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EP-4737742-A1 - ELECTRO-HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED ACTUATOR

EP4737742A1EP 4737742 A1EP4737742 A1EP 4737742A1EP-4737742-A1

Abstract

An electro-hydraulically operated actuator (1) for moving a first structure of a machine relative to a second structure of the machine which are provided with respective coupling elements, the actuator (1) comprising a cylinder body (2) and a piston (3), associated with a stem (4), the piston (3) being movable on command with respect to the cylinder body (2) along an actuation direction (100) by the action of a control motor with pump (6) which is associated with pipes and with valves and configured to send a hydraulic fluid between a tank (7) and the cylinder body (2); the tank (7) is positioned around the cylinder body (2) between the outer surface (2a) of the cylinder body (2) and an outer containment jacket (8), the end (4a) of the stem (4) that exits from the cylinder body (2) having interconnection means (16) for connection to the second structure of the machinery. The cylinder body (2) is integral, at a first end (2') thereof opposite from the end (4a) of the stem (4), with a supporting base (9) for the outer containment jacket (8), the actuator (1) comprising a first fixing plate (10) with first coupling means (10a) and at least one second fixing plate (11) with second coupling means (11a) which are different from the first coupling means (10a), the first plate and the at least one second plate (10, 11) being selectively associable with the base (9) as a function of the shape structure of the coupling elements of the first structure.

Inventors

  • ZONTA, GIORGIO

Assignees

  • Rima SpA

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251030

Claims (5)

  1. An electro-hydraulically operated actuator (1) for moving a first structure of a machine relative to a second structure of said machine which are provided with respective coupling elements, said actuator (1) comprising a cylinder body (2) and a piston (3), associated with a stem (4), said piston (3) being movable on command with respect to said cylinder body (2) along an actuation direction (100) by the action of a control motor with pump (6) which is associated with pipes and with valves and configured to send a hydraulic fluid between a tank (7) and the cylinder body (2), said tank (7) being positioned around the cylinder body (2) between the outer surface (2a) of the cylinder body (2) and an outer containment jacket (8), the end (4a) of said stem (4) that exits from said cylinder body (2) having interconnection means (16) for connection to said second structure, characterized in that said cylinder body (2) is integral, at a first end (2') thereof opposite from said end (4a) of the stem (4), with a supporting base (9) for said outer containment jacket (8), said actuator (1) comprising a first fixing plate (10) with first coupling means (10a) and at least one second fixing plate (11) with second coupling means (11a) which are different from said first coupling means (10a), said first plate and said at least one second plate (10, 11) being selectively associable with said base (9) as a function of the shape structure of the coupling elements of said first structure of said machine.
  2. The actuator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said first coupling plate (10) and said at least one second coupling plate (11) are removably associable with said base (9).
  3. The actuator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises fixing screws (20) for the fixing of said first coupling plate (10) and of said at least one second coupling plate (11) to said base (9).
  4. The actuator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said base (9) comprises seats with female threading which can be engaged by respective fixing screws (20).
  5. The actuator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said control motor with pump (6) is supported by said base (9).

Description

The present invention relates to an electro-hydraulically operated actuator. Hydraulically-operated actuators, also known as hydraulic cylinders, are typically made up of two main elements, i.e. the cylinder itself and the piston, connected to a stem. The latter is made to move by virtue of a fluid, usually hydraulic oil, which, by applying pressure on the piston, causes its movement inside the cylinder. Hydraulic fluid actuators differ from pneumatic actuators in the type of fluid used, which as mentioned previously is oil, which unlike a gas is not compressible and therefore does not decrease in volume. This factor makes hydraulically-operated actuators more effective and longer-lasting, and they can be used for more burdensome movements. They are widely used in the agricultural sector, in industry, in mobility, in lifting, in the shipbuilding sector, in the earth-moving sector and in urban services. Some examples of installations are on agricultural machinery, boom lifts, cranes, and in the mechanical sector. There are several different types of hydraulically-operated actuators. In one of these, the tank of oil is positioned around the cylinder, between the outer surface of the cylinder and an outer containment jacket. The control motor with pump, as always, is connected, through respective control valves, to the chambers defined in the cylinder in order to control the displacement of the stem. The cylinder body is integral, at one end, with a base that has first coupling means for attaching to the machine or to the outer structure, while the stem, at its end that protrudes from the cylinder body, is integral with second coupling means. In the type of actuators described above, the first coupling means are rendered integral with the respective base, according to requirements. This means it is necessary to design bases, and therefore actuators, that are compatible with the attachments for which they are intended to be coupled. This is not always practical because the base is integrated with the valves and part of the pipes for operation. The aim of the present invention is to provide an electro-hydraulically operated actuator which is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above mentioned aspects. Within this aim, an object of the invention is to make available an electro-hydraulically operated actuator that can be adapted, extremely simply, to different types of connector that may be present on the apparatus or on the machine on which the actuator is to be installed. Another object of the invention is to provide an electro-hydraulically operated actuator that is highly reliable, easy to implement and at low cost. This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by an electro-hydraulically operated actuator according to claim 1, optionally provided with one or more of the characteristics of the dependent claims. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the electro-hydraulically operated actuator according to the invention, which is illustrated for the purposes of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the actuator according to the invention, associated with first coupling means for attaching to the machine;Figure 2 is a side view of the actuator of Figure 1;Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 2;Figure 4 is a perspective view of the actuator according to the invention, associated with second coupling means for attaching to the machine;Figure 5 is a side view of the actuator of Figure 4;Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Figure 5. With reference to the figures, the actuator according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises an electro-hydraulically operated actuator for moving a first structure of a machine relative to a second structure of that machine, which are provided with respective coupling elements. The actuator 1 comprises a cylinder body 2 and a piston 3, which is associated with a stem 4. The piston 3 is movable on command with respect to the cylinder body 2 along an actuation direction 100 by the action of a control motor with pump 6. The control motor with pump 6 is functionally associated with pipes and with valves, which are conventional and are configured to send a hydraulic fluid between a tank 7 and the cylinder body 2. In particular, the control motor with pump 6, as a function of the configuration of the valves affecting the various pipes, sends the hydraulic fluid to a first chamber 21 or to a second chamber 22 defined by the piston 3 and by the cylinder body 2, so causing the displacement of the piston 3 along the actuation direction 100 in one direction or in the opposite direction and thus causing the displacement of the stem 4. The tank