JPH09166105A - Rodless cylinder having dustproof mechanism and method for driving rodless cylinder as dustproof is executed - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rodless cylinder to have a dustproof mechanism being excellent in dustproof ability, durability, and operability. SOLUTION: A piston 14 is movably contained in the cylinder tube 1 of a rodless cylinder S1. A slit 2 is extended longitudinally of a tube and intercommunicates the inside and the outside of the tube 1. A slider 21 is disposed outside the cylinder tube 1 and coupled to the piston 14 through the slit 2. A dust blowing-off means 25 being a purifying means purifies the periphery of the slit 2 by blowing off dust, present at the periphery of the slit 2, by utilizing pressure air.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism for preventing foreign matter such as dust, chips, cutting oil, etc., and a method for driving the rodless cylinder while achieving dustproofness. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many types of cylinders in which a piston is not provided with a rod, that is, rodless cylinders have been proposed. Further, as can be seen from the structure, this kind of cylinder has a characteristic that it is advantageous in achieving a long stroke without taking up installation space.

Generally, a rodless cylinder has the following configuration. A piston is accommodated in the cylinder tube constituting the cylinder tube so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the tube. A slit is formed in the center of the upper surface of the cylinder tube. The slit extends along the longitudinal direction of the tube and communicates inside and outside the cylinder tube. A slider is arranged outside the upper surface of the cylinder tube. The slider is connected to the piston via the slit and moves integrally with the piston.

[0004] The rodless cylinder is, for example,
When used in a contaminated environment with a lot of chips and cutting oil, foreign matter such as dust easily enters the gaps of the slits on the slider sliding surface. Then, the foreign matter increases the sliding resistance of the slider, and the foreign matter is caught in the seal member to accelerate wear and increase the amount of air leakage. As a result, the operability of the cylinder deteriorates. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, it is necessary to take some dustproof measures for the cylinder.

As a cylinder taking the above measures, there is a cylinder in which a cylindrical elastic bellows is used as a dust-proof cover, and the peripheral surface of the cylinder tube is completely covered with the dust-proof cover (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H05-1993). 172119). Further, as an example of a cylinder which is dustproof without using a dustproof cover, there is a cylinder using a rubber scraper which scrapes dust and the like on a slider sliding surface (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-42508). ).

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. In a cylinder that uses a dust-proof cover, stress repeatedly acts on the bellows due to expansion and contraction, and dust and the like accumulate in the valleys of the bellows.
The bellows breaks early. For this reason, this cylinder is inferior in durability. Further, in the case of such a structure as the cylinder, there is a problem that the bellows becomes a resistance, the operability of the slider is deteriorated, and the cylinder is completely covered with the bellows, which makes it difficult to install the cylinder.

In a cylinder using a scraper, dust and the like are often not sufficiently scraped off, and foreign matter is retained as it is at the interface where the upper surface of the cylinder tube, which is the slider sliding surface, and the scraper make sliding contact. Cheap. Then, if the slider is continuously slid in this state, the scraper will be damaged in an early stage due to abrasion. For this reason, the durability of the cylinder was also poor.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism excellent in dustproofness, durability and operability.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the invention described in claim 1, a cylinder tube, a piston movably accommodated in the cylinder tube, and a longitudinal direction of the tube are provided. A slit that extends through and communicates the inside and outside of the tube, a slider that is disposed outside the cylinder tube and that is connected to the piston through the slit, and dust or the like around the slit is used as a fluid. The gist is a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism, which is equipped with a purifying means for removing the dust.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the purifying means is dust suction means for purifying the vicinity of the slit by sucking dust and the like with air.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the purifying means is dust blowing means for purifying the periphery of the slit by blowing dust or the like by using pressurized air.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the dust blowing means is an air nozzle provided on the slider. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the air nozzles are provided on two side end surfaces of the slider that can be on the traveling direction side.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, the scraper is arranged near the inside of the portion of the slider where the air nozzle is provided.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claims 4 to 6.
In any one of the above items, the injection of the pressurized air from the air nozzle is assumed to be performed intermittently. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the fourth to seventh aspects, the pressurized air supplied to the air nozzle is exhaust air of the cylinder.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a cylinder tube, a piston movably accommodated in the cylinder tube, a slit extending in the tube longitudinal direction and connecting the inside and the outside of the tube, and the cylinder are provided. In a method of driving a rodless cylinder composed of a slider arranged outside the tube and connected to the piston through the slit by supplying and discharging pressurized air, dust and the like are utilized by using the pressurized air. A gist of the method is to drive a rodless cylinder while preventing dust, which is characterized in that the slider is reciprocated while purifying the surroundings of the slit by blowing it away.

Hereinafter, the "action" of the present invention will be described. According to the invention described in claims 1 to 9, when the fluid is supplied to and discharged from the pressure space in the cylinder tube partitioned by the piston, the piston and the slider are integrally formed along the tube longitudinal direction by the action of the pressure of the fluid. Moving. At this time, since the dust and the like around the slits are removed by the purifying means using the fluid, the dust is reliably prevented from the cylinder. Therefore, it can be used in a contaminated environment containing a lot of dust, cutting chips, cutting oil, and the like.

Further, since the situation in which the sliding resistance of the slider is increased by foreign matter is avoided, the operability of the cylinder is improved. Further, since the purifying means uses a fluid, a member (for example, a scraper) that is in sliding contact with the cylinder tube side is not necessarily required.
In this way, it is possible to achieve dustproof even without contact.
Contributes to improved cylinder operability and durability. It should be noted that the advantage of the purifying means using the fluid is that dust protection can be achieved without being affected by the irregularities of the cylinder tube.

In addition, with this structure, the peripheral surface of the cylinder tube is not entirely covered,
There is no difficulty in installing the cylinder. According to the invention as set forth in claim 2, dust and the like are sucked by the air by the dust suction means, so that the area around the slit is cleaned. Further, with this configuration, not only the surroundings of the slits but also the entire surroundings of the device can be purified, and dust prevention becomes more reliable.

According to the third aspect of the invention, dust and the like are blown off by the pressurized air by the dust blowing means, so that the area around the slit is cleaned. In addition, such a purifying means is relatively easy to simplify and downsize as compared with, for example, the dust suction means of claim 2. Therefore, it is suitable for installation on a slider or the like.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, dust and the like are blown off by the pressurized air jetted from the air nozzle, so that the area around the slit can be cleaned. Also, with this configuration in which the slider is provided with an air nozzle,
There is an advantage that no separate installation space is required.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, if the air nozzle is provided at such a position, even a small amount of pressurized air can reliably blow away dust and the like in the forward direction. Further, since the air nozzles are provided on the two side end faces, purification can be achieved in both strokes.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, dust or the like is blown off by the pressurized air and then scraped by the scraper. Therefore, as compared with the case where the air nozzle is used alone, more reliable dust protection is achieved.

According to the invention as set forth in claim 7, the injection of the pressurized air from the air nozzle is performed intermittently, so that the amount of the pressurized air used can be smaller than in the case of always injecting. . Therefore, the loss of pressurized air is reduced, which is economical.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, when the pressurized air supplied to the air nozzle is the exhaust air of the cylinder, the amount of the pressurized air used is extremely small, and the pressurized air can be used efficiently. To be achieved.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described in detail based on FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cylinder tube 1 constituting the rodless cylinder S1 of the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular cross section and a long tubular shape formed by extrusion molding of aluminum or the like. It is a member. A slit 2 is formed at the center of the upper surface 1d of the cylinder tube 1. The slit 2 extends along the longitudinal direction of the tube and communicates with the inside and outside of the cylinder tube 1. End brackets 3 and 4 are fixed to both ends of the cylinder tube 1, respectively. Inside the cylinder tube 1, cushion rings 5 and 6 are fixed so as to correspond to these end brackets 3 and 4. Further, the cushion rings 5 and 6 are formed with cylindrical portions 5a and 6a facing each other. The end bracket 4 located on the right side of FIG. 4 is provided with a pair of upper and lower supply / discharge ports 7 and 8. The upper supply / discharge port 7 of the supply / discharge ports 7, 8 is communicated with the right pressure chamber 9 via the tubular portion 6a of the cushion ring 6 on the right side. The lower supply / discharge port 8 communicates with a communication hole 10 formed in the lower portion of the cylinder tube 1 along the tube longitudinal direction. The communication hole 10 is further communicated with the left pressure chamber 11 via the tubular portion 5a of the cushion ring 5 on the left side.

On the outer side of the slit 2, a first seal belt 12 is stretched. Both ends of the seal belt 12 are fixed to the end brackets 3 and 4. The first seal belt 12 plays a role of preventing dust and the like from entering the inside of the cylinder tube 1 through the slit 2 in the immediate vicinity of the slit 2. On the other hand, a second seal belt 13 is stretched inside the slit 2. And this seal belt 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a slit 2 in which a pressure fluid (pressurized air in the present embodiment) supplied from the supply / discharge ports 7 and 8 to the pressure chambers 9 and 11 is used.
It plays a role in preventing leakage to the outside via the.

Inside the cylinder tube 1, there is a space for accommodating the piston 14 and the yoke portion 15. The pistons 14 are provided in a pair on the left and right, and a yoke portion 15 is interposed between them. Due to the existence of the piston 14 and the yoke portion 15, the space inside the cylinder tube 1 has the right pressure chamber 9 and the left pressure chamber 11 as described above.
It is divided into two areas. Therefore, when pressurized air is supplied and discharged into the pressure chambers 9 and 11 through the supply and discharge ports 7 and 8, both the pistons 14 and the yoke portion 15 integrally move in the cylinder tube 1 along the tube longitudinal direction. Slide.

The yoke portion 15 is composed of a body portion 18, a head portion 19 and a neck portion 20. The body 18 is provided inside the cylinder tube 1. The head portion 19 is exposed to the outside of the cylinder tube 1 through the slit 2, and the slider 2 as a work mounting base is provided on the upper surface thereof.
1 are connected. The neck 20 is such a head 19
And the body portion 18 are connected. The slider 21 also
With the movement of the piston 14 and the like, the piston 14 and the like slide integrally along the tube longitudinal direction. At both stroke ends on the upper surface of the cylinder tube 1, shock absorbers (not shown) are provided to buffer the shock of the slider 21. Also, the end position of the stroke is determined by these shock absorbers.

The rodless cylinder S1 of this embodiment is
It is equipped with a dustproof mechanism that uses fluid. Hereinafter, the dustproof mechanism will be described in detail. Here, in FIG. 4B, the four side end surfaces of the slider 21 are set to 21a, 21b,
21c and 21d. Since the first side end surface 21a and the second side end surface 21b face the tube longitudinal direction,
It can be on the traveling direction side of the slider 21. First
Two first air nozzles 25 (purifying means (dust blowing means)) are provided at a central portion of the side end surface 21a of the (1) at predetermined intervals. Further, at the center of the second side end surface 21b, two second air nozzles 26 as cleaning means (dust blowing means) are also provided at a predetermined interval. These air nozzles 2
Reference numerals 5 and 26 are formed by bending a thin metal tube body into a substantially V-shape. As shown in FIG.
The tip openings of the air nozzles 25 and 26 are directed to a position near the interface between the slit 2 and the first seal belt 12. Therefore, the pressurized air is blown from diagonally above to the traveling direction side.

On the third side end surface 21c of the slider 21, which is not oriented in the longitudinal direction of the tube, air supply ports 27 and 28 for supplying pressurized air are formed one by one. The first air supply port 27 and the first air nozzle 25 are connected via a communication passage 29. The second air supply port 28 and the second air nozzle 26
Are connected to each other via a communication passage 30.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A belt retainer 34 is disposed on the lower surface of 1. The belt retainer 34 is fixed to a bearing (not shown) via a shaft and is urged by a spring from above. Therefore, the belt retainer 34 has a function of fitting the first seal belt 12 into the slit 2 by the urging force of the spring having the shaft as a fulcrum. A groove is formed in the outer peripheral side of the belt retainer 34, and a felt scraper 35 is fitted in the groove. The scraper 35 is located near the inside of the slider 21 where the air nozzles 25 and 26 are provided. The scraper 35 has a role of scraping off dust and the like on the upper surface 1d of the cylinder tube 1, which is a slider sliding surface, by slidingly contacting the upper surface 1d.

5 and 6 show an air pressure system for supplying pressurized air to the rodless cylinder S1 etc. of this embodiment. A main pipe 42 is connected to an air supply source 41 for supplying pressurized air. The main pipe 42 has three sub pipes 42a,
It branches into 42b and 42c. First sub-pipe 42a
Are connected to the supply / discharge port 7 via the first solenoid valve 43. The second auxiliary pipe 42b is connected to the supply / discharge port 8 via the second electromagnetic valve 44. Both solenoid valves 43 and 44 are 2-position 3-port type switching valves. Exhaust port of first solenoid valve 43 and second solenoid valve 4
A silencer 46 is connected to each of the exhaust ports 4 via a pipe 45. When the first solenoid valve 43 is not energized, the supply port and the output port communicate with each other and the output port and the exhaust port do not communicate with each other. When the first solenoid valve 43 is energized, the output port communicates with the exhaust port and the supply port does not communicate with the output port. When the second solenoid valve 44 is not energized, the output port communicates with the exhaust port and the supply port does not communicate with the output port. When the second solenoid valve 44 is energized, the supply port communicates with the output port and the output port does not communicate with the exhaust port.

The third auxiliary pipe 42c connected to the air supply source 41 is connected to the air supply ports 27 of the slider 21 via the throttle valve 47, the third electromagnetic valve 48 and the air supply pipe 49. 28 is connected. The third solenoid valve 48 is a two-position three-port type switching valve, and its first
Is connected to the first air supply port 27, and the second output port thereof is connected to the second air supply port 28. When the third solenoid valve 48 is not energized, only the supply port and the first output port are in communication. When the third solenoid valve 48 is energized, only the supply port and the second output port are in communication.

Next, a method of driving the cylinder S1 will be described. When the solenoid valves 43 and 44 are not energized, the pressurized air flows into the pressure space inside the cylinder tube 1 via the first solenoid valve 43 and the first supply / discharge port 7 (FIG. 5). reference). Then, the piston 14 and the slider 21 move integrally in the leftward direction in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Further, the air discharged from the second supply / discharge port 8 is
Is discharged to the outside through the electromagnetic valve 44, the pipe 45, and the silencer 46. In this case, since the third solenoid valve 48 is not energized, the pressurized air is supplied to the first air nozzle via the air supply pipe 49, the first air supply port 27 and the communication passage 29. 25. Therefore, at this time, the pressurized air is jetted from the first side end surface 21a on the traveling direction side, and as a result, the dust and the like in front of the slider 21 are blown off together with the pressurized air.

When the piston 14 and the slider 21 reach the stroke end, both solenoid valves 43, 44 are energized this time. Then, the pressurized air flows into the pressure space inside the cylinder tube 1 via the second solenoid valve 44 and the second supply / discharge port 8 (see FIG. 6). Then
The piston 14 and the slider 21 move integrally in the rightward direction in FIGS. The air discharged from the first supply / discharge port 7 is discharged to the outside via the first electromagnetic valve 43, the pipe 45, and the silencer 46. In this case, since the third solenoid valve 48 is also energized, the pressurized air is supplied to the air supply pipe 49 and the second air supply port 28.
And reaches the second air nozzle 26 via the communication passage 30.
Therefore, at this time, the second side end surface 21b on the traveling direction side
The pressurized air is ejected from the above, and as a result, dust and the like in front of the slider 21 are blown off together with the pressurized air.

The characteristic functions and effects of this embodiment will be listed below. (A) According to the rodless cylinder S1 of this embodiment,
When the piston 14 and the slider 21 move integrally, dust and the like around the slit 2 are removed by the purifying means 25 and 26 using the above-mentioned pressurized air. Therefore, the dustproof of the cylinder S1 is surely achieved. Therefore,
It is possible to realize the cylinder S1 that can withstand use in a contaminated environment containing a lot of dust, cutting chips, cutting oil, and the like. Further, the situation that the sliding resistance of the slider 21 is increased due to the entry of foreign matter is avoided, so that the operability of the cylinder S1 is improved. Further, since the purifying means 25 and 26 utilize fluid, a member which makes sliding contact with the cylinder sliding surface is not necessarily required. As described above, the achievement of dust proof even in the non-contact state contributes to the improvement of the operability and durability of the cylinder S1. Further, with this configuration, dust protection can be achieved without being affected by the irregularities of the cylinder tube 1 or the like. In addition, with this configuration, since the peripheral surface of the cylinder tube 1 is not entirely covered with, for example, a dustproof cover, installation of the cylinder S1 does not become difficult.

(B) According to this embodiment, dust and the like are blown off by pressurized air by the air nozzles 25 and 26, which are dust blowing means, so that the surroundings of the slit 2 are cleaned. In addition, the air nozzle 2 is attached to the slider 21.
With this configuration in which 5, 26 are provided, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately provide an installation space in a place other than the slider 21. Further, the air nozzle 25,
If 26 is provided, even if a small amount of pressurized air is used, it is possible to reliably blow off dust and the like in the forward direction of travel. Therefore, the slider 21 can smoothly slide on the slider sliding surface where dust is extremely reduced by purification. Therefore, the operability of the cylinder S1 is improved. In this case, since the velocity of the slider 21 is added to the velocity of the pressurized air, the apparent velocity of the pressurized air becomes somewhat faster. This also surely contributes to the reduction of the amount of pressurized air used.

(C) In this embodiment, the air nozzle 25,
Since 26 is provided on the two side end surfaces 21a and 21b on the traveling direction side, purification can be achieved in both strokes. Therefore, more reliable dust protection can be achieved.

(D) According to this embodiment, the slider 21
In, a scraper 35 is arranged near the inside of the portion where the air nozzles 25 and 26 are provided. Therefore, when the slider 21 moves, dust and the like are blown off by the pressurized air and then scraped by the scraper 35. Therefore, as compared with the case where the air nozzles 25 and 26 are used alone, more reliable dust protection is achieved. Even if the scraper 35 is used in this manner, the problem that foreign matter is retained at the interface between the slider sliding surface and the scraper 35 does not occur. This is because most of the purification has already been achieved by the injection of the pressurized air. Further, the life of the scraper 35 is extended and the durability of the cylinder S1 is improved.

(E) According to this embodiment, the pressurized air is jetted from the side end surfaces 21a and 21b on the advancing direction side, and the pressurized air is ejected from the side end surfaces 21a and 21b on the non-advancing direction side at that time. Control is performed so as not to eject. That is, regarding the individual air nozzles 25 and 26, the injection of the pressurized air is intermittently performed. Therefore, compared to the case of constantly injecting pressurized air,
Economical with little loss of pressurized air.

The present invention can be modified as follows, for example. (1) Rodless cylinder S2 of another example 1 shown in FIG.
In the above, the end brackets 3 and 4 are projected to the side of the cylinder tube 1, and the rod 51 is installed between these projected portions. Two air supply tubes (spiral tubes) 52 are wound around the rod 51 in a coil shape. The tube 52 is connected to the air supply source 41 via the solenoid valve 48 and the like.
With such a structure, the tube 52 expands and contracts as the slider 21 moves, so that the operability of the cylinder S2 can be further improved.

(2) In the rodless cylinder S3 of the second example shown in FIG. 8, two air supply tubes 52 are fixed on a flexible plate 53 which is a base. The flexible plate 53 is bent into a substantially U shape or a substantially J shape. The tube 52 is connected to the air supply source 41 via the solenoid valve 48 and the like as in the first example. With such a configuration, the bending degree of the flexible plate 53 and the tube 52 changes with the movement of the slider 21, so that the operability of the cylinder S2 can be further improved.

(3) In the rodless cylinder S4 of the third example shown in FIG. 9, the end brackets 3 and 4 are projected to the upper surface 1d side of the cylinder tube 1. An air jet plate 5 made of a porous body is provided between the protruding portions.
4 is installed at a position where it does not interfere with the work (not shown). This air jet plate 54, which is a means for blowing away dust, is provided with the air supply source 41 via the third auxiliary pipe 42c.
It is connected to the. The amount of pressurized air supplied to the air jet plate 54 is adjusted by the throttle valve 47. With such a configuration, the pressurized air is constantly jetted from the pores of the air jet plate 54, so that the entire slider sliding surface can be purified.

(4) In the rodless cylinder S5 of the other example 4 shown in FIG. 10, the end brackets 3 and 4 are projected to the upper surface 1d side of the cylinder tube 1. An air sucker 55 as dust suction means is provided between the protruding portions at a position where it does not interfere with the work. Inside the air sucker 55, a plurality of suction ports 5
An air passage 57 communicating with 6 is formed. And
An air pump 59, which is a vacuuming unit, is connected to the base end of the air passage 57 via a pipe 58. With this configuration, dust and the like are sucked through the air sucker 55, so that not only the surroundings of the slit 2 but also the entire surroundings of the device can be purified. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent dust.

(5) In the other example 5 shown in FIG. 11, there is no particular difference in the structure itself of the rodless cylinder S1, but changes are made to the pneumatic system.
That is, in this pneumatic system, from two pipes 45,
Each sub-pipe 45a is branched. And the first
Of the sub-pipe 45a belonging to the solenoid valve 43 side of the sub-pipe 4a of the second solenoid valve 44 side communicating with the first air nozzle 26.
5 a communicates with the second air nozzle 25. Therefore,
The pressurized air supplied to the air nozzles 25 and 26 becomes a part of the exhaust air of the cylinder S1. Therefore, it is not necessary to supply the pressurized air from the air supply source 41, and the amount of the pressurized air used can be further reduced. Therefore, efficient use of the pressurized air can be achieved, which is extremely economical.

(6) The scraper 35 can be omitted. (7) Exhaust air from the cylinder does not pass through a tube body or the like outside the cylinder tube 1 as in the other example 5, but passes directly through the piston 14 and the air nozzle 2 of the slider 21.
5, 26 may be supplied.

(8) A pressurized air jetting area corresponding to the air nozzles 25, 26 is formed on the side end surface 21 of the slider 21.
It may be provided over the entire a and 21b. in this case,
Of course, it is permissible to adopt a structure other than the air nozzles 25 and 26 and suitable for ejecting a fluid.

Here, in addition to the technical ideas described in the claims, the technical ideas grasped by the above-described embodiments will be listed below. (1) The rodless cylinder according to any one of claims 7 and 8, wherein the pressurized air is ejected from the air nozzle only from an air nozzle located at a side end surface on the moving direction side of the moving slider. With this configuration, the amount of pressurized air used can be further reduced, which is more economical.

(2) In the driving method according to the ninth aspect, the dust is blown off by injecting pressurized air from the dust blow-off means provided on the slider to prevent dust. While driving the rodless cylinder.

(3) In the driving method described in the technical idea 2, the slider may be on the traveling direction side.
A method for driving a rodless cylinder while dust-proofing, characterized in that the air nozzle is provided on one side end surface, and pressurized air is ejected from the air nozzle.

(4) In the driving method described in the technical concept 3, the method of driving the rodless cylinder while dust-proofing is characterized in that the pressurized air is jetted from the air nozzle intermittently.

(5) In the driving method described in the technical concept 4, the method of driving the rodless cylinder while preventing dust is characterized in that the pressurized air is jetted from the air nozzle intermittently.

The technical terms used in the present specification are defined as follows. “Nozzle: A type of fluid supply structure that ejects fluid such as gas or liquid from the mouth provided at the tip.”

[0055]

As described in detail above, according to the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to provide a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism excellent in dustproofness, durability and operability.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since dust or the like is sucked in, dust can be more reliably prevented. According to the third aspect of the invention, simplification and downsizing of the configuration can be achieved relatively easily. According to the invention described in claim 4, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to specially provide a space for installing the purifying means. According to the invention described in claim 5, purification can be achieved in both strokes, and the amount of pressurized air used can be reduced. According to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to achieve more reliable dust prevention as compared with the case where the air nozzle is used alone. According to the invention described in claims 7 and 8, since the amount of the pressurized air used can be reduced, the efficient use of the pressurized air can be achieved.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, while maintaining the constant durability and operability required for the cylinder,
It is possible to drive the rodless cylinder while ensuring reliable dust protection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the rodless cylinder.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing an air nozzle that is a dust blowing device.

4A is a partially cutaway schematic front view showing a rodless cylinder, and FIG. 4B is a partially cutaway schematic plan view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a pneumatic system of the rodless cylinder.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an air pressure system of the rodless cylinder.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a rodless cylinder of another example 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a rodless cylinder of Modification 2.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a pneumatic system of a rodless cylinder of Modification 3.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a pneumatic system of a rodless cylinder of Modification 4.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a pneumatic system of a rodless cylinder of Modification 5.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 ... Cylinder tube, 2 ... Slit, 14 ... Piston, 21 ... Slider, 21a, 21b ... Side end faces that can be on the traveling direction side, 25, 26 ... Air nozzles as purification means (as dust blowing means) , 35 ... scrapers, 54 ... air jet plates (as dust blowing means) as purification means, 55 ... air soccer (as dust suction means) as purification means, S1, S2,
S3, S4, S5, S6 ... Rodless cylinder.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A cylinder tube (1) and a piston (1) movably accommodated in the cylinder tube (1).
4), a slit (2) extending in the longitudinal direction of the tube and communicating the inside and the outside of the tube (1), and the slit (2) provided outside the cylinder tube (1) and through the slit (2). A slider (21) connected to the piston (14) and a purification means (25, 26, 5) for removing dust and the like around the slit (2) using a fluid.
4, 55) and a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism. 2. The dustproof mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the purification means (55) is a dust suction means (55) for purifying the periphery of the slit (2) by sucking dust and the like with air. Rodless cylinder. 3. The purifying means (25, 26, 54) blows away dust and the like using pressurized air to purify the surroundings of the slit (2).
5, 26, 54), and a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism according to claim 1. 4. The dust blowing means (25, 26)
Is an air nozzle (2) provided on the slider (21).
5, 26) is a rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism according to claim 3. 5. The rod having a dustproof mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the air nozzles (25, 26) are provided on two side end faces (21a, 21b) of the slider (21) which can be on the traveling direction side. Less cylinder. 6. A rod having a dustproof mechanism according to claim 5, wherein a scraper (35) is arranged in the vicinity of an inner side of the slider (21) where the air nozzles (25, 26) are provided. Less cylinder. 7. A rodless cylinder having a dustproof mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the injection of pressurized air from the air nozzles (25, 26) is performed intermittently. 8. The rodless having a dustproof mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the pressurized air supplied to the air nozzles (25, 26) is exhaust air from the cylinder (S6). Cylinder. 9. A cylinder tube (1) and a piston (1) movably accommodated in the cylinder tube (1).
4), a slit (2) extending in the longitudinal direction of the tube and communicating the inside and the outside of the tube (1), and the slit (2) provided outside the cylinder tube (1) and through the slit (2). Rodless cylinders (S1, S) consisting of a slider (21) connected to a piston (14)
(2, S3, S4, S6) is driven by supplying and discharging pressurized air, dust and the like are blown off by using pressurized air to clean the surroundings of the slit (2) and the slider (2
1) A method of driving a rodless cylinder while repelling dust, which is characterized by reciprocating.