Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Means to assemble or disassemble container and fluid component
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-27
2004-11-02
Bryant, David P. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Means to assemble or disassemble container and fluid component
C029S240000, C248S636000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06810582
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to component incorporation and a liquid filling device used in assembly of a liquid filled vibration-isolating mount mainly used to support an engine for an automobile for the purpose of vibration isolation.
2. Description of Related Art
As illustrated in
FIG. 15
, a liquid filled vibration isolating mount includes a cylindrical body fitting
2
, a rubber elastomer
3
as a vibration isolating substrate and a diaphragm which assumes a part of chamber wall. A liquid filled body interior is partitioned into, for example, upper and lower liquid chambers
6
a
,
6
b
, by a partition portion
5
. Both liquid chambers
6
a
,
6
b
are connected by an orifice
7
on the partition portion
5
, and vibration is damped and absorbed by liquid flow resistance brought about by the orifice
7
and vibration isolating effects of the rubber elastomer
3
. Such type of liquid filled vibration isolating mount has been known, and used as a mount supporting an automobile engine and the like, so as not to transmit vibration produced thereby to a vehicle body.
Vulcanization is used for adhering the rubber elastomer
3
to an opening portion on one end of the cylindrical body fitting
2
. Similarly, the liquid filled vibration isolating mount is also assembled by vulcanization, adhering an attachment fitting
8
to the rubber elastomer
3
, subsequently forming a body component
1
wherein there is a space for containing the liquid, incorporating the components such as partition portion
5
and diaphragm
4
and the like into the body component
1
, and simultaneously containing the liquid inside the body component
1
.
A relatively large-sized liquid bath has heretofore been used to incorporate the components and contain the liquid when assembling the vibration isolating mount. More than one process, such as a setting process for holding the body component in the liquid, a process incorporating the components, such as a partition portion and diaphragm into the body component, a caulking process for fixing the assembled components, and a process for taking out the assembled mount from the liquid bath, have been set up, whereby the component assembling operation is to be carried out in the liquid.
However, in the case of component incorporation and liquid containing methods for a conventional vibration isolating mount, since a large liquid bath and further complicated large-scaled transportation means are required, installation space requirements are increased and disposition and maintenance/control against setup changing operations and problems associated therewith are also troublesome. Furthermore, foreign substances, such as casting sands and rubber wastes are prone to be brought into the liquid bath, causing improper incorporation, such as mixture of air bubbles therewith and the like. Additionally, there are problems such as troublesome washing of an outer circumferential portion of the mount products after assembly, and the like.
Therefore, an applicant of this invention has suggested a component incorporation and liquid filling device of a type using a relatively small liquid bath, similar to JP-A-11-230235, to diminish the aforementioned conventional problems.
In reference to this suggested type of liquid filling device, the body component is faced upwards and held under a nearly perpendicular condition, and the liquid bath, capable of vertical movement, is arranged upwards thereof. An opening portion at a part of the bottom portion of the liquid bath is fitted on an outer circumference of the body component when the liquid bath is lowered, and is assembled so as to hold a sealing condition therewith. The liquid is supplied over the bottom portion having the opening of the liquid bath, and the liquid flows from the opening of the body component into the inside spacing of the body component. When a required amount of the liquid is accumulated and stored above the bottom portion, the component incorporation device comprised of a multi-axis multi-jointed robot and the like is operated under this condition to fit and assemble the components, such as partition portion and diaphragm, inside the body component and in the opening portion while immersing in the accumulated liquid and deaerating. The liquid is contained and sealed, and the accumulated liquid in the liquid bath is then drained from the bottom portion thereon, thus releasing the liquid bath from the body component.
It is noted, with regards to the component assembly, a seal member, such as a commercially available oil seal, is fitted to the opening portion disposed at the bottom portion of the liquid bath in order to secure the sealing condition fitted and assembled to the body component. As shown in
FIG. 16
, with regard to the seal member, a seal body
152
made of the rubber elastomer is secured to an inner circumference of an annular outer circumferential body
151
made of a rigid material by vulcanization adhering means or press-fit means and the like.
The seal member
150
is required to be replaced with the corresponding seal member attendant on modification of shape and the like of the body component when changing the particular vibration isolating mount setup to be assembled. Accordingly, the seal member
150
is fitted detachably to the bottom portion
121
of the liquid bath
120
through a screwing means of the outer circumferential body
151
. In particular, in order to best minimize the seal material
154
for sealing the screwed portion to be retained or come into contact with the liquid, the seal member
150
is screwed and fitted from the underside to the bottom portion
121
of the liquid bath
120
. Screwing holes
157
are also provided at several places on the underside of the outer circumferential body
151
for the screwing operations.
However, in case of the conventional seal member
150
, it is necessary to carry out screwing operation for detachment from the bottom portion of the liquid bath with one's head faced upwards in a narrow space below the liquid bath, so that operability is extremely difficult even if a screwing jig is used, resulting in time-consuming replacement and also longer downtime for setup operation.
This invention is made to solve the problems described above related to the component incorporation and liquid filling device which uses the liquid bath, by allowing the seal member fitted to the opening portion at the bottom portion of the liquid bath to be screwed from the upper surface side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a component incorporation and liquid filling device of the liquid filled vibration isolating mount, comprising a body set holding portion which supports and secures the body component of the vibration isolating mount, having an inside space and an opening on one end side, with the opening faced upwards in nearly perpendicular state. A liquid bath which is disposed above the body set holding portion so as to be vertically movable includes an opening portion provided on the bottom portion to engage with an outer circumference of the body component in a state of seal through a descent action, and is capable of storing liquid over the bottom portion under the condition incorporated into the body component by means of engagement of the opening portion. A liquid supplying/discharging means which supplies and discharges the liquid to and from the top of the bottom portion having the opening portion corresponding with assembling action of the liquid bath to the body component is also provided. A component incorporation device is provided, which serves to assemble the components such as partition portion, diaphragm, and the like, to the body component in the liquid. In accordance with the invention, an annular seal member elastically fitted on the body component is fitted to the opening portion on the bottom of the liquid bath by means of the screwing means from the lower surface side against the bottom portion, the seal member being provided so as to be able to screw in from the upper sur
Inada Tsuyoshi
Sasaki Akio
Tsujimoto Yoshikazu
Bryant David P.
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Omgba Essama
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
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