Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Toyo Tire Rubber Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Toyota Gosei Co., Ltd.

Takashi Maeno

Shigeki Takeo

Osamu Nakagaki

Takeshi Naito

Hiroshi Yokoi

Tomoyuki Sawatari

Tetsuo Asano

Hisayoshi Kato

Masanao Gotou

Hiromitsu Takeuchi

Norihiro Yamada

Tatsuo Suzuki

Masato Ueno

Yoshiki Shimoda

Takanori Nakai

Minoru Komada

Naoto Kuriyama

Kyouichi Fujinami

Yoji Kimura

Hiroaki Kawahara

Yutaka Tsuchikawa

Tetsuya Suzuki

Hideo Nakai

Naoki Mori

Kazunori Yoshida

Yutaka Ogasawara

Kazuo Fujihara

Yukitoshi Inui

Tetsuya Tsuiki

Kazuhiro Terada

Tsuneichi Furuie

Hitoshi Tajima

Kyoichi Fujinami

Masaki Inoue

Yoshiaki Kondo

Isamu Komatsu

Akinori Matsuda

Masanao Goto

An actuator includes a sheet having dielectric elastomer layers and conductive rubber layers provided on the front and back faces of each dielectric elastomer layer. The sheet is wrapped and rolled about a coil spring. The actuator expands the rolled sheet along an expansion direction of the coil spring by applying a voltage to the conductive rubber layers on the front and back faces of the dielectric elastomer layer, and contracts the rolled sheet along a contraction direction of the coil spring by stopping the application of the voltage. The actuator further includes a fiber layer located between the coil spring and the rolled sheet wrapped about the coil spring.

Actuator

An actuator manufacturing method includes alternately stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and a plurality of conductive rubber layers along the direction of thickness to form a sheet, and wrapping the sheet formed about a core to form a rolled sheet. When the sheet formed in the step of alternately stacking is wrapped about the core, the sheet is formed by the dielectric elastomer layers and the conductive rubber layers. Therefore, even if the dielectric elastomer layers in the sheet are made to be thin, the thickness of the entire sheet is prevented from being excessively thin.

Actuator manufacturing method

There is provided a method of manufacturing an optical module comprises a component fixing step in which an optical waveguide and at least one optical device are detachably held by a fixing member capable of holding an uncured light curable resin in a required position, and a core forming step in which light of a wavelength for curing the light curable resin is emitted from the leading end of the optical waveguide to the light curable resin uncured and thus the light curable resin is cured to form a shaftlike core. According thereto, the optical waveguide and the optical device are connected by the core.

Method of manufacturing an optical module

A flange is provided at the opening metal of a pressure container, and it extends toward the periphery of the container body at the bonding part thereof at which it bonds to the container body. The liner of the pressure container has a self-sealing part at which it abuts the flange to be sealed up together. On the outer peripheral side of the self-sealing part, a ring-shaped constraint member is provided in the outer periphery of the liner, and the constraint member is to restrict the diameter expansion of the liner to be caused by the expansion of the container body. The liner has an easily-displaceable part that is readily elongable and deformable, at the outer periphery thereof in the radial direction of the self-sealing part.

Pressure container

The liquid-sealing type vibration isolating apparatus of the present invention includes a coupler attached to a vibrating body, a holder, an insulator for absorbing and isolating vibration from the vibrating body at a position between the coupler and the holder, and a vibration isolating mechanism directly following the insulator and including liquid chambers sealing an incompressible fluid. This vibration isolating mechanism has a main chamber sealing a liquid, having a part of wall thereof formed by the insulator, an auxiliary chamber communicating with the main chamber via an orifice, and an equilibrium chamber provided in a portion of the main chamber via a diaphragm and having a varying volume in the chamber. The vibration isolating apparatus further includes switching mechanism for introducing a negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure continuously or in synchronization with vibration of the vibrating body, and a control mechanism for controlling this switching operation.

Liquid-sealing type variation isolating apparatus

The liquid-sealing type vibration isolating apparatus of the present invention includes a coupler configured to be attached to a vibrating body, a holder, an insulator for absorbing and isolating vibration from the vibrating body at a position between the coupler and the holder, and a vibration isolating mechanism directly following the insulator and including liquid chambers sealing an incompressible fluid. This vibration isolating mechanism has a main chamber sealing a liquid, having a part of a wall thereof formed by the insulator, an auxiliary chamber communicating with the main chamber via an orifice, and an equilibrium chamber provided in a portion of the main chamber via a diaphragm and having a varying volume in the chamber. The vibration isolating apparatus further includes a switching mechanism for introducing a negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure continuously or in synchronization with vibration of the vibrating body, and a control mechanism for controlling this switching operation.

Liquid-sealing type vibration isolating apparatus

The liquid-sealing type vibration isolating apparatus of the present invention includes a coupler attached to a vibrating body, a holder, an insulator for absorbing and isolating vibration from the vibrating body at a position between the coupler and the holder, and a vibration isolating mechanism directly following the insulator and including liquid chambers sealing an incompressible fluid. This vibration isolating mechanism has a main chamber sealing a liquid, having a part of wall thereof formed by the insulator, an auxiliary chamber communicating with the main chamber via an orifice, and an equilibrium chamber provided in a portion of the main chamber via a diaphragm and having a varying volume in the chamber. The vibration isolating apparatus further includes switching means for introducing a negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure continuously or in synchronization with vibration of the vibrating body, and control means for controlling this switching operation.

A liquid-sealing type vibration isolating apparatus including a first coupling member attached to a vibrator; a second coupling member attached to a member in a vehicle body; an insulator interposed between the coupling members, for absorbing and isolating vibration from the vibrator; a vibration isolating mechanism composed of a main chamber having a chamber wall formed by a portion of the insulator, and charged therein with liquid, an auxiliary chamber communicated with the main chamber through an orifice and having a chamber wall a portion of which is formed by a first diaphragm, an air chamber partitioned from the auxiliary chamber across the first diaphragm, and an equilibrium chamber partitioned from the auxiliary chamber across a second diaphragm; a selector for carrying out change-over operation so as to introduce negative pressure or the atmospheric pressure into the equilibrium chamber in the vibration isolating mechanism control for controlling the change-over operation of the selector, a negative pressure tank provided between a negative pressure source and the selector, and a check valve formed between the negative pressure tank and the negative pressure source, for allowing introduction of only negative pressure, and a solenoid mechanism for driving the selector.

In a vibration isolating device, a main chamber has a part of a wall constituted by a first elastic member to be deformed by input vibration and is filled with liquid, and a sub chamber has a part of a wall constituted by a second elastic member and is filled with liquid, and the main chamber communicates with the sub chamber through a main flow path. A liquid pressure adjusting plate is installed within the main chamber and divides the main chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber and vibrates in an opposite phase to that of the input vibration. The first chamber communicates with the second chamber through a sub flow path and the dimensions of the sub flow path is set so that the sub flow path is choked during high frequency vibration of the liquid pressure adjusting plate.

Liquid filled type vibration isolating device

A dilatant fluid-sealed vibration-insulating device includes a connection member to be connected to one member, a holder to be connected to another member, an insulator provided between the connection member and the holder, the insulator being made of a rubber-like elastic material, a main chamber and an auxiliary chamber serially provided below the insulator. A partition plate separates the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber from each other. An orifice is formed in the partition plate to communicate the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber with each other. An air chamber is provided into which the air is introduced. A diaphragm separates the air chamber from the auxiliary chamber, and a dilatant fluid is sealed in the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber. When vibrations having very low frequency of about 5Hz and a relatively large amplitude are inputted to the vibration-insulating device, the dilatant fluid exhibits a relatively small viscosity increase insufficient to dampen the vibrations. The fluid comprises dilatant fluid of which frequency range exhibiting the dilatancy thereof is shifted toward a frequency higher than the very low frequency of about 5Hz.

Dilatant fluid-sealed vibration-insulating device

A radiator support bracket includes a bracket body and a stopper member. The bracket body is uniformly made of resin and has a plate-like base portion to be fixed to the vehicle frame, a transformable arm portion that extends from the base portion, and a support portion that holds the upper side of the radiator. The stopper member can also be made of resin uniformly with the bracket body.

Radiator support bracket

In a fluid-filled vibration damping device, a rubber material is injection molded in the upper half of an inner space of a cylindrical insert plate 1 to form a damping rubber member 2 through which an inner tube 3 is retained. A concave 21 is formed in the center of the damping rubber member 2 in such a way that it extends from the periphery to a point close to the inner tube 3 such that both sidewalls thereof are left intact. The concave 21 provides a main fluid compartment A when the insert plate 1 is pressed and fixed in the outer tube. The insert plate 1 has a large concave in the lower half thereof and a plurality of openings are made in the sidewall of the concave 12 except for the bottom wall 121 thereof. A rubber layer 5, injection molded in the concave, has a central part of its width left intact in block form and part of this rubber layer provides a thin rubber wall that covers the openings in the sidewall of the concave 12 which face a cavity 53. When the insert plate 1 is pressed and fixed in the outer tube 4, a sub-fluid compartment B is formed between the outer tube 4 and the thin rubber wall which serves as a defining wall of the compartment B, and this compartment communicates with the main fluid compartment A via a flow constricting channel F around the insert plate 1.

Fluid-filled vibration damping device

A hydraulic damping device is provided including a housing having a first main liquid chamber defined in part by a rubber body which expands and contracts upon input of vibrations in a vertical direction, a second main liquid chamber defined in part by a rubber body which expands and contracts upon input of vibrations in a horizontal direction, and an auxiliary liquid chamber defined in part by a rubber film, which communicates with the first and second main liquid chambers through passageways. Upon input of vibrations in a vertical direction, one or more valves opens the passageway communicating with the first main liquid chamber and closes the passageway communicating with the second main liquid chamber to force a damping liquid filled within the first main liquid chamber to flow into the auxiliary liquid chamber, thereby damping vibrations in a vertical direction. Upon input of vibrations in a horizontal direction, the valve(s) closes the passageway communicating with the first main liquid chamber and opens the passageway communicating with the second main liquid chamber to force the damping liquid within the second main liquid chamber to flow into the auxiliary liquid chamber, thereby damping vibrations in a horizontal direction.

Hydraulic damping device

A hydraulic damping device is provided having a rubber elastic body, a rubber film member closing an opening of the rubber elastic body so as to define a closed chamber, and a partition member dividing the closed chamber into two liquid chambers. A restricted liquid passageway interconnects the two liquid chambers. A cylindrical frame member composed of a resin material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the rubber elastic body. A support member composed of an aluminum alloy is secured to the outer peripheral surface of the frame member and is connected to an engine. When the support member receives a large amount of heat from the engine, the rubber elastic body is thermally insulated from the support member by virtue of the resin frame member, and accordingly, can be prevented from deteriorating due to the heat of the engine. In addition, by composing the support member of an aluminum alloy, the weight of the device can be reduced.

A method for producing a cylindrical bushing with hydraulic damping includes the steps of preparing an internal ring having an elliptical cross-section including a major axis and a minor axis, disposing within the internal ring a vibration-damping rubber block through which an inner cylinder coaxially penetrates and which has wall portions for defining a liquid chamber, so that the wall portions extend along the minor axis of the internal ring; deforming the internal ring so as to have a circular cross-section; and press-fitting the deformed internal ring into an outer cylinder.

Growing community of inventors

Inazawa, Japan

Takashi Maeno