Locking Cylinder Spindle Unlocking via Fluid Pressure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking cylinders are complex, space-intensive, and costly to manufacture, with limited safety against unlocking, particularly when handling large loads or under varying operational conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method for unlocking a locking cylinder that employs a self-locking, frictional clamping mechanism using locking support bodies with cone surfaces, which are lifted by a fluid pressure medium to release the spindle for rotation, allowing for secure and efficient movement of loads without the need for energy accumulators or complex designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If friction rings are used to lock the spindle frictionally, then the spindle can be automatically locked in case of hydraulic failure, but the safety against unlocking is limited and the design becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is divided into multiple locking support bodies (at least two) that can be independently actuated. Each locking support body can engage with the spindle separately, allowing the system to provide enhanced safety through multiple locking points while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. This segmentation enables the system to achieve higher reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking support bodies are pre-positioned and spring-loaded to automatically engage with the spindle when hydraulic pressure is applied. The springs are pre-compressed to provide the necessary locking force, so that upon activation, the locking action occurs immediately without requiring complex control mechanisms. This preliminary preparation of the locking mechanism enhances safety while keeping the control system simple.
2Force
If conical brake bodies with springs are used for frictional braking, then the piston can be stopped, but the braking force remains the same regardless of load, limiting suitability for heavy loads
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism uses spring-loaded locking support bodies where the spring force can be selected and adjusted based on the specific load requirements. By changing the spring parameters (stiffness, pre-compression), the system can be adapted to different load conditions. This parameter adjustment allows the same basic mechanism to serve multiple load categories, enhancing versatility without requiring fundamentally different designs for each load class.
3Reliability
If multiple axial bearings and locking support bodies are used to lock the spindle, then the spindle is securely locked against rotation and axial movement, but the structure becomes more complex and space-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The locking support bodies are designed to combine multiple functions within single components. Each locking support body simultaneously provides axial positioning, radial locking, and frictional engagement capabilities. By merging these functions into integrated components rather than separate elements, the system achieves high locking security while minimizing the overall volume required in the cylinder assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking support bodies are positioned within the cylinder bore in a nested arrangement, where the locking elements are contained within the existing cylindrical space. The conical surfaces of the locking support bodies are designed to engage within the available radial and axial clearance, effectively nesting the locking mechanism within the existing cylinder volume rather than adding external bulk.
4Ease of operation
If frictional locking through clamping tongues is used, then the piston can be fixed frictionally, but the construction becomes complex and not suitable for large loads
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential frictional locking function from the complex multi-tongue clamping mechanism and implements it through simpler conical locking support bodies. Instead of using multiple elastically deformable clamping tongues distributed around the circumference, the system uses fewer, more robust locking support bodies with conical surfaces that provide equivalent or superior frictional locking with significantly reduced structural complexity. This extraction of the core function eliminates unnecessary complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
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 provides a safe, efficient, and cost-effective means to unlock the spindle, ensuring secure operation even under heavy loads and varying conditions, with a compact and robust design that minimizes operational wear and enhances reliability.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the locking support bodies is transferable from a locking position in which the locking support bodies frictionally locked together in a self-locking manner by static friction into an unlocking position which enables rotation of the spindle about its axis of rotation relative to the cylinder, by acting on the hydrostatic fluid plain bearing with the fluid pressure medium
Implementation Method 2
the first bearing surface of the first bearing body and the second bearing surface of the second bearing body form a hydrostatic fluid plain bearing which can be or is acted upon via a first fluid channel with the fluid pressure medium
Implementation Method 3
locking support bodies which frictionally locked together in a self-locking manner by static friction
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Method for unlocking a spindle (30) locked in a locking position by means of at least two locking support bodies (35, 36) against rotation about a spindle axis of rotation (33) relative to a cylinder (21) of a locking cylinder (20) by means of at least two locking support bodies (35, 36). In the locked position, the locking support bodies (35, 36) are frictionally locked together via locking cone surfaces (51, 52) by means of static friction, preventing rotation and self-locking in such a way that they can only be moved into an unlocked position by exerting release forces that release the clamping, in which the spindle (30) can be rotated about its spindle axis of rotation (33) relative to the cylinder (21), and in which the spindle (30) is both rotatable about its spindle axis of rotation (33) and displaceable in an axial direction (59) relative to the cylinder (21).