Dual-Piston Clamping Cylinder for Stable Force in Compact Fixtures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clamping devices face challenges in achieving a stable clamping force while maintaining a reduced size.
Innovation Solution
A clamping device incorporating a fluid pressure cylinder with a first and second piston, and annular member, which switches between unclamped and clamped states via reciprocal movement, allowing for precise positioning and fixation of a movable member to a base body, utilizing a combination of clamping and unclamping chambers and steel balls for engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a conventional single-piston fluid pressure cylinder is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the clamping force stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid pressure cylinder is segmented into two independent piston chambers (first piston chamber and second piston chamber) that operate independently but coordinate through the common piston rod. Each chamber has its own piston (first piston and second piston) that can be controlled separately, allowing independent adjustment of clamping and positioning forces to achieve stable overall clamping performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Two piston chambers are merged into a single integrated fluid pressure cylinder structure sharing a common piston rod and cylinder body. This combination allows coordinated operation of both pistons through the shared mechanical connection, achieving stable clamping force while maintaining a unified compact cylinder design.
2Reliability
If the cylinder length is increased to accommodate multiple chambers, then the clamping force stability is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first piston chamber and second piston chamber are nested within each other in a concentric arrangement, with one chamber positioned inside the other. This nesting allows both chambers to occupy overlapping spatial volumes, significantly reducing the overall cylinder length while maintaining both functional chambers for stable clamping operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of arranging the two piston chambers sequentially along the cylinder's main axis (one-dimensional arrangement), the invention positions them in a radial/concentric configuration (utilizing two-dimensional spatial arrangement). This dimensional change allows both chambers to coexist within a compact cylindrical volume, reducing the required cylinder length while maintaining both functions.
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
Enables a compact design with a stable clamping force, ensuring secure fixation and positioning of movable members while allowing for efficient operation and reduced size.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid pressure cylinder fixed to the base body... a first piston and a second piston each reciprocally movable with respect to the cylinder main body; a first cylinder chamber that drives each of the first piston and the second piston to a fixation side; a second cylinder chamber that drives the first piston and the second piston to a fixation-release side
Data Source
AI summary
A first piston, a first cylinder chamber, a second cylinder chamber, and a second piston are provided to be arranged side by side along a first direction from a base body side toward a fixation-target object side in an order of the first piston, the first cylinder chamber, the second cylinder chamber, and the second piston.