JP2000074124A - Gas filling method and device for cylinder device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a cylinder device that can easily and surely fill a gas without welding and without any troublesome processing. A radial hole (41) is formed in an outer cylinder (3) of a hydraulic shock absorber (11).
The seal member 8 in the open end of the cylinder 1 is first suctioned to the suction nozzle 34 of the suction head 31 by utilizing the vertical movement of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 and A closed chamber d is formed, and then the tip of the supply head 42 is brought into contact with a portion around the radial hole 41, and the supply head 42 extends vertically from the radial hole 41, the closed chamber d and the rod guide 7. The compressed gas is supplied to the reservoir c in the cylinder 1 through the groove 7a, and when a predetermined amount of the compressed gas is supplied to the reservoir c, the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is moved upward to release the seal member 8 adsorbed by the suction nozzle 34. The seal member 8 is pushed into the rod guide 7 side, and then the opening end of the outer cylinder 3 is swaged radially inward to fix the position of the seal member 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and a device for filling gas into a cylinder device such as a gas-filled hydraulic shock absorber and a gas spring.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A gas-filled type hydraulic shock absorber has a structure as shown in FIG. 7 as an example. In the figure, 1
Is a double-structured cylinder composed of an inner cylinder 2 and an outer cylinder 3,
One end is closed by a cap 4. A piston 5 is slidably disposed in the inner cylinder 1, and the other end of a piston rod 6 having one end connected to the piston 5 is overlapped with an open end on the other end side of the cylinder 1. The rod guide 7 and the seal member (oil seal) 8 are slidably inserted and extended out of the cylinder 3. The piston 5 is provided with a piston valve (not shown) that generates a damping force during an extension stroke, and a base valve 9 that generates a damping force during a contraction stroke is disposed at the bottom of the cylinder 1. The upper chamber a and the lower chamber b in the inner cylinder 1 partitioned by the piston 5 are filled with oil, and the reservoir c between the inner cylinder 2 and the outer cylinder 3 is filled with oil and gas (compressed gas). ) Is sealed, and the oil in the reservoir c flows into and out of the lower chamber (piston lower chamber) b via the base valve 9 when the piston rod 6 moves in and out of the cylinder 1. ing. The rod guide 7 and the seal member 8 are restricted from coming out of the cylinder 1 by the caulking portion 3a which caulks the opening end of the outer cylinder 3 inward in the radial direction. The open end of the cylinder 1 is covered by an upper cap 10 press-fitted into the outer cylinder 3.

In the hydraulic shock absorber 11 having the above structure, during the extension stroke in which the piston 5 slides upward, the oil in the upper chamber (the upper piston chamber) a in the inner cylinder 2 is pressurized and the piston valve is closed. It opens and flows into the piston lower chamber b, during which damping force is generated. At this time, the oil equivalent to the retreat of the piston rod 6 from the cylinder 1 is insufficient in the lower chamber b. This insufficient amount is caused by the oil flowing from the reservoir c into the piston lower chamber b via the base valve 9. Compensated. On the other hand, during the contraction stroke in which the piston slides downward, the oil in the lower piston chamber b is pressurized, and a part of the oil flows into the upper piston chamber a, and at the same time, the amount corresponding to the entry of the piston rod 6 into the cylinder 1 Oil pushes the base valve 9 open and flows into the reservoir c, during which a damping force is generated.

Incidentally, as a method of filling a gas into the reservoir c of the cylinder 1, a conventional method is disclosed in, for example,
There is a method described in 4-69835. In this method, as shown in FIG. 8, gas supply welding in which a raised portion 12 having a broken portion is formed at a position higher than an oil level in a reservoir c of an outer cylinder 3 and an electrode pressing rod 13 is incorporated. After the jig 14 is brought into contact with the outer cylinder 3, the valve 16 in the pipe 15 leading to the air compression source is opened to supply the compressed gas into the reservoir c from the broken part of the jig 14 and the raised portion 12. Thereafter, the electrode pressing rod 13 is advanced to project the broken portion of the raised portion 12 into a closed state by projection welding, and there is an advantage that gas can be sealed efficiently. In FIG. 8, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0005]

However, according to the gas filling method described above, contaminants (contaminants) due to welding spatters are mixed into the oil in the reservoir c to cause an operation failure or a welding failure. There is also a problem that gas leakage may occur and reliability is further lacked. Also, the processing of the raised portion 12 having the broken portion is troublesome,
There was a problem that the cost burden also increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to easily and reliably supply gas to a cylinder device without welding and without requiring complicated processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of being encapsulated, and to provide an apparatus for performing the method.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a method of the present invention comprises a sealing member mounted in an open end of a bottomed cylinder and defining a cylinder chamber in the cylinder; In a gas filling method for a cylinder device provided with a rod that moves in and out through a member, at least one hole is formed in a side wall on an opening end side of the cylinder, and first, the sealing member is set to be smaller than the hole. A gas is supplied into the cylinder from the hole at the opening end side of the cylinder, and then the seal member is fixed at a predetermined position on the cylinder chamber side of the hole. As described above, when gas is sealed in the cylinder device, the gas can be supplied and sealed into the cylinder device through a hole previously formed in the side wall of the cylinder only by appropriately changing the position of the seal member.

In the method of the present invention, the method of fixing the position of the seal member is arbitrary, but a method of caulking the open end of the cylinder inward in the radial direction can be adopted. In this case, after the seal member is pushed in, the caulking operation can be performed continuously, and an existing caulking device or the like can be used.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cylinder holding device for holding a cylinder device.
A seal holding unit that is disposed to face the cylinder holding unit and suction-holds a seal member in an opening end of the cylinder of the cylinder device; and a supply head that is movable in a radial direction with respect to the cylinder device. At least one gas supply device for bringing the supply head into contact with the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the cylinder device and supplying gas into the cylinder device through a hole formed in the side wall of the cylinder; A plurality of caulking devices having a movable caulking tool, and caulking the opening end of the cylinder of the cylinder device partially radially inward by the caulking tool; and at least one of the cylinder holding means or the seal holding means. And a driving means for moving one of them in the axial direction of the cylinder device. In the apparatus of the present invention, at least one of the cylinder holding means and the seal holding means is moved by the driving means, so that the seal holding work by the seal holding means, the gas supply work by the gas supply device, and the caulking work by the caulking device. Can be continuously performed, and gas can be efficiently and reliably filled.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show a gas filling device according to the present invention. The gas filling device is intended for the hydraulic shock absorber 11 shown in FIG. 7 described above. Hereinafter, the hydraulic shock absorber 11 will be described using the same reference numerals as those in FIG. I decided to. FIG.
4 and FIG. 4, 21 is a lower mount, 22 is an upper mount,
A lifter (driving means) 24 mounted with a holder (cylinder holding means) 23 for holding the hydraulic shock absorber 11 in an upright posture is provided in the lower mount 21. The lifter 24 is fixed to a cylinder device (an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like) 25 operated by supply and discharge of a pressure fluid from a fluid supply / discharge unit (not shown), and is fixed to a distal end of a piston rod 25 a of the cylinder device 25. The elevating platform 26 supporting the holder 23 and a base 27 fixed to the upper end of the casing of the cylinder device 25 are extended upward from the elevating platform 26.
And a guide rod 28 that slidably passes through the guide rod 28. The lift 26 moves up and down along the guide rod 28 according to the operation of the cylinder device 25. Thus, the cylinder device 25 has its piston rod 25
The lifter 24 has a function of positioning and holding the lift 26 at a plurality of positions between the extended end and the shortened end of the lifter a. Can be positioned at any arbitrary position.

On the other hand, a seal holding means 30 is disposed on the upper side of the upper gantry 22 so as to face the holder 23. The seal holding means 30 is supported by a suction head 31 for sucking and holding the seal member 8 (FIG. 1) of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 held by the holder 23 and an upper beam 22 a of the upper gantry 22. And a driving means (for example, an air cylinder) 32 for driving up and down. The suction head 31 has a head body 33 having a concave hole 33a for receiving the piston rod 6 of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 at the center.
And a plurality (three in this case) of suction nozzles 34 extending downward from the tip of the head main body 33, and a plurality (two in this case) extending downward from the tip of the head main body 33.
And a guide bar 35 of the main body 33. Inside the head body 33, the suction nozzles 34
A plurality of exhaust passages 37 communicating with 6 are formed. A negative pressure is supplied to an exhaust port 36 of the head main body 33 from a suction / exhaust unit (not shown) through a suction hose 38. This negative pressure is supplied to each suction port through an exhaust passage 37 in the head main body 33. It is supplied to the nozzle 34.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the suction head 31 has a suction nozzle 34 at a position that can be inserted into the open end of the cylinder 1 of the hydraulic shock absorber 11, and the cylinder 1 ( The guide bar 35 is disposed at a position where the guide bar 35 can slide on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 3). The suction head 31 and the hydraulic shock absorber 1 held by the holder 23
1 by a predetermined distance, the suction head 31 and the hydraulic shock absorber 11 are operatively connected via a guide bar 35. In this state, the suction nozzle 34 is connected to the open end of the cylinder 1 of the hydraulic shock absorber 11. As shown in the left half of FIG. 1, the distal end comes into contact with the seal member 8 superposed on the rod guide 7. Therefore, if a negative pressure is previously introduced into the suction nozzle 34 from the suction and exhaust unit, the tip of the suction nozzle 34 contacts the seal member 8 and the seal member 8
When the suction head 31 and the hydraulic shock absorber 11 are moved relative to each other by a predetermined distance in a direction in which the suction head 31 and the hydraulic shock absorber 11 are separated from each other, the seal member 8 rises while being suctioned by the suction nozzle 34, and FIG. , A closed chamber d is formed between the seal member 8 and the rod guide 7. In addition,
The driving means 32 has a function of arbitrarily positioning the suction head 31 between the lower end and the upper end.

A single gas supply device 40 and a plurality (four in this case) of caulking devices 50 are provided in the upper frame 22 around the hydraulic shock absorber 11 held by the holder 23. It is arranged. The gas supply device 40 includes the suction nozzle 3
The gas supply device 40 is provided at a position (FIG. 2) opposed to the outer cylinder 3 of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 in a radial direction. ) And a supply head 42 for supplying a compressed gas into the hydraulic shock absorber 11 through the support 22 b of the upper frame 22. The supply head 42 is directed radially toward the hydraulic shock absorber 11 held by the holder 23. And a driving means (for example, an air cylinder) 43 for moving forward and backward. As shown in FIG. 1, the supply head 42 includes a head main body 45 having a gas passage 44 opened at the front end and the peripheral surface. The gas passage 44 of the head main body 45 includes A compressed gas (for example, nitrogen gas) is supplied by opening a valve 47 in a gas hose 46 extending from a compressed gas source. An O-ring 48 is disposed at the tip of the head body 45 so as to surround the gas passage 44. The O-ring 48 is undetachably held by the head body 45 by a sleeve 49a as a holding means fitted into the head body 45 and a ring block 49b, and its peripheral surface is slightly smaller than the tip of the head body 45. It is positioned so as to protrude.

The radial hole 41 of the outer cylinder 3
Is formed in a portion located closer to the opening end of the cylinder 1 than a mounting portion of the rod guide 7, that is, a portion opened to a sealed chamber d formed between the rod guide 7 and the seal member 8. ing. After the lifting table 26, that is, the holder 23 is raised by the operation of the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24 and the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is appropriately positioned, the supply head 42 is advanced by the operation of the driving unit 43. The O-ring 48 at the tip is
Of the gas passage 4 in the head body 45.
4 and the radial hole 41 are in airtight communication with each other,
The compressed gas can be supplied to the closed chamber d. In addition,
When drilling the radial hole 41 in the outer cylinder 3, it is desirable to punch out from the inner diameter side of the outer cylinder 3, so that the burr projects to the outer peripheral surface side of the outer cylinder 3, and the inner peripheral surface is formed. No extra processing for smoothing is required.

On the other hand, each of the caulking devices 50 is provided at a position (FIG. 2) between the suction nozzles 34 in the circumferential direction.
The caulking device 5 does not interfere with each other.
0 is a caulking tool 51 for partially caulking the opening end of the outer cylinder 3 constituting the cylinder 1 of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 held by the holder 23 inward in the radial direction, and a support 22b of the upper mount 22.
And a drive means (for example, a hydraulic cylinder) 52 for moving the caulking tool 51 from the radial direction toward the hydraulic shock absorber 11 held by the holder 23. The four caulking devices 50 are arranged at equal intervals around the hydraulic shock absorber 11 held by the holder 23,
The respective driving means 52 operate in synchronization. As a result, the hydraulic shock absorber 11 in a state where the seal member 8 is now pushed into the rod guide 7 side,
After the lifter 24 is properly positioned by the operation of the cylinder device 25, the driving means 52 of each caulking device 50 is operated to advance each caulking tool 51, and the caulking tool 51 closes the opening end of the outer cylinder 3. 4 in the circumferential direction
The portion is partially caulked radially inward, and the caulked portion 3a (FIG. 6) fixes the position of the seal member 8 within the open end of the cylinder 1.

Hereinafter, a gas filling method using the gas filling device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

When filling the gas, the hydraulic shock absorber 11
Except for covering the upper cap 10 (FIG. 6) on the open end of the cylinder 1, all the assembly is completed and the oil is sealed inside to prepare a semi-assembled state. The piston rod 25a is previously positioned at the shortened end by the operation of the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24, and the suction head 3 is operated by the operation of the driving means 32 of the seal holding means 30.
1 is positioned at the rising end.
The hydraulic shock absorber 1 in the semi-assembled state is mounted on the upper holding member 23.
Set 1 manually or automatically from another assembly machine.

Next, the driving means 32 of the seal holding means 30
, The suction head 31 is positioned at the lower end side, and at the same time, the suction nozzle 34 of the suction head 31 is moved.
Then, a negative pressure is supplied from a suction / exhaust unit (not shown), and then the piston rod 25a is extended by the operation of the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24. Then, lifter 24
Of the cylinder 1 is engaged with the guide bar 35 of the suction head 31 of the seal holding means 30. Then, the suction nozzle 34 enters the opening end of the cylinder 1. Then, as shown in the left half of FIG.
The tip of the suction nozzle 34 contacts the seal member 8 on the rod guide 7, and at this stage, the piston rod 25a of the cylinder device 25 becomes the extended end, and the upward movement of the hydraulic cylinder 20 is stopped. At this time, since the negative pressure is supplied to the suction nozzle 34, the seal member 8 is sucked to the tip of the suction nozzle 34. After that, when the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is moved downward by the operation of the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24, the suction member 34 moves relative thereto. Suction nozzle 34
As shown in the right half of FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the seal member 8 and the rod guide 7 are moved upward.
Are separated from each other to form a closed chamber d therebetween.

When the radial hole 41 formed in the cylinder 1 (outer cylinder 3) of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is lowered to a position where it aligns with the supply head 42 of the gas supply device 40, the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24 Is stopped, and the driving means 43 of the gas supply device 40 is operated in accordance with the stop of the operation. The operation of the driving means 43 causes the supply head 4
2 moves forward, and the O-ring 48 at the tip of the
1, the gas passage 44 in the supply head 42 and the radial hole 41 are in airtight communication with each other. Thereafter, the valve 47 in the gas hose 46 is opened, and compressed gas is supplied from a compressed gas source (not shown) to the supply head 4.
This compressed gas flows into the closed chamber d from the radial hole 41 of the cylinder 1 and further flows into the reservoir c in the cylinder 1 through a vertical groove 7a (FIG. 1) formed in the rod guide 7. Inflow.

At the same time that a predetermined amount of compressed gas is supplied to the reservoir c, the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24 operates again, the piston rod 25a is extended, and the hydraulic shock absorber 11 moves upward. Then, the suction nozzle 34 is relatively opposed to this.
The seal member 8 that has been sucked down moves downward and is gradually pressed into the rod guide 7 side, and finally the seal member 8 is moved to the left half of FIG. 1 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. In this state, the radial hole 41 of the cylinder 1 is opened above the upper surface of the seal member 8, the communication between the radial hole 41 and the reservoir c in the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is cut off by the seal member 8, and the compressed gas is released. The state is sealed in the reservoir c. At this stage, the supply of the negative pressure to the suction head 31 is cut off, and at the same time, the supply of the compressed gas to the supply head 42 is cut off, and the supply head 42 retreats from the hydraulic shock absorber 11 by the operation of the driving means 43. I do.

Thereafter, the cylinder device 25 of the lifter 24 is operated, the piston rod 25a is shortened, the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is moved down, and the open end of the cylinder 1 is aligned with the caulking tool 51 of the caulking device 50. Hydraulic shock absorber 1 in position
1 is positioned. Then, the driving means 52 of each caulking device 50 operates synchronously, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the respective caulking tools 51 advance to the hydraulic shock absorber 11 side, and the outer cylinder 3 is moved by the respective caulking tools 51. The four circumferential ends of the opening end are partially swaged radially inward. As a result, the position of the seal member 8 is fixed within the opening end of the cylinder 1 by the caulking portion 3a, whereby the gas filling of the reservoir c of the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is completed. Thereafter, the lift 26 of the lifter 24 moves to the lower end, and the suction head 31 of the seal holding means 30 moves to the upper end, and the hydraulic shock absorber 11 is removed from the holder 23. And
As shown in FIG. 6, the hydraulic shock absorber 11 which has been filled with the gas is press-fitted with the upper cap 10 at the open end of the cylinder 1 (outer cylinder 3) to be completed as a product.

In the above embodiment, the lifter 2
Although the cylinder device 25 is used as the driving means of No. 4, the type of this driving means is arbitrary, and for example, various means using a motor as a driving source can be used. Further, the seal holding means 30, the gas supply device 40 and the caulking device 50
The same applies to each of the driving means 32, 43, and 52, and other means can be used instead of the cylinder device. Also,
Although the case where the seal member 8 is held at a negative pressure has been shown, a case where a wire (reinforcement member) is used for the seal member 8 may be achieved by attaching a magnet to the suction head 31 and performing suction. The need for the suction and exhaust means is eliminated, and the apparatus can be simplified. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the gas filling operation and the caulking operation are performed by vertically moving the holder 23 as the cylinder holding means. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gas supply device 40 and the caulking device may be used. Device 50
Is moved to the same portion in the axial direction of the cylinder 1, the cylinder device is not moved in the axial direction of the cylinder 1, and only the seal holding means 30 is moved up and down by the driving means 32 to move the seal member 8 up and down. , Gas filling operation and caulking operation can be performed.

[0024]

As described above, according to the gas filling method of the cylinder device according to the present invention, the position of the seal member is appropriately changed, and the gas is inserted into the cylinder device through the hole previously formed in the side wall of the cylinder. Since gas can be supplied and contained, contamination of contaminants due to welding spatter and gas leakage due to poor welding are prevented beforehand, and a cylinder device having excellent durability and reliability can be provided. Further, since only a hole is formed in the cylinder, troublesome processing such as forming a raised portion having a broken portion is not required, and the cost required for gas filling is reduced. Further, according to the gas sealing device according to the present invention, the seal holding operation by the seal holding means, the gas supply operation by the gas supply device, and the caulking operation by the caulking device can be continuously performed, and the gas can be efficiently and surely provided. Can be enclosed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, showing a main structure of a gas filling device as an embodiment of the present invention and a use mode thereof.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1 showing a main structure of the gas sealing device and a mode of use thereof.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the entire structure of the present gas sealing device as a partial cross section.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the entire structure of the present gas sealing device from a different angle from FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a gas filling operation by the present gas filling device in order.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a final assembly structure of a hydraulic shock absorber as a cylinder device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a general structure of a hydraulic shock absorber which is an object of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional gas filling method for a hydraulic shock absorber.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylinder, 2 Inner cylinder, 3 Outer cylinder 5 Piston, 6 Piston rod 7 Rod guide, 8 Seal member 20 Hydraulic shock absorber 23 Holder (Cylinder holding means) 24 Lifter (Drive means) 30 Seal holding means 31 Suction head, 34 Suction nozzle 40 Gas supply device, 42 Supply head 41 Hole in cylinder 50 Caulking device, 51 Caulking tool c Reservoir of hydraulic shock absorber

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Makoto Kitamura 1116 Kozono, Ayase-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Tokiko Co., Ltd. Sagami Plant F-term (reference) 3J069 AA54 CC40 DD47

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A gas filling method for a cylinder device comprising: a seal member mounted in an open end of a cylinder having a bottom and defining a cylinder chamber in the cylinder; and a rod which moves in and out through the seal member. , At least one hole is drilled in a side wall of the cylinder on the side of the opening end, and first, the sealing member is positioned closer to the opening end of the cylinder than the hole, and the sealing member is inserted into the cylinder from the hole. Supplying a gas, and subsequently fixing the seal member at a predetermined position closer to the cylinder chamber than the hole. 2. The gas filling method for a cylinder device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is fixed in position by caulking an opening end portion of the cylinder radially inward. 3. Cylinder holding means for holding a cylinder device, seal holding means disposed opposite to the cylinder holding means for sucking and holding a seal member in an open end of a cylinder of the cylinder device, and the cylinder device. A supply head movable in a radial direction with respect to the cylinder head, and the supply head is brought into contact with a peripheral surface of a cylinder of the cylinder device to supply gas into the cylinder device through a hole formed in a side wall of the cylinder. A plurality of caulking devices having at least one gas supply device to be calibrated, and a caulking tool movable in a radial direction of the cylinder device, and the caulking tool partially caulking an open end of a cylinder of the cylinder device inward in a radial direction. And driving means for moving at least one of the cylinder holding means and the seal holding means in the axial direction of the cylinder device. A gas charging device for a cylinder device.