JPH07215211A - Working cylinder for lifting wheels - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a technology capable of reliably and safely detecting a leg lowered state in which a wheel descends. [Structure] In addition to a lever member 910 for detecting the movement of a lock piston 700, a crank member 920 for detecting the movement of a position restricting member such as a claw 500 is provided. Then, the two detection means 910 and 920 actuate a switching operation of a mechanical switch such as the limit switch 460 ′.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operating cylinder for raising and lowering wheels, and more particularly to a technique capable of reliably locking the state of a wheel when the wheel is in a lowered position.
Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a leg device for a magnetically levitated vehicle, and further to a leg device for another vehicle or aircraft.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Among magnetically levitated vehicles, for example, a vehicle using an electromagnetic induction system levitates at a high speed, while
At low speeds, a large levitation force cannot be obtained, so wheels are run. A leg device responds to this wheel traveling. The leg device uses an actuating cylinder that makes a linear motion to raise and lower the wheels. The working cylinder lowers the wheel by extending the rod during traveling of the wheel, and raises the wheel by contracting the rod during traveling of the wheel. Therefore, it is preferable to lock and hold the extended state of the rod in order to surely support the vehicle with the wheels when the wheels are traveling or to prevent a failure.

The official gazette of Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 4-108476 shows a working cylinder having such a lock function. In the technique of this publication, a lock piston operated by hydraulic pressure locks by pushing an annular collet into a recess on the outer periphery of the extended piston (that is, rod). Further, one end of the spool member is applied to the cam surface of the lock piston from the outside of the cylinder main body, and the limit switch arranged outside the cylinder main body is switched by the movement of the spool member. This technique is excellent in that it has a lock mechanism and can detect whether it is in a locked state or an unlocked state. However, there are some drawbacks. One is that the means for detecting the lock is outside the cylinder body.
If it's external, it could be damaged by mechanical shocks, and it would take up extra space around the cylinder. Another difficulty is that even if the lock piston operates normally for locking, it does not always cause the collet to enter the recess on the piston side, which may result in incorrect lock detection. .

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of reliably detecting whether or not a locked state is present, and a technique in which the detecting means is incorporated in a cylinder body.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in addition to the first detecting means for detecting the movement of the lock piston, the second detecting means for detecting the movement of the position regulating member such as the collet or the claw is provided.
Is provided, and the third detecting means such as a limit switch is operated by the first and second detecting means. As a result, the mechanical switch, which is the third detection means, is actuated based on the movements of both the lock piston and the position regulating member, so that, for example, the position regulating member is in the position where the lock piston should be locked. Is not in the locked position, the third
Does not indicate that the wheels are in the lowered position. Preferably, the first detecting means is a lever member having one end rotatably supported, and the second detecting means is
It is preferable to use crank members that are rotatably supported in the middle of the lever members, and to arrange a limit switch that is a third detecting means at the end of the crank member. Such a lever member-crank member-limit switch combination can be easily housed inside a hollow rod.

[0006]

1 is a perspective view showing an overview of an embodiment of a leg device including an actuating cylinder according to the present invention, in which X is a traveling direction of a vehicle, and Y and Z are vertical directions perpendicular to the traveling direction. , The left and right directions are shown. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the positioning of the working cylinder in the leg device will be clarified.

A leg device 10 for a magnetically levitated vehicle including an actuating cylinder 100 according to the present invention has its mounting portion attached to one surface of a bogie (not shown). This is for improving workability such as mounting the leg device 10 and reducing the weight of the cart. This point is the same regardless of whether each trolley is arranged independently for each vehicle or whether it is a so-called articulated trolley arranged between the vehicles.

The leg device 10 includes a wheel 20 and the wheel 20.
And a support mechanism 30 for raising and lowering. The wheel 20 includes a wheel (not shown) and a pneumatic tire 24 supported on the outer periphery of the wheel, and the wheel is rotatable around a cylindrical central shaft 26. The center shaft 26 that supports the wheels 20 is, of course, along the Z direction, and the support mechanism 30 is located outside the wheels 20. The state shown in FIG. 1 is a state in which the rod 110 of the working cylinder 100 extends and the wheels 20 are in the lowered position. Central axis 2
6 has a trailing arm 40 extending along the X direction.
The central part of is attached and fixed. The trailing arm 40 has a function of supporting the position of the wheel 20 so as to regulate the position of the wheel 20 and also of supporting a force of the brake in the X direction. The trailing arm 40 has a length that extends over substantially the entire width of the wheel 20, and one end 42 of the trailing arm 40 is rotatably attached to one surface of the carriage. With respect to the half portion 40a of the trailing arm 40 extending from the one end 42 to the central axis 26, the other half portion 40b including the other end 44 on the opposite side is not aligned and is slightly inclined. Due to this inclination, the force from the trailing arm 40 side can be transmitted more smoothly to the shock absorber 50 connected to the other end 44.

The vertical link 60 extends substantially vertically in the Y direction so as to intersect the horizontal trailing arm 40, and extends over substantially the entire width of the wheel 20. The vertical link 60 has a central portion supported around the central axis 26 and is rotatable with respect to the trailing arm 40. A guide wheel 61 is rotatably supported on the lower portion of the vertical link 60. The guide wheel 61 is
When the vehicle turns a curve in a garage or the like, it is for guiding the vehicle together with the side wall on the road surface side. On the other hand, the upper end 62 of the vertical link 60 is rotatably attached to the leaf spring 70 by a pin member 63. Further, the vertical link 60 supports a pin 80 that receives a brake reaction force on the way to the end 62.

The vertical link 60 has a function of receiving a brake reaction force from a brake device inside the wheel 20, a function of supporting the guide wheel 61, and a function of connecting the trailing arm 40 and the leaf spring 70. is there. The leaf spring 70 is located above the trailing arm 40,
Like the trailing arm 40, it extends in the X direction.
The leaf spring 70 may be a single leaf spring, but in order to obtain a larger spring force, the leaf spring 70 shown in the figure has a structure in which two leaf spring members 76 and 78 arranged vertically are connected at the central portion. The central portions of the two leaf spring members 76 and 78 are supported by bolt members in such a manner that the concave and convex portions fit together. Further, the central portion of the leaf spring 70 is also pinned by the pin member 63 to the upper end portion 6 of the vertical link 60.
2 is rotatably supported. By the support of the pin member 63, the leaf spring 70 cooperates with the trailing arm 40 and the vertical link 60 to form a parallel movement mechanism.

The leaf spring 70 has a length that extends over the entire width of the wheel 20 in order to obtain a better riding comfort.
Is rotatably mounted on one side of the dolly. The opposite end 74 is rotatably attached to the cylinder bottom side of the shock absorber 50 and the end of the rod 110 of the working cylinder 100 according to the present invention. The working cylinder 100 includes a rod 110 and a cylinder body 12
It has at least a function of moving the wheel 20 up and down to move it up and down, and a function of locking the wheel 20 in a lowered state as shown in FIG. 1 (this lock function will be described later in detail). The bottom end 122 of the operating cylinder 100 is rotatably attached to one surface of the carriage, like the end 72 of the leaf spring 70 and the end 42 of the trailing arm 40. Even if the operating cylinder 100 expands and contracts the rod 110, the leaf spring 70, the vertical link 60, and the trailing arm 40 constitute a parallel motion mechanism, and therefore, the respective members, the shock absorber 50, and the operating cylinder 100, are included. The movement is contained within a limited space including the projected area of the wheel 20.

Next, the internal structure of the working cylinder 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The working cylinder 100 is a hydraulic actuator and includes a cylinder body 120 with a bottom end 122 closed and an opposite head end 123 open. The inside of the cylinder body 120 is hollow, the inner periphery of the open end 123 on the head side is a threaded portion 120f, and the adjacent portion is a protruding portion 120s having a slightly smaller diameter, and
A cylinder hole 120h having a uniform diameter is formed at the back.
In the cylinder hole 120h, there is a cup-shaped upper and lower first piston 210. The first piston 210 carries a seal ring 212 on the outer periphery thereof and has a cylinder hole 120h.
Can be moved in the axial direction of the cylinder body 120. Such a first piston 210 has a first chamber 310 on the cylinder bottom side, and a second chamber between the seal ring 212 around the first piston 210 and the seal ring 222 at the protruding portion 120s. Each 320 is partitioned. Therefore, the first piston 210 is
By supplying the hydraulic pressure to the chamber 310 or the second chamber 320, it moves to either the bottom side or the head side.

A rod 400 having a hollow inside is integrated with the first piston 210 by screw connection. The rod 400 extends from the first piston 210 to the outside through an opening on the head side of the cylinder body 120.
The diameter of the rod 400 is smaller than the diameters of the cylinder body 120 and the piston 210, and there is a sufficient ring-shaped space between the rod 400 and them. Rod 400
Is a threaded portion 400m at the tip on the first piston 210 side,
A seal ring holding portion 410 for holding a similar seal ring 402 on an inner peripheral side portion of the seal ring 212 of the piston 210, a through hole 420h penetrating the inside and the outside of the rod 400 in an adjacent portion, and a through hole 420h adjacent to the through hole. The portion is provided with a cam portion 430, and the outer end is provided with a rod head 442 for connection. The cam portion 430 of the rod 400 is provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the rod (for example, 2 to
Each of the cam portions 430 itself includes protrusions 430a and 430b at both ends, and an intermediate groove 430c that smoothly connects the protrusions 430a and 430b. The rod 4
There is a dog 450 near the rod head 442 of 00, but this dog 450 has a pin 452 which it supports.
And a limit switch 460 attached to the outer circumference of the head portion of the cylinder body 120 to detect the lifted position (leg raised state) of the wheel 20 where the rod 400 contracts. When the rod 400 contracts to raise the legs, pin 4
The head 452a of 52 hits the end of the detection rod 460a of the limit switch 460, and pushes the detection rod 460a against the force of a spring (not shown) which is incorporated therein, thereby performing a switching operation.

A second piston 520 including a pawl 500 is arranged between the outer circumference of the rod 400 and the inner circumference of the cylinder body 120. The second piston 520 has a cylindrical body portion 530 having a threaded portion 520m suitable for the threaded portion 120f on the cylinder body 120 side on the outer circumference, and an arm portion 5 extending from the body portion 530 and supporting the claw 500 at the tip.
And 50. The second piston 520 has a seal ring 52 for sealing the inner circumference thereof with the rod 400.
In the form in which the two are carried, the screw portion 520m of the main body portion 530 is fixed to the cylinder main body 120 by engaging with the screw portion 120f of the opening portion of the cylinder main body 120. The second piston 520 has a step portion 530d on the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 530 located at the base of the arm portion 550. The step portion 530d functions as a stopper for the convex portion 430b of the cam portion 430 on the rod 400 side, that is,
The rod 400 functions to regulate the effective length of the working cylinder 100 when the rod 400 is extended (the state shown in FIG. 2). This effective length is the lower position of the wheel 20 (leg down state)
Therefore, it is important to set the length accurately. Therefore, here, the stop spring 610 is used.
The lock nut 600 attached to locks the screw connection between the second piston 520 and the cylinder body 120 so that the length does not fluctuate. Of course, the second
The second piston 520 is connected to the cylinder body 120 by using a screw connection between the piston 520 of the cylinder body 120 and the cylinder body 120.
The fixed position can be adjusted by moving it in the axial direction. The groove 660 provided on the outer periphery of the lock nut 600 is
It also serves as a rotation stopper into which one end of the stopper spring 610 is inserted, and also as a groove into which a tool for adjustment is fitted. Further, the plurality of grooves 560 provided in the end portion of the second piston 520 are grooves into which a tool for adjustment fits, and the long groove 570 that runs in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the main body portion 530 includes the stop spring 610. It is a groove for stopping rotation that the end enters.

When the hydraulic pressure is supplied to the first chamber 310 and the leg is raised, the first piston 210 and the rod 400 move so as to extend the rod 400. At that time, the second piston 520-side claw 500 fixed to the cylinder body 120 is guided by the cam portion 430, and finally the rod 4 is pressed.
It falls into the through hole 420h on the 00 side. Such nails 5
It is the lock piston 700 that presses 00 from the outside and holds the depressed state. Lock piston 70
Reference numeral 0 denotes a tubular shape, which is arranged between the inner circumference of the first piston 210 and the outer circumference of the rod 400 in the vicinity of the seal ring holding portion 410. This lock piston 700
A seal ring 702 is held on the outer circumference of the first piston 210 on the side fitted into the inner circumference, and an inward flange 710 is provided on the inner circumference. The flange 710 functions as one spring receiver for the spring 730 that biases the lock piston 700 toward the head side of the cylinder body 120, and as a stopper that limits the moving range of the lock piston 700. A part of the chamber in which the spring 730 is provided communicates with the chamber inside the rod 400 through the hole 750 for the passage, and becomes an air chamber. On the other hand, the opposite end 770 of the lock piston 700 presses the outer circumference of the pawl 500 and performs a lock function. When in this locked state, the lock piston 7
00 keeps the flange 710 in contact with the portion 410 on the rod 400 side by the force of the spring 730.

However, when the hydraulic pressure in the first chamber 310 is released and the hydraulic pressure is supplied to the second chamber 320 (that is,
When the leg is raised), the lock piston 700 moves into the first piston 210 while deforming the spring 730 by the hydraulic pressure received by the end portion 770. At this time, the first piston 210 is pushed into the bottom wall of the cylinder body 120 on the bottom side by the hydraulic pressure of the second chamber 320. Figure 4
Shows the state when the leg is raised. With the movement of the lock piston 700 and the first piston 210 and the rod 400 integral therewith, the pawl 50 is moved.
0 is released from the lock piston 700, and the claw 500 is
While elastically deforming itself, the convex portion 4 is formed along the cam portion 430.
Move to near 30b.

In the working cylinder 100 according to the invention,
Whether the lock piston 700 is locked or unlocked is detected based on the movement of the lock piston 700 (first
Not only) but also whether or not the claw 500 has entered the through hole 420h on the rod 400 side (second detection), and both the first and second detection results are detected. Based on this, a mechanical switch that is not affected by magnetism is operated for switching.

As the mechanical switch, it is preferable to use a limit switch 460 'similar to the switch 460 described above. Therefore, the switch holder 800 supporting the limit switch 460 ′ is attached to the hollow rod 400.
The switch holder 800 is provided with the detection means for the first and second detections. The first detection means for performing the first detection is a linear lever member 910. The lever member 910 has one end rotatably supported by the switch holder 800 by a pin 915 and the other end 913.
Is located outside the rod 400 through the lower through hole 420h and abuts against the end of the lock piston 700. The second detecting means for performing the second detection is the L-shaped crank member 920. The central portion of the crank member 920 is a lever member 91 with a pin 925.
0 is rotatably supported so that one end 921 enters into the upper through hole 420h and hits the end of the claw 500, and the other end 923 has the plunger 950.
Is hitting the head 950a. Since the plunger 950 is biased by the spring 930, its head 950
a is always in contact with the end portion 923 of the crank member 920. The plunger 950 is arranged such that its axis coincides with the axis of the detection rod 460'a of the limit switch 460 '.

Therefore, the plunger 950 receives the force from the crank member 920 and receives the limit switch 460 '.
Can be switched. In the leg-raised state shown in FIG. 4, the lever member 910 swings clockwise and the crank member 920 also swings clockwise, so that the plunger 950 moves to the bottom side of the cylinder body 120 and the limit switch. No force is applied to the sensing rod 460'a of 460 '. However, when the legs are lowered as shown in FIG.
Since the lever member 910 swings counterclockwise and the crank member 920 also swings counterclockwise, the plunger 950 moves toward the head side of the cylinder body 120 and the detection rod 460′a of the limit switch 460 ′.
Push in to switch it. According to the switching operation by the limit switch 460 ', it is possible to know that the leg is in the lowered state. Further, in this case, the pawl 50 is damaged or the movement thereof is inconvenient even though the lock piston 700 is moved for the purpose of locking.
In the unlikely event that 0 is not located in the through-hole 420h, the lever member 910 is in the normal swinging position for leg lowering, while the crank member 920 is
21 contacts the side wall of the convex portion 430a of the cam portion 430, and moves the plunger 950 to the bottom side of the cylinder body 120 accordingly. As a result, the limit switch 460 '
Does not emit a signal indicating the leg lowered state, and therefore can prevent the pawl 500 from entering the wheel traveling without being locked.

According to the embodiment shown in the drawings, since the lever member 910 and the crank member 920 are formed in the scissors type, the movements thereof are overlapped to actuate the limit switch 460 '. Even if the swing amount is set small, the switching operation can be surely performed.

[0021]

According to the present invention, in addition to the first detecting means for detecting the movement of the lock piston 700, the second detecting means for detecting the movement of the position restricting member such as the claw 500 is also provided, and the limit is provided by them. Since a mechanical switch such as the switch 460 ′ is operated to perform a switching operation, it is possible to reliably and safely detect a lowered leg state in which the wheel 20 is lowered. Moreover, since the first and second detection means and the mechanical switch are arranged inside the rod 400 or the cylinder body 120, the working cylinder 1 is advantageous in terms of space and prevention of damage.
00 can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall view of a leg device including an operating cylinder according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional structural view showing an embodiment of the working cylinder of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view taken along line 3-3 ′ of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing another state of the working cylinder of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Leg device 20 Wheel 26 Center axis 30 Support mechanism 40 Trailing arm 50 Shock absorber 60 Vertical link 70 Leaf spring 100 Actuating cylinder 110 Rod 120 Cylinder body 210 First piston 460 'Limit switch (mechanical switch) 400 Rod 500 Claw (position regulating member) 520 Second piston 600 Lock nut (lock member) 700 Lock piston 910 Lever member (first detecting means) 920 Crank member (second detecting means)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Ian Robert Bennett 516 UK, FG, Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, Benhole, Benhole Avenue No. 25 (72) Inventor Takashi Okada Kamisocho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture Chestnut 1099

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A working cylinder for raising and lowering wheels, comprising: a. A first piston that is axially movable within the cylinder body and that partitions the interior of the cylinder body into first and second chambers; b. A rod that is integral with the first piston and extends from the first piston to the outside of the cylinder body in the axial direction; c. On the outer circumference of the rod, when the first piston or the rod extends in the axial direction, the first piston or the rod is mechanically coupled to the first piston or the rod with respect to the cylinder body. A second piston including a position restricting member for fixing the position of the d. First
A piston that fits into at least one of the piston and the rod, and is capable of locking the mechanical connection by the position regulating member, and e. First detection means for detecting the locked or unlocked state of the lock piston; f. Second detecting means for detecting whether or not the position restricting member of the second piston is in a fixed position; g. When the first detection means detects the locked state and the second detection means detects that the position is fixed, the first piston and the rod are extended based on the detection results, A working cylinder for raising and lowering a wheel, which comprises a third detecting means for detecting that the wheel is in a lowered position. 2. A working cylinder for raising and lowering wheels, comprising: a. A first piston that is axially movable within the cylinder body and that partitions the interior of the cylinder body into first and second chambers; b. A hollow rod integral with the first piston and extending from the first piston to the outside of the cylinder body in the axial direction; c. A second outer periphery of the rod, the pawl including a claw that fits into a recess of the rod when the rod extends in the axial direction and fixes the rod in the extended state with respect to the cylinder body.
Piston of d. A lock piston capable of pressing the outer periphery of the pawl to lock the pawl in the recess of the rod; e. A lever member, one end of which is rotatably supported with respect to the rod and the other end of which abuts on the end of the lock piston, and which detects the movement of the lock piston to detect the locked or unlocked state of the lock piston; ． A crank member rotatably supported in the middle of the lever member, one end of which is located in the recess of the rod, and which detects whether or not the pawl is in the recess; g. A working cylinder for raising and lowering a wheel, comprising: a mechanical switch that receives a force from the other end of the crank member to switch between on and off. 3. The working cylinder of claim 2, wherein the lever member, crank member and mechanical switch are located inside the hollow rod. 4. The working cylinder according to claim 2, wherein the second piston is screwed to the cylinder body and is positionally adjustable in the axial direction. 5. A lock member for locking the screw connection between the second piston and the cylinder body,
The working cylinder according to claim 4.