The invention which forms the subject matter relates to a pneumatic cylinder with a self-adjusting end position damping arrangement, having a cylinder housing in which is arranged a movable cylinder piston, which is acted on at one side by a working pressure, and in which a damping volume which is delimited from the non-pressurized side of the cylinder piston is formed in the region of the end position of the cylinder piston as a result of the movement of the cylinder piston, and to a method for self-adjusting end position damping.
In hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, an end position damping arrangement is often used in order to prevent the piston from impacting, in the end position, against the cylinder housing or against a stop. It is accordingly an aim of the invention to reduce the speed of a moved mass (piston+load), whose centre of gravity generally lies in the cylinder axis, to a level at which neither the cylinder nor the machine in which the cylinder is installed is damaged or adversely affected by shocks which are generated.
In a known end position damping arrangement as per
Also known, for example from EP 949 422 A1, are travel-dependent end position damping arrangements which vary a discharge air cross section as a function of the piston position and can therefore predefine a progressive damping profile. Said damping profile is however dependent on the fixedly predefined geometry and can therefore be optimal only for a certain combination of mass and speed. If the pneumatic cylinder is operated outside the optimum operating point, for example if the working pressure (and therefore the speed) changes or if a different load is moved, the damping is no longer optimal. However, precisely this is the case in practice, since it has been found that the positions at which the pressure peaks occur are different depending on the loading and speed.
Likewise known, for example from DE 37 40 669 A1, are pneumatic shock absorbers with an outlet valve via which the air which is compressed during a damping movement of the piston is discharged. For this purpose, a valve plunger is preloaded by the working pressure and a spring force. If the force of the compressed air exceeds the preload, the outlet valve opens abruptly and the compressed air is expanded via a throttle. In order to be able to operate a shock absorber of said type optimally, a controller is provided, by means of which the pilot pressure counter to which the piston is moved is controlled as a function of the position of the piston. With control of said type, it is possible to obtain self-adjusting damping, but only with a high level of control expenditure.
The invention which forms the subject matter is based on the object of specifying an end position damping arrangement of a pneumatic cylinder, and an associated method, which adjusts automatically to different operating parameters, such as for example mass, speed and working pressure, in order to obtain optimum damping within a wide range, and which is of simple and cost-effective design.
Said object is achieved according to the invention in that the end position damping arrangement comprises a stroke space which is delimited by a movable stroke element and a part of the pneumatic cylinder, with the stroke space being connected via a connecting duct to the working pressure which acts on the cylinder piston or to the ventilation pressure in the outlet duct and the stroke element being acted on via a damping duct by the damping pressure in the damping volume, a non-return valve is arranged in the connecting duct upstream of the stroke space, which non-return valve blocks in the direction of the working pressure or the ventilation pressure, respectively, and in that a ventilation duct is provided, which ventilation duct can be opened by means of the movable stroke element and which is connected to an outlet duct. The method according to the invention is defined in that a damping pressure is generated in the damping volume as a result of the movement of the cylinder piston, which damping pressure acts on a stroke element, the stroke element is moved by the damping pressure counter to a pressure medium volume which is closed off in a stroke space and which is acted on with the working pressure or the ventilation pressure, and a ventilation duct is opened as a result of the movement of the stroke element. As a result of said arrangement and said method, an adaptive gas spring with a progressive spring stiffness is generated in the stroke space, which progressive spring stiffness is dependent on the working pressure or the ventilation pressure and on the pressure in the end position damping space. In this way, the effective discharge cross section is opened progressively, as a result of which a virtually linear opening function is provided. Here, the spring constant of said gas spring varies automatically as a function of the prevailing pressures, and a uniform damping action is obtained even under different operating pressures and different levels of kinetic energy. The ventilation pressure is advantageously used for the adaptive gas spring, since the pressure curve on the ventilation side shows a more distinct dependency from the movement velocity of the cylinder piston and, hence, is more suitable as control variable. The invention thereby increases the comfort, the operational reliability and the user-friendliness of the pneumatic drive. As a result of the automatic adaptation of the end position damping to the operating conditions, the costs for the manual adjustment and the cycle times are also reduced.
The damping volume is advantageously formed by virtue of a damping pin which extends in the axial direction into the cylinder housing being arranged in the region of the end stop of the cylinder piston, and the cylinder piston being formed with a recess which can receive the damping pin. In this way, the cylinder volume is divided, in order to form the damping volume, as the damping pin travels into the recess. Alternatively, the damping volume can also be formed by virtue of an outlet duct being arranged laterally on the cylinder housing and axially spaced apart from the cylinder cover.
In one preferred embodiment, the stroke element is formed as a damping piston which is mounted in a guided fashion in the stroke space. Here, the stroke space or the damping piston can, depending on the structural design, be arranged either in a cylinder cover which closes off the pneumatic cylinder or in the cylinder piston.
The stroke element can alternatively also be a sealing element between the damping pin and the cylinder piston, with the sealing element being hollow and being arranged in the cylinder piston. With an arrangement of said type, it is possible for the number of components required for the end position damping arrangement to be reduced.
In order to prevent or reduce a possible oscillation of the cylinder piston as it impinges on the air volume enclosed in the damping volume, it is possible for a ventilation cross section to be provided on the pneumatic cylinder, which ventilation cross section is connected to the damping volume.
The invention which forms the subject matter is described below on the basis of the schematic, non-restrictive
Provided in the cylinder piston 22 is a recess 23 which can receive a damping pin 18 which extends axially into the cylinder housing 15. The damping pin 18 is in this example arranged on the cylinder cover 4 and in the end region or in the region of an end position of the cylinder piston 22 of the pneumatic cylinder 1, as a result of which a damping region is generated. An outlet duct 3 extends here in the axial direction through the cylinder cover 4 and through the damping pin 18. A damping volume 19 of said type can of course also be formed in some other way, especially without damping pin 18, for example by virtue of the outlet duct 3 being arranged on the cylinder housing 15 laterally and spaced apart in the axial direction from the cylinder cover 4, as indicated in
Provided in the cylinder cover 4 is a stroke space 9—in this case a simple bore which is closed off by a disc 10. The stroke space 9 is delimited by a stroke element, in this case a damping piston 7, which is arranged in a movable (indicated by the double arrow in
A non-return valve 12 is arranged in the connecting duct 14 or, as in this example, in the duct 11 in the cylinder cover 4, which non-return valve 12 blocks in the direction of the working pressure p1. The damping piston 7 is therefore acted on with pressure at one side by the working pressure p1 acting in the stroke space 9. The opposite side 6 of the damping piston 7 is in this example of stepped design and is connected by means of a damping duct 16 to the damping volume 19. The damping piston 7 closes off a ventilation duct 5 which is arranged in the cylinder cover 4 and which is connected to the outlet duct 3. The damping piston 7 can be provided with throttle grooves 8 for sealing with respect to the cylinder cover 4. Instead of the throttle grooves 8, it is however also possible for any other desired sealing elements to be provided. In order to be able to adjust the new working pressure p1 in the stroke space 9 in the event of a change in working pressure from one stroke to the next, it is also possible for a targeted leakage to be provided via the throttle grooves 8 or the other sealing elements at this point for pressure dissipation in the stroke space 9. It is of course likewise conceivable for the stroke space 9 to be ventilated or acted on with the new working pressure p1 between two strokes if necessary by means of other suitable devices such as for example a valve or a throttle.
An end position damping arrangement of said type can of course also be provided at the other side of the pneumatic cylinder, so that the movement in the opposite direction is correspondingly damped in the end position. For this purpose, it is possible for the same arrangement to be provided on the other side, and the working pressure which then acts is supplied via the second connecting duct 2 to the second stroke space 9.
The function of the end position damping arrangement according to the invention is described below.
During the movement of the cylinder piston 22, the compressed air on that side of the cylinder piston 22 which is remote from the pressurized side is discharged through the outlet duct 3. Here, the outlet duct 3 is advantageously dimensioned such that all of the compressed air can be discharged without a back pressure (and therefore without the associated pressure rise). When the cylinder piston 22, in the region of the end position of the cylinder piston 22, as a result of the movement, runs onto the damping pin 18, the latter is guided through a damping device 21 which is arranged in the recess 23 of the cylinder piston 22, as a result of which the cylinder space is divided by the damping device 21. As a result, a closed-off chamber is generated at the end of the movement of the cylinder piston 22—the damping volume 19, in which the air which remains therein is compressed for damping the cylinder piston 22 as a result of its movement. Said damping pressure p2 in the damping volume 19 acts via the damping duct 16 on that side 6 of the damping piston 7 whose side facing toward the stroke space 9 is simultaneously acted on with the working pressure p1 via the connecting duct 14. If the damping pressure p2 in the damping volume 19 now exceeds the working pressure p1 as a result of the further movement of the cylinder piston 22, the damping piston 7 is lifted, as a result of which the air in the stroke space 9 is compressed since the non-return valve 12 prevents a return flow of the air. As a result of the stroke of the damping piston 7, the ventilation duct 5 is opened and the air which is enclosed in the damping volume 19 begins to flow out via the damping duct 16, the ventilation duct 5 and the outflow duct 3. The air volume enclosed in the stroke space 9 generates a gas spring with a progressive spring stiffness
where AK is the area of the damping piston, V is the enclosed volume which is dependent on the acting pressures, and EL is the modulus of elasticity of the air, which is given by P*n, the pressure multiplied by the polytropic exponent. Said adaptive gas spring counteracts the stroke of the damping element 7, as a result of which the outflow cross section is opened not abruptly but rather progressively and as a function of the prevailing working pressure p1. Here, the opening function behaves approximately linearly in relation to the pressure. The spring constant of said gas spring is determined by the volume and the pressure of the air volume. If the working pressure is varied, the spring constant of the gas spring also varies. If the kinetic energy of the cylinder piston 22 varies, for example as a result of a higher speed v or a different mass m, the stroke of the damping element 7 and therefore also the damping behaviour automatically adapt, by means of different pressure conditions, to the new conditions. This functions in a certain energy range, wherein the maximum damping energy may not be exceeded. The characteristic curve of the damping function moves under different working pressures.
If the opening pressure is not reached in the damping space 19, for example as a result of very low speeds when transporting very small masses, there is the risk of oscillation. The oscillation is generated as a result of the impingement of the cylinder piston 22 against the air cushion which is formed in the damping space 19, since the enclosed air cannot escape. Said oscillation can be counteracted for example by means of a targeted introduction of one (or more) ventilation opening(s) 17, for example in the damping pin 18 or in the cylinder housing 15. Here, the ventilation opening 17 can be adapted in terms of their shape, position and size to the conditions, that is to say to the structural design or the levels of kinetic energy which are to be expected.
According to the above described embodiments, the working pressure p1 is always acting in the stroke space 9. But it is also possible that the stroke space 9 or the adaptive gas spring, respectively, is acted on from the ventilation side, as described in the following with reference to
The adaptive gas springs of the end position damping arrangements according to
Although the above examples have been described with air as a pressure medium, it is however of course likewise possible for any other suitable gas to be used as a pressure medium instead of air.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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A 828/2007 | May 2007 | AT | national |
A 714/2008 | May 2008 | AT | national |