JP4084155B2 - Lubricant application device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lubricant application device that applies a lubricant accurately and efficiently to the tip of a seal lip of a seal member.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54-150556, a large number of ring-shaped seal members are stacked in a guide pipe which is arranged above the work table with its lower end slightly separated from the work table. Lubricant is applied from the nozzle to the inside of the falling seal member. After that, the applied seal member is slid on the work table to be dispensed, the next seal member is dropped, the lubricant is applied in the same manner, and the operation is repeated to repeat the operation.
The lubricant applied in this way is filled into a space formed between a pair of seal lips having a substantially U-shaped cross section (see, for example, JP-A-2001-99199).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the case of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54-150556, the seal member after the lubricant is applied is slid on the work table, so that the applied lubricant is partially peeled off and the application amount May become uneven and faint.
In such a faint state, when the seal member is attached to the assembly target, the lubricity at the sliding portion of the seal lip is lowered, so conventionally, the lubricant is again applied by brushing the tip of the seal lip during assembly. It was the fact that it was being applied, and it was forced to do so twice. Therefore, it has been desired to be able to complete the application of a sufficient lubricant in a single process without such a trouble.
[0004]
In addition, the space between adjacent seal lips is filled with a larger amount of lubricant than that required for actual lubrication, resulting in excess of lubricant and a new measure to prevent leakage during use. Careful consideration is required. However, the part that really needs lubrication is the tip of the seal lip, which is a sliding part, and it is not necessary to apply a lubricant to other parts. Therefore, it is also desired to avoid the excessive application of the lubricant more than necessary, and to apply the minimum necessary amount by focusing only on the part that is truly required.
Accordingly, the present invention aims to realize these requirements.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lubricant application device for applying a lubricant to a sealing member, and a cylindrical filling cylinder and a periphery thereof are fitted to the lubricant application device. A ring-shaped seal member is provided, and a seal lip is protruded in the center direction on the inner peripheral side of the seal member, and a lubricant discharged at a predetermined interval in the peripheral direction on the outer peripheral portion of the filling cylinder in the vicinity of the tip thereof. A plurality of outlets are provided, and a gap is formed between these discharge ports and the tip of the seal lip,
D = 2 πR / N (D is the discharge opening adjacent spacing, N is the number of outlets, R represents the radius of the filling tube)
S> 2r (S is the gap at the tip and the outlet of the seal lip, the radius of the opening of the r discharge port)
r = αD (α is a coefficient determined arbitrarily)
By maintaining the relationship and discharging the lubricant from the discharge port,
The discharged lubricant is applied to the end of the seal lip in the form of dots spaced in the circumferential direction.
[0006]
A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, each of the discharge ports is supplied with a lubricant from branch passages formed radially from a main passage provided at a central portion of the filling cylinder.
[0008]
A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the seal member is stacked in a plurality of stages around the filling cylinder, and the discharge ports are formed in multiple stages corresponding to the plurality of stages of the seal member. To do.
[0009]
【The invention's effect】
According to claim 1, a plurality of discharge ports are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the filling cylinder to the tip of the sealing lip that fits the sealing member around the filling cylinder and protrudes toward the filling cylinder. since ejected more lubricant can be coated cloth suitable amount of lubricant concentrates to the tip of the seal lip that require most lubricants. Moreover, since the space between the seal lips is not filled with excess lubricant, it is possible to eliminate the need for measures against leakage based on the excess lubricant.
[0010]
Also, since a slight gap is formed between the tip of the seal lip and the discharge port, the lubricant applied to the tip of the seal lip contacts the filling cylinder when the seal member is removed from the filling cylinder after applying the lubricant. There is no fear of peeling off. Therefore, blurring due to the work when removing from the filling cylinder does not occur. Therefore, it is possible to apply the optimal amount and uniform to the required place, and it is not necessary to take time and trouble such as brushing at the time of subsequent assembly. Therefore, the coating operation with respect to the seal member becomes efficient.
In addition, the discharged lubricant is applied to the tip of the seal lip in the form of dots. When the seal member is assembled, each point-like lubricant is spread at the tip of the seal lip and is made uniform in the circumferential direction. become. Therefore, the number of discharge ports can be reduced, the structure of the filling cylinder can be simplified, and the application amount can be easily adjusted.
[0011]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the lubricant is supplied from the main passage provided in the center of the filling cylinder through the radial branch passages. Can be supplied uniformly.
[0013]
According to the third aspect , since the seal member and the discharge port are provided in a plurality of stages, the lubricant can be simultaneously applied to a large amount of the seal member, and the mass productivity is improved.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the lubricant application device, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the filling cylinder portion, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 5 and FIG. 5 are perspective views showing the application state.
[0015]
In FIG. 1, this lubricant application device puts a lubricant 2 in a tank 1, applies pressure by a piston 3, and supplies a lubricant to a filling cylinder 6 on a work table 5 from a hose 4 provided at an appropriate place such as the piston 3. And is applied to the sealing member 8 fitted around the filling cylinder 6 from the discharge port 7 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the filling cylinder 6.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the filling cylinder 6 has a main passage 10 formed in the axial direction at the center, a lower end thereof connected to the hose 4, and an upper end closed by a top portion 9 of the filling cylinder 6. ing. A branch passage 11 extending radially from the main passage 10 is connected to each discharge port 7 so that the lubricant is uniformly discharged from the main passage 10 with a uniform discharge pressure.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 2, the adjacent branch passages 11 are formed at equal intervals. The number N of discharge ports 7 (24 in the illustrated example) is set in consideration of uniform application of the lubricant in the circumferential direction (reference numerals 7 and 11 indicate only the solid line part). Assuming that the radius of the filling cylinder 6 is R, the interval D = 2 πR / N between the adjacent discharge ports 7 is obtained. N is determined so that the interval of D realizes uniform coating. Note that this interval is affected by the hole diameter of the discharge port 7 and other conditions, which will be described later.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 4, the seal member 8 includes a ring 12 and an elastic body portion baked on the inner peripheral surface thereof, and the elastic body portion includes a base portion 13 baked on the ring 12, a part of which is in the axial direction. A flange portion 14 extending to the bottom is formed. In addition, the first seal lip 15 and the second seal lip 16 project integrally from the vertical position of the base 13 in the illustrated state toward the center, and have a substantially U-shaped cross section as a whole. A substantially U-shaped seal space 17 is formed between the first and second seal lips.
[0019]
A discharge port 7 is formed at a position corresponding to each of the tips 15 a and 16 a of the first seal lip 15 and the second seal lip 16. Accordingly, a pair of upper and lower discharge ports 7 and branch passages 11 correspond to one seal member 8 in the illustrated state. If this corresponding part is one unit block B (FIG. 3), its height matches the height h (FIG. 4) of the seal member 8.
[0020]
A slight gap S is formed between the discharge ports 7 corresponding to the tips 15a, 16a of the first seal lip 15 and the second seal lip 16, and when the seal member 8 is attached to and detached from the filling cylinder 6, the tip 15a. 16a are not in contact with the filling cylinder 6. In order to accurately maintain the gap S, a guide cylinder having a concentric shape around the filling cylinder 6 and having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the seal member 8 may be provided, and the seal member 8 may be inserted inside the guide cylinder.
[0021]
The gap S is affected by the size of the spot-like adhesion portion 18 (see FIG. 5) that is ejected from the ejection port 7 and adhered to the tip of the seal lip in a substantially spherical shape. The size of the dot-like adhering portion 18 corresponds to the opening area of the discharge port 7. The opening area of the discharge port 7 is preferably substantially equal to the width W of the seal lip tips 15a and 16a (in this embodiment, it is assumed that the tips 15a and 16a have the same width). Further, if the radius of the apertures of the outlet 7 is r, the gap S is required to be greater than 2r.
[0022]
Therefore, the interval D between the adjacent discharge ports 7 is determined by adjusting so that the adjacent spot-like adhering portions 18 are crushed and a uniform lubricating layer can be formed on the entire circumference when the seal member is attached. The radius r of the apertures of the discharge port 7, the distance D of the discharge opening 7 adjacent, r = .alpha.D becomes relevant. Here, α is a coefficient determined arbitrarily, and an optimum value is determined based on an empirical rule according to the viscosity of the lubricant, the thicknesses of the tips 15a and 16a of the first seal lip 15 and the second seal lip 16, and the gap S. Determined.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 3, the sealing member 8 can be stacked in a plurality of stages around the filling cylinder 6 by placing the lower surface of the flange 14 on the upper surface of the base 13 of the other sealing member 8. At this time, the height of the filling cylinder 6 is set to (the height of the block B × the number of steps of the sealing member) + (the height of the top portion 9) according to the number of stacked steps of the sealing member 8. In addition, the code | symbol regarding the detail of the sealing member 8 in FIG. 3 represents only one part in order to avoid complexity.
[0024]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 8 is stacked in a plurality of stages (in this embodiment, five stages) around the filling cylinder 6, and the tips 15a and 16a of the seal lips 15 and 16 are discharged to the discharge port as shown in FIG. A gap S is formed to face 7. Subsequently, when the lubricant 2 is pumped from the hose 4 to the filling cylinder 6 as shown in FIG. 1, the lubricant is divided radially from the main passage 10 to the branch passages 11 as shown in FIGS. It is discharged from the outlet 7 with a uniform discharge pressure.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 5, the lubricant discharged from each discharge port 7 becomes a point-like adhering portion 18 and is applied to the tips 15 a and 16 a of the first seal lip 15 and the second seal lip 16. At this time, the portion to which the spot-like adhering portion 18 adheres is almost limited to the tips 15a and 16a of the respective seal lips, and in addition, on the tips 15a and 16a of the respective seal lips, corresponding to the arrangement of the discharge ports 7. Create a pointed array of intervals.
[0026]
After that, when the seal member 8 is removed from the periphery of the filling cylinder 6, the gap S is maintained between the tips 15 a and 16 a of the seal lips 15 and 16 and the outer peripheral surface of the filling cylinder 6. 18 can be removed without contact with the outer peripheral surface of the filling cylinder 6. When the seal member 8 coated with the dot-like adhesion portion 18 is attached to the assembly target, the dot-like adhesion portion 18 is crushed to form a lubricating layer continuous in the circumferential direction.
[0027]
In this way, the sealing member 8 is fitted around the filling cylinder 6, and the tips 15 a and 16 a of the seal lips 15 and 16 projecting toward the filling cylinder 6 are spaced at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the filling cylinder 6. Since the lubricant is discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 7 provided, it is possible to apply an appropriate amount of lubricant by narrowing down to the seal lip tips 15a and 16a that most require the lubricant. Moreover, since the lubricant is not filled in the seal space 17 between the seal lips 15 and 16, it is possible to eliminate the leakage countermeasure based on the excessive lubricant.
[0028]
Further, since a slight gap S is formed between the seal lip tips 15a, 16a and the discharge port 7, when the seal member 8 is removed from the filling cylinder 6 after applying the lubricant, it is applied to the seal lip tip. There is no possibility that the point-like adhering portion 18 comes into contact with the filling cylinder 6 and is peeled off. Therefore, no fading occurs due to the work at the time of removal from the filling cylinder 6. Therefore, it is possible to apply the optimum amount to the required place and uniformly as a whole, and it is not necessary to take time and trouble such as brushing at the time of subsequent assembly. Therefore, the coating operation on the seal member 8 becomes efficient.
[0029]
Further, since the lubricant is supplied from the main passage 10 provided at the center of the filling cylinder 6 through the radial branch passages 11, even if there are a large number of the discharge ports 7, the amount of the lubricant is evenly distributed to each. Can supply. Further, the discharged lubricant is applied to the seal lip tips 15a and 16a in the form of dots 18 which are attached to the seal lip tips 15a and 16a. The lubricant layer is continuously crushed and pushed up, and continuously and circumferentially uniform. Therefore, the structure of the filling cylinder 6 can be simplified by reducing the number of discharge ports 7. Further, if the opening area of the discharge port 7 is changed, the size of the dot-like adhesion portion 18 can be changed, so that the application amount can be easily adjusted.
[0030]
In addition, since the seal member 8 and the discharge ports 7 are formed in a plurality of stages, the lubricant can be applied to a large amount of the seal member 8 at the same time, and mass productivity is improved.
[0031]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A deformation | transformation etc. are possible variously. For example, the number of seal lips is arbitrary, and may be one or more than two. In short, the number of stages of the discharge ports 7 and the branch passages 11 in the unit block B on the filling cylinder 6 side may be set according to the number of seal lips.
[0032]
The lubricant is not limited to liquid or sol, but may be in the form of mist. In this case, a smaller amount can be more accurately applied by spraying. Furthermore, if the work table 5 is of a rotary type and the filling cylinder 6 is of a retractable type with respect to the work table 5, continuous work can be performed, and work can be made more efficient.
[0033]
Moreover, the filling cylinder 6 can be divided into each unit block B in advance, and an assembly member having a laminated structure in which the top portion 9 is placed on the top. In this way, even when a plurality of types of seal members 8 having different thicknesses or the like are stacked, it is possible to handle only by stacking the corresponding blocks B. Further, by overlapping the blocks B as many as the number corresponding to the seal member 8, it is possible to flexibly cope with the change in the number of steps of the seal member 8.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a lubricant application device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of a filling cylinder portion according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an application state of a lubricant.
2: lubricant, 6: filling cylinder, 7: discharge port, 8: seal member, 10: main passage, 11: branch passage, 15: first seal lip, 16: second seal lip, 17: seal space, 18 : Point-like adhesion part

Claims (3)

A lubricant application apparatus for applying a lubricant to a seal member includes a cylindrical filling cylinder and a ring-shaped seal member fitted around the cylinder, and a seal lip is provided on the inner peripheral side of the seal member. A plurality of lubricant discharge ports provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the filling cylinder in the vicinity of the tip of the filling cylinder, and between these discharge ports and the tip of the seal lip. Forming a gap,
D = 2 πR / N (D is the discharge opening adjacent spacing, N is the number of outlets, R represents the radius of the filling tube)
S> 2r (S is the gap at the tip and the outlet of the seal lip, the radius of the opening of the r discharge port)
r = αD (α is a coefficient determined arbitrarily)
By maintaining the relationship and discharging the lubricant from the discharge port,
A lubricant application device, wherein the discharged lubricant is applied to the end of the seal lip in the form of dots spaced in the circumferential direction.   2. The lubricant application device according to claim 1, wherein each of the discharge ports is supplied with a lubricant from a main passage provided in a central portion of a filling cylinder through branch passages formed radially.   2. The lubricant application device according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is stacked in a plurality of stages around the filling cylinder, and the discharge ports are formed in multiple stages corresponding to the plurality of seal members.

Images