Air Cylinder Flow Controller with Buffered Pilot Air Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flow rate controllers for air cylinders experience unstable timing in switching operations due to rapid decreases in pilot air pressure, leading to inconsistent performance and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
A flow rate controller design featuring a cylinder flow path, a main flow path, an auxiliary flow path with a first throttle valve, a switching valve, and a pilot air adjustment part with a second throttle valve, which stabilizes the switching operation by regulating the inflowing speed of pilot air and switching positions based on pressure changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pilot air is gradually discharged through the throttle valve, then the switching valve performs switching operation to throttle exhaust air, but when the pressure acting on the throttle valve falls below predetermined pressure, the flow of pilot air rapidly decreases and the timing of switching operation becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
A buffer chamber is introduced as an intermediary component between the throttle valve and the switching valve. The buffer chamber receives pilot air from the throttle valve and gradually supplies it to the switching valve, decoupling the rapid pressure changes at the throttle valve from the switching valve operation. This mediator smooths out pressure fluctuations and maintains stable pilot air flow to the switching valve regardless of throttle valve pressure variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer chamber acts as a cushioning element that stores pilot air in advance and releases it gradually. By pre-storing compressed air in the buffer chamber, the system ensures continuous and stable pilot air supply to the switching valve even when the throttle valve experiences pressure drops, preventing unstable switching operation timing.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a shock absorbing mechanism using cushioning material or oil damper is attached to the air cylinder end part, then impact at stroke end is cushioned, but the mechanism is limited in number of operations and requires regular maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical shock absorbing mechanism (cushioning material or oil damper) with a pneumatic control system consisting of a flow rate controller and switching valve. Instead of using mechanical components that physically absorb impact, the system uses controlled air flow throttling to gradually reduce cylinder speed before stroke end, eliminating the need for mechanical shock absorbers and their associated maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs pneumatic principles by using a flow rate controller to throttle exhaust air from the cylinder and a switching valve to control air flow paths. This pneumatic approach replaces mechanical shock absorption with controlled pneumatic braking, where air flow restriction creates backpressure that gradually decelerates the piston, providing shock-free stopping without mechanical contact or wear-prone components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution stabilizes the timing of switching operations, prevents rapid decreases in pilot air flow, and ensures consistent performance by maintaining a stable pressure for the second throttle valve, thereby reducing maintenance needs and improving operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
the pilot air adjustment part includes a second throttle valve configured to regulate an inflowing speed at which the pilot air flows into the switching valve
Implementation Method 2
an auxiliary flow path disposed in parallel with the main flow path and including a first throttle valve configured to throttle a flow rate of the air to a flow rate less than that in the main flow path
Data Source
AI summary
A flow rate controller and a drive device are provided with a cylinder flow passage connected to an air cylinder; a main flow passage for supplying air to and discharging air from the air cylinder; an auxiliary flow passage that has a first throttle valve and through which exhaust air discharged from the air cylinder passes with a smaller flow rate than that of the main flow passage; a switch valve that switches between a first position in which the cylinder flow passage communicates with the main flow passage and a second position in which the cylinder flow passage communicates with the auxiliary flow passage; and a pilot air adjustment part that guides a portion of the exhaust air from the air cylinder as pilot air to the switch valve.