partially omitted vertical sectional view showing an engaged state of a first seal member and a slit of the rodless cylinder shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partially omitted sectional view showing another embodiment of the sliding contact member.

FIG. 8 is a partially omitted sectional view showing another embodiment of the sliding contact member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Rodless cylinder 12 ... Cylinder tube 14 ... Slide table 16 ... Bore 18 ... Slits 48a, 48b ... Support members 54a, 54b ... Sliding contact member 70 ... Pistons 85a, 85b ... Scraper 90 ... First seal member 97 ... Second Seal member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cylinder and a slide table,
The cylinder has a cylinder tube and a piston that reciprocates in a bore defined in the cylinder tube, and defines a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder tube to communicate the outside with the bore. The slit is closed by a first seal member that engages with the piston and a second seal member that engages with the slide table, and a first seal member is provided at one end and the other end of the support member that supports the slide table. A rodless cylinder, wherein a slide contact member is provided, and a second slide contact member extending along the displacement direction of the slide table is provided between the cylinder and the slide table. 2. The rodless cylinder according to claim 1, wherein a support member and a second sliding contact member, which are interposed between the cylinder and the slide table, are integrally formed. Rodless cylinder.