Piston cylinder assembly having integrated measuring device

Abstract

A piston-cylinder assembly, in particular for pneumatic, hydraulic or mechatronic systems, includes a cylinder housing and a piston. The piston is coupled to a piston rod and disposed in the cylinder housing such that it can move along a longitudinal axis. A measuring device for detecting piston or piston rod position is provided inside the cylinder housing.

Claims

1. A piston-cylinder assembly, comprising: a cylinder housing; a piston disposed in the cylinder housing; a trailer piston movable axially relative to the piston; and a measuring device configured to measure the position of the piston, the measuring device including a sensor and a ring magnet.

2. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor extends substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the piston.

3. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piston is disposed in the cylinder housing such that it is movable along a longitudinal axis.

4. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piston is coupled to a piston rod.

5. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the sensor and the ring magnet is at least partially disposed within a recess of the trailer piston.

6. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sensor traverses through the ring magnet when the piston moves along a longitudinal axis.

7. A piston-cylinder assembly, comprising a cylinder housing; a cylinder cover; a piston disposed in the cylinder housing; and a measuring device configured to measure the position of the piston, the measuring device including a magnet and a sensor integrated into the cylinder cover.

8. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cylinder cover comprises a sensor housing integrally formed thereon.

9. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sensor is disposed within the sensor housing.

10. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the magnet is disposed adjacent the sensor housing.

11. A piston-cylinder assembly, comprising: a cylinder housing; a piston disposed in the cylinder housing; and a measuring device configured to measure the position of the piston, the measuring device including a sensor and a ring magnet, wherein at least a portion of the sensor traverses through the ring magnet when the piston moves along a longitudinal axis.

12. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sensor extends substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the piston.

13. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the piston is disposed in the cylinder housing such that it is movable along a longitudinal axis.

14. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the piston is coupled to a piston rod.

15. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a trailer piston movable axially relative to the piston.

16. The piston-cylinder assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of the sensor and the ring magnet is at least partially disposed within a recess of the trailer piston.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter using exemplary embodiments with reference to the appended drawing figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a sectional illustration of a piston-cylinder assembly according to an embodiment of the invention in the plane in which the longitudinal axis of the piston rod extends; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a sectional illustration of a further embodiment of the piston-cylinder assembly according to an embodiment of the invention in a plane in which the longitudinal axis of the piston rod extends.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(4) A piston-cylinder assembly 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The piston-cylinder assembly 1 has a cylinder housing 3 that is closed with a cylinder cover 7. The cylinder housing 3 and the cylinder cover 7 are of rotationally symmetrical configuration with regard to an axis of symmetry 5 and are oriented coaxially with respect to one another. The cylinder cover 7 is sealed against an inner wall of the cylinder housing 3 by means of a sealing element 9. Evaluation electronics (not shown) can be arranged within the cylinder cover 7.

(5) A main piston 11 is arranged within the cylinder housing 3 coaxially with respect to the axis 5. The main piston 11 is connected integrally to a piston rod 13, which is likewise oriented coaxially with respect to the axis 5. The main piston 13 is sealed by means of a sealing element 15 against an inner wall of the housing 3. A further sealing element 17 is arranged on an exit section of the housing 3, at which exit section the piston rod 13 exits the housing 3.

(6) A trailer piston 19 is arranged in an upper (in FIG. 1) section of the main piston 11. The trailer piston 19 is of substantially annular configuration and surrounds the main piston 11 in the upper section of the main piston 11. The trailer piston 19 is sealed by means of a sealing element 21 against the main piston 11 and by means of a sealing element 23 against an inner wall of the housing 3. The trailer piston 19 can be moved axially in the direction of the axis 5 relative to the housing 3 and the main piston 11. The external diameter of the trailer piston 19 in the upper section is larger than the external diameter of the main piston 11 in the lower section. The main piston 11 has a recess 25 of annular configuration, which is oriented coaxially with respect to the axis 5 and extends from an upper end side of the main piston 11 into the piston.

(7) A PLCD sensor 27 is arranged within the recess 25. The PLCD sensor 27 is part of a measuring device. A further part of the measuring device is a ring magnet 29, which is arranged fixedly, for example by a press fit, on an upper shoulder of the main piston 11 and is arranged coaxially with respect to the axis 5. The PLCD sensor 27 is arranged and oriented within a sensor housing 31 parallel to the axis 5. The sensor housing 31 is integrally formed on the cylinder cover 7. Conductor tracks are guided out of the housing 3 through the cylinder cover 7, starting from the sensor 27. The sensor 27 is therefore connected in a stationary manner to the cylinder cover 7 and therefore, in the mounted state, also to the housing 3. A movement of the main piston 11 and/or the rod 13 results in a movement of the ring magnet 29 relative to the sensor 27.

(8) FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of a piston-cylinder assembly according to the invention. With regard to identical components, reference is made to the above descriptions and identical designations are used. In this embodiment, the housing 3 has two separately configured housing parts 35 and 37. The cylinder cover 7, to which the sensor housing 31 with the sensor 27 is integrally formed, is finally connected to the housing part 35. A bell 33 lies on the cylinder cover 7 and closes the housing 3. The external diameter of the main piston 11 is smaller in this embodiment than the external diameter of the trailer piston 19.

(9) The main piston 11 is sealed by way of sealing elements (not shown) against the inner wall of the housing part 35, while the trailer piston 19 is sealed by way of sealing elements (likewise not shown) against the inner wall of the housing part 37. Furthermore, the main piston 11 is sealed by means of a sealing element (not shown) against a section 47 of the housing part 37. The main piston 11 has a cylindrical recess 41. The recess 41 is oriented coaxially with respect to the axis 5 and extends downwardly from the upper end face of the main piston 11. Furthermore, a carrier element 43 is arranged on the end side of the main piston 11 and is connected to the main piston by means of a fastener 45. The carrier element 43 is arranged rotationally symmetrically and coaxially with respect to the axis 5 and, furthermore, has a ring magnet 39, which is fastened to the main piston 11 by means of the carrier element 43.

(10) According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the PLCD sensor 27 is likewise oriented coaxially with respect to the axis 5 and is arranged within the cylinder housing 3 such that it dips through the trailer piston 19, the main piston 11 and the ring magnet 39. All the movable parts within the cylinder housing are therefore arranged rotationally symmetrically around the sensor 27 and coaxially with respect to the axis 5.

(11) A recess 46 is provided in a lower section 46 of the housing part 37. Within this recess 46, the piston 11 extends out of the housing 3. At its lower end in FIG. 2, the main piston 11 has a connecting section 47, by means of which the main piston 11 can be connected to a piston rod (not shown).

(12) It will be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and since certain changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

(13) It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention that, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.