Measuring and testing – Vibration – Vibrator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-18
2003-05-27
Williams, Hezron (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Vibration
Vibrator
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568272
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a supporting apparatus and a vibration generator utilizing the same, suitably used for supporting a moving portion which reciprocates in predetermined vibrating directions, such as a vibrating table in a vibration generator.
PRIOR ART
In a vibration generator, it is important to prevent a so-called cross vibration, and to reciprocate a vibrating table, which serves as a moving portion, along a predetermined single axis (vibrating directions). The term cross vibration means that the vibrating table moves crosswise, in directions vertical to the predetermined directions (hereinafter, the crosswise directions ray also be called radial directions). In order to prevent the cross vibration, the vibration generator uses a supporting apparatus provided between the vibrating table and a fixed portion provided by such equipment as an exciting machine disposed around the vibrating table. The supporting apparatus guides the vibrating table in the vibrating directions, and limits the movement of the vibrating table in the radial directions.
FIG. 11
shows a constitution of a prior art supporting apparatus
41
, with diagram (a) being a plan view showing with partial cutout, and diagram (b) being a side view. The supporting apparatus
41
is constituted by sandwiching a rocker
44
between a fixed-side receiver plate
42
attached to the fixed portion and a moving-side receiver plate
43
attached to the vibrating table serving as a moving portion, and by connecting the rocker
44
with the fixed-side receiver plate
42
and the moving-side receiver plate
43
with four connecting members
45
. The rocker
44
is rigid in the radial directions, and has arcuate surfaces respectively facing the receiver plates
42
,
43
. Each of the arcuate surfaces represents a part of the outer circumferential surface of a column assumed on a diameter as being the distance between the receiver plates
42
,
43
. Each of the connecting members
45
is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, or a synthetic resin such as nylon, polypropylene and so on, and is pressed between a sandwiching plate
46
provided on the receiver plates
42
,
43
and another sandwiching plate
47
provided on the rocker
44
. With the arrangement described above, the fixed-side receiver plate
42
is attached to a fixed block
48
fastened to the fixed portion.
According to the supporting apparatus
41
, the vibrating table can move in vibrating directions because the connecting members
45
undergo deformation, Due to the movement of the vibrating table, the rocker
44
also moves accompanying the deformation of the connecting members
45
, while the arcuate surfaces of the rocker
44
keep contact with the respective receiver plates
42
,
43
. With this constitution, the movement of the vibrating table in the radial directions is limited by the rocker
44
.
According to the supporting apparatus
41
described above, since the fixed portion and the vibrating table are interconnected by the connecting members
45
, there Is a problem that the connecting portions are subjected to repeated stress, which makes the connecting portions susceptible to fatigue fracture, and makes difficult to improve durability.
Further, a moving range of the vibrating table is limited within a range of deformation of the connecting members
41
. Thus, in order to increase the moving range of the vibrating table, the size of the supporting apparatus
45
must be increased, which leads to a problem of increased cost.
Further, if the size of the supporting apparatus
41
is increased, a mass of the moving portion increases, which decreases acceleration to the vibrating table, and makes impossible to generate a vibration having a desired vibration waveform, resulting in decreased reliability of the vibration generator.
The present invention is made in order to solve the above described shortcomings in the prior art, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a supporting apparatus which can be manufactured at a reduced cost while having an increased durability. Another object of the present invention is to provide a supporting apparatus capable of generating a vibration having a desired vibration waveform, thereby increasing the reliability.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A supporting apparatus according to claim
1
is a supporting apparatus disposed between a fixed portion and a moving portion facing the fixed portion at a predetermined distance, for supporting the moving portion which vibrates while maintaining parallelism to the fixed portion, and is characterized In that the moving portion and the fixed portion are respectively provided with receiving members
2
F, ZM facing each other; and the receiving members
2
F,
2
M sandwich, under pressure, a rocking member
4
which limits a movement of the moving portion in crosswise directions Y vertical to vibrating directions R of the moving portion, while rocking about its axis accompanying the vibration of the moving portion in the vibrating directions R.
According to the supporting apparatus provided by claim
1
, when the moving portion moves In the predetermined vibrating directions R, the moving-side receiving member
2
M also moves, and the rocking member held under pressure between the receiving members
2
F,
2
M rocks about its axis, making possible to follow the movement of the moving portion. In this case, the rocking member
4
limits the movement of the moving portion in the crosswise directions Y vertical to the vibrating directions R. In other words, the moving portion moves (vibrates) with respect to the fixed portion only in the rocking directions R, and the crosswise movement is prevented. In addition, since the rocking member
4
can be assembled by sandwiching the rocking member between the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M, assembling operation as of the entire apparatus becomes easy. Further, even if the rocking member
4
must be replaced, the replacement can be performed easily.
According to the supporting apparatus provided by claim
1
, the cross vibration can be prevented, and the apparatus can be used stably as a supporting apparatus of this kind. Further, since the rocking member should only be sandwiched between a pair of the receiving members, assembling operation of the supporting apparatus becomes easy, and replacement of the rocking member also becomes easy.
A supporting apparatus according to claim
2
is characterized in that the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M each has a flat surface
3
parallel to the vibrating directions R of the moving portion; the rocking member
4
includes a roller portion
4
a
and an engaging portion
4
b
; the roller portion
4
a
has an axis of rotation along the crosswise directions Y; the roller portion
4
a
has an outer circumferential surface making linear contact with each flat surface
3
of the receiving members
2
F,
2
M In the crosswise directions Y upon installation of the rocking member
4
; and the rocking member
4
is held between the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M by engagement between the engaging portion
4
b
and the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M during a travel, by rolling, of the roller portion
4
a
accompanying a reciprocating movement of the moving portion.
According to the supporting apparatus provided by claim
2
, the roller portion
4
a
travels by rolling. It should be noted here that hereinafter, traveling by rolling will be called “rolling”. Now, the rolling of the roller portion
4
a
causes the entire rocking member
4
to travel (rock), However, the engagement between the engaging portion
4
b
of the rocking portion
4
with the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M keeps the rocking member
4
between the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M. Further, the rolling of the roller portion
4
a
guides the moving portion in the vibrating directions R, and the outer circumferential surface of the roller portion
4
a
makes the linear contact with each flat surface
3
of the pair of receiving members
2
F,
2
M along
Fukushima Takehiro
Nakamura Katsuhiko
Shirahoshi Masakazu
Yamamoto Kiyoshi
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP.
IMV Corporation
Miller Rose M.
Williams Hezron
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