Flow controller and driving apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11339806-B2
Application number	US-201917298726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2019
Priority date	Dec 3, 2018
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A flow controller that changes the flow rate of air exhausted from an air cylinder in mid-stroke includes a first switching valve displaced from a first position to a second position under the effect of pilot air, and causing one port of the air cylinder to communicate with a first channel at the first position, exhausting air exhausted from the one port of the air cylinder while reducing the flow rate of the air using a first regulating valve at the second position. Since the pilot air is taken into the first switching valve from a second channel in a system different from the system of the first channel, a second regulating valve can be adjusted without being affected by the degree of opening of the first regulating valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flow controller that changes a flow rate of air supplied or exhausted through at least one of a first channel communicating with one port of an air cylinder and a second channel communicating with another port of the air cylinder in midstroke, comprising:
a first switching valve configured to be displaced from a first position to a second position under an effect of pilot air, cause the one port of the air cylinder to communicate with the first channel at the first position, and cause the one port of the air cylinder to communicate with an air outlet via a first regulating valve at the second position;
a first introduction path configured to guide the pilot air from the second channel to the first switching valve; and
a second regulating valve provided for the first introduction path and configured to adjust timing of displacement of the first switching valve by regulating a flow rate of the pilot air.

2. The flow controller according to claim 1 , wherein the first regulating valve comprises a throttle valve configured to regulate a flow rate of air exhausted from the one port of the air cylinder.

3. The flow controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second switching valve configured to be displaced from a first position to a second position under an effect of pilot air, cause the other port of the air cylinder to communicate with the second channel at the first position, and cause the other port of the air cylinder to communicate with the air outlet via a third regulating valve at the second position;
a second introduction path configured to guide the pilot air from the first channel to the second switching valve; and
a fourth regulating valve provided for the second introduction path and configured to adjust timing of displacement of the second switching valve by regulating a flow rate of the pilot air.

4. The flow controller according to claim 3 , wherein the third regulating valve comprises a throttle valve reducing a flow rate of air exhausted from the other port of the air cylinder.

5. The flow controller according to claim 4 , wherein each of the first switching valve and the second switching valve is displaced from the first position to the second position at a point in time when a pressure of the pilot air reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.

6. The flow controller according to claim 4 , wherein each of the second regulating valve and the fourth regulating valve comprises a variable throttle valve and is provided with a graduated portion indicating a degree of opening of the variable throttle valve.

7. The flow controller according to claim 4 , wherein each of the first regulating valve and the third regulating valve comprises a variable throttle valve or a fixed throttle valve.

8. The flow controller according to claim 4 , wherein each of the first switching valve and the second switching valve comprises a spool valve.

9. A driving apparatus, comprising:
the flow controller according to claim 1 ;
a high-pressure air supply source configured to supply high pressure air to the air cylinder via the first channel or the second channel; and
an air outlet configured to exhaust air from the air cylinder via the first channel or the second channel.

10. The driving apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an operation switching valve configured to switch between a first connection state where the first channel communicates with the high-pressure air supply source while the second channel communicates with the air outlet and a second connection state where the second channel communicates with the high-pressure air supply source while the first channel communicates with the air outlet.

11. The driving apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a speed controller configured to reduce a flow rate of air in the first channel and the second channel.

Assignees

• Smc Corp

Inventors

• Nishimura Akiho
• Yamada Hirosuke
• Fukushima Kenji

Classifications

• F15B2211/40576

  Assemblies of multiple valves · CPC title

• F15B2211/41536

  being connected to multiple ports of an output member · CPC title

• F15B2211/329

  actuated by fluid pressure · CPC title

• F15B21/10

  Delay devices or arrangements · CPC title

• F15B2211/75

  Control of speed of the output member · CPC title